2014 Southwestern Football
Southwestern Pirates (1-2)
vs. Austin College (2-2)
Saturday | October 4 | 3 p.m. | Birkelbach Field (Directions) | Georgetown, Texas (Weather) | Ticket Info
VIDEO/AUDIO: KMAC Sports (link)
Merle Bertrand (play-by-play), Todd York (color analyst)
LIVE STATS: Southwestern Live Stats
COMPLETE NOTES IN PDF FORMAT – Click Here
THE GAME
The Pirates try to jump back into the win column after two tough road losses. The Pirates will again face another strong rushing attack from Austin College that ranks second in the SCAC. The secondary for Southwestern will again need to step up as the Pirates rank among the nation's leaders in interceptions and turnovers entering Saturday's matchup. The 'Roos enter on a hot streak having won their last two games after dropping their first two road games of the season.
THE SERIES
Southwestern University and Austin College renew one of the longest rivalries in the history of Pirate football (it is the third most-played game behind University of Texas and Texas A&M) ... Last year, Austin took both meetings from the Pirates with a shutout win in Sherman and a 25-6 win to spoil Southwestern's Homecoming ... Currently the 'Roos have won the last three meetings - one from 1949 and two last year ... Before the Pirates' win over Sul Ross, the last win for SU was against Austin on 11/4/1950
THE COACHES
Joe Austin (Concordia-St. Paul '01)
Austin is in his fifth year as a head coach and second at Southwestern after spending the previous four seasons at Hanover College where he led the Panthers to back-to-back second place finishes in the HCAC. He was also the offensive coordinator at the University of Dubuque after spending time at Augsburg College and his alma mater, Concordia-St. Paul.
Loren Dawson (Arizona State '93)
Dawson returned to Austin College in 2010 where he previously served as the Kangaroos defensive coordinator. Prior to his return to Austin, Dawson spent two seasons at NCAA II Colorado School of Mines coaching special teams and linebackers. His first stint on the Kangaroos coaching staff began in 2002 where he served under David Norman and Ronnie Gage through 2007.
QUICK HITS
• Southwestern and Austin College will meet twice this season with Saturday's meeting counting as a non-conference game. SU's matchup with the 'Roos is the third most-played series behind University of Texas and Texas A&M.
• The Pirate defense will face another strong rushing attack as they face Austin College's dual rushing threat of Bryce Murphy and Madison Ross. The duo enters Saturday averaging a combined 80 yards per game on the ground.
• The Pirate offense has shown its ability to move the ball through the air with 253 yards per game and nine passing touchdowns, ranking a narrow second in the SCAC. Both quarterbacks, Bryan Hicks and Justin Pelt, have been impressive, completing more than 50 percent of their passes.
• Southwestern has seen a number of receivers emerge as playmakers, with Micah Sherman leading the team with 16 catches. Sherman is second best in the SCAC with 163 yards and one score. In addition, eight different SU receivers have scored a touchdown through the first three games.
• Defensive end Justin Broussard continues to disrupt opponents' backfields this season. He leads the SCAC, ranking among the nation's best with 6.5 tackles for a loss, and is second in the league with four sacks.
• The Pirates' secondary has been tops in the SCAC, with a league-leading eight interceptions. The Pirates have been led by first-year cornerback Nik Kelly, who leads the way with three picks. Kelly nearly had a fourth that was returned for a touchdown, but was erased by a questionable penalty last week at Oklahoma Baptist.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES
With consecutive losses the Pirates try to recover from the injury bug as they put all three phases of the game together. Southwestern has shown they can move the ball on any team and a defense that has no problem stopping the pass. Watch for the Pirates to develop their special teams and run defense which seems to be the only missing piece of the puzzle.
OFFENSE
The Pirates saw Justin Pelt move to quarterback after an injury sidelined Bryan Hicks last week. Pelt was able to help the Pirates move the ball through the air passing for almost 200 yards and a touchdown on the second drive of the game. Pelt found six different receivers as Kenneth Wynn scored his first touchdown and caught six passes as Micah Sherman continues to emerge in the receiving game. Willis Johnson was able to break free on a couple runs to finish with a team-high 59 yards as Dylan Wilburn returned to carry 10 times for 20 yards.
DEFENSE
The Pirate defense added two more interceptions and nearly a third following a questionable pass interference call. Nik Kelly ranks 6th in NCAA with three interceptions as Chris Luca nabbed his first to give the Pirates SCAC-best 8 interceptions. Justin Broussard continued his disruptive ways adding to his SCAC leading 6.5 tackles for a loss and 4th sacks.
SPECIAL TEAMS
A mix in the return game saw Alan Peralta, Colton Williams and AJ McCort all return kicks. The Pirates have yet to attempt a field goal this season.
SCOUTING THE 'ROOS
After a slow start, Austin College has reeled off back-to-back wins to move to 2-2 on the season behind a solid rushing attack and timely turnovers. In last week's win against Howard Payne, the "Roos blocked a field goal and picked off three passes for the narrow victory.
OFFENSE
Madison Ross and Bryce Murphy pose a two-head monster in the backfield averaging 85 yards per game between the pair. Also senior quarterback Noah Jesko continues to make his mark as one of the top passers in the SCAC completing 51% of his passes and throwing for over 700 yards in four games. He has also tossed 5 TDs with just 3 INTs through four games. Kyle Crawford has been Jesko's top receiver as he leads the SCAC in catches and yards (19-279) but has been able to find the end zone just once.
DEFENSE
The 'Roos defense ranks second behind the Pirates in forced turnovers and with 7 interceptions the turnovers have come at the right time. Linebacker Brooks Ward leads the SCAC with 45 tackles and has added 6 tackles for a loss which ranks 2nd. Shane Hodge and Delmas Hoye both have two interceptions each as the 'Roos' secondary will test the Pirate receivers.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Javi Reynoso is the SCAC's second leading kicker connection on 2-of-3 on field goals. Freshman Undrell Thomas has sparked the return game for Austin as his 187 yards ranks second in the SCAC.