Beyond the records: Ashland U and ODU face off in matchup of talented one-win teams
Two football teams eager to get a win will meet Saturday when Ashland University travels to Columbus to take on Ohio Dominican.
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference contest is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Panther Field.
Both teams bring 1-3 overall records into the game. Ashland is 1-1 in the GMAC, while ODU is off to an 0-2 start in the league.
“You can’t get lulled to sleep by their record,” AU coach Doug Geiser said. “You’ve got to look at the series and the matchups. It’s been kind of a rivalry game for us through the years. It’s kind of gone 50-50. It’s going to be very physical; it always is.”
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While the Panthers are 1-3, they’re just seven points away from being 4-0. ODU opened the season with a 23-21 loss to Notre Dame College, then won a 26-14 decision over Winston-Salem State.
In GMAC play, ODU has fallen 18-17 to Thomas More and 13-10 last Saturday to Kentucky Wesleyan.
The Panthers had 14-0 and 17-6 leads at Thomas More before giving up the winning score with 1:47 left in the game. Kentucky Wesleyan got its winning points against ODU with just 35 seconds left in the game.
With the Panthers playing their 20th season of football, AU holds a 6-5 edge in the all-time series with three wins at home and three at ODU.
“Just look at the matchup and the history,” Geiser said. “This is another one of those games in (our opening) five-game stretch where you kind of throw the records out the window.
“With this team last year we had to go on a 90-plus-yard drive to win the game at the end. I would say this comes down to one score at the end of the game. Whoever wins the last play probably wins the game again this year.”
ODU’s strength starts on the defensive side of the ball with 5-10, 180-pound redshirt sophomore linebacker Dmitri Mitsopoulos; 6-1, 230-pound redshirt junior linebacker Michael Powers; and 6-3, 225-pound redshirt senior defensive end Eddie Miller-Garrett.
Miller-Garrett had 2.5 of his defense’s five sacks against Kentucky Wesleyan, a game in which the Panthers allowed just 45 yards rushing and 170 total yards.
For his career, Miller-Garrett has been a disruptive force with 37.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks.
Through four games, the Panthers are allowing just 76 yards rushing and 253 total yards per game.
“I would say it’s a combination of scheme and personnel,” Geiser said. “They do a great job of trying to outnumber you in the box, whether it’s by coverage or rolling an extra guy down.”
The ODU leaders on offense are 6-3, 230-pound sophomore quarterback Drew Gallehue, senior running back Travis Whittaker, junior running back Jonzell Norrils and senior receiver Ty Wiley.
Gallehue has 60 completions in 97 attempts for 541 yards and five touchdowns. But he has been picked off seven times.
Norrils has carried 47 times for 297 yards and a touchdown. Whittaker has generated 154 yards and a TD on 34 carries.
Wiley has 18 receptions for 199 yards.
“At base they want to run the ball offensively and they want to stop the run on defense,” Geiser said. “And they’re going to play physically.”
While the Panthers enter this GMAC game off a couple of close losses, the Eagles suffered a 55-20 blowout loss at Tiffin on Saturday. That led to a little change in preparation for this week’s game.
“We worked on some things on the field with corrections, which we normally don’t do on a Sunday,” Geiser said. “There were some different approaches we took as far as how we evaluate the tape.
“(The Tiffin game) was kind of one of those days. It wasn’t us. There were some things we had as far as alignment mistakes, some assignment mistakes and then you couch that with some broken tackles and that’s not a recipe for success.
“But you don’t dwell on it. You don’t beat yourself up on it and you move on to ODU, which also happens to be a really good football team.”
For the AU offense, running back Larry Martin continues to lead the way with 47 carries for 239 yards and four touchdowns.
Geo Washington checks in with 50 carries for 135 yards.
Quarterback Trevor Bycznski has completed 67 of his 117 attempts for 787 yards and seven touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Dezmin Lyburtus is his top target with 23 catches for 312 yards and four touchdowns.
“We’re still a work in progress,” Geiser said. “We’re not as efficient in the run game as we need to be.
“The passing game continues to become more efficient. We’re working with what we can do to play to Trevor’s strengths, which is some quick drops and get the ball out quick.
“I think we’re on the way but by no means have we arrived.”
A 14-7 win in the 2022 game allowed AU to improve to 6-0 at the time. That victory required a second-half rally from a 7-0 deficit that was achieved when the Eagle defense allowed just 21 yards to the Panthers in the final two quarters.
After scoring late in the third quarter to tie the game, the Eagles started their winning drive from their own six-yard line.
Martin scored the winning TD on a six-yard run with 1:47 to play.
Saturday’s game promises to be the same kind of contest.
“It will be a challenge,” Geiser said. “It’s tough to win on the road overall and they’ve had a good football team. That’s probably the first ingredient in that whole mix.
“If you have a good football team, it’s easier to play good in your own stadium and they’ve had a good football team the last number of years.”
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: College Football: Ashland aims to get back on winning track
