Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College football team will begin league play on Saturday afternoon at North Coast Athletic Conference rival Kenyon College.
 
What: Oberlin College (0-1, 0-0 NCAC at Kenyon College (1-0, 0-0 NCAC)
When: Saturday, September 10, 1 p.m.
Where: Gambier, Ohio – McBride Field
Radio: AM-1320 WOBL – Don Vincent (p-b-p) l Chris Schubert (color)
Online Coverage: Live Stats l Live Video l Live Audio
 
Series Information …
One of the longest running rivalries, the Yeomen first clashed with the Lords in 1892 with Oberlin leading the all-time series, 42-38-6 … Oberlin has won five out its last seven battles with Kenyon, including last season's 28-24 victory on September 24 … The triumph marked the first win for Oberlin at Bailey Field … The Yeomen have taken two in row from Kenyon and have not lost in Gambier since October 6, 2012 when they fell 30-13.
 
A Look back at Last Year…
Oberlin led 28-12, but the Lords scored twice in the third quarter to get back within four with a full quarter left to play … The Yeomen defense held off the comeback bid by thwarting three Kenyon drives over the final 15 minutes … Both teams featured heavy ground attacks as the Yeomen ran for 229 yards with the Lords totaling 202 … Then senior Blake Buckhannon led the way with a career-high 153 yards.
 
Scouting the Lords …
Coming off a 2-8 season in 2015, the Lords started this season on the right side of the ledger with a 21-17 win at home over Sewanee: The University of the South last Saturday … The Lords trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, but freshman quarterback Thomas Merkle rallied his troops as he finished with 315 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-40 passing  … Junior receiver Ian Bell earned NCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his play as he snagged six balls for 95 yards through the air and added two rushing touchdowns as he carried the rock six times for 36 yards … In 2015 the Lords ranked ninth in the NCAC in total defense at nearly 400 yards allowed per game, but offensively they finished fourth in the league with 347 yards per game.
 
Give Me Five …
Senior wide receiver Justin Cruz had an immediate rapport with freshman quarterback Zach Taylor, as he caught nine passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns … The two TD's give Cruz 18 for his career, which is five shy of all-time leader Chris Schubert who had 23 receiving touchdowns from 2004-2007.
 
Immediate Impact …
Eight Oberlin freshmen played in the season opener against Kalamazoo with many of them making a strong first impression … Headlined by quarterback Zach Taylor, who threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns, his classmates also had solid debuts … Kicker Michael Leshchyshyn made all three of his PAT attempts and averaged 52 yards per kick on kickoffs … Melvin Briggs had a 26-yard return and rushed for 22 yards … Ian Schmitzerle had seven punts and averaged 33.6 yards per kick … Defensively, Von Wooding forced a fumble and had three tackles, while fellow rookie Justin Godfrey had a fumble recovery.
 
Dual Threat …
Taylor not only threw for 306 yards, he also gained 131 yards on the ground with 28 attempts … Unfortunately, he only netted 64 yards as he was sacked seven times that resulted in 67 yards lost … Keeping him upright will be an on-going goal for the Yeomen offensive front, but he too will also be working on getting rid of the ball earlier as the season progresses.
 
Road Woes …
Dating back to 2013 the Yeomen are 3-13 in road games and will need to improve upon that mark if they are going to make a jump in the right direction … Last season the team's lone road win came at Wooster as they knocked off the Scots 28-23 on October 17.
 
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly …
It was mixed bag for the Yeomen defense last week against Kalamazoo College as they had four takeaways with three fumbles and an interception … Oberlin also held the Hornets to 6-of-21 on third down (28.6%) … However, the unit surrendered 595 yards on 95 plays (6.3 yards per play) and allowed the Hornets to rack up 33 first downs and 36 points.