Dragons take on Truman in Crossroads Bowl

Christian Carter and the Dragons will take on Truman in the Crossroads Bowl.
Christian Carter and the Dragons will take on Truman in the Crossroads Bowl.
Posted: Nov 29, 2022

Tiffin University (6-4) will take on Truman University (8-2) in the Crossroads Bowl played in Hobart, Indiana Dec. 3 at 2 pm EST.

The two teams represent both the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC), respectively, in the contest held at Brickyard Stadium. The Dragons finished tied for second place in the Great Midwest standings. Tiffin ended the season winning three of its final five games, while Truman will be returning to the Crossroads Bowl for the third time after finishing second in GLVC play in 2022. The Bulldogs went on an eight-game win streak before falling to GLVC champions UIndy in the season finale.

Tiffin is 0-2 against the Bulldogs in its career, having lost in overtime this season. Prior to that game, TU traveled to Truman and fell 38-35 in another thriller. This marks Tiffin's first trip to the Crossroads Bowl, while Truman has appeared in all three games since its inception. 

LAST TIME OUT

In an overtime thriller, Truman clipped Tiffin 18-17 after the Bulldogs converted their second attempt at a two-point conversion for the victory Sept. 24. Tiffin outgained Truman 399 to 221, including holding Truman to 65 yards rushing. They totaled 23 first downs to Truman's 14. Truman was held to just 1 for 11 on third-down conversions, and the Dragons held a nearly 9:00 advantage in time of possession. But TU's 102 yards in penalties kept Truman alive. 

TRUMAN OFFENSE

-The Bulldogs' offense is third in the GLVC, averaging 31.3 points per game, fifth in total offense averaging 337 yards, second in rushing offense with 182.0 rushing yards, and sixth in the conference in passing, averaging 155 yards per game. 
-Nolan Hair leads the offense as the quarterback. He has completed 144 of his 234 attempts for 1468 yards and 13 passing touchdowns. He has also rushed 72 times for 70 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
-Truman's leading rusher is Shamar Griffith who has 177 attempts for 881 yards and nine rushing touchdowns and teammate Denim Cook is second on the team in rushing yards with 362 yards on 45 attempts and six rushing touchdowns. 
-Hair's favorite targets are Matt Hall with 37 catches for 368 yards and five touchdowns, Tate Crane has 33 receptions for 342 yards and two touchdowns, and Zach Zerwig recorded 28 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns.

 

TRUMAN DEFENSE

-Truman's defense is their strong point as they lead the GLVC in almost every category, being first in scoring defense only allowing 17.8 points, yards allowed averaging 299.2 yards, rushing defense second in the conference allowing 84.3 yards, and second in passing defense that allows 214.9 yards per game. 
-Leading the Bulldog's defense is Isaiah Ester who has 71 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, and two pass breakups, and teammate Ben Watson is second on the team with 59 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. 
-Ben Thomas leads the backfield with four interceptions, 10 pass breakups, 53 tackles, and 1.0 tackle for loss, and Ryan Olivas also has four interceptions, 40 tackles six pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries. 
-The defensive line for Truman is led by Ulysses Ross who has 44 tackles, with 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, and one fumble recovery, Peyton Carr has tallied 51 tackles, with 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, and one forced fumble, and Zach Rouland has 17 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, and two quarterback hurries.   

 

TIFFIN OFFENSE

- The Dragons' offense is first in the conference. They average 36.5 points per game this season, second in the conference in total yards with 4740 for an average of 413.5 yards per game, second in the conference in rushing yards with 2012, third in the conference in passing yards with 212.3 yards per game, and first in the conference in total touchdowns with 47.
- Christian Carter is 156-for-245 completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 1821 yards and has thrown for eight passing touchdowns. Carter is third on the team in rushing as he has 77 rushes for 338 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
- Darius Pinnix leads all rushers as he rushed 145 times for 796 yards and nine touchdowns, and teammate Devin Nelson is second on the team in rushing as he has 83 attempts for 515 yards.  
- Anthony Lowe has been on a tear as he has registered 65 catches for 760 yards and three touchdowns. The senior is first in the conference in all-purpose yards with 222 punt return yards and 315 kick return yards along with three returns for touchdowns.  
- Josh Lewis has put up big numbers with 24 catches for 388 yards and four touchdowns and Jalen Thomas rounds out the group with 28 receptions for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

 

TIFFIN DEFENSE

- Tiffin's defense has been dominant as they are second in the conference in points allowed at 15.6 per game, second in the conference in total yards allowed at 267.8 yards per game, first in the G-MAC in rushing defense only allowing 87.8 rushing yards per game, third in the conference in pass defense allowing 180.0 passing yards per game, second in the conference in sacks with 33, and third in the conference in interceptions with 13.
- Sir Zion Dance leads the defense as he has 75 tackles this season, 4.5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, and one block, followed by teammate Patrick Tueimeh with 65 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup, and one block.
- Charlie Cleveland has registered 53 tackles, 5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and six quarterback hurries.
-Jermaine Wimpye is second on the team in interceptions with four, fourth on the team in tackles with 39, two tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.
- Barry Brown has recorded 32 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception, and one pass breakup. 
- Chucky Lewis is first on the team in interceptions with five, registered 37 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and three pass breakups. 
- Montez Kelley leads the team in sacks with 6.5 this season. He has 8 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery and Zion Farmer has 28 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks.