School: Bluffton College
Location: Bluffton, Ohio
Affiliation: NCAA Division III
Conference: Heartland
2000 overall record: 7-3 (5-1 HCAC, co-champs)
Starters returning: 11 (six on offense, five on defense)
2001 Bluffton College football preview
Bluffton College Head Coach Carlin Carpenter and his staff will get an early start in putting the pieces together for the 2001 football season, as the Beavers will travel to Barcelona, Spain, from May 15-29 for a game and also be afforded ten days of spring practice. That early preparation time will no-doubt come in handy as Bluffton seeks to replace 15 graduated seniors from last season's Heartland Conference Co-Championship squad that finished 7-3 overall.
Carpenter, who is Ohio's longest active collegiate head football coach, is entering his 23rd season and is also Bluffton's all-time wins leader. His hopes at going over the 100-win plateau in 2001 will largely depend on replacing four graduated offensive linemen and running back Tyson Goings, who led the HCAC in rushing the past three seasons and broke the BC single season rushing record with 1,487 yards last season as a senior. Goings ended his career ranked third on the BC all-time rushing list with 4,299 yards. His yardage total was just 436 yards shy of the Bluffton all-time record held by BC Hall of Famer and former NFL great Elbert Dubenion, who rushed for 4,735 yards from 1955-58 before going on to a pro-bowl career with the Buffalo Bills.
The Beavers passing game will return intact, however, as junior quarterback Brad Moore is back after passing for 2,007 yards and 18 touchdowns last season as a sophomore. His main targets are back, as well, including senior Jamie Stevens, sophomore Jovan Johnson and senior Jon Spradling. Guard Rick Orr is the lone returner on the offensive line.
Returning starters on defense include end Brian Steiner, linebacker Pat Craun and defensive backs Jeff Company, Josh Slaughter and Ben Schwab. In addition, regulars Jon Richardson and Matt Scholz also return.
Bluffton will face Marietta (Ohio Athletic Conference), Hiram (North Coast Athletic Conference) and Thiel (President's Athletic Conference) in their non-league schedule before opening their HCAC schedule at Anderson on September 29. The past two seasons has seen contests against Hanover and Defiance determine the winner of the HCAC, and in 2001 both of those opponents come to Salzman Stadium in Bluffton, Ohio.
Prepared for Street and Smith Magazine, submitted March 16, 2001
