ASHLAND — Messaging this week at Jack Miller Stadium has been clear: Kentucky Wesleyan is dangerous.
No. 13 Ashland hosts Kentucky Wesleyan in the regular season finale at 1 p.m. Saturday. A win assures the Eagles (8-1, 6-1) of no worse than a share of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and locks up a playoff berth.
The Panthers (2-8, 1-6) have lost five straight and are coming off an ugly 72-13 home loss to Tiffin. Kentucky Wesleyan’s only GMAC win came more than a month ago against Hillsdale — the same Hillsdale that stunned AU two weeks ago.
“I told the players … they would heat that from me at least 500 times — I think I’ve got 350 left — that this team beat Hillsdale,” AU coach Lee Owens said Tuesday during his weekly press conference.
“I’ve watched that Hillsdale tape and I’ve made them watch that Hillsdale-Kentucky Wesleyan tape. They’ve got the makings of a good football team.
“We are not taking them lightly. We learned a valuable lesson at Hillsdale. We’ve got to show up every game and come to play. We showed up at Lake Erie.”
The Eagles had their hands full with the Storm last week in Painesville. AU trailed 23-17 early in the third quarter before quarterback Austin Brenner tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Logan Bolin, a 14-yarder with 10:07 remaining in the third to give Ashland a 24-23 lead and a 9-yarder midway through the fourth to ice it.
Tailback Larry Martin was the offensive star, rumbling for a career-high 240 yards on 40 carries. Martin’s effort helped Ashland dominate time of possession and keep Lake Erie quarterback Gerald Gardner and the Storm’s prolific passing attack on the sidelines.
“Lake Erie being as explosive as they are, and that quarterback being as dynamic as he is, it’s good he was on the sideline most of the time,” Owens said.
Kentucky Wesleyan averages 13.9 points a game while giving up GMAC-high 38.4 points a game. The Panthers rank fourth in the nine-team GMAC in total defense, allowing 337.7 yards a game.
AU counters with the GMAC’s second-ranked scoring offense (30.8 points per game) and total offense (418.1 yards per game). Martin averages a GMAC-best 98.3 yards per game and needs 115 yards Saturday to reach the 1,000-yard plateau.
Bolin had four catches for 40 yards against Lake Erie. The senior now ranks second in career receptions (173) and career receiving yards (2,381).
Defensively, linebacker Michael Ayers continues to lead the way with 60 tackles.
Ayers and Bolin are among the 15 seniors who will be recognized Saturday. That group includes Brenner, receiver Garrett Turnbaugh, safety Jourdan Swett and tight end Carter Brooks, a Shelby product, among others.
“This is a big game, the senior’s last game. We’re playing for a conference championship. We’re playing for playoff opportunities,” Owens said. “There’s a lot on the line.
“Very few teams are in this position at the end of the season, where they get to go out and play at home for a championship.
“It won’t be easy. It’s hard to finish and they know that.”
