Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College football beings it conference season on Saturday afternoon at Savage Stadium against the Allegheny College Gators. The Yeomen, who are also making their home debut, come into the contest 0-2 after suffering losses to national powers Washington & Jefferson and Case Western. The Gators enter 2-0 with wins of Juniata and Westminster.

What: Allegheny College Gators (2-0) @ Oberlin College Yeomen (0-2)

When: Saturday, September 26, 1 p.m. EST

Where: Savage Stadium - Oberlin, Ohio

Radio: AM – 1320 WOBL

Web Audio: Listen

Live Stats: Click Here

Extra Coverage: The Jeff Ramsey Show, Wednesday, September 23, 8:30 p.m. on AM - 1320 WOBL and loraincounty.com.

Series: Allegheny Leads all time 24-18-1

Last Meeting against the Gators: Oberlin lost 24-13 on September 27, 2008 at Frank B. Fuhrer Field in Meadville, Pa.

Last time out for the Yeomen: Lost to Case Western Reserve 41-6 (9/19/2009)

Series Info…
Oberlin trails in the all-time series against the Gators 18-24-1 … Saturday marks the 44th meeting between the two schools, dating all the way back to 1907 … Oberlin's last win against the Gators came two years ago during the 2007 season, when the Yeomen pushed their record to 5-5 to close the season with the 27-22 win… That game featured a back-and-forth match that came down to the wire when a “Hail Mary” was batted down in the end zone by the Oberlin defense … Last year, the Oberlin offense struggled to put points on the board as their first touchdown came at the beginning of the fourth quarter while the Yeomen were already trailing 17-0 – allowing the Gators to hang on for a 24-13 win … Oberlin's all-time passing leader, Greg Mangan completed 22-of-34 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown in the losing effort … Ryan Harvey hauled in five passes for 91 yards and one score on a 50 yard reception while and Mike Loll pulled in seven balls for 57 yards … On the stat sheet, Oberlin seemingly dominated the game as they compiled 326 total offensive yards as opposed to only 214 by the Gators, and only committed five penalties to Allegheny's 11, however it was two costly turnovers that ultimately doomed the Yeomen as they could not force one of their own, giving the Gators a short field to work with all game.

Scouting the Gators…
Allegheny opens the season 2-0 for the first time since 1996 following a victory over Westminster College 27-14 … Oberlin's offense will be tested yet again by a stingy Gator defense that has allowed only 14 points through two games including a shutout victory in their season opener over Juniata … Their defense has also forced four turnovers this season … Senior cornerback Kyle Wilson was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Westminster which included three tackles, a sack of nine yards, two pass breakups, and a 57 yards interception return for a touchdown … Junior quarterback T.J. Salopek returns to the head the Allegheny offense already with a 112.1 passer efficiency rating this season … Last season against the Yeomen, Salopek completed 14-of-20 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Ground Gaining …
Despite a lack luster offensive effort last week against the Spartans, sophomore running back Sean Curtis had a career day rushing for 125 yards on 23 carries, including his first career touchdown in the crimson and gold … He and fellow sophomore Adam Lowther accounted for 159 of Oberlin 226 total yards of offense … The Yeomen will need another strong showing from the running back tandem of Lowther and Curtis in order to pull out the victory on Saturday.

Tough First Start …
Freshman David Kalgren made his first career start at quarterback against Case last week … In his first game of the season against Washington & Jefferson, Kalgren showed enough to earn the start against the Spartans … However, Kalgren struggled against the 10th best team in the country, completing only 11-of-23 passes for only 67 yards including two interceptions and one fumble … With the first start against a top ranked opponent under his belt, Kalgren will look to put that game behind him in leading the Yeomen to a strong conference season.

Learning From the Big Boys …
Opening with two tough opponents, the Yeomen feel that the experience gained in those games will ultimately help them in conference … With Allegheny coming to town this weekend, Oberlin looks to open the NCAC season with a win against a team that finished 5-5 last season 4-3 in conference … Allegheny, picked to finish fourth in this year's preseason coaches poll, will be a good test for the Yeomen to find out if their previous two games have prepared them for conference play.

There's No Place Like Home ...
Oberlin will play their conference opener in front of a home crowd at Savage Stadium … Last time Allegheny visited Savage Stadium, the Yeomen pulled out a dramatic victory in the final seconds of the contest … Having played their first two games on the road, the confines of Savage Stadium should be a welcome home, as usual, for the Yeomen … Home openers for Oberlin in the past have drawn a huge crowd of Yeomen fans including both students and alum. … The last time Oberlin won its home opener was in 2006 when it beat Heidelberg 48-34 on September 9.