It will be a battle of unbeaten teams in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, as Tiffin University (4-0, 3-0 GMAC) will face Ohio Dominican (4-0, 4-0) with conference championship implications looming.

The winner will claim at least a share of the GMAC Championship with just one game remaining. 

Game Notes - Click HERE

Tiffin is 4-7 overall against the Panthers, but they have won the last two contests and have not lost to ODU since 2015. However, the last two games were close, with the scoring margin just 65-54 in favor of Tiffin. 

Tiffin University had its will tested in a big conference matchup against Ohio Dominican in their Homecoming home opener on Sept. 28, 2019, battling back from four deficits in the game to post an impressive 41-31 victory. Nick Watson passed for 326 yards, JaQuan Hardy rushed for 220 yards, Stanley Jackson Jr. piled up 155 receiving yards, and the Dragons offense totaled 591 yards of offense.

ODU Notes

- Evan Ernst and Frederick Pitts V both reached career milestones during the contest at Findlay. Ernst became the fourth player in school history to reach 5,000 passing yards and currently sits fourth for ODU at 5,019 yards. ODU's past three starting quarterbacks have all reached 5,000 career passing yards. 

- Pitts is now the ninth player in program history to top 1,000 career rushing yards. The senior tailback enters the game against Tiffin with 1,006 yards and is just 10 yards from moving up to seventh on the team's all-time list.

- Wide receiver David Turner has 222 career receptions, which is just one shy of tying Jared Stace's record of 223, set from 2004-07. Turner already has the most catches of any Panther in the program's Division II era and is just over 100 yards away from moving into the top five of the program's all-time receiving yards list, currently with 2,334. The senior has already made history this spring, as his 1,775 career kick return yards top the program record books.

 

ODU Defense

 

- The Ohio Dominican defense has been stifling opponents all spring, allowing 10 points or fewer in all four outings. Dating back to last season, ODU has conceded 10 or fewer points in 10 of its last 12 games played. As a result, the Panthers lead the G-MAC in scoring defense, conceding 5.5 points per game.

- ODU is second in the conference in rush defense (74.5) and third in total defense (237.5). The Panthers have been even better in the red zone, allowing scores on just 50 percent of opponent's trips inside the 20-yard line. ODU has allowed just two touchdowns out of 10 red zone appearances by its opponents.

- At corner, Godwin Joe and Ashton Gilkey have combined for three of the team's four interceptions and 10 pass breakups. Joe and Gilkey also rank No. 1 and 2 in the G-MAC in passes defended per game, 1.75 and 1.50, respectively.

- Starting linebackers Dauson Dales and Micahel Powers are the top two tacklers for ODU this spring. Dales leads the conference at 12.0 stops per game and is tied for the G-MAC lead with 6.5 tackles for loss. 

 

TU Notes

 

- The Dragons are coming off a historic 2019 season where they made their first NCAA Championships appearance after winning the GMAC Championship with a perfect 7-0 record. They finished the year ranked 23rd in the country with a 9-2 record, posting back-to-back nine-win seasons for just the second time in program history (2006-2007).

- Tiffin was selected first in the GMAC Coaches Poll with 34 total points along with four first-place votes. 

- The Dragons are led by Cris Reisert who is in his second year at the helm for the Dragons. Reisert led the Dragons to arguably the best season in program history finishing the regular season 9-1 in his first year and looks to build on that success in the upcoming season.

TU Offense

- Tiffins' offense has been strong so far this season, ranking second in the GMAC at 23 ppg. They lead the conference in passing offense with 263.3 ypg, while also sitting second in rushing at 157 ypg. 

- The Dragons are led by Nick Watson who started in all 11 games last season completing 210 passes for 2806 yards and 30 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. Nationally, he ranked 10th in passing touchdowns, 20th in passing yards per game, 22nd in completions per game, 19th in passing efficiency, and 30th in completion percentage. So far this season he leads the GMAC in yardage at 255.8 ypg and has earned the last two GMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.  

- Devin Butler is a returner as well for the Dragons. Last season, he started in all 11 games for Tiffin, and ranked in the top six in the GMAC with 54 passes caught for 679 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 60.6 ypg.  This year TU has the top three receivers in the conference in Anthony Lowe, Datrin Guyton, and Butler. Lowe is having a breakout season, leading the GMAC with 86.5 ypg. Butler is right behind with 78 ypg followed by Guyton (3rd-71.5). James Dean (6th-46.3) also joins the attack.

- Running back Marcus Davis is 2nd in the GMAC with 65.5 ypg rushing, while Watson is 5th with 52.5 ypg. 

 

TU Defense

 

- Tiffin's defense led the GMAC in total defense and were second in scoring defense, nationally ranked 17th in interceptions with 16 on the year, and boasted a top-25 turnover margin of +82.

- The Dragons' defense this season is 2nd in the GMAC, allowing just 7 ppg. Their passing defense is also tops, allowing just 108.5  ypg. Barry Brown is 6th in tackles per game with 9.3. Cameron Fox is 7th in sacks while Latrell Robinson and Chrystian Watkins lead the team overall with 21 tackles each.    

- The secondary is led Chrystian Watkins who started in all 11 games last year with 37 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and one forced fumble. He is currently 7th in the GMAC in passes defended, while Jermaine Wimpye and Justice Waller are 3rd in interceptions.