Game vs. Mt. St. Joseph preview

As the Wilmington College Quakers start their 2004 season, they look to new head coach Phil Dorn for leadership on the road to prosperity following four consecutive mediocre seasons. The season opener for the Quakers is no easy task, as the Green and White travel to Delhi, Ohio to face off against the Mt. St. Joseph Lions. This will be the game being the first football game played on the newly constructed Schueler Field.

The 2004 meeting between the two squads is the 13th meeting all-time, with the Quakers holding a 7-5 edge. Over the course of the years, the game has rarely been a lopsided victory for either team, as just three times in the 12-game series has a game been decided by 14 points or more.

A season ago the Quakers and Lions faced off at Williams Stadium, where eventual National Player of the Week Ricky Story rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns ‹ all from one yard away. Wilmington also recorded its place in the NCAA record book, as senior safety Greg Morrow picked off a Mount St. Joseph pass in the back of the end zone as time expired, and returned it 100-yards, tying a NCAA record for longest interception return.

This season the Quakers replace six starters on offense, although the team returns three offensive linemen and both wide receivers. Deon Short, who hauled in 30 passes for a team-high 519 yards and six touchdowns.

On the defensive side, the Quakers return six of their front seven from a year ago, including pre-season All-American Brandon Tisdale at defensive tackle. Tisdale has 71.5 tackles for loss in his career to go with 35.5 sacks, which ranks him sixth in NCAA All-Division coming into the season. Also back in the middle of the line is Mark Lane, who, along with Tisdale, has played and started in the maximum 30 games possible. At linebacker, the team returns its top three tacklers from a year ago in Marcus Hefner (83 tackles), Jeremy Clingner (78 tackles) and Jeff Jenkins (70 tackles).

Mt. St. Joseph comes into the year after recording six wins in 2003, the most ever by the program, despite losing their last three games of the year. The end-of-the-year slip last season seemed to have no effect on the coaches of the league, who picked the Lions second in the Heartland Collegiate Conference, behind perennial powerhouse Hanover College.

Mt. St. Joseph returns eight of the 11 starters from last season's opening game, but lost key contributors in quarterback Mike Dane, wide receiver Evan Porter and center T.J. Dorsey. However, back for the 6-4 Lions are four offensive linemen, All-HCAC wide receiver Andy Wellendorf and running back Ricky Story.

Defensively the Lions replace four starters, including two HCAC All-League First Teamers in defensive end Pat McAtee and Robbie Phillips, along with defensive tackle Eric Johnson, who was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals. The squad does return All-HCAC First Team member Tyler Blair, who plays cornerback, along with second team linebackers Andrew Ackerman and Brooks Klosterman.