ASHLAND — It’s perhaps Ashland University’s most meaningful regular season game in the past half-decade.
The Eagles celebrate their 98th Homecoming by welcoming in-state and Great Midwest Athletic Conference rival Tiffin to Jack Miller Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The last time AU hosted a regular-season game with this much hype surrounding it was in Week 10 of the 2017 season. The Eagles beat Grand Valley 34-31 on a walk-off field goal on their way to a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and postseason berth.
Ashland and Tiffin are tied atop the GMAC standings at 4-0. Saturday’s winner will be in the driver’s seat for the conference crown and position itself for a playoff push.
Tiffin (4-2) ranks first in the nine-team GMAC in scoring offense and total offense. Ashland (6-0) is second in both categories.
The Eagles lead the league in scoring defense and total defense. The Dragons rank second in both.
“It’s not going to be easy,” AU coach Lee Owens said. “By far this is the toughest challenge we’ve faced.”
The respect is mutual.
“They’re a really good football team,” Tiffin coach Cris Reisert said. “They stress you and stretch you in so many different ways.”
Tiffin averages 33.3 points and 425.5 yards per game. Senior quarterback Christian Carter completes a GMAC-best 64.8% percent of his passes for 1,373 yards and six touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 264 yards and eight touchdowns on 53 carries.
“We really haven’t seen a guy who can run the ball as well as this quarterback can run the ball,” Owens said. “Probably the best receiver we’ve seen is (Anthony) Lowe. He’s a punt returner and kick returner and receiver who is lighting up the conference right now.
“We have to have a plan to contain him (and) a plan to contain their quarterback from making big plays against us.”
The good news for Owens is the Eagles boast the best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 9.17 points a game. Ashland ranks second in the nation in total defense, allowing just 206 yards a game.
“When I study defenses, whether it’s LSU or Georgia or Alabama, every great defense has a good-to-great player at every position,” longtime AU defensive coordinator Tim Rose said. “I think we do. Some positions are good, some are great. There’s no position that can’t or hasn’t made a play.”
AU’s defense is led by linebacker and NFL draft prospect Michael Ayers. The Cleveland Browns sent a scout to Ashland on Wednesday to take a look at Ayers, the reigning GMAC Defensive Player of the Year.
“I’ve never had a guy who has made as many game-changing plays as he’s made,” Rose said. “You can put a guy in position, but to have a guy force as many fumbles as he’s forced, as many TFLs, as many sacks, as many tackles, he’s made more game-changing plays than any linebacker we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Offensively, quarterback Austin Brenner rode to Ashland’s rescue in last week’s 14-7 come-from-behind win over Ohio Dominican. Brenner, who missed the first half with a hip pointer suffered a week earlier, engineered two second-half scoring drives while the defense pitched a shutout over the final 56-plus minutes.
“Brenner was the spark in the second half that we needed,” Owens said. “It was the great defense that afforded us the opportunity to stay in the game.”
Saturday’s contest will go a long way in determining who hoists the GMAC championship trophy at the end of the season.
“This could be for the whole deal,” Owens said. “If we’re not able to beat Tiffin, I don’t know if they lose. We have to play this like the conference championship is on the line.”
Reisert agreed.
“These are the games that are really fun to be a part of,” Reisert said. “You’ve got a really talented football team on both sides of the ball.
“You’ve got to throw haymakers at each other and may the best team win.”
