'Berg (1-3, 0-3) @ #18 ONU (2-2, 1-2)
Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m.
Dial-Roberson Stadium (3,500) - Ada, Ohio
Radio: WHEI 88.9 FM (Matt Karlovec - play-by-play, Matt Cotman - color)
Radio: AM-1600 WTTF (Jon Kerns - play-by-play)
Game Notes: Heidelberg @ #18 Ohio Northern
Listen Live: WHEI-88.9
Top Story: The Heidelberg University football team concludes a two-game road trip Saturday at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. ONU stands 18th in the nation according to D3football.com, dropping two spots from a week ago. Next up for the Berg is two-straight in Tiffin beginning with Mount Union College Oct. 17 followed by Baldwin-Wallace College for homecoming Oct. 24. A brief road stint at Wilmington College on Halloween precedes its last two contests at home against Marietta College (Nov. 7) and Muskingum University (Nov. 14).
Quick Stat of the Afternoon: The Ohio Athletic Conference is one of the premier conferences in all of NCAA Division III. This is evident with four of the league’s 10 schools are currently ranked in the top-25 in the nation according to D3football.com. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has three OAC teams ranked, with a fourth receiving votes. With the tough league schedule for all, playing on your home field is always nice, but for Heidelberg the friendly confines of Tiffin has seen limited action. Saturday’s contest will mark the fourth road contest for the Berg in its first five games of the year, and will be the second-consecutive outing against a ranked foe. Dating back to the close of the 2008 season, Heidelberg will have played eight of its last 10 games on the road. The future looks bright for the Berg, as they close out the year at home in four of its last five games.
Saturday’s Opponent: Heidelberg and Ohio Northern first met on the gridiron in 1897 and Saturday will mark their 78th meeting. The Polar Bear’s lead the overall series 43-29-6 and have won the last 14 meetings. Prior to the 14-game winning streak by ONU, Heidelberg had won nine out of the previous 11 games, with a tie mixed in. The last time that the Berg topped the Polar Bears was 34-20 victory on Nov. 12, 1994 in Tiffin. On Nov. 13, 1993 Heidelberg beat ONU in Ada, 34-33, to mark the last road win for the Berg over the Polar Bears.
Change of Venue: On Oct. 6 Heidelberg announced that it will host its final two home games on campus at Mayer Field. A summer ago, Mayer Field was upgraded to synthetic turf and had lighting installed, as well as rod iron fencing. The upgrades are Phase I of a planned Recreation and Wellness Center on campus. The decision to host the two games on campus is a collaborative event to the week-long inauguration celebration of 14th president Robert Huntington November 3-7 and an added element to this year’s commemoration of Founders Day on November 11.
Last Time Around: In 2008, Ohio Northern held Heidelberg to just 167 yards of total offense, with only 29 coming from the ground, en route to a 41-0 shutout. ONU posted the win during homecoming weekend at the Berg. Andrew Miller completed 11-of-26 passes for 138 yards to lead Heidelberg. Jemar Lewis carried the ball 17 times for 28 yards. For the Polar Bears, Brent Donley eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in 19 carries and scored three touchdowns. Brook Crawford had 99 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Early Score: At Otterbein last week, Heidelberg went 76 yards in six plays in the opening drive of the game for a score. Andrew Miller connected with Jemar Lewis for a 31-yard touchdown. Lewis’ score marked the first points for the Berg in the opening quarter on the year. Prior to the game, Heidelberg had been outscored 37-0 in the first 15 minutes of play.