2012 Siena Heights University Football
Siena Heights Saints (1-2, 0-0) vs
Concordia Cardinals (0-2, 0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 15 - 1 p.m. - Ann Arbor, Mich.
Live Coverage: Jerry Hayes (play-by-play), Doug Goodnough (color commentary), Siena Heights Sports Network (www.shusaints.com), WLEN 103.9 FM
For a complete PDF version of game notes, click HERE.
CONCORDIA: Roster | Schedule | Coaches | Statistics
THE GAME
The Siena Heights football team will take its shortest road trip of the season when it visits Concordia in a Mid-States Football Association Mideast League contest on Sept. 15 at Ann Arbor Huron High School’s Riverbank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Saints fell in their first MSFA Mideast game last weekend, dropping a 31-3 decision to third-ranked Marian (Ind.). Linebacker Tyler Karcher had 7 1/2 sacks, defensive lineman Jordan Martin recovered a fumble and defensive back DeShawn Gilbert made an interception to lead the SHU defensive effort.
Offensively, the Saints gained 209 yards. Running back Travis Damron had 11 carries for 32 yards and tight end Donovan Campbell caught three passes for 23 yards. Kicker Jonah Harter made a 21-yard field goal for Siena Heights’ only points.
The Cardinals dropped their home opener last week to Trinity International, 42-0, after giving up five touchdown passes. Running back Devon Bailey had 16 carries for 55 yards, quarterback Nathan Smith was 16 of 27 for 128 yards and one interception, and wide receiver Brenton Nuby finished with seven catches for 78 yards.
On defense, linebacker Gabe Cox made nine tackles, defensive back Demetre Lopez had seven tackles and defensive backs DeAmonte Mixon and Cortez Smith came through with interceptions.
FOLLOW THE MARCH
All Siena Heights football games will be broadcast on the radio on WLEN 103.9 FM and on the Siena Heights Sports Network, which can be accessed via the Stretch Internet link on WWW.SHUSAINTS.COM. Live stats can be followed online at WWW.SHUSAINTS.COM.
SHSN will provide live video for each Saint home game. Play-by-play will be called by Jerry Hayes while Doug Goodnough will provide color commentary. Jay Nicols is the producer. Games will be archived in Stretch’s on-demand feature.
THE COACHES
Jim Lyall (Michigan ’74) is in his second season as head coach for Siena Heights, where he now has a 1-2 varsity record. He is 103-93-1 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach. During SHU’s 2011 club season, Lyall went 8-1. He was previously the head coach at Adrian, where he compiled a 102-91-1 varsity slate.
Nathan Robbins (Concordia, Neb. ‘99) has been Concordia’s head coach for the entirety of the Cardinals’ three-year history. He is 0-13 all-time as a collegiate varsity football coach. During CUAA’s 2010 club season, Robbins and the Cardinals had a 5-2-1 record. Robbins was previously a defensive coordinator at Lutheran West High School (Rocky River, Ohio) and a head coach for Dallas Lutheran (Dallas, Texas).
UP NEXT ...
After a bye week on Sept. 22, the Saints will host No. 23 Taylor (Ind.) for a MSFA Mideast matchup on Sept. 29. The Trojans currently own a 2-0 record and will take on ninth-ranked Saint Ambrose (Iowa) on the 15th and then NCAA Division III Trine (Ind.) on the 22nd.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
After playing a club schedule and finishing with a 5-2-1 record during their inaugural season in 2010, the Concordia Cardinals joined the NAIA and the MSFA Mideast League in 2011. From there, they have struggled to an 0-11 overall record and 0-5 slate in MSFA Mideast play.
In 2012, Concordia is 0-2 with a 44-14 loss to No. 7 Saint Francis (Ill.) and a 42-0 loss to Trinity International (Ill.), so the program is looking for its first win at the varsity level.
Junior Nathan Smith is the Concordia quarterback. In two games, he is 22 of 48 for 184 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His touchdown pass was to freshman wide receiver Kelvin Woods. Woods leads Concordia with 131 all-purpose yards. Another freshman, Brenton Nuby, is the leading receiver for CUAA with seven catches for 78 yards -- all of which came against Trinity International.
On the ground, sophomore running back Devon Bailey has rushed 28 times for 69 yards. Junior Dominic Trogan scored the first-ever varsity rushing touchdown in Cardinal history during the season opener against Saint Francis (Ill.). Concordia did not record a rushing touchdown in 2011.
On defense, sophomore linebacker Gabe Cox has been the leading tackler with 14 stops. Fellow sophomore linebacker Kevin Smith has compiled 10 1/2 tackles.
In the defensive backfield, sophomore Cortez Smith and DeAmonte Mixon have made interceptions.
THREE’S NOT MUCH OF A CROWD
When the Saints need points, junior quarterback Matt King, sophomore running back Travis Damron and sophomore tight end Donovan Campbell have easily been the go-to guys, combining for all nine SHU touchdowns on the season. That means the offensive trio has 54 of the Saints’ 63 points (85.7 percent).
Damron leads the way with six touchdown runs and ranks tied for second in the NAIA in total touchdowns and points (36). Campbell has two touchdown catches -- both from King -- while the Siena Heights QB has one rush to paydirt.
WE GOT THE BALL! NOW WHAT?
The Siena Heights defense has certainly shown the ability to cause turnovers as it has accumulated five interceptions and three fumble recoveries, but the SHU ‘D’ has yet to turn any of those takeaways into yardage. That’s five INTs for zero yards and three fumble recoveries for zero yards.
With that said, the Siena Heights defenders have had good timing with their takeaways. Of the eight, six have occurred on SHU’s half of the field, including two in the end zone and another inside the five-yard line. The two that happened on the opponent’s half of the field led to touchdowns by the Siena Heights offense.
The Saints’ leading tackler is linebacker Trent Bragg, who has 22 stops. Defensive back Sederick Dunbar II has contributed 21 tackles and two inteceptions while linebacker Tyler Karcher has the third-most tackles with 19 1/2. Karcher also has a half-sack and interception.
DAMRON & CO.
Sophomore running back Travis Damron leads the team in carries (48), yards (190), yard-per-carry (4.0), touchdowns (6) and longest run (24), so it’s easy to forget about the other contributors out of Siena Heights’ backfield.
One of the “other guys” is sophomore Julius Taylor Jr., who almost equals Damron in carries. Unlike his teammate, Taylor has not yet scored a TD, but he does lead the Saints with 231 all-purpose yards. On the season, Taylor has 47 carries for 152 yards, six catches for 41 yards and two kickoff returns for 38 yards.
SHARING TIME
Shortly before the season opener, quarterback Matt King earned the top spot on Siena Heights’ depth chart. Since then, he has compiled a 109.43 efficiency rating, completing 35 of 58 passes for 308 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Last week against Marian, King was 9 of 16 for 59 yards before he was removed late in the contest. Freshman Travis Zajkowski got some playing time and went 3 of 7 for 35 yards and one INT, but he wasn’t the only backup quarterback to throw a pass. On a fake punt, junior punter/quarterback Kyle Timmis completed a 29-yard pass to defensive back Michael Butler.
HOGGING THE BALL
Sophomore tight end Donovan Campbell continues to set himself apart as the Saints’ top receiving threat. Through three games, he has 16 receptions for 151 yards and SHU’s only two scores through the air. His catch total ranks him eighth in the NAIA.
Fellow sophomore tight end Lyle VanFleteren is also a threat in the passing game. So far in 2012, he has five catches for 71 yards.
RANKING THEM HIGH
Among the NAIA rankings, Siena Heights is ranked among the Top 25 in five categories, including ninth in total sacks (7), 18th in total rushing yardage (483) and 19th in fourth-down conversion percentage (62.5).