ANGOLA, IND.-- Trine will face Adrian this Saturday with the chance to win an outright MIAA Championship and advance to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
The Thunder and Bulldogs enter Saturday's contest tied for first in the MIAA with a 4-1 conference record. The winner earns the league title and the conference's automatic-bid to the postseason. Trine is seeking their first MIAA title since their perfect regular-season in 2010, which also marked the last playoff appearance for the Thunder. Adrian last won an MIAA Championship in 2012. Kickoff for Saturday's contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Shive Field and Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium.
Saturday's game will also feature a salute to veterans. All veteran servicemen and women will receive free admission with military ID. The Thunder will honor their senior class before the contest.
The matchup will see the Thunder offense stare down one of the top defenses in the nation. Adrian leads the conference and ranks 12th in the nation in pass defense (144.4 yards per game). The Bulldogs allow a conference-low 108.3 yards per contest, and rank 16th in the nation in total defense (252.8 yards per game). Adrian has the second-best third-down defense in the nation, allowing teams to convert at a 20.2 percent rate.
Trine's 471.6 yards of total offense per game ranks second in the MIAA and 27th in the nation. Quarterback Taylor Masiewicz (Belmont, Mich./Rockford) averages 291 yards of total offense per game, a mark that would be a school-record if the season ended today. Wide receiver Anthony Yoder (Goshen, Ind./Concord) has been his favorite target, ranking second in the MIAA with 781 receiving yards.
The Thunder offense also boasts the second-best rushing offense in the conference, averaging 217 yards per contest. Masiewicz, Austin Shoemaker (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) and Frank Vuocolo (Jackson, Mich./Grass Lake) all average over 50 yards rushing per game.
Lining up on the other side of the ball for the Bulldogs is a stout defense that includes defensive lineman Damon Fuller. The freshman is tied for the MIAA-lead with 11 sacks, a mark that is tied for fifth in the nation. Senior Jack Carter also provides a presence on the pass rush with seven sacks.
The passing attack will have to deal with safety Charles Fleck, who has picked off five passes. Ellis Ewing has intercepted three passes for the Bulldogs.
Adrian boasts the third-best rushing attack in the MIAA, averaging 203 yards on the ground. The duo of Emmanuel Stewart and Dae'Von Robinson each average over five yards per carry. Stewart has rushed for 808 yards on 6.4 yards per carry, while Robinson has added 516 yards on 5.5 yards per pop.
MIAA-leading receiver Nathan Hartline gives quarterback Aaron Tenney a big-play threat through the air. Hartline has caught 45 passes for 826 yards, an average of 18.4 yards per catch. Tenney completes just 44.5 percent of his passes, but averages 15.6 yards per completion.
Ryan Hogan (Vine Grove, Ky./Meade County) leads the Thunder defense as a force along the line. The senior is tied for the MIAA-lead with 11 sacks, a school-record. Fellow lineman Aaron Wolf (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) has notched six sacks this season, and helps anchor the second-best rushing defense in the league. A Trine linebacking corps that includes Taylor James (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte) and Tyler Yeoman (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) should figure prominently into stopping the Adrian rushing attack.
Safeties Michael Spears (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) and Tyler Guzy (Coldwater, Mich./Coldwater) anchor the Trine secondary. Spears leads the Thunder in tackles, while Guzy is tied for third in the MIAA with four interceptions. Christian Chase (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) has picked off three passes and broken up eight others.
Another matchup to watch will come in the red zone. Trine converts 90.7 percent of the time they enter the red zone (11th in the nation), while the Bulldogs allow opponents to convert on an MIAA-low 59.4 percent of trips to the red zone.
Joel Lopshire (Angola, Ind./Angola) gives Trine a special teams weapon. He has hit 9-of-10 field goals to rank fourth in the nation in field goal percentage, and has not missed an extra-point this year.
