Football: Denison (0-0 Overall) at Ohio Northern (0-0 Overall)

Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, 6 pm - Dial-Roberson Stadium, Ada, Ohio

| Game Notes (.pdf) |

Saturday's Contest: Today's contest is the 2021 season opener for both teams. It is also ONU's first home game of the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign and is the fifth game for the Polar Bears in calendar 2021. ONU is 547-502-36 in 127 seasons of play, a winning percentage of .520.

ONU Head Coach Dean Paul: Paul is in his 18th season at ONU with a 110-58 record, a winning percentage of .649. Paul is ONU's all-time winningest coach in ONU football history. He is 150-70 in 22 seasons overall and is 0-1 vs. DU.

DU head coach Jack Hatem: Hatem is in his 12th season at DU with an 56-35 overall record. He is 1-0 against Ohio Northern. Hatem is the father of current ONU assistant coach A.J. Hatem.

Last Meeting: Denison topped Ohio Northern 42-13 in the 2019 season opener for both teams. DU scored 35 unanswered points to go up 35-6 in the fourth period. All-American RB Christiaan Williams ran 18 times for 59 yards and QB Anthony McFadden was 9-for-17 passing for 100 yards and ran 20 times for 64 yards and a TD to lead the ONU offense. Denison out-gained ONU 453-224 in total offense.

ONU Last Year: Ohio Northern finished 3-1 and were runners-up in the OAC West Division in a COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020-21 season in the spring. ONU topped Otterbein 17-7, Capital 47-6 and Wilmington 35-22 before falling at Heidelberg 35-28. RB Brock Martin was third in the OAC in rushing and earned Academic All-America and All-OAC honors. QB Brody Hahn, OL Jared Ritenour, WR Chase Rose, DT Jarrett Sitton, WR Austin Eick, DL Josh Bever, DL Nichal Johnson and TE Noah Miller all return as All-OAC honorees in 2021.

ONU Leaders: The Ohio Northern running game is led by All-American RB Brock Martin (81 att, 333 yards, 1 TD in 2020-21) and QB Brody Hahn (43 att, 246 yards, 7 TDs in 2020-21). QB Brody Hahn was 71-for-115 passing for 1,209 yards and 10 TDs in 2020-21. WR Austin Eick (20 rec, 370 yards, 4 TD in 2020-21), TE Noah Miller (15 rec, 182 yards, 1 TDs in 2020-21) and WR Chase Rose (12 rec, 288 yards, 4 TDs in 2020-21) lead the receivers. LB Peyton Wilson, DL Josh Bever, DL Nichal Johnson and LB Johnny Rupp lead the defense with 42, 27, 24 and 24 tackles, respectively, in 2020-21. Bever led the team with 4.5 sacks and 8.0 TFL in 2020-21.

DU Last Year: The Denison 2020 fall season was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Big Red were able to play two football games in the spring. They defeated rivals Ohio Wesleyan 38-37, as K Pat Kramer kicked a game-winning field goal with seconds left on the clock to leave Delaware with a victory. They closed out their spring season with a 14-6 exhibition win against Case Western Reserve.

DU Leaders: he Big Red shared the NCAC title in 2019, while posting a 31-10 record with two NCAC Championships and one NCAA Division III appearance in the last four seasons. Even with a lost year in 2020, the Big Red are returning key players on both sides of the ball. Offensively, QB Drew Dawkins threw for just under 2,000 yards and 17 TDs to go along with 3 rushing TDs in 2019. Brother Trey Dawkins was All-NCAC first team in 2019 on the offensive line. Experience on the defensive side will be from their defensive backs as all four starters return.

ONU Returning Statistical Leaders (2020-21 Stats):

All-Time Series: DU leads the series between the two schools by a 13-4-4 margin. ONU is 2-4-2 at home and is 0-0 at Dial-Roberson Stadium. DU won the last meeting 42-13 at Granville in 2019.