Bluffton University at Thiel College

Bluffton at Thiel

By Ben Risinger, Sports Information Director
September 14, 2004
 

The Matchup

            When: Saturday, September 18, 2004 at 1:30 p.m.

            Where:  Greenville, Pennsylvania – Alumni Stadium

            On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton University football on WDOH 107.1 FM.

   Bluffton University (2-0) have faired well on the 2004 campaign as they have won their first two contests at home 33-24 over Centre and 24-6 over Hiram. Thiel College currently sits at 1-1 for the season. The Tomcats lost their first game 40-14 to Wisconsin-Platteville and narrowly defeated Ohio Wesleyan 22-19 last Saturday.

The Head Coaches

   Head coach Greg Brooks enters his second year at the helm of the Bluffton University football team. Brooks now posts four wins as the head coach of the Beavers with last Saturday’s win.
   The Tomcats are coached by Jack Leipheimer who is in his fourth year at Thiel. A 1974 Thiel graduate, Leipheimer was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter at tight end, earning All-PAC accolades in 1973.

 

Bluffton-Thiel Series History

   Bluffton holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series over Thiel College. The Tomcats, however, have won the last two contests with the Beavers 37-6 in 2002 and 35-7 in 2003.

Last Week for the Beavers and Tomcats
   The Beavers defeated Hiram College 24-6 at home last Saturday. Bluffton posted 425 total yards of offense on the day (309 rushing, 116 passing). Junior tailback Ben Dodds rushed for two touchdowns and 165 yards. Quarterback Aaron Krieger faired well in his first start with 116 yards passing and one touchdown. Freshman Leon Payne caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Krieger and kicker Seth Burkholder booted a 23-yard field goal for the Beavers. Dodds was named the Heartland Conference’s offensive player of the week for his efforts.

   Thiel defeated Ohio Wesleyan 22-19 at home last Saturday. Leading the Tomcats was junior wide receiver Brandon Chambers who scored three touchdowns on passes of 54, 19 and 25 yards. Thiel surpassed Ohio Wesleyan 413 to 404 in total offensive yards on Saturday.  The Tomcat quarterback, Darrell Satterfield, threw for 304 yards off of 21 completions and three touchdowns.

Last Season’s Contest

   The Beavers were downed by Thiel 35-7 at home last season. Quarterback Jared Owens went 9 for 18 in the air for 100 yards. He also led the attack on the ground as he rushed 17 times for 74 yards. Ben Dodds posted 19 rushes for 44 yards. Mark Gable led Bluffton’s receivers with three catches for 54 yards. 
   The Thiel offense seemed to come alive in the second quarter by scoring three times in the first seven minutes. Bluffton’s lone score came late in the first half when freshman Josh Parrish intercepted a pass to run back 11 yards for the score. Matt Cooper’s kick put the score at 28-7 in favor of Thiel going into halftime. The Tomcats would score once more in the fourth quarter to give the final score of 35-7.

Leading the Beavers
   Ben Dodds leads the rushing attack for Bluffton with 49 carries for 233 yards and three touchdowns from the ground. Freshman receiver Leon Payne has posted eight catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns for the year. Senior Scott Steiner leads the defensive effort with 27 tackles (7 solo, 20 assisted), one interception, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass break up and one blocked PAT.

Next up for the Beavers and Tomcats

   Bluffton will travel to Adrian, Michigan next Saturday, September 25th, to battle Adrian College. Kickoff for the contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thiel will travel to Bethany College for a 1:30 p.m. start.