"Capital has a unique offense, the triple option. It's designed for confusion and you have to play assignment-sound football against them," said Wilmington head coach Stacey Hairston. "For us, it's going to be a challenge because when you are young and inexperienced, like we are – and they are – you are going to make mistakes. Our goal is to minimize mistakes that we do make.
"If you had to pick a bye week, this is the game you want it for," Hairston continued. "To have two full weeks to prepare for them, it gives you a chance to understand the scheme. Although they will have some new wrinkles for us, they are, who they are."
The Crusaders tallied 735 yards of offense, including 537 rushing yards, in their 45-20 victory over Earlham. For his part, sophomore quarterback Chase Longwell was named OAC Offensive Player of the Week. Longwell posted new career highs in total touchdowns (5), rushing touchdowns (2), passing touchdowns (3), completions (8), and rushing yards (164) against the Quakers.
Fullback Brent Walton added 171 yards on 20 carries with two more touchdowns as Capital dominated the ground attack. When attacking through the air, receiver Jake Skelton was Longwell's favorite target. The 6-3 junior hauled in five of the eight receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
The return of cornerback Amari Bryant (West Chester, OH/Lakota West) could help the Fightin' Quakers on defense. He will bring a physical presence to the defensive secondary in both challenging the Crusaders' rushing attack and aerial assault.
Junior Nick Williams (Cleveland, OH/Fairview) is another physical presence in the lineup, and recorded a team-high 13 tackles against Olivet.
But there is no question, a youthful line with be fully challenged.
"Defensively, we've grown a lot since Olivet," said Hairston. "We understand we have to play at a certain tempo, a certain level. We have to give ourselves a chance, and there is a certain physical nature that we have to play at that was lacking in our front seven the last time out. It has to be there against Capital; with a team that runs the ball, you have to be physical."
Defensive lineman Jared Johns, who tallied six tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks, keyed a defense that limited Earlham's running backs to 27 yards on 10 attempts. Safety Jimmy Curtis finished with a team-high nine tackles for the Crusaders.
On offense, Wilmington must improve on all accounts. Despite for accounting for 342 yards, sophomore quarterback Austin Jarbo (Gratis, OH/Preble Shawnee) will have to be more efficient in the passing game. He was just 12-of-25 passing with 192 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
"We cannot expect to win a game, completing less than 50 percent," said Hairston. "Actually, if our completion percentage is below 60 percent, it's very difficult to win the game. We can't just throw the ball and have half of them hit the ground or to our opponents hands. That is an area of concern for me, and we have to get better at it."
Junior Justin Lee (Middletown, OH/Madison) had a productive game with five catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns. However, junior Jeremy Duncan (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller) has to have a bigger part of the offense without taking away from Lee's production.
"We have to be smarter in how we get (Duncan) the ball," said Hairston. "We can't just drop back and throw the ball deep hoping he can come up with it. That is not how he is going to be successful for us. He is going to be successful for us by catching pass after pass, and forcing them to change their coverage to cover him. He has to arrive. He has to play now. There is no more waiting around. We can't wait around for him. He has to take a larger leadership role for our team and hopefully starts this week."
Additionally, Wilmington made some changes to its kicking game this week as both the kicker and punter have been replaced. Freshman Anthony Reugg (Waynesburg, OH/Malvern) will assume the place kicking duties, while junior Cole Voltz (Mount Sterling, OH/Madison Plains) will handle the punting chores.
"For us it's real simple; it's about production," said Hairston. "We have guys that have talent and the capabilities of getting the job done. But on game day, they have to show it. When it's your time to perform, you have to perform. If you don't, I have to keep moving guys until we get the right person in there; the one that is going to perform when the lights are on."
