After two consecutive wins against Ohio Wesleyan University (2-6) and Austin College (0-8), the DePauw Tigers aim to hit the .500 mark against Albion College (5-3) at home at Blackstock Stadium tomorrow.
DePauw (3-4) has had a season full of adversity, battling injury while developing young players on both sides of the ball. During the course of the season, the Tigers have had different offensive starters at wide receiver, the offensive line and quarterback.
Last weekend, freshman quarterback Drew Seaman was forced to leave the field late in the game after taking a hard hit from an Austin defender. He was replaced by senior Will King.
The question for the Tigers this weekend against Albion will be if Seaman is healthy enough to return to the field to start, or if King will be in his place. King is the fourth quarterback DePauw has used after senior Ethan Schweir tore his ACL in week three at Rhodes College. Sophomore Jackson Kirtley took his place and started for two games. After losing 7-33 to Sewanee: The University of the South, he was benched in favor of Seaman.
If Seaman cannot recover in time for the game, King might be under center against Albion or Kirtley could have a second chance at quarterback.
Despite these challenges, the last two contests have been characterized by strong senior leadership, most evident on defense that held Austin College to 17 points last game, including only seven points allowed in the second half, sparked by a crucial fourth down stand that would have given Austin a late lead.
"It felt really good to pull that one out the way we did," King said on 91.5 WGRE's Tiger Talk Wednesday. "We really won that game in the trenches."
A diverse rushing attack predicated on sharp passing will be the recipe for success against Austin. Sophomore running back Armani Cato ran the ball 27 times last week for a game high 95 yards on the ground.
"[Albion] has a veteran defense with lots of returning starters," King said. "They don't do too much scheme wise, they are pretty set in what they do. But they do it very well."
With three opening losses to Butler University and nationally ranked teams Wheaton College and Wisconsin Stevens-Point, Albion has won their last five games, en route to at least a share of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title.
Albion brings a balanced offense to the table, much like Austin. Albion's balance is evidenced by strong play from quarterback Spencer Krauss who has thrown for 11 touchdowns on the season with 1,578 yards through the air, an average of 225.4 yards per game.
"They run the ball, they are going to give us multiple sets," defensive coordinator Scott Srnka said. "They are going to try to spread us out."
In addition to a solid aerial attack, Albion has one of the leading running backs in the country, junior Clinton Orr, who averages 100.0 yards per game rushing with five touchdowns on 800 total ground yards total for the season.
Albion also brings a hawking defense to Blackstock that has allowed only 24 points in their last three contests, including a 52-7 win over Olivet College. The Britons are led defensively by senior linebacker John Lesinski, who was named the MIAA's defensive player of the week on Monday.
With both DePauw and Albion on winning streaks, both teams come into Saturday's game with confidence. However, Albion has solid identities on offense and defense while DePauw is still searching for their stride.
"I think if we take care of what we are supposed to take care of we'll be fine," Srnka said. "We just need to continue to get better and not make the mistakes we have been making previously."
Saturday's game against Albion is set for 1 p.m. It will be DePauw's second home game of three, followed by the season's final game against Wabash at home on Nov. 12 for the 118th Monon Bell Classic.