Tonight’s game
Who: Urbana University (0-0) at University of Findlay (0-0)
When: 7 p.m. Where: Findlay's Donnell Stadium
URBANA — The Urbana University football program isn’t wasting any time jumping into the NCAA Division II waters. The Blue Knights aren’t lingering at the end of the diving board wondering how cold the water is.
At 7 p.m. tonight, on the very first day they can play a football game in 2009, the Knights take on the University of Findlay. It’s the first of 11 games they will play on a schedule composed entirely of D-II opponents for the first time.
“I’ve been looking forward to it since I got here,” said fifth-year senior and co-captain Jerrod Slater, a defensive back.
Tonight’s game is also the first Ohio college football game of the year at any level.
For Urbana, it marks the first chance to put last year’s 1-10 record behind it. The Knights suffered their worst season since 2002 in part because coach David Taynor and his staff didn’t take the reins until April 2008. The late start cost Urbana much of its spring practice schedule, and the new staff missed most of the recruiting season.
“We’ve pretty much eliminated last year out of our thoughts,” said Taynor, a 1998 Urbana graduate. “Really, the first time a lot of us coaches and everyone got to meet each other was last year during camp. It was a whirlwind.”
“You have to learn from it,” Slater said. “That’s all you can do. ... Last year taught us a lot about ourselves and what we need to do to take the next step to be a good program.”
Among the team’s top returning players in 2009 are:
• Ian Iler, a versatile wide receiver who was the team’s second-leading receiver and even got a few snaps at quarterback in Urbana’s version of the Wildcat offense.
• Evan Gehlert, who won the quarterback job midway through last season.
• And Travis Brisco and Chad Kinkead, all-conference linebackers who tallied 167 tackles between them.
Even more than numbers, Taynor puts emphasis on leadership. He has named six captains: Slater, Iler, Brisco, Kinkead, center Bill Nickell and tight end Tariq Kalimullah.
“From last year to this year, we have much better leadership in the program,” Taynor said. “As a coach, you can only reach so many people. If you have good leaders, they have the ability to reach all throughout the ranks.”
About the Author
