Coming off a season-opening loss to Olivet and a bye week, the Wilmington football team kicks off the nine-week slugfest known as Ohio Athletic Conference football.
First on the slate is Otterbein (0-1), who is coming off a 28-0 loss to #24 St. John Fisher. After rushing for just 14 yards on 30 attempts, the Cardinals will look to establish its running game. The leading OC rusher was quarterback Ben Sizemore, who gained 15 yards on 13 carries. Starting running back, Derik Rudolph was limited to four yards on nine carries.
Getting that aspect of its attack is imperative for a team that rushed for more than 100 yards per game a season ago. They racked up 142 yards on the ground last season with then-starting quarterback Aaron Kingcade responsible for a team-high 53 yards.
"They want to run the ball," said head coach Stacy Hairston. "Otterbein had a very successful year last year, and I am sure they are disappointed in its (loss to St. John Fisher), in particular the run game. They know in order to be successful, you have to establish a run game. They feel that have to run the ball against Wilmington. If they can't run the ball against Wilmington, they won't be able to run the ball in the OAC."
Hairston believes his team is up to the challenge.
"Our goal is to stop the run, minimize the run as much as possible, and force them to be one dimensional," he added.
The strength for the Quakers appears to lie in its front seven, led by nose guard Donnie Ary and linebacker Tarrell Starckey. Ary is a two-time All-OAC performer, while West Virginia University transfer Starckey is coming off a 12-tackle performance in his first game as Quaker.
Wilmington will have to contend with Otterbein's two dynamic defensive ends, All-American Patrick Seesholtz and Zach Grieves. They combined for 107 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 tackles. Seesholtz missed OC's season opener with an injury, and isn't listed on the Cardinals' two-deep roster. However, Hairston fully expects him to see action Saturday.
Slowing down the edge rush will be imperative for the Quakers, who are coming a 27-point performance against Olivet.
Brandon Arehart threw for a career-high 360 yards on 18-of-34 passing with three touchdowns and one interception. Two receivers, Kyle Akers and Stephen Donoghue, each went over 100 yards receiving – marking the first time since 2008 two WC pass catchers have achieved the feat in the same game.
The emergence of other receiving threats could really open space for Jeremy Duncan. The 6-5 sophomore led the team in receiving last season.
Another way of slow down a pass run is to run the ball effectively. Wilmington's three-headed monster of Zak Kruer, Zach Cumby and Zach Cooper will all have the opportunity to make an impact. In his first college game, Kruer led the team with 45 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown.
Kickoff is schedule for 2 p.m. on the Otterbein campus in Westerville, OH.