GAME NOTES
LIVE STATS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and the Mount St. Joseph University meet in a key Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football showdown on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Cincinnati.
The Fightin' Engineers (6-2, 4-2 HCAC) would earn a share of second place in the HCAC standings with victories over Mount St. Joseph (7-2, 6-1 HCAC) and in the season finale against Earlham on Nov. 15. Mount St. Joseph would clinch nothing worse than an outright second-place league finish with a win on Saturday.
Rose-Hulman currrently ranks No. 2 nationally in NCAA Division III passing offense (364.5 ypg) and No. 12 in total offense (503.5 ypg) entering the Mount St. Joseph matchup. The game could be an offensive shootout, as Mount St. Joseph leads the HCAC in scoring offense (42.0 ppg) and rushing offense (228.6 ypg).
Sophomore Austin Swenson enters the week ranked No. 1 nationally in passing yards (2,884), No. 1 in passing yards per game (360.5), No. 2 in total offense (362.3) and No. 2 in completions in per game (31.5) in the latest NCAA Division III statistical rankings. Sophomore Alec Fisher stands No. 4 nationally with a school record 13 touchdown receptions this season, and junior Aaron Abbott has the No. 11 mark for receptions per game.
Defensively, sophomore Kevin Nowak ranks No. 13 nationally in passes defensed at 1.8 per game including four interceptions. The defense also has 25 sacks, led by four for senior Josh Sonneberger.
Mount St. Joseph leads the HCAC in socring offense, scoring defense, rushing offense, passing defense and turnover margin entering its season finale on Saturday. The Lions have crossed the 50-point mark in scoring three times this year and have qualified for the NCAA Division III Playoffs five times in the past 11 years.
After Saturday's game, Rose-Hulman returns home for the season finale against Earlham College in the Battle of the Borders Broadsword Game on Nov. 15.
