'Berg (1-0, 0-0 OAC) @ Capital (1-0, 0-0 OAC)
Bernlohr Stadium (3,000) - Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Sept. 19 at 1:30 p.m.
Radio: WHEI 88.9 FM (Matt Karlovec - play-by-play, Matt Cotman - color)
Radio: WTTF AM-1600 (Jon Kerns - play-by-play)
Game Notes: Heidelberg @ Capital
Listen Live: WHEI 88.9
Live Stats
Top Story: The Heidelberg University football team returns to the gridiron at Capital University Saturday at 1:30 p.m. following a bye week. Saturday’s contest marks the second-straight game on the road for the Berg and is the Ohio Athletic Conference season-opener for both institutions. Heidelberg is coming off a 42-26 non-conference victory at Westminster College on Sept. 5, while the Crusaders posted a 31-21 victory over Adrian. Following its outing in Columbus, Heidelberg will host John Carroll University in its home opener, but its stay in Tiffin will be short lived as week four and five will be spent at Otterbein College and Ohio Northern University.
Quick Stat of the Afternoon: Heidelberg opened the year with a 42-26 victory at Westminster College on Sept. 5. It was the third-straight year that the Berg was victorious in its season opener, all of which have came under the direction of third-year head coach Mike Hallett. Prior to Hallett’s tenure, the Berg had not won its season opener since a 10-7 victory over Adrian College in 1996. Contributing to its victory was a well rounded effort from all facets of the game. Heidelberg scored not only on offense, but with its defense and special team units as well. Breaking a scoring drought for the Berg was a 60-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by linebacker Justin Dawson to start the second quarter. Three passing TD’s were spread over the final part of the second quarter and into the second half before Matt Wilde returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score. And to wrap up the day, Heidelberg recorded a rushing TD to seal its victory. In the end junior placekicker Jesse Hawkins was a perfect 6-for-6 in point after attempts.
Saturday’s Opponent: Capital and Heidelberg first met in 1928 and Saturday’s contest will mark their 63rd meeting. The Berg holds a 32-29-1 series advantage, but Capital has won the last nine-consecutive meetings. Prior to the Crusaders last nine wins, Heidelberg had won eight of their previous nine encounters. The last time Heidelberg topped Capital was a 33-9 victory on Oct. 2, 1999 and coincidentally the triumph came on the Crusaders home turf. Heidelberg head coach Mike Hallett is also in search of his first victory over the Crusaders as well.
Last Time Around: The last time around for Capital and Heidelberg saw the Crusaders post a 38-17 victory in Tiffin Sept. 20, 2008. Capital, who entered the contest ranked no. 5 in the nation, utilized 21 unanswered points in the second half to come from behind for the win. The Crusaders finished with 517 yards compared to 247 by the Berg. Heidelberg’s air attack took prominence in its offense, finishing with 195 yards. Andrew Miller completed 13-of-27 passes for the Berg to finish with 185 yards. Heidelberg’s Dawond Roddy and Mike Preston combined for 132 receiving yards. For Capital, Marty Assmann completed 22-of-38 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns.
OAC Honors: Following Heidelberg’s 42-26 victory at Westminster to open the year, two players picked up weekly honors from the Ohio Athletic Conference. After finishing with a fumble recovery for a 60-yard touchdown and eight tackles, linebacker Justin Dawson was named the OAC Defensive Player of the Week. Matt Wilde returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score, to add to his 114 kickoff returns yards and was tabbed the OAC Special Team’s Player of the Week. Dawson and Wilde each picked up their first player of the week honor.
Oh Captain My Captain: Providing a leadership role for the Berg in 2009 will be captains Matt Grieves, Jemar Lewis, Andrew Miller and Fran Cavotta. Grieves and Cavotta are seniors and pace the defensive line and secondary, respectively, while Lewis is a senior and Miller is a junior and they both are leaders on the offensive side of the ball.
Aerial Attack: A season ago, the Heidelberg record book found a new face among the ranks. Then sophomore quarterback Andrew Miller set a new single-season mark for passing touchdowns with 20 and a new single-game record for passing touchdowns with six in a 45-41 win at Muskingum to close out the year.
Going Deep: In its season opening win over Westminster Sept. 5 Heidelberg’s offense not only went deep down the field, but extended its bench as well at wide receiver. Junior signal caller Andrew Miller completed 11-of-19 passes for 235 yards. Miller’s 11 passes were completed to seven different receivers including Mike Preston, Clifton Powell, Kenny Sims, Mitch White, Jozey Hill, Jemar Lewis and Mario Walton.
Presto: Junior wide receiver Mike Preston seemed to be automatic when it came to finding the end zone when he had an open field at Westminster Sept. 5. Preston hauled in two passes from Andrew Miller across the middle and did not stop until the end zone. For the game he finished with four catches for 147 yards. His 147 yards was a career-best, and his TD receptions of 61 and 71 yards topped his career chart as well. His previous highs were 97 yards and a TD catch of 52 yards.