Football Fall 2021 Season Preview

The Anderson University football team opens the season against Hope College on Friday at 6 p.m. in Holland, Mich.

Anderson closed out the Spring 2021 season with a 1-4 overall record and a 1-4 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) record. The Ravens topped Manchester University by a score of 55-27 to reclaim The Bronze Ball for the first time since 2011. Anderson tied for sixth in the HCAC Preseason Poll.

The Ravens bring back eight starters on offense and eight starters on defense from last year. Wide Receiver James Tucker (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County) returns after being tabbed with D3Football.com first-team all-region honors and first-team all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) honors last year. Anderson brings back four second-team all-HCAC selections, including quarterback Tyson Harley (New Palestine, Ind./Mount Vernon), offensive lineman Alex Parra (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), linebacker Juancarlos Ramirez (Marion, Ind./Marion) and wide receiver Zac Tallent (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins). The Ravens also return all-HCAC Honorable Mention recipients defensive lineman Tristan Chambers (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran), defensive back Sam Feola (Ridgeville, Ind./Monroe Central) and running back Reggie Lipscomb (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike). Defensive Lineman Jawan Coney (Hammond, Ind./Morton), who joined Tallent and Tucker as recipients of national weekly recognition, also returns.

The Ravens once again cracked the national offensive leaderboards several times last season. Harley finished the season as the national leader in completions per game for the second year in a row. The quarterback from New Palestine completed 39.5 passes per game, which was 9.5 completions per game more than the player in second. Among NCAA Division III leaders, Harley ranked second in passing yards per game (374.2), fourth in completion percentage (.684) and eighth in points responsible for per game (23). In receptions per game, Anderson closed out with two of the top 3 spots as Tucker took second with 10.6 receptions per game and Lipscomb secured third with 10.5 receptions per game. Lipscomb locked up second in the nation with 15 points per game. Tucker also posted 123.4 receiving yards per game, which ranked 10th in the nation.

Fans can tune into the full season preview with head coach Steve Rock here.