Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan coach Brent Holsclaw was optimistic he could get starting quarterback Will Barnes back by the time his team played Saint Joseph's.
Barnes, who's been out since the beginning of the season with a sports hernia, will indeed return under center for the Panthers (0-4) as they face the Pumas (3-1) in Rensselaer, Ind., still in search of their first win.
Dalton Oliver has filled in for Barnes and has performed well, but Holsclaw said having Barnes back is invaluable.
"Dalton's got the better arm, but Will's got the experience," he said. "He's been under center for two years. He does a great job redirecting protection verses certain looks."
As Barnes enters back in the rotation as Great Lakes Valley Conference play starts, it appears senior running back Devin Le'Gall could be back out of it.
He's dealt with knee and ankle injuries already this year, and now he's nursing a shoulder injury following Saturday's 73-7 loss at Liberty.
Holsclaw on Thursday said Le'Gall is a "no-go" for Saturday's game, but he will travel with the team and dress, so it could be a game-time decision. That will move senior Jeff Ward, who's proven to be a threat in the passing game, back to tailback.
That may hinder an offense that's relied mostly on the passing game to move the ball. KWC averages 317 yards of offense per game, 244.2 of which has come through the air.
Holsclaw expects to see a more efficient offense with Barnes back, relying more on intermediate pass plays rather than deep balls like Oliver was able to deliver.
Saint Joseph's quarterback Billy Vandermerkt has thrown for 912 yards and eight touchdowns while accumulating 1,127 total yards of offense this year.
That could spell trouble for a defense that's allowed an average of 494 yards and about 40 points per game.
"We're very concerned about their tempo," Holsclaw said. "They change personnel a lot and they do it at an extremely fast pace."
