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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Dominican's football team used a quick start to take a 49-21 win over Northwood last Saturday and will look to take another step towards clinching a playoff berth as the Panthers play host to another GLIAC North Division opponent, Saginaw Valley, this week.
With two regular season games left to play, the Panthers are ranked No. 2 in the region and No. 11 in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls. Should ODU maintain that spot at No. 2 in the region, the Panthers would earn a first round bye in the postseason.
The meeting this week between ODU and Saginaw Valley is the first contest between the two schools, despite this being the fifth year that the Panthers have been members of the GLIAC. Saginaw Valley is the only Division II school in the states of Michigan or Ohio that the Panthers have not played in football yet.
This week will feature a matchup of two of the better defenses in the GLIAC. The Panthers rank second in the GLIAC in scoring defense (17.2 points per game) and first in total defense (306.0 yards per game). The Cardinals allow 25.8 points per game, which is sixth in the conference, and 376.0 yards per game, which is seventh.
SVSU's defense is also one of the best in the GLIAC in getting pressure on the quarterback, ranking second with 21 sacks. They'll go against an ODU front line that has yielded just three sacks on the year, which is fifth-best nationally.
ODU's defense helped spark the Panthers to the 28-point win over Northwood last week. The Panthers had three takeaways in the first half, leading to 14 points, and had four overall in the game. ODU – which had scored just 28 points combined in its last two games - jumped to a 28-0 lead in the second quarter, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four drives. Junior Austin Osborne also returned an interception for a touchdown to give the Panthers the four touchdown advantage.
Senior quarterback Mark Miller had an efficient performance, completing 17 of his 20 passes for 193 yards and four scores. It's the third time in his career he's completed at least 85 percent of his passes. Five receivers finished with at least 35 yards. Junior Dez Stewart led the way with five catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns, while JT McFarland, Nick McKnight and Robert Williams also had touchdown grabs.
Billy Eakins was the leading tackler with 10 stops, and his fourth quarter interception was the ninth of his career, which tied a school record. Cody Culbertson made seven tackles and forced a fumble that led to ODU's second touchdown of the game, and Mason Sawicki had six tackles as well.
Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu
