2008 Record 3-7 .300 Overall 2-7 .222 Conference Location: New Concord, OH Head Coach: Alan Logan (Muskingum '82) Stadium (cap.): McConagha (3500) Conference: OAC Region: North 2009 Schedule

Fighting Muskies ready to tackle the competition in 2009

*NEW CONCORD, OHIO, August 10, 2009* - The Muskingum University Fighting Muskies will look to continue their climb toward the upper tier of the Ohio Athletic Conference as they take the field in 2009 under the direction of third-year Head Coach Al Logan.

Muskingum will open this year’s schedule on the road at Defiance College on Saturday, September 6, at 1:30 p.m. The Muskies hold a 2-0 advantage in the series after winning last year’s game, 35-10.

“It’s an exciting thing for us to go on the road and work at a different place,” said Logan. “From the time we step on the bus, we have to treat it like game time.”

Following the Defiance opener, the Muskies return to the friendly confines of McConagha Stadium for five of their next seven contests. Muskingum will host Otterbein College on September 19, Ohio Northern University on October 3 and Wilmington College on October 10.

“Anytime you play at home, I think you have a better shot at winning the game,” said Coach Logan. “It will be good to have teams come here that we have a legitimate shot at beating.”

Muskingum will host Marietta College on October 24 for this year’s Homecoming game, where the two programs look to build on their storied rivalry. The final home game is slated for October 31 against Capital University, which will be Senior Day for the Muskies.

“I think the rivalry is starting to grow again,” Logan added about the Marietta game. “It’s exciting to have them here for homecoming. To lose down there like we did last year left a real bitter taste in our mouths. We look forward to that game.”

Muskingum faces a challenging schedule on the road against defending national-champion Mount Union College on September 26. The Fish also travel to Baldwin-Wallace College on October 17, John Carroll University on November 7, and Heidelberg University on November 14 to round out the 2009 campaign.

“The OAC top to bottom is great,” stated Logan. “All the coaches do a great job and it will be a great battle for teams to move up in the conference. Regardless of how they pick you to finish in the preseason, there are a lot of teams that can jump up and beat a higher ranked opponent.”

*MUSKIES ON TELEVISION
*The Muskies will also be featured twice this season on SportsTime Ohio, a regional sports cable network that reaches 2.7 million homes.

Muskingum will debut on STO when the Muskies make the trek to Alliance, Ohio, to battle Mount Union on September 26.

The Muskies’ final appearance on STO will be October 17, when the Fish travel to Berea, Ohio, to play Baldwin-Wallace.

*FACILITIES
*The Muskies will benefit once again from the use of top-notch facilities. This season will mark the fifth year of use for the ProGrass Turf on Sherman Field and the third year for the multi-million dollar Cooper Wing, a football locker complex and the Kalnow Center, a state-of-the-art athletic training center.

“You walk in and we have a very impressive facility not only with the locker room, but with the training room and weight room,” praised Logan. “We definitely caught up in some areas with our weight training and nice playing field. The whole package is starting to come together.”
The renovated facilities have also had a positive impact on the recruiting process for the Muskies.
“We’re always looking for the “wow” factor of guys walking in to a facility and that happens every time. It has certainly helped with recruiting and helps us get a little bit better athlete.”

*THE MUSKIES
*Muskingum will return to the field under the guidance and leadership of Muskie Alum, Al Logan. This year’s squad returns 17 starters (8 offensively/8 defensively/1 special teams) from the 2008 squad. In all, Muskingum returns 26 lettermen to a team that improved by three games during the 2008 campaign.

*THE OFFENSE*
The 2008 season turned out to be one for the record books as the spread-option offense posted a banner year in the passing game. Led by junior quarterback Jack Burns (6-1, 205), who ranked third in the OAC in total offense per game (225.0 ypg). the offense set records for total passing yards (season), passing attempts (season), passing completions (season), and passing touchdowns (season). He totaled 1,860 yards through the air with 13 touchdowns and also ran for 390 yards and three scores.

“He [Burns] learned a lot, not only in terms of “x’s and o’s” but in what you have to put in to be successful week to week,” said Logan of the quarterback. “He has the ability to throw, and he has a great understanding of the option game and how to put the ball in the right place. I expect great things for him this year.”

Burns will have plenty of talented wide receivers to go to this season, which include senior wide receivers Dwight Sutton (5-11, 157) and Josh Sams (5-11, 175) and junior tight end Blake Allen (6-2, 190).

Sutton tallied 16 catches for 282 yards while boasting a 17.6 yards per reception. Sams collected 10 catches for 74 yards while Allen hauled in 8 passes for 81 yards.

“I think we have a real nice group of guys,” Logan said of his wide receivers, “they’re great kids who work hard and understand what we do offensively.”

Tailback remains a question for the Muskies after losing Caleb Fuller to graduation.

“We have a couple of returners and three or four young guys who have the skills to be very good at the tailback position,” stated Logan. “We’ll have a competition in the fall to see where our answer comes from.”

The line should be a focal point for the Muskies as they return three starters, including senior offensive captain and All-OAC honoree Steve Emmert (6-4, 282). Also coming back to the line is junior Brian Barnhart (5-10, 250) and sophomore Seth Parker (6-5, 350).

“Emmert is one of the best tackles in the conference, and Parker did some nice things as a freshman. Barnhart certainly played well for us at the guard position.” said Logan of his returnees. “We have the right group of guys for a good offensive line.”

*THE DEFENSE*
Muskingum returns 8 starters on the defensive side of the ball, which should help them stop their opponents in the 2009 season. Under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Shap Boyd, the Muskie defense will run the 4-3 scheme.

Leading the defense this season will be senior defensive back OJ Diomedi (5-11, 175), who will serve as defensive captain. He was second on the team last year in tackles with 63 and logged .5 tackles for loss, two pass break-ups and one fumble recovery for 36 yards.

“I think anytime teammates look at you as a leader it puts more pressure on you. OJ is a leader, and he shows it in the off-season working in the weight room. He’s a lead by example guy,” Logan said about his defensive captain. “He’s a real blue-collar type of player. OJ makes plays because he gets in the right position. I hope he has a great year for us.”

Also coming back to the defense will be linemen sophomore Pat Lynch (6-1, 250) and junior Chad Bajc (6-0, 205), junior defensive backs Darrell Henley (6-1, 195) and Denis Hicks (5-9, 155) and senior linebacker Corey Swinderman (5-11, 213).

Lynch is coming off a stellar freshman season which saw him collect 34 stops, 1 fumble recovery and a blocked kick. Bajc will get to the passer from his defensive end position. Last season, Bajc had 37 tackles and led the Black and Magenta with four sacks.

“Pat’s work ethic is great and he is one of the finest defensive line guys we’ve had in a while.” said Logan. “Chad is a 100 mile per hour type of guy, which is what you want from your guys up front.”

Henley led the Muskies’ defensive unit last season with two interceptions. He also recorded 24 tackles and five pass break ups. His size will allow him to match up well with any receiver in the OAC. Hicks is a two-year letterman that brings a wealth of experience to the secondary. He totaled 36 tackles in the 2008 season to go along with four pass break ups and one sack from the corner spot.

Swinderman, a three-year letterman, will lead the linebacker corps in the upcoming season. Last season he recorded 30 stops including one tackle for a loss and one sack. He has 94 tackles for his Muskie career.

“We’ve been running this defense for three years now, and some kids are still learning it.” explained Logan. “We’ve made some mistakes, but we’ve watched a lot of film and working hard, so those mistakes should clear up. The defense needs to really take that next step this season.”

*SPECIAL TEAMS/NOTES*
The Muskies return one starter to their special teams squad. Senior kicker Bill Rini (5-8, 149) is the lone returning starter and will be looked upon to step up and lead the unit. Rini was a near perfect 14-of-15 on PATs last season and averaged 51.9 yards per kickoff.

The kickoff return game is not expected to miss a beat after averaging 22.4 yards per return last year. While the Muskies lost their top two returners from the previous campaign, Coach Logan expects someone to step up and fill the role.

Muskingum was also one of the most disciplined teams in the OAC in 2008 as they averaged just over 5 penalties per outing.

*COACHING STAFF*
A huge plus for Muskingum is the return of virtually the entire coaching staff, the majority of which have been together for the last three seasons.

Defensive Coordinator Shap Boyd enters his third season calling the defensive schemes for the Fish.

The rest of the coaching staff includes offensive line coach Jim Kaser, wide receivers coach Matt Shaul, defensive lineman (interior) coach EZ Smith, defensive ends coach Joe Montgomery and running backs/ tight ends coach Tony Hurps. The staff has three new additions in linebacker coach Matt Louis, cornerbacks coach John Perin and tight ends coach Chris Shank.

“I think it’s a more mature staff in terms of what we teach to kids. The coaches have grown in terms of understanding our offense and what we do on defense. Coach Shaul now being with us three years has a great understanding of the passing game, and what we expect from those guys, and the same thing with Coach Hurps and the running backs. On the defensive side of the ball, Coach Montgomery has done a good job with our defensive ends. EZ Smith brought in a lot of enthusiasm at the interior defensive lineman position, which I think you need. All around I feel real good about what we’re doing and what we’re teaching.”

Another positive for not only the coaching staff but for the program as a whole is the number of former Muskies on the staff. Logan, Kaser, Shaul, Louis and Shank all played for Muskingum, which benefits them when it comes to relating to their players and the program.