INDIANAPOLIS – The lid on the Great Midwest Athletic Conference football schedule is officially lifted in Week 5 as all eight teams try to make their mark in pursuit of a league title.
The last two weeks included a scheduling alliance with the Great Lakes Valley Conference as the Great Midwest won the anticipated matchups by a final count of 8-7. The Great Midwest won four games in Week 3 and four more in Week 4.
Four different league contests are on the docket with Walsh, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lake Erie and Tiffin, all at home. Lake Erie, Ohio Dominican and Tiffin, have all posted a 3-1 record so far into the season.
Week 5 gets started a little early on Thursday as Ashland pays a visit to Walsh for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Eagles (1-2, 0-0) are coming off their first win of the season, a 63-point showcase against Quincy, and QB Austin Brenner directs Division II’s No. 1 ranked offense that is averaging over 531 yards per game.
Brenner is also second in Division II in total offense per game (355 yards) while earning his first conference offensive weekly honor. Ashland is going up against a tough Cavaliers’ defense, ranked second in the conference giving up 19.5 points per game.
On the flip side, offense has been a little more difficult to come by with the Walsh offense generating 15 points per game. LB Sal Sidebotham is the league leader in tackles per game (12.0) for the Cavaliers (1-3, 0-0), who are trying to halt a three-game slide after beating West Liberty to open 2021.
Both Tiffin (3-1, 0-0) and Ohio Dominican (3-1, 0-0) had nationally ranked UIndy’s number in Week 3 and Week 4, respectively. The Dragons draw Hillsdale (1-3, 0-0) for an entertaining matchup at Frost-Kalnow stadium after both programs played now nationally ranked Truman State in back-to-back weeks.
Each team has key statistical leaders roaming on defense including Hillsdale DB Alex Anschutz, who leads all players with 42 tackles and Tiffin DL Charlie Cleveland, tied for the league lead in sacks with 4.5.
It was only a three-point margin of defeat in Week 4 for Tiffin against Truman State, but it was enough to knock the Dragons completely out of the AFCA Top 25 Poll after rising as high as No. 12 this fall. Depending on who you ask, it was a relatively harsh punishment for the defending conference champions. The Chargers have momentum after putting up 38 points on Missouri S&T for their first win last weekend.
Ohio Dominican’s (3-1, 0-0) trajectory continues to trend upward along with their next opponent, Kentucky Wesleyan (2-2, 0-0). In a battle of the Panthers, each team scored respective victories in Week 4 over UIndy and William Jewell with stakes raised going into Saturday from Owensboro. KWC has already passed its win total from the spring and the offense is putting up nearly 30 points per game. Kentucky Wesleyan also features the top passing attack at over 326 yards per game and is balanced by ranking third in the defensive yards per game.
ODU QB Evan Ernst is already over 1,000 yards passing this season and has a 7:1 TD to INT ration while completing nearly 64 percent of his attempts. LB Dauson Dales is only second to Anschutz in the lead for most tackles this season with 42.
Lake Erie (3-1, 0-0) is out to prove the Storm’s hot start out of the gates can be validated with a strong showing against Findlay (2-2, 0-0) this weekend. Traditionally, the Oilers have piled on points against the Storm in their series history, but 2021 has the feelings of a potentially different makeup.
The Storm are tops in the Great Midwest in yards allowed per game (with stats from LEC vs. Franklin Pierce not finalized). Findlay is looking to bounce back from a Week 4 setback vs. Lindenwood and likewise, LEC was just short in a matchup against Southwest Baptist.