Millikin Football Ready to Open Season

MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL RELEASE—WEEK ONE
Millikin Big Blue (0-0)
at
Hope College (0-0)
August 31 at 7 p.m. ET at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium in Holland, Mich.

Game Notes
          The Millikin football team opens the 2018 season in a special Friday night game at Hope College. The game will be a part of Hope's Community Day festivities.
          The Big Blue have high expectations in 2018 after posting a 7-3, 5-3 last season. The seven wins were the most by a Millikin team since 2003 and the College Conference of Illinois (CCIW) record was the best by a Big Blue team since 2001.
          The Millikin offense should be potent led by senior quarterback Nicco Stepina and wide receivers junior Jordan Smith and senior Gerald Perry. The trio were CCIW All-Conference performers in 2017 and propelled to school records for team passing yards (2,842), pass completions (206) and pass attempts in a season (363).
          Stepina set 12 Millikin passing records becoming the leading passer in Big Blue history with 6,865 career-passing yards. He set records for passing yards in a season with 2,785, pass completions at 201 and touchdowns in a season with 29. Millikin Head Coach Dan Gritti says Stepina is poised for another stellar season. This will be the first time in Stepina's career he has had the same offensive coordinator for two straight seasons. Gritti praises Stepina for his work off the field saying he is the most prepared quarterback he has ever coached.
          Smith set a new Millikin record with 13 touchdowns last season and 818 yards. Perry had 38 catches for 712 and six touchdowns.
Millikin returns nine starters on offense including sophomore running back Jazontae Howard who rushed 541 yards last season.
          The Big Blue defense returns six starters, but Coach Gritti adds that linebacker Kyle Ramos and safety Tatum Teicher both saw significant playing time last season and played their way into the starting lineup late in the season, bumping that number up to eight. Millikin's strength is in the front seven. Seniors Quintaz Wright and Gabe Xayathone along with junior Davion Jefferson return on the defensive line. Wright had 45 tackles in 2017 with 13.5 tackles for a loss. Xayathone had 10 tackles for a loss last year. Last year's leading tackler junior Matt Brown and four-year starter Nikia Averitte return at linebacker. Brown had 83 tackles (9.5 for a loss) and Averitte added 60 tackles.
          The Flying Dutchmen are coming off a 2017 season in which they recorded their ninth eight-win season with an 8-2 overall record. They finished MIAA runner-up for the second consecutive season with a 5-1 record in league play. In 2017, Hope set school records with 377 points scored and 2,808 rushing yards. The Flying Dutchmen bring back five starters on offense, including junior quarterback Mason Opple, junior receiver Christian Bos, and junior left tackle Timothy Ivery. The Hope defense relies on six returners, including junior linebacker Mason Dekker, the top returning tackler, senior defensive tackle Ian Gorgenson, and senior defensive back Kimani Dooley.
          Washington University-St. Louis joins the CCIW as an associate member for football this season giving the Big Blue nine-conference games on the schedule. Millikin will not see the Bears until November 3 at home.

Millikin Record Watch
Nicco Stepina holds several Millikin career record, which he establish new marks each game.
Career Passing Yards – 6,865
Career Touchdown Passes - 63 (currently tied with Tim Brylka)
Career Pass Attempts – 899
Career Pass Completions – 515
Career Total Offense -3,070

Career Receiving Leaders
Gerald Perry ranks ninth with 1,540 yards. He needs 110 yards to move into eighth place.
Jordan Smith ranks 15th all-time with 1,256. He needs only nine yards to move into 14th, 23 yards to move to 13th and 92 yards to move into 12th all-time

Career Touchdown Receptions-While he might not get this record early in the season, Jordan Smith is only nine away from Jeff Query's mark of 29.

Series Record: Millikin vs. Hope
Millikin leads the series with Hope 3-1. The Big Blue and Hope played four straight seasons   2010-2013. Millikin won the first three games with Hope winning in the final match-up in 2013.

The Coaches: Millikin's Dan Gritti and Hope College's Peter Stuursma
Dan Gritti
Overall: 40-28 (8th season)
Record at Millikin: 11-9 (3rd season)
Alma Mater: Vanderbilt University, 1995
Peter Stuursma
Overall: 15-5 (3rd season)
Record at Hope: 15-5 (3rd season)
Alma Mater: Hope College, 1993

2018 Millikin Football Schedule\Results
Date:             Opponent:                Time:
Aug. 31          at Hope College         7 p.m. ET
Sept. 15         *North Park              1 p.m.
Sept. 22         at *Wheaton             6 p.m.
Sept. 29         *Augustana              6:30 p.m.
Oct. 6             *Carroll                      6:30 p.m.
Oct. 13          at *Carthage             1 p.m.
Oct. 20          at *Elmhurst             1 p.m.
Oct. 27           *Illinois Wesleyan 6 p.m.
Nov. 3            *Washington U.-St. L         1 p.m.
Nov. 10          at *North Central       1 p.m.
Home games in bold
*=CCIW Contest

2017 Millikin Football Schedule\Results
Date:             Opponent:                Time:
Aug. 31          Greenville                 W 76-3
9/9                at Rose-Hulman         W 28-26
9/16              Bye Week
9/23               *North Central         L 51-21
9/30              at *North Park           W 30-15
10/7               *Wheaton                 W 35-31
10/14           at *Augustana           W 28-25
10/21            *Carroll                     W 56-35
10/28           at Carthage              L 45-27
11/4               *Elmhurst                 W 41-7
11/11            at *Illinois Wesleyan   L 31-6
Home games in bold
*=CCIW Contest

Broadcast Information
Hope College will provide Live Stats and a Live Video broadcast:
Live Stats: https://athletics.hope.edu/sports/fball/2018-19/boxscores/20180831_9ujb.xml
Live Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ZOyv0vAT0

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