ASHLAND — Another week, another nationally-ranked opponent.
No. 19 Ashland will welcome No. 6 Grand Valley State to town Saturday for a second non-conference slugfest in as many weeks.
The Eagles (0-1) fell to No. 14 Indiana (Pa.) 34-24 in last week’s opener at Jack Miller Stadium.
Meanwhile, GVSU (2-0) rushed for 245 yards in a 56-14 win over West Texas A&M.
“It’s going to be one of the most talented teams we play all year,” Ashland coach Doug Geiser said. “Very explosive offensively. Really, really physical running the football.
“Defensively, they’re strong, they’re physical. They run to the ball.”
Offensively, last week’s loss was a mixed bag. Quarterback Drew Novak completed 16-of-27 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start. Novak lost a fumble that IUP recovered for a touchdown in the first quarter and threw an interception.
“There were some good things that we did but, still, the overriding theme is we made too many mistakes,” Geiser said. “You can’t be minus-2 in the turnover margin, especially giving up a defensive touchdown.”
Local Connection
Several area high school graduates made contributions in the opener.
Shelby product Issaiah Ramsey caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Novak on the final play of the third quarter to cut IUP’s lead to 31-17. Ramsey, a junior, caught three passes for 32 yards.
Mansfield Senior’s Mekhi Bradley had one reception for 24 yards from his fullback position.
Clear Fork’s Kaden Riddle shifted to center after starting the last two years at left guard. Riddle is one of AU’s five captains.
Defensively, Madison’s Isaac Brooks made four unassisted tackles.
Two other local products, Lucas graduate Logan Toms and Ashland High School product Tyler Sauder, also saw action last week. Toms, a safety, made two tackles.
IUP was 7-of-16 on third-down conversions.
“Defensively, we’ve got to find a way to get them off the field on third downs,” Geiser said. “Offensively, I thought we threw the ball decent. Run game is not on par with where it needs to be at Ashland, so we’ve got to work a little bit more on balance there.”
Scouting report
The Lakers average 500 yards of offense per game.
Quarterback Andrew Schuster was selected the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 283 yards and five touchdowns. He leads the nation with eight touchdown passes.
Defensive back Troy Temple leads the Lakers with 12 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
Youth movement
There are 28 freshmen and sophomores listed on Ashland’s two-deep. Geiser can’t wait to see how they respond.
“One encouraging sign, the benefit of having a Thursday game is we had an extra practice, and we had it Sunday night,” Geiser said. “It was one of the best practices we’ve had in a couple weeks. They had already turned the page.
“It’s encouraging to see that the leaders on the team have really bought into that philosophy of turn the page.”