VIDEO / GAME NOTES
DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance will look for its third-straight victory when it heads to N. Manchester to take on the Spartans of Manchester University on Saturday, October 6 at 1:30 pm.
SCOUTING DEFIANCE - DC's Garrett Teague, Jon Carrabino and Trevon Burrell have been putting up big numbers against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference competition. Carrabino currently leads all HCAC performers with 120.7 receiving yards per game, while Burrell rates third with 97.3 rushing yards per outing and Teague sits fourth with 174.7 passing yards per contest. Andrew Leverenz has highlighted the defense, ranking ninth among all NCAA Division III players with 11.5 tackles for lost yardage and 16th with six sacks in 2012.
SCOUTING MANCHESTER - Despite a 1-4 clip, the Spartans have been in all five games, with two of those losses coming by only two points. MU leans on the play of its special teams and defensive units, as Collin Huffine leads the HCAC with 16.3 yards per punt return in league play and Kyle Evans tops the charts with 42.0 yards per punt attempt in three conference outings. Zach Dashner has anchored the defense this season with 47 tackles.
LAST MEETING - Manchester ended DC's four-game win streak by jumping to a 25-0 lead, before cruising to a 32-6 win at Defiance's Coressel Stadium on November 5, 2011. The Spartans racked up 216 yards on the ground and saw Kurt Monix haul in four passes for 95 yards and a score, but it was the MU defense that was the story. The Spartans held Defiance to only 187 total yards on offense and racked up six team sacks.
SERIES HISTORY - DC holds a 27-18 advantage in the all-time series against Manchester, but has fallen in three of the last four meetings against the Spartans on the gridiron. The MU defense has shut down the Yellow Jacket attack in those outings, holding the Purple and Gold to fewer than 250 total yards of offense in each of the last four games between the two programs.
LAST TIME OUT - Defiance racked up 23 first downs and 462 total yards of offense in a 34-10 win at Earlham on September 29. Jon Carrabino highlighted the quick-hitting offense with six receptions for 155 total yards and three touchdowns, while Trevon Burrell carried the ball 29 times for 128 rushing yards. Garrett Teague also had an all-around performance with 199 yards and three touchdowns through the air and 94 yards and one score on the ground. Andrew Leverenz led a dominant showing from the defense with three sacks and Hunter Robertson sealed the win with a fourth-quarter interception that he returned 47 yards to pay dirt.
AROUND THE HCAC - Saturday will feature several interesting matchups around the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, as No. 22 Franklin (2-0) heads to MSJ (1-2) in a showdown of the preseason favorites, while Bluffton (2-1) and Rose-Hulman (2-1) battle it out to remain near the top of the league with only one loss. DC (2-1) could also move to 3-1 and remain in contention if it can edge Manchester (1-2) on the road.
D-D-D-Defiance - The Yellow Jackets currently tout the best defense in the HCAC by allowing only 308.8 yards per game this season. That league-leading number dips to 251.0 against conference foes, where the Jackets also lead the pack by allowing only 16.7 points per outing.
GOING UP? - The Defiance offense has improved its point total in every game to open the 2012 campaign. After being shutout in the season opener against Albion, the Jackets have scored 13, 20, 30 and 34 over the next four weeks.
LONG DISTANCE ATTACK - DC has been using big plays to find the end zone this season, with nine of its 13 touchdowns coming from outside of the red zone. The Jackets boast four touchdowns of over 50 yards and six of over 45 yards. For the season, Defiance has averaged 35.9 yards per touchdown play.
A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS - Fans can choose from over 10,000 high-resolution photos of their favorite Yellow Jackets in action by visiting DC's online photo store at www.DefianceAthletics.com/galleries. Prices have recently been dropped by 30 percent on all products and the proceeds from the site help to support Defiance College.
ONLINE WEBCASTS AND REPLAYS - Defiance College would like to thank Hubbard Company, Mark Moats Ford and The Plaza Motel for their support of the Yellow Jacket Sports Network in 2012. Each of DC's five home football games in 2012, along with the road games at Adrian and Bluffton will be broadcast live at www.DefianceAthletics.com/video. Past broadcasts will also be archived and available at that link. Broadcasts will also be replayed all season long by DCTV5 on Tuesday's and Friday's at 9:00 pm and by Bryan City Cable channel 3 on Tuesday and Thursday's at 9:00 pm.