Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College football team will open the 2017 season at home against Kalamazoo College on Saturday, September 2 at 1 p.m.
 
What: Oberlin College (0-0) vs Kalamazoo College (0-0)
When: Saturday, September 2, 1 p.m.
Where: Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex – Oberlin, OH
Radio: AM-1320 WOBL –Don Vincent (p-b-p)
Online Coverage:  Video | Live stats l Live Audio
 
Series Information …
The Yeomen and Hornets have met just four times before with the series tied at 2-2 … The first meeting came in 1984 with Oberlin winning 26-10 … The following year the Yeomen prevailed 34-15 … The Hornets have taken the last two meetings, winning 47-2 in 1998 before winning last season's contest 36-29.
 
Scouting the Hornets …
Kalamazoo is coming off a 3-7 season that featured wins over Oberlin, Rockford, and Albion … The Hornets had their struggles on defense, allowing 458.3 yards per game with opponents averaging 35 points per contest … However, they do bring back a plethora of talent headlined by senior quarterback Alex White … A second-team All-MIAA selection last year, he threw for 2,256 yards and 13 touchdowns and added four more scores on the ground … Senior Lorenzo Redmond leads a diverse ground attack, while Seth Dexter is the top returning wide out after having averaged 51.4 yards per game last year …  Defensively, the Yeomen will try to slow down junior linebacker Jakob Frederick who paced the Hornets with 99 tackles a season ago.
 
A Look Back at Last Year's Game …
The Yeomen rallied from a 19-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game at 29, but a late touchdown by the Kalamazoo proved to be the difference as they held off the Yeomen for the seven-point win … In his collegiate debut, quarterback Zach Taylor was sensational as he threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns … The Yeomen offense was impressive with 448 total yards, but defensively Oberlin was gashed for 595 yards as quarterback Alex White threw for 409 yards with receiver Collin Feilla on the receiving end for 216 of those yards.
 
Leading the Way …
Oberlin announced its four team captains during preseason camp … Senior center Avery McThompson will be joined by defensive classmates Anthony Allen and Bennett Jackson … Sophomore quarterback Zach Taylor is the second offensive captain … As a group, they played in every game last season and proved to be leaders on and off the field.
 
Big Shoes to Fill …
One of the Yeomen's biggest question marks coming into the season is who is going to replace the production of wide receiver Justin Cruz as he graduated last spring third all-time with 2,259 yards … Junior Robby Reinheimer, who had 83 yards on four catches last year against Kalamazoo, will assume top billing, but Yeomen fans should also not sleep on senior Corey Fussinger and junior Ryan Gleeson … He had a 32-yard TD last season against Kalamazoo before missing the rest of the season due to injury… The loss of Cruz coupled with the off-season injury to Jabari Clemons, the Yeomen bring back just 788 of their 2,019 receiving yards from a season ago.
 
Oberlin in Openers …
The Yeomen have dropped their last three season openers, twice falling to Brockport State before getting outlasted by the Hornets last season … Prior to that the Yeomen had a nice run going, winning four straight week-one games from 2010-2013 … In 2010 the Yeomen defeated Kenyon College 29-26 in overtime and in 2011 the Yeomen took care of the Lords 42-0 … The 2012 victory came in the form of a 33-3 triumph over Earlham … The last season-opening win was when the Yeomen defeated Case Western Reserve 19-2 in 2013.
 
Fresh Faces …
Oberlin will be relying on some new players to fill key roles early in the season … Freshman Josh Pottebaum is slated to open the season as the team's starting strong safety … The Saint Albans, Missouri, native will also handle punt returning duties … Classmate Malachi Clemons will be one of the main returners on kickoffs, while fellow rookie Bryant Walker takes over at punter … First-year Luke Buck will handle the short-snapping duties on field goals and extra points.
 
Home Hiccups …
Since opening in 2014, the Yeomen have had their struggles winning at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex … Heading into the 2017, the Yeomen are just 2-13 on the Bailey Field Turf … Oberlin's last home win came on October 3, 2015 when they beat Allegheny 48-9 … Overall, the Yeomen have not won since October 17, 2015 as they earned at 28-23 road win at Wooster … They enter Saturday's tilt on a 13-game skid.
 
Bennett the Backer …
Senior linebacker Bennett Jackson is coming off a career-year as he led the team with 74 tackles to go along with three interceptions … The Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, native also had a team-high three interceptions and eight passes defensed … He enters the season with 210 tackles in his career, which ranks eighth all-time in school history … He would need 83 stops on the season to move into sole position of second place by passing Vance Murphy, who had 292 tackles between 2002-2005.