INDIANAPOLIS – The new season kicks off for all eight Great Midwest Athletic Conference football member institutions with four contests on Thursday and four more lined up Saturday in Week 1.
The anticipation has been building through training camp while enduring late summer heat with a return to a normal schedule hopefully on the horizon.
That means title hopes are renewed and the chance to make an impact in Super Region 1 and Division II is at stake during the first series of non-conference games.
Kentucky Wesleyan and Ohio Dominican are at home while Walsh and Findlay are away for the first games under the lights on Thursday night. All four of those games are set for 7 p.m. ET starts.
ODU and UF will be taking on nationally ranked opponents in the form of AFCA/D2Football.com No. 15/19 Shepherd and No. 3/3 Ferris State. Kentucky Wesleyan welcomes Frostburg State and Walsh has an in-region matchup vs. West Liberty.
Saturday’s lineup includes new conference member Ashland against No. 9/10 Notre Dame (OH) with the noon kick off. Conference preseason favorite and 2019 NCAA qualifier Tiffin is ranked 19th and 22nd by the two polls, respectively, and have an early test in Indianapolis against No. 6/9 NAIA ranked Marian (Ind.).
Findlay last played Ferris State to a 24-23 finish in 2019, a memorable finish that had Findlay on the brink of pulling the upset. UF QB Matt Winzeler has two top-tier targets with WR’s Marlin Richardson and Jake Brown while RB Brian Benson has gained over 2,200 yards and scored 22 TD’s in his career. The Oilers’ defense took a significant hit with the offseason transfer of conference defensive player of the year DB Christopher Jefferson to Purdue, but have plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Ohio Dominican bested Shepherd in another 2019 meeting with another close finish, a 24-21 in favor of the Panthers. ODU was the conference’s first America’s Crossroads Bowl Game participant in Hobart, Ind., to close out the 2019 season. Under center for the 2019 and this season is accomplished QB Evan Ernst while tackling machine LB Dauson Dales looks to make life tough for the Rams.
Ashland last stepped on the field for a game on Nov. 16, 2019, against Northern Michigan. The Eagles will be making their anticipated debut as a Great Midwest member as part of the program’s 100-year celebration season. RB Gei’vonni Washington was named a sleeper pick in Division II’s preview of Harlon Hill Trophy contenders; he was the 2019 GLIAC Freshman of the Year while rushing over 1,100 yards.
NDC’s ground game has been the calling card to nationally success with former 2,000-yard RB Jaleel McLaughlin and most recently, Virginia Union transfer Tabyus Taylor (over 200 yards per game), running wild in the backfield. The Falcons are Mountain East Conference preseason favorites.
Frostburg State is a familiar foe for Kentucky Wesleyan having also played in 2019 with the sports' first Elite 23 Award winner, Panthers' QB Wiley Cain, throwing for a pair of TD's and 274 yards. First team all-conference RB Koby Adu-Poku has a chance to be the Great Midwest's all-time leading rusher, going into this season ranked third with 2,404 yards.
Hillsdale will take on in-state rival Michigan Tech from Houghton at 2 p.m. ET while Lake Erie has the last start of Week 1 at 6 p.m. vs. Clarion on the road. The Chargers didn’t have a big sample size in the spring with just four games completed and have a chip on their shoulder being picked fifth in the preseason poll. In similar form, the Storm were affected by COVID with three games played this spring season.
Future 2022 conference member Northwood also debuts on Thursday night at Gannon and newly announced Great Midwest provisional member Thomas More will start its season against Bluefield on Saturday.
All home games will be streamed live on the Great Midwest Digital Network. Fans can download the OTT app on the Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV platforms by searching for the key words “Great Midwest.”
The first Great Midwest Football Players of the Week (Offensive/Defensive/Special Teams) selections of the season will be announced on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 7, following Labor Day.