'Berg (1-4, 0-4) @ #1 Mount Union (5-0, 4-0)

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 at 1:30 p.m.
Mount Union Stadium (5,529) - Alliance, Ohio
Radio: Heidelberg’s WHEI 88.9
(Matt Karlovec - play-by-play, Brad Bowser & Matt Cotman - color & sideline)
TV: SportsTime Ohio (Joe Tait - play-by-play, Harry Paidas - color)
 
Game Notes: Heidelberg @ Mount Union
Listen Live: WHEI 88.9

Top Story: The Heidelberg College football team begins a two-game road trip on Saturday at nationally-ranked Mount Union College in a 1:30 p.m. contest. Saturday’s game is the beginning of the second half of Heidelberg’s 2008 slate. Included in the mix is four road contests, with a final home game sandwiched in the middle on Nov. 1. The Berg is coming off a 41-0 setback at the hands of Ohio Northern University on homecoming weekend. It was the first time in 21-straight games that the Berg has been shutout. Heidelberg will look to hold on to the football on Saturday in Alliance after finishing with five turnovers against the Polar Bears. Next on the docket for the Berg is a 1:30 p.m. contest in Berea, Ohio with Baldwin-Wallace College.

Quick Stat of the Afternoon: Mount Union has won nine national championships over the years and helping to contribute to the first national title was Heidelberg second-year head coach Mike Hallett. Hallett was a two-time defensive tackle All-American for the Purple Raiders. During the championship season Hallett amassed 111 hits and 8.5 sacks. He was also named to the Ohio Athletic Conference First Team Defense in 1992 and 1993.
 
Saturday’s Opponent: Mount Union enters Saturday’s game ranked No. 1 in the nation and hosts Heidelberg in its 2008 homecoming game. Under the guidance of Larry Kehres, Mount Union has won 18 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships, including 16 in a row and nine of the last 15 NCAA Division III National Championships. The Purple Raiders scored 21 points in the first quarter en route to a 49-7 victory over No. 4 Capital University last weekend in Alliance. Both team entered the contest undefeated. In the win running back Nate Kmic finished with 168 yards in 21 carries and three scores. Kmic moved to third all-time on the NCAA Division rushing list at 6,171 yards.
 
Mount Union Series Quick Outs: Heidelberg and Mount Union will meet on the gridiron for the 52nd time on Saturday, dating back the 1910 season when Mount Union shutout the Berg 34-0. The Purple Raiders hold a 38-13 series advantage and have won the last 19-straight games. Heidelberg’s last win was a 24-14 victory in Tiffin in 1988. The last time that the Berg has posted a victory in Alliance was during its Stagg Bowl Championship season in 1972. The Berg won 24-7. A year ago in Tiffin, No. 1 Mount Union won 62-3. Placekicker Jesse Hawkins connected on a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter to erase a shutout and marked the first team on the season that scored on Mount Union’s first-string defense.
 
Radio / Internet: All Heidelberg football games will be broadcast by Heidelberg’s WHEI 88.9. Game coverage can also be heard via the Internet. Connect through the Heidelberg athletic web page on the college’s website. Matt Karlovec and Brad Bowser, along with sideline reporter Matt Cotman, are on hand to call the action.
 
Television: For the first time at Heidelberg, the football program will have a contest broadcast on television. A total of five games will be aired on SportsTime Ohio in 2008, including two home and three away contests. The Berg will be on television in its home opener versus Westminster Sept. 6, at John Carroll Sept. 27, home against Ohio Northern Oct. 11 and on the road at Mount Union Oct. 18 and at Baldwin-Wallace Oct. 25.
 
inKLEINed to Stop: Offensive opponents of sophomore Vaughn Klein have been inclined to stop this season. From his linebacker position Klein currently leads the defense with 50 tackles, to go along with two sacks for 14 yards. Klein is coming off tying his career-high of 12 tackles against Ohio Northern. For the year he has amassed 10 tackles in three of five games, just missing with nine in each of the others. At the midway point of the season Klein is already past the halfway point of his total tackles from his freshman season. In 2007 Klein picked up 77 total tackles.
 
Don’t Forget About Me: Senior wide receiver Dawond Roddy has put up some big numbers in Heidelberg’s first four games of the 2008 campaign and has quickly become a favorite target of sophomore quarterback Andrew Miller, however sophomore wide receiver Mike Preston has proven to be a capable receiver, as well. On the season Preston has hauled in 15 passes for 255 yards, an average of 17.0 yards per catch that is second on the club.