Game Notes: Bethany at Case Western Reserve (Week 6)

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

WEEK 6: Bethany College Bison (0-5, 0-3 Presidents' Athletic Conference) at #17/#19 Case Western Reserve University Spartans (4-0, 3-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference)

• When: Saturday, October 7, 2017
• Where: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: DiSanto Stadium (2400)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Series vs. Case Western Reserve: Bethany leads 12-4
• Series Streak: Case Western Reserve won 2
• Last Meeting vs. Case Western Reserve: Case Western Reserve 37, Bethany 14 (2016) | Box Score
• Last Bethany Win: 2014; Bethany 25, Case Western Reserve 14 | Box Score
• Video: https://case.edu/livestream/athletics/
• Live Stats: http://bethanybison.com/sports/fball/2017-18/boxscores/20171007_mnh7.xml

GAME NOTES (.pdf):

LAST MEETING: Despite forcing four turnovers, the Bison were dealt a 37-14 loss by Case Western Reserve. Former Bison linebacker and PAC Defensive Player of the Year Donavan Hayden had a career day in the game. He finished with a career-high 19 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and he returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown.

RISING UP THE RANKS: Bethany senior defensive end Khallid Pierce (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline), who ranks second in the PAC with 4.0 sacks and third with 7.0 tackles for loss this season, tied former Bison Matt Nardone (1993-1996) for third all-time in school history with 23.5 sacks. One more sack will tie him with Nadim Raddar (2014-15) for second all-time, while Dan Rovira (1990-91) remains atop the all-time list with 31.5 sacks.

RUN STOPPER: Bethany junior linebacker Will Gatling (Baltimore, Md./Northwestern) leads the PAC with 10.0 tackles per game, including a league-best 26 solo tackles this year. Gatling posted a season-high 2.0 tackles for loss and recorded his first-career sack in a seven tackle effort versus Carnegie Mellon.

MULTIDIMENSIONAL: Bethany senior quarterback Chase Kinemond (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) leads the Bison in passing attempts (136), rushing attempts (81), touchdowns accounted for (5) and is the team's primary punter, averaging 40.2 yards (second-highest in the PAC) on 31 punts with seven inside the 20-yard line. Kinemond has also recorded three tackles this season on punt return coverage.

IT DOESN'T GET EASIER: Case Western Reserve is the top-defense in the league in terms of yards allowed per game. Bethany's last two opponents, Westminster and Carnegie Mellon, rank second and third in yards allowed in the PAC.

HOLDING ONTO THE ROCK: Bethany ranks fifth out of 11 PAC teams with a plus-one turnover margin this season. The Bison are tied for the league-lead with six fumble recoveries and are tied for the league-low with three interceptions thrown this year.

TOO MUCH LAUNDRY: Bethany has been flagged a league-high 46 times this season for 91.8 yards per game. Bison opponents have been penalized for a league-low 39.8 yards per game this season. 

OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SPECTRUM: Case Western Reserve features the top scoring offense in the PAC this season, posting 41.8 points per game. Bethany defensively has allowed a league-worst 36.6 points per game. The Spartans are ranked No. 17 in the latest D3Football.com poll and No. 19 in the latest America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.

NEXT WEEK: Bethany will return home next Saturday, October 14 to host Washington & Jefferson for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Bethany lost to the Presidents' 37-36 last season and ran for 301 yards, the most against W&J in a single-game in 2016. The Bison led 36-27 in the third quarter, but was shutout over the final 22 minutes. W&J rallied for 10-straight points and ran the game's final seven minutes off of the clock with four first downs, including a fourth down conversion that clinched the comeback win over Bethany.