ASHLAND — Their batteries are recharged and the Eagles are ready for the final push.
Coming off a rare mid-season bye week, Ashland University will host Michigan Tech at 1 p.m. Saturday at Jack Miller Stadium.
AU (3-3, 3-1 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) went into the bye flying high after handing Saginaw Valley its only loss of the season on Oct. 6. It was the highlight of the season to date as the Eagles dropped three close games to nationally-ranked opponents in the first five weeks.
“There’s a lot of fight left in this team. We’ve taken it to the wire with numerous great opponents,” running back Andrew Vaughn said after scoring the game-winning touchdown against SVSU. “This is a momentum boost for us.”
The week off allowed AU to take a look at itself in the mirror.
“It gives you a chance to fully do a self-scout,” AU coach Lee Owens said, “to go back through the first six games and really figure out what your tendencies are and look at what you’re doing well, look at the things you may need to do better.”
What the Eagles have done well is defend against the run. Ashland has allowed just 101.8 yards a game on the ground through its first six games. Linebacker Clay Shreve ranks second in the GLIAC with 9.8 tackles a game, while defensive end James Prater Jr. became AU’s career leader in tackles for loss in the win over SVSU.
Vaughn continues to lead Ashland’s run-heavy offense, averaging nearly 100 yards a game. The Eagles rank third in the GLIAC at 178.8 rushing yards a game.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Brenner continues to grow into the position. He averages just 160.7 yards a game through the air, but has completed 59 percent of his passes and thrown just one interception.
“Every week you learn something new out there,” Brenner said. “You just try to work off that. I’ve got a long way to go and a lot to improve on.”
Michigan Tech is coming off a 23-20 win over Wayne State. Quarterback Will Ark has thrown for 1,372 yards and eight touchdowns. Receiver Jacob Wenzlick leads the GLIAC with 735 receiving yards on 42 catches.
The Eagles are one of four teams at 3-1 in the GLIAC. Ferris leads the way at 5-0.
The extra week of preparation will serve AU well during the stretch run.
“You can really try to sort out some fundamentals … or you can try to tweak some things and add a few wrinkles that you normally couldn’t do during a game week,” Owens said. “And we were able to do all of the above.”
