WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College football team hosts Baldwin Wallace University in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener for both teams on Saturday. Kickoff from Williams Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Baldwin Wallace (BW). The Fightin' Quakers enter the game 1-0 having won their non-conference game 52-27 at Southern Virginia University on Thursday, Sept. 1. The Yellow Jackets, who were picked to finish second in the OAC in the league's annual preseason coaches poll, were upset by Mount St. Joseph University 31-28 in the opener.
The Coaches: Corey Fillipovich, who has served as Wilmington's defensive coordinator for the previous four seasons, enters his first full season as acting head coach in 2022. He stepped in to lead the program through the final four games of the 2021 fall campaign which included consecutive victories over Capital University and Otterbein University to end the season. Jim Hilvert, formerly the head coach at Thomas More University, is in his sixth season at BW's head coach. The reigning OAC Coach of the Year, he has led the Yellow Jackets to 29 victories.
The Offenses: Quarterback Adam Dixon had quite the collegiate debut at Southern Virginia, breaking the program record for passing touchdowns in a game with seven along with throwing for 382 yards. His favorite target, fifth-year senior wide receiver Itika Wynn Jr., hauled in seven passes for 161 yards and three scores while Ace Taylor had a half-dozen catches and one touchdown. Xavier Fuller and Lathan Jones caught the other touchdown passes for the Quakers. In the rushing department, Ben Hobbs carried the rock 21 times for 113 yards. Baldwin Wallace is led by Jon Murray Jr. on offense as the senior running back tallied 177 hards and two scores on 26 carries. Quarterback Joey Marousek completed 9-of-15 passes for 131 yards in the loss at MSJ.
The Defenses: Jarod Lee led the Wilmington defense in game one with 11 tackes including 1.5 for loss and two pass breakups. Quentin Davis added nine tackles with a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery at SVU while Zach Schmidt had an interception and returned it 47 yards to set up the Quaker offense for a score. The Yellow Jacket duo of Mason Levasseur and Vontae Jackson both tallied double-digit tackles in BW's defeat at MSJ last Saturday. Kadyn Viancourt had two sacks of the quarterback.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 52.0, BW 28.0, points per game allowed – Wilmington 27.0, BW 31.0, yards per game – Wilmington 510.0, 364.0, yards per game allowed – Wilmington 288.0, BW 417.0, passing yards per game – Wilmington 382.0, BW 131.0, passing yards per game allowed – Wilmington 189.0, BW 265.0, rushing yards per game – Wilmington 128.0, BW 233.0, rushing yards per game allowed – Wilmington 99.0, BW 152.0.
Series History: Wilmington is 2-19 against BW since joining the OAC and has lost the previous 12 meetings. The Quakers last meeting with the Yellow Jackets at home, however, was a narrow 35-33 win for BW. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Tickets: Wilmington College has partnered with Hometown Ticketing for game tickets, which have moved all digital. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of game time at the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the game will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: The Quakers will host Otterbein University for a 2 p.m. contest next Saturday, part of Homecoming Weekend.
