Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College football team will look to turn its season around, as they return home to do battle with the Allegheny College Gators this Saturday.
 
What: Oberlin College (1-4, 0-4 NCAC) vs. Allegheny College (0-6, 0-5 NCAC)
When: Saturday, October 19, 1 p.m.
Where: Savage Stadium, Oberlin, Ohio
Radio: Don Vincent (p-b-p) Bob Karlovec (color)
Online Coverage: Live Stats l Live Video l Live Audio
 
Series: The Yeomen trail in the series, 19-27-1.
 
Last Meeting Against The Gators: Last year the two teams met in week four, with the Gators coming out on top, 15-3. The Yeomen defense recorded six takeaways, but the offense struggled to turn those into points as they fell on the road.
 
Last Time Out for Oberlin: The Yeomen suffered their fourth-straight defeat, falling at DePauw, 45-11.
 
Series Information: The rivalry between the Gators and Yeomen dates back to 1907, a contest the Yeomen won, 25-0. From 1999-2005 the two teams didn't play, and since 2006 the Gators have won five of the seven games, including three in a row between 2008-10.
 
Scouting The Gators …
Allegheny's rushing offense is led by a trio of sophomores; Nick Deichler, Kyle Smith, and Tyler Smith, who all have over 150 rushing yards on the season … The Gators have had four different quarterbacks this season, including Kyle Smith … Freshman Jon Nigro has been the primary gunslinger, completing 50 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and six interceptions … Nigro's primary receiving target has been junior Andrew Niklaus who has 298 receiving yards and two touchdowns … Defensively, senior linebacker Jake Szoszorek leads the way with 48 tackles, a forced fumble and interception.
 
The Team On His Back …
In Oberlin's loss to DePauw last week, Blake Buckhannon racked up 214 all-purpose yards … The sophomore led the Yeomen with 69 return yards and 75 rushing yards, while finishing second on the team with 70 receiving yards … Buckhannon also scored the team's lone touchdown with a 26 yard reception from Lucas Poggiali.
 
Wrap 'em up …
Against DePauw, Kirby Livingston forced his second fumble of the season … The senior also led the Yeomen with 10 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss … Livingston's 6.5 tackles for loss this season rank him tied for 10^th overall in the conference.
 
Kessler Keeps Going …
Senior Kyle Kessler continues to lead the Yeomen defense and rank amongst the top tacklers in the conference … His 9.2 tackles per game is tied for fifth in the conference and his 31 solo tackles is third in the conference.
 
Offensive Woes …
The Yeomen offense continues to struggle, as they're now averaging just 267 yards per game … The only team with worse offensive numbers in the conference is Allegheny, who averages just 205.8 yards per game …  The two teams also rank in the bottom of the conference in passing yards per game and passing touchdowns … The Yeomen are last in the conference on third down conversions, converting just 19-of-71 attempts.
 
Running Around …
The one bright spot for the Yeomen offense has been the rushing attack, which ranks sixth in the conference … Senior Moses Richardson continues to lead the team and ranks 10^th in the conference, averaging 55.6 yards per game … Four different Yeomen have scored rushing touchdowns this season.
 
Struggling in the Middle …
The second and third quarters of games this fall have not been kind to the Yeomen … They have given up 105 points in the two quarters and scored just 22 …  Compare that to the  first and fourth quarters where Oberlin is only being outscored by 18 points.
 
Controlling the Tempo …
Oberlin and Allegheny rank fourth and fifth in the conference respectively for time of possession, with each hovering right around 31 minutes per game … The Yeomen continue to play clean football, averaging 3.6 penalties per game … That total leads the conference and ranks the Yeomen in the top 10 of all Division III.