Note: Updated series information - 9.9.16
OPENING DRIVE
The Alma College football team opens a four-week, three-game road trip this week, traveling to North Manchester, Ind., to face the Manchester University Spartans in a non-conference matchup. This is the first of two night games on the schedule for the Scots, who will also play under the lights on Oct. 22 at home.
THE SERIES
Alma and Manchester are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with the Scots holding a 3-1 advantage in a series that began in 1963. The two schools have not met since 2003, when Alma posted a 60-7 victory over the Spartans at Bahlke Field. The Scots' last trip to Manchester was in 2002, where they posted a 52-18 win en route to a 9-2 record and a MIAA Championship under former Head Coach Jim Cole.
LAST WEEK - Saint Vincent 47, Alma 24
Box Score
The Scots surrendered 26 first-half points before junior Danny Hugan II scored the first of two consecutive touchdowns, including an 87-yard kickoff return for a score. The Scots pulled within nine points early in the third quarter, but two touchdowns by the Bearcats in the span of 33 seconds halted the comeback attempt. Saint Vincent and Alma combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense. Hugan led the Scots with 162 yards of total offense, including a team-best 124 receiving yards. Junior Dylan Zaborowski completed 21 of his 46 passes for 247 yards, while senior Nick Sullivan rushed 21 times for 81 yards. Defensively, senior Jacob Chittenden posted a career-high 17 tackles as four Scots recorded 10 or more stops.
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN
A familiar face will be pacing the sidelines of Manchester as Nate Jensen, the Spartans' first-year head coach, was Alma College's defensive coordinator from 2012-15.
BACK TO THE HEARTLAND
Head Coach Greg Pscodna, who spent seven seasons as the head coach of Defiance College, will face a familiar foe in Manchester. Pscodna coached the YellowJackets to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship in 2001.
TOPPING THE 100-YARD MARK ... AGAIN
Danny Hugan is coming off of his fourth 100-yard receiving game as a Scot. Hugan, who played for Olivet College in 2013, had three games of 100 or more yards with the Comets and has posted 100 or more yards in seven of his 16 career appearances. Hugan also became the first Alma College football player since 2009 to return a kickoff for a touchdown when he raced a career-long 87 yards for a score against Saint Vincent.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Danny Hugan is second in the nation for all-purpose yards (311.0 yards per game) after one week, and also ranks third in kickoff return yardage (49.7 yards per return). Hugan was one of nine players nationally to return a kickoff for a score in Week 1 of the season. Jacob Chittenden is ranked third nationally for tackles after his 17-stop performance against Saint Vincent.
SPECIAL TEAMS DEBUTS
Junior Parrish TerBurgh made his career debut as the Scots' starting punter against Saint Vincent, averaging 38.4 yards per punt with a long of 47. Sophomore Jacob Plisko also made his first appearance as Alma's placekicker, converting all three extra-point attempts and adding a 32-yard field goal. Plisko also averaged 55.4 yards on kickoffs, including one touchback against the Bearcats.
CAREER DAYS ON DEFENSE
Senior Jacob Chittenden posted a career-high 17 tackles to lead the Scots against Saint Vincent for his second career game with 10 or more stops. Juniors Colton Tyson and Dustin Tripp also had career-high performances, posting 12 and 11 tackles, respectively. Tripp, who had a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss, also forced his first career fumble, while Tyson recorded his first career fumble recovery. In addition, senior Nick Mangutz topped his career-best for tackles last week, making seven stops against Saint Vincent.
MIAA LEADERS
MIAA Stats
Jacob Chittenden (17.0 tackles per game) and Zac Peterson (14.0 tackles per game) rank first and third, respectively among players from the MIAA after one game. In addition, Danny Hugan is the MIAA's second-ranked receiver with 124.0 yards per game, while Dylan Zaborowski is the league's second-ranked passer with an average of 237.0 yards per game. As a team, the Scots rank third among MIAA schools for passing and rushing yards per game.
10+ FOR PETERSON
Junior Zac Peterson, Alma's leading tackler a year ago, posted double-digit stops for the seventh time in his career against Saint Vincent with 14 stops.
NEXT UP ...
The Scots travel to Mequon, Wis., next week to face Concordia-Wisconsin as part of the Challenge Series between the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. (CT) at Tomasini Stadium on the campus of Concordia University.
Contact: Paul Thomas, Sports Information Director, 989-463-7114
