Game notes  (.pdf)

WEEK  2
Indianapolis (1-0) at Ashland (0-1)
Jack Miller Football Stadium
Sat., Sep. 10, 7 p.m. EST

LIVE STATS:  livestats.prestosports.com/indianapolis
RADIO:  WICR 88.7 FM
AUDIO WEBCAST:  wicr.uindy.edu
VIDEO WEBCAST:  www.b2livetv.com


On Tap:  Coming off a convincing win in last week's opener, the UIndy football team looks to keep it rolling when it travels to Ohio to take on the Ashland Eagles, a team receiving votes in this week's AFCA Division II Poll.

About Ashland:  After going 8-3 in 2010 and ending the season on a seven-game win streak, Ashland is looking for its fifth consecutive winning season under Head Coach Lee Owens.  Owens is a combined 49-29 with two NCAA playoff appearances (2007 & '08) in his seven-plus years as the Eagles' head man.  He owns a 3-2 mark versus UIndy.

Despite being in one of the strongest leagues in the nation, Ashland's season-opening, non-conference battle at Bloomsburg (Pa.) may be one of its toughest match-ups all year.  AU went on the road to take on the ninth-ranked Huskies and nearly pulled off a big comeback win.  The Eagles trailed 17-0 after three quarters but ran off 17 unanswered points to knot the game with less than six minutes to play.

Bloomsburg's special teams came up big down the stretch to help seal the win, however.  With 5:45 on the clock, the Huskies used a 78-yard kickoff return to set up the game-winning touchdown, then followed that by recovering the ensuing kickoff at the Ashland 25 after no Eagle fielded the ball.  The latter play ultimately resulted in three insurance points, as the Huskies eventually earned the 27-20  victory.

Series History:  In a series that began in 1954, Ashland owns a 19-11 advantage in head-to-head meetings with the Hounds.  It was UIndy that came out on top last season, however, as the Greyhounds earned a 17-12 win at Key Stadium in week two.  Ashland out-gained the Hounds by over 100 yards, but UIndy forced four turnovers -- including three interceptions thrown by AU quarterback Taylor Housewright -- to come away with the win.

UIndy wideout Mar'Quone Edmonds led all players in both receptions (7) and receiving yards (106) in the winning effort.  The Waukegan, Ill., native also hauled in a 40-yard touchdown catch in the opening drive of the second half.

Pitchin' a Shutout:  The Greyhounds orchestrated a 41-0 dismantling of visiting Kentucky Wesleyan in last week's season opener.  It marked the first shutout for the Hounds since September of 2007 when they notched a 35-0 win versus then-GLIAC-member Gannon.

In a Rush:  The Greyhounds amassed 221 rushing yards versus KWC, marking their first 200-yard performance since Oct. 10, 2009 (220 yds at Ferris State) and their highest total since Nov. 8, 2008 (274 yds vs. Northern Michigan).

Sophomore running back Klay Fiechter led the way with a career-best 96 rushing yards, while junior RB Joumeel McLaurine racked up 86 yards on just 11 carries (7.8 per).  Meanwhile, redshirt-freshman Matt Ripp chipped in 28 yards rushing in his first collegiate action, as all three backs added a rushing touchdown.

Marginal Concerns:  UIndy's success versus KWC was aided by the fact that the Greyhounds committed zero turnovers to finish the game with a positive turnover margin.  The Greyhounds' one takeaway came when sophomore Jerrett Ban earned his first career interception in the opening quarter.

Last season, the Hounds finished with zero turnovers in five of their 11 games, helping the team rank fifth in Division II in average turnover margin (+1.45 per game).

Crisp Mills:  With the support of a strong running run last Thursday, quarterback Chris Mills didn't have to throw the ball a lot versus KWC.  The sophomore signal caller made the most of his opportunities though, completing 65 percent of his passes (13-for-20) while compiling 177 yards, three TDs and no interceptions.  Mills has now thrown 241 career passes against just four INTs, good for a miniscule 1.7 interception percentage.  For a fun comparison, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning owns a 2.7 career INT percentage.

Milestone Watch:  UIndy senior Ryan Forney looks to climb up a number of Greyhound all-time ranks this season.  Forney, who already holds the school record for career kickoff return yardage (1,194 yds), moved into a tie for eighth in the UIndy career reception annals last week.  His four catches versus KWC -- two of which went of touchdowns -- gave the Crown Point, Ind., product 111 for his career.  He also ranks fourth in career punt return average (13.1 ypr) and seventh in career punt return yards (405 yds).

Swan Song:  After 13 seasons as an associate member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), the fall of 2011 marks the final season of GLIAC play for the UIndy football squad.  The Greyhounds will move to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) next year, which will add football in the fall of 2012.

A founding member of the GLVC, Indianapolis has been an associate member of the GLIAC since it merged with the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference back in 1999.

“We hopefully go out with a bang,” says Head Coach Bob Bartolomeo of the Hounds' final GLIAC season.  “We want to make our presence known one more time in the GLIAC.  We would love nothing better than to go out winners.  That's something our team has been focused on since starting training in January.”

The addition of football to the GLVC's 17 sponsored sports will allow UIndy to compete as a full member of the largest Division II conference in the nation.  Nine teams will compete for the first GLVC football crown in 2012, including full-timers Kentucky Wesleyan, McKendree, Missouri S&T, Quincy, Saint Joseph's, UIndy and William Jewell and associate members Central State and Urbana.

Hounds on the Web:  Get all the up-to-date information on the Greyhounds ANYTIME, day or night at athletics.uindy.edu.  The official home of Greyhound athletics, you can find live webcast, rosters, schedules, stats, news, media information and weekly releases.   Visit the site to follow the Hounds on Twitter and Facebook and for the latest blogs, photos and videos regarding UIndy athletics!

Hounds on TV/Video:  The first five UIndy home games will be broadcast LIVE on WRTV 6.2 and streamed live in HD at hometownsportsindiana.com.  The games will re-air on HomeTown Sports Indiana (Comcast and Brighthouse) several times the following week (check htsi81.com for re-air schedule). 

Hounds on Radio: Once again, the Greyhounds will be broadcast on WICR 88.7 FM live.  Join Sports Director Mark Foerster and the crew as they bring you all the play-by-play action.  You can also catch the Greyhounds on the Internet via live streaming.  Get details at http://wicr.uindy.edu.