Football

HCAC 2023 Football Notebook, Week 9

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) football teams competed in week nine of the 2023 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Football Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week: 
Offensive Player of the Week:
Josh Taylor (Mt. Orab, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Quarterback | Senior - Mount St. Joseph senior quarterback Josh Taylor put together the most outstanding performance of his stellar career on Saturday. He completed a 34 of 43 passing attempts for 545 yards and 8 touchdowns. He added 8 carries for 41 yards on the ground. The performance helped to lead the Lions to the 55-0 win over Franklin. 
Defensive Player of the Week:
Marshall Koch (Omro, Wis.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Linebacker | Sophomore – Koch was a wrecking ball on the defensive side of the field for the Fightin' Engineers as he recorded 2 takeaways with an interception and a fumble recovery in the win over Hanover. He also added 6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and a sack in a career day.
Special Teams Player of the Week:
Jailen Hobbs (Spring Lake, N.C.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Wide Receiver | Senior – Hobbs recorded the third-most all-purpose yards in a single game in all of Division III with 320 yards. His 84-yard punt return touchdown in the second half to stretch the lead to 44-20 is the third-longest in school history and the sixth-longest in the nation this season. He totaled 6 catches for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he tallied 100 punt return yards on 3 returns and 115 kick return yards on 3 returns. 


Notable Performances:

  • Jacob Simpson (Hobart, Ind.) Anderson University | Linebacker | Sophomore - Jacob Simpson racked up 16 tackles including 9 solo tackles against Bluffton. He added 0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
  • Maxwell Moore (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) Bluffton University | Defensive Line | Sophomore - Maxwell Moore finished with 5 tackles, including 2.5 TFL's and two sacks for 22 yards. He was an integral part of Bluffton limiting Anderson to 169 total yards and just 21 on the ground! Moore also added a pair of quarterback hurries. The Beavers dominated AU on Saturday, posting a 45-7 victory on the road.
  • Todd King (Springfield, Ohio) Bluffton University | Running Back | Junior - King churned out 143 and a touchdown on 28 carries as Bluffton went over 200 yards on the ground for the 3rd straight game. The Beavers rolled to a 45-7 victory at Anderson on Saturday.
  • Drew Michael (Eaton, Ohio) Bluffton University | Kicker/Punter | First Year - Michael hit 3 field goals, including a 39 yarder to go along with 4 extra points, scoring 13 for the Beavers in a 45-7 win at Anderson on Saturday. He also booted 9 kickoffs for 505 yards (56.1 YPK) with 2 touchbacks.
  • Tyquez Douglas (Hopkinsville, Ky.) Defiance College | Defensive Back | Junior - Tyquez Douglas recorded two of Defiance's four interceptions which led to 10 DC points in Saturday's victory over Manchester. As the Yellow Jackets recorded a season-high in turnovers forced, each interception was critical during the early stages of the game. Douglas' first pick ended the first drive of the game by Manchester and led to a DC field goal after a 13-yard return. He also ended Manchester's first drive of the second half shortly after the Jackets took the lead for good to start the third quarter. He returned the second interception 11 yards inside the Manchester red zone before Defiance took a 10-point lead on a touchdown four plays later.
  • Jordan Ambrose (Tomball, Texas) Defiance College | Quarterback | Senior - Jordan Ambrose returned to form and delivered an impressive performance for the Yellow Jackets at Manchester, accounting for four total touchdowns. He completed an efficient 69% percent of his throws (20-for-29) for 271 yards, his best passing day since week 3 at Kalamazoo, and three touchdown passes to no interceptions. He also ran for 73 yards with a rushing touchdown to account for 344 yards of DC's 490 total yards.
  • Zeke Sanchez (Indianapolis, Ind.) Defiance College | Kicker | Junior - Zeke Sanchez recorded a season-high nine points in Saturday's road victory at Manchester. His 36-yard field goal was a career long and his six made PATs were also a single-game best during his time in purple and gold.
  • Jamey Deckard (Bedford, Ind.) Hanover College | Linebacker | Senior – Deckard led the Panthers at Rose-Hulman as he collected seven total tackles and two tackles for loss. 
  • Eian Roudebush (New Palestine, Ind.) Hanover College | Quarterback | First Year – Eian Roudebush looked fantastic for the Panthers under center throwing for 445-yards and six touchdowns in the teams game at Rose-Hulman. The freshman also rushed for 34 yards. 
  • Jamaal Hubbard (Russellville, Ala.) Manchester University | Linebacker | Senior - During Senior Day at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Jamaal Hubbard collected his seventh game with 10 or more tackles, leading the Black and Gold with 13 solo tackles and 2 assists on Saturday. Hubbard leads the conference with 85 total tackles so far this season.
  • Daniel Moss Jr. (Homestead, Fla.) Manchester University | Wide Receiver | Junior - During Saturday's matchup against Defiance, Duriel Moss Jr. had 77 yards on 5 receptions and 1 touchdown. 
  • Josiah Ansorena-Smith (Ludowici, Ga.) Manchester University | Running Back | Sophomore – Josiah Ansorena-Smith had 109 yards in 7 kickoff returns against Defiance on Saturday. 
  • Nate Owens (Bethel, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Middle Linebacker | Senior - Mount St. Joseph senior middle linebacker Nate Owens led a Lions defense that shutout Franklin on Saturday. He led the team with 8 tackles (4 solo, 4 assists), added 2 tackles for a loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry. 
  • Miguel Robertson (Petaluma, Calif.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Quarterback | Senior – Robertson was exceptional for Rose-Hulman all game as he led the offense with 248 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air in the 44-39 victory over Hanover.

Looking Forward:
HCAC Football Standings