DePauw vs. Trinity Game Notes

SERIES RECORD
Trinity leads the all-time series 2-0 after winning here in 1998 by a 34-18 score and last year in San Antonio, 44-0.

COACHES
DePauw's Nick Mourouzis is in his 20th season with the Tigers and his teams have posted a 115-73-4 record. Steve Mohr is in his 11th season at Trinity and his teams are 72-38.

SCOUTING TRINITY
Trinity, an NCAA Championship semifinalist each of the last two seasons, is once again off to a strong start at 3-0. They are ranked as high as second in one Division III poll and no lower than fifth in others. The visiting Tigers have won their last 32 regular season games and 44 of their last 45. Their last regular season road loss came on November 16, 1996, at Millsaps. They have won or shared the last seven SCAC titles.

Trinity returns six all-SCAC performers from last year's 12-1 team. The biggest loss was two-time all-American quarterback and 1998 Division III Player of the Year Mike Burton. However, junior Roy Hampton has stepped in and leads the SCAC with 255 passing yards per game and a 157.14 efficiency rating. His top target is Jerheme Urban with 17 catches for 320 yards and a pair of scores, while Jeremy Boyce leads the rushing attack with just over 55 yards per game. The starting offensive line for the Tigers averages over 270 pounds per player.

Defensively, the Tigers are coming off a shutout of Willamette in which they limited the 18th-ranked Bearcats to just 217 yards. For the season, they've held opponents to just 28 points in three games and haven't allowed a first-half score. Opponents are averaging just 246 yards of offense against Trinity.

Heading up the defensive unit is senior linebacker John Paul Visosky who leads the team and the SCAC with 33 tackles including four sacks.

LAST WEEK'S DEPAUW GAME (complete game story)
For the second straight week DePauw lost on the final play of the game, but this time it came in overtime to Hope. The Tigers rallied from a 24-7 deficit by scoring 17 unanswered points in the final 7:26 of regulation to force the overtime.

Junior quarterback Jason Lee set five school records in the game as he connected on 41 of 72 passes for 486 yards. He also totaled 79 plays and 462 yards of offense. Included in that was 200 passing yards in the fourth quarter alone. His attempts and completions were SCAC records as well. Lee's top targets were Joe Schoen with 11 catches for 82 yards and sophomore Dan Ryan with nine for 197 yards.

Frisky Williams and Jason Geringer each posted 10 tackles with Williams totaling five tackles for loss including two sacks. The Tigers' defense recorded a shutout over the final 42:30 of regulation.

LAST YEAR'S MEETING
DePauw never got its offense going against the eventual Division III semifinalists and fell to Trinity, 44-0, for their first shutout loss in five years and their largest margin of defeat in six years.

Patrick Whinnery's interception on the game's initial possession stopped the hosts' first threat. The Tigers converted a third down on their first series, but it was one of just three first downs in the first half and only six for the game.

The hosts scored on six of their next seven possessions to take a 30-0 halftime lead.

DePauw totaled just 113 yards of offense and only 42 on the ground, while Trinity gained 539 and 356 through the air.

Damond Garza led Trinity with 119 rushing yards, while Michael Burton completed 13 of 33 passes for 295 yards. Adam Coffman caught six passes for 140 yards.

Freddy Marrero led the Tigers with eight tackles, while Whinnery had two interceptions. John Paul Visosky led Trinity with seven tackles.

DEPAUW NOTES
Joe Schoen has moved into ninth place on DePauw's all-time career receptions list with 96 and into 10th place with 1,263 receiving yards ... Schoen leads the SCAC in receptions per game, is second in receiving yards per contest and third in all-purpose yards ... Lee was named to the <D3football.com> Team of the Week and was one of three players named Football Gazette Offensive Player of the Week ... Lee ranks second in the SCAC behind Hampton in passing yards, efficiency and total offense ... Williams leads the league in tackles for loss with nine and senior Brian Close is second with eight ... Ben Murray has been successful on all seven extra-point attempts and both field goal attempts ... In the latest Division III stats, Schoen is 17th in receptions per game and DePauw is 14th in passing yards per contest ... The Tigers lead the league in passing offense with 296.3 yards per game.

DEPAUW'S WEEK THREE MVPs
The Tigers' coaching staff selected four players as MVPs of the Hope game.

Lee and Ryan earned the honors on offense, while Williams was chosen on defense. Freshman Ben Murray was the special teams' choice after booting three extra points and the game-tying 32-yard field goal with just 23 seconds left in regulation.

UP NEXT
The Tigers are off next week and return home on October 7 for a 2 p.m. Old Gold Day contest against Sewanee. Trinity hosts Rose-Hulman next Saturday.