ASHLAND — Andrew Vaughn may have been disappointed, but Ashland’s veteran tailback was far from panicked.
The Eagles have been in this situation before.
For the second year in a row AU lost its season opener to Indiana (Pa.), but the 2017 Eagles provided the blueprint this year’s team would like to follow. The Eagles reeled off 11 straight wins and advanced to the second round of the playoffs after dropping last year’s opener.
“We’ve been in this position before,” Vaughn said after rushing for 133 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 21-17 loss to the Crimson Hawks at Jack Miller Stadium. “We’ll build upon it … and get ready for ODU.”
The 18th-ranked Eagles hit the road Saturday for an intrastate showdown with 17th-ranked Ohio Dominican University. The Panthers opened their season with a 28-23 win over California (Pa.).
“ODU is always going to give us their best shot,” Vaughn said. “We’ve played them for years and they’ve always given us their best.”
There was plenty to take away from last week’s loss, not the least of which was the play of an inexperienced offensive line. The Eagles rushed for 216 yards despite starting three true freshmen and a redshirt freshman among the five offensive linemen.
“I really liked how we came off the ball,” AU coach Lee Owens said. “We got good push up front against a good defensive line.”
Defensively, AU limited the Crimson Hawks’ high-octane offense to 353 yards of total offense. Linebacker Clay Shreve had 10 tackles, while preseason All-America defensive end James Prater Jr. had nine stops, including a sack and three tackles for loss.
“We’re really fast on defense,” Owens said. “We can really run to the football.”
The Panthers rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit in their opener against California (Pa.). Quarterback Shane Bucenell completed 20 of 26 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, while linebacker Ross Thompson had 15 tackles. Linebacker Alessio Amato picked off a pair of passes and had six stops.
“It’s the kind of game where you are worried about having to come back after a tough loss, but what you need to do is have to come back against a team that gets your attention right away,” Owens said. “It should be a heck of a football game. I’m looking forward to it.”
