D2football.com: Tony Nicolette's Weekly Column, Jared Veldheer Profile

Ferris State (5-3, 6-3) at Hillsdale (4-4, 5-4)

An interesting match-up. Ferris has been flat at times of late, especially on offense. While Hillsdale has moved the ball pretty well recently, they have been prone to giveaways in the red zone.

Ferris Keys:
- Stuff the run - When Vinnie Panizzi has big games, HC usually wins. The 'Dawgs need to keep him under 100 yards.
- QB Consistency - Things have been "by committee" under center of late. That's great, as long as the play is solid. When Parrish took over last week, he only hit on 9 of 20 against a weak NU defense. That won't cut it at Muddy Waters.

Hillsdale Keys:
- Blitz a lot - Getting after whichever QB is in there and not letting them get comfortable is a must. They'll likely get their rushing yards, but if you can contain that and then force mistakes in passing situations you set yourself up nicely.
- Score in the Red Zone - I can't a recall a team giving away more scoring chances at their opponent's goal line. They've got to stop doing that and get points in those situations.

Prediction: Ferris really hasn't been especially sharp of late, but when they get into stretches like this they always seem to start playing well. They'll need to as HC has to feel like they let one get away last week AND the Chargers are always much better at home. I'm tempted to make this a "coin flip" special, but I just can't see Hillsdale not taking care of this one at home. Hillsdale 31, Ferris 28.

Getting to Know - Jared Veldheer

While we normally stick to seniors, this week we have a top-flight junior from the league as our special guest. Hillsdale College OT Jared Veldheer is our guy, and here are some of his thoughts:

- What is your major?
Biology

- What's your favorite class?
Developmental Biology

- Other than your home field, what are your favorite & least favorite places to play in the GLIAC?
Favorite would have to be at Northern Michigan playing in the dome. Least favorite is Ashland.

- How is life on the road in the GLIAC? How do you pass the time on the long trips?
Its not too bad (besides traveling up to the UP). I usually listen to music or watch cut-ups of other team's defenses on my laptop.

- Who is the hardest hitter on your team? In the GLIAC?
The hardest hitter on our team, and in my opinion is the hardest hitter in the GLIAC is Tom Korte. He is an animal.

- How many text messages do you get/send in a day?
One or two. I'm not the biggest texter.

- What's your favorite food?
A Moe's chicken burrito.

- What's your favorite TV Show?
That's a tough one. My favorite comedy is the Office. My favorite action/drama is Lost.

- What influenced your decision to choose Hillsdale/playing in Division II?
My older brother played basketball here so I was already familiar with the campus. When I started getting recruited I really liked the coaches here and felt like Hillsdale was the right choice for me.

- What do you hope to do after graduation?
I hope to attend medical school.

Thanks so much, Jared. Best of luck the next couple of weeks, as well as in your senior campaign next year.

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