ASHLAND — A two-hour weather delay, two safeties, and a defensive touchdown are not routine items on a winning formula.
But that’s the recipe Ashland University cooked up to put down Ohio Dominican 24-3 on Saturday in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field.
“I thought it was a really good win in all three phases,” said Ashland head coach Doug Geiser. “That’s a little bit more like an Ashland defense, in what we expect and the way they played. A physical, bruising run game. And special teams made some game-changing plays.
“It was a good three-part win.”
The Eagles (1-2 overall, 1-0 in the league) are unbeaten in six GMAC openers. Meanwhile, the Panthers fell to 1-2, 0-1.
Ohio Dominican’s first possession included a fumbled snap that went back 25 yards and resulted in the first AU safety – and early 2-0 lead.
The score stayed there until the 7:03 mark of the second quarter, when a 25-yard field goal by Ryan Elliot put Ohio Dominican up 3-2.
There still hadn’t been an offensive score when junior linebacker Jack Talkington took an interception and ran it back 17 yards for the go-ahead touchdown at 9-3.
A 35-yard field goal from redshirt freshman kicker Nate Russell extended the AU lead to 12-3 with 7:05 to go in the third quarter. Russell’s 18-yard field goal at the 2:15 mark of the third upped the Eagles’ advantage to 15-3.
Then, Ashland picked up its second safety of the day with 9:12 to go when sophomore whip Malik Kamara blocked a Panther punt out of the back of the end zone – getting the score back to a “regular” one at 17-3.
“That was part of the turnaround on special teams,” Geiser noted. “He just shows up and works.”
Junior tailback Willtrell Hartson‘s 4-yard scoring run with 3:39 remaining provided the final margin of victory.
The Eagle defense held ODU to three points and 135 yards of offense, giving up minus-20 rushing yards.
Redshirt senior tailback Ty’aris Stevenson earned his first 100-yard rushing game in two seasons on Saturday, ending with 133 yards on 30 carries.
“He stepped up in a big way, and I’m proud of him,” Geiser said. “He hasn’t pouted, hasn’t whined, hasn’t complained. He’s had two great weeks of practice…and it shows up on the field.”
Talkington ended with nine total tackles (two for loss), 1½ sacks and the pick-six.
“I love Jack Talkington,” Geiser said, “not only as a player, but as a leader. He’s talking the walk and walking the walk, and that’s all you can ask from him.”
The last time the Panthers came to Ashland, a 26-6 Eagle win in 2024, AU also recorded a pair of safeties.
Ashland is 10-5 all-time, with a current five-game winning streak, against ODU.
Going back to the end of the 2021 campaign, the Eagles are 35-5 in their last 40 Great Midwest Athletic Conference games.
Ashland will go on the road for the first time this fall on Sept. 26 at noon at Walsh.
(Photos by Tom Theodore)
