Defiance and Bluffton prepare for 100th meeting in football on Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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6 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
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7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Team Stats
Bluffton
| Game Statistics | Defiance College | Bluffton |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 141 | 200 |
| Rushing Yards | 232 | 231 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of Poss. | 26:41 | 33:19 |
DEFIANCE, Ohio - Saturday's football game between the Defiance Yellow Jackets and Bluffton Beavers is the 100th meeting between the two institutions to place the rivalry in rare company among in-state rivals in Ohio.
The Defiance-Bluffton series is one of Ohio's oldest in-state rivalries in college football and is the sixth to reach 100 games. The state's oldest college football matchup is between Cincinnati and Miami, which has played 128 times since 1888. The second-oldest on the list includes Denison and Ohio Wesleyan, who are playing for the 116th time this Saturday after playing for the first time in 1891. Marietta and Muskingum have played 103 times since 1897. Oddly enough, the Yellow Jackets and Beavers are the third series between Ohio colleges to hit the century mark this year following Ohio and Miami playing the 100th Battle of the Bricks on Oct. 19 along with Oberlin and Wooster's 100th battle on Oct. 26. Capital and Otterbein will join the group next season and have played as far back as 1894.
Most games played between Ohio's college football teams
128 - Cincinnati vs. Miami (Ohio)
116 - Denison vs. Ohio Wesleyan
103 - Marietta vs. Muskingum
100 - Ohio vs. Miami (Ohio)
100 - Oberlin vs. Wooster
100 - Defiance vs. Bluffton
99 - Capital vs. Otterbein
Bluffton leads the all-time series against the Yellow Jackets with 50 wins, compared to 47 DC victories and two ties. Last year, the Beavers earned a 42-35 win at Justin F. Coressel Stadium to avenge the road win by Defiance at Salzman Stadium, 17-14, in the previous season finale.
The 100th installment will be the first non-conference game between Defiance and Bluffton since 1997. The Yellow Jackets and Beavers were both members of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference from 2000-23 and did not play during the 1998 and 1999 seasons with Defiance belonging to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Aside from that two-year hiatus, the most recent interruption in the series was World War II while DC and Bluffton played every season from 1946-97.
The first game was held in 1914 with Defiance earning a 14-7 win. After playing twice in 1915 and trading wins, the Jackets and Beavers did not share the gridiron again until 1923. The tradition between the two teams gained momentum from 1923-42 with 20 regular-season contests.
More information about Saturday's game can be found in the Defiance College Football Game Notes and a complete account head-to-head matchups are available to view in the Defiance College Football Media Guide.
Kickoff between Defiance and Bluffton is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and is available to stream on the Defiance College Athletics YouTube channel.
-JACKETS-