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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Owners of four straight victories, Ohio Dominican's football team enters the 2012 regular season finale in a tie for third in the GLIAC standings as the Panthers welcome former MSFA foe Malone to Columbus for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
ODU is coming off of a 44-14 victory at Lake Erie last Saturday, shutting out the Storm in the second half and putting up 23 points of its own to pull away for the win. The Panthers, who have now outscored their last four foes 183-66, including 106-14 in the second halves of those contests, finished with a 448-306 edge in total yards against Lake Erie. ODU rolled to 291 yards rushing while limiting the Storm to just 65 rushing yards (2.0 per carry).
Young faces sparkled for the defense as sophomore Nikko Tanksley (Columbus, Ohio) recorded a career-best 11 stops (2.0 for loss) and freshman Di'Andre Harrison (Columbus, Ohio) had a career day with nine tackles, two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Freshman Brad McCurdy (Columbus, Ohio) made eight stops and sophomore Tyrone Patel (Cincinnati, Ohio) returned an interception for a touchdown as well.
Senior Mark Nichols (Pataskala, Ohio) had one of the most prolific rushing performances in school history, rumbling for 212 yards on 26 carries and a TD. The yards were the third-most in school history, and Nichols became the fifth Panther to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards (1,029).
The Panthers also scored on special teams, as freshman Ben Copher (Dayton, Ohio) blocked his third kick of the season that freshman Billy Eakins (Pickerington, Ohio) scooped up and scored on to help ODU to a halftime lead.
ODU enters Saturday's matchup with one of the top-ranked offenses in the nation, sitting 17th in the country in scoring (39.3 points per game), 13th in rushing (237.3 yards per game) and 29th in total offense (450.8 yards per game).
The Panther defense has also earned high marks, with ODU ranking third in total defense (349.1 yards per game), third in rushing defense (126.4 yards per game) and second in scoring defense (22.0 points per game).
ALL OHIO DOMINICAN FOOTBALL GAMES LIVE ON THE RADIO AND INTERNET
Fans in Central Ohio can listen to Ohio Dominican football LIVE on the radio on 820 AM (St. Gabriel Radio) and simulcast online everywhere at www.pressboxproductions.net. This week's broadcast starts at 12:30 p.m. with the Panther Countdown Pregame Show. Veteran broadcaster Todd Bell returns for his fifth year in the booth as the play-by-play announcer and is joined by Matt Natali in the booth, while Scott Grady handles the pregame and halftime shows. Live video is also provided FREE for all six home games this season.
THE SERIES
ODU has a 4-1 advantage in the series, with the teams last meeting in the 2008 season finale. ODU, ranked No. 23, upset No. 13 Malone in that contest 34-24, with the Panthers forcing four turnovers.
ODU also defeated No. 23 Malone in 2007, 31-21. ODU was undefeated and ranked No. 3 in that contest. In 2006, ODU scored a 41-17 win at Panther Field over No. 19 Malone, with Cris Reisert throwing five TDs, and ODU also owns a 27-13 win over the Pioneers in 2005.
DID YOU KNOW????
>> ODU is 20-5 against opponents from Ohio since 2007.
>> 40 of ODU's 52 touchdowns have been scored by freshmen or sophomores.
>> ODU's 98-yard touchdown drive against Lake Erie was the 17th scoring drive of 90+ yards in school history. ODU has had four 99-yard drives in school history.
>> ODU's +17.3 scoring margin is second-best in the conference behind Ashland.
>> The Panthers have won seven of their past eight home games.
Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu
