ASHLAND, Ohio — Longtime Ashland University coach Lee Owens has more in common with daredevil Nik Wallenda than he would care to.
Like Wallenda, Owens and his Eagles are operating without the benefit of a safety net.
AU (5-1, 4-1 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) will play four of its final five games on the road and while the schedule is certainly favorable — those five opponents have a combined record of 6-23 — a second loss would almost certainly derail any hopes the Eagles have of advancing to the playoffs for a second straight season.
Ashland, which jumped to 11th in this week’s American Football Coaches Association Division II poll after last week’s resounding 45-7 win over Northwood, begins its playoff push Saturday at winless Lake Erie. The Storm are coming off a 45-7 loss to Ohio Dominican.
“You can’t let up. You can’t take your foot off the gas now because we already have one loss,” Owens said. “We can’t afford another one.”
Quarterback Travis Tarnowski echoed Owens’ sentiments.
“Every game now is a championship game,” Tarnowski said after tying AU’s single-game record with five touchdown passes last week. “We know that every play and every second of the game is so crucial. We want to take advantage of every single second and every single play.
“We know that you’re not going to get another shot if you let another one slip away.”
Tarnowski’s favorite target all season has been tight end Adam Shaheen, who leads all NCAA tight ends with 42 receptions, 701 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches. The NFL prospect became the first tight end in the 18-year history of the GLIAC to be named Offensive Player of the Week after matching AU’s single-game record with four TD catches last week.
In AU’s last two games, Shaheen has 17 catches for 274 yards and seven touchdowns.
“I’ve been very fortunate getting a lot of touches the last couple games,” Shaheen said. “Travis has been looking for me … and I’ve just been fortunate enough to go up and get the ball.”
It’s been a long season for Lake Erie, which ranks last in the 14-team GLIAC in total defense and 13th in total offense. The Storm hasn’t scored more than 14 points in a game since a season-opening 38-35 overtime loss to Northern Michigan and has given up more than 40 points in five of six games.
“We’re worried about taking care of business with our football team and making sure we’re ready to play when it’s time to kick if off,” Owens said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to see how much we’ve grown.”
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