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Saturday will mark 288 days since Wabash and Albion played in the snow in Crawfordsville in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
 
The Little Giants ended Albion's season last November 21with a 35-14 win thanks to a four-touchdown effort in the second half. The two teams meet this weekend in Michigan in the 2016 season opener. Both will bring a different look to the game.
 
The changes start for Wabash at head coach. After serving as offensive coordinator for the past four seasons, Don Morel takes the reigns. Morel's work with the Little Giant quarterbacks and wide receivers during that period has aided the transition. Wabash senior staring quarterback and two-year captain Connor Rice has enjoyed that interaction.
 
"The transition has been really smooth," Rice said. "Coach Morel takes my input under consideration. I have a lot of respect for him and all that he does for the rest of the coaching staff and for his players, and for what he's done for me. He helps settle me down and continues to help me be a better student of the game."
 
Rice returns after starting 12 games for Wabash last year. He threw for 2,343 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 52.8 percent of his passes (177-335-8).  Four of Rice's top-five receiving targets are back this year, led by senior Drake Christen. Christen caught a team-high 67 passes for 604 yards and five touchdowns. Fellow senior Sammy Adams moves to tight end this year. He caught 25 passes for 436 yards and three TDs.
 
Sophomores Oliver Page and Ryan Thomas made the most of their 16 combined appearances at wide receiver during the season. Page hauled in 22 passes for 465 yards and five TDs, including a 33-yard touchdown pass from Rice for the first score in the Albion game. Thomas played in seven games with starts and hauled in 14 receptions for 164 yards and one TD.
 
Senior Shamir Johnson, junior Tyler Downing, and sophomore Matt Penola will handle the rushing duties for the Little Giants to open the season. Johnson missed the last four games of 2015 with a broken arm after rushing for 533 yards and seven TDs on 94 attempts. Penola played in eight games and ran for 107 yards and one score. The backfield trio will be hard pressed to duplicate the efforts of graduated running back Mason Zurek, who rushed a school-record 326 in the playoff game versus Albion.
 
The Wabash defense brings back seven starters from the 2015 group that ranked fifth in total defense (241.1 yards allowed per game) and led Division III in turnovers gained. Preseason All-Americans Austin Brown, Ethan Buresh, Connor Ludwig, and Delon Pettiford combined for 285 tackles, 36 tackles for losses, 13-1/2 sacks, and 14 interceptions. LV Bowden, Evan Hansen, and Brian Parks return after earning starting jobs last season. First-year starters Deonte Simpson, CJ McMann, and Brient Hicks played in nearly every game last years. Klay Fullenkamp is the newcomer to the defensive unit. The junior will start on the defensive line after playing tight end last season.
 
Albion graduated 30 players from last year's team and returns five offensive and six defensive starters. The Britons will play without their two leading rushers from last season — Mike Czarnecki and Colin Parks. Both rushed for more than 1,000 yards in their final season at Albion. Quarterback Dominic Bona completed his career at Albion last season after throwing 2,976 yards and 34 touchdowns. The top-eight receivers for Bona also graduated from Division III's second-best offense (559.7 yards per game) in 2015.
 
The Britons will turn to senior Chad Hamilton at quarterback. Hamilton played in four games in 2015, completing 11-of-25 pass attempts for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Kyle Winchell is the top returning receiver after catching three passes for 50 yards and one score in four games. Brendan Zuver is scheduled to start at running back for Albion after rushing 16 times for 91 yards in four appearances last year.
 
Six starters return on defense for the Britons. Geordon Carter ranked second on the team in total tackles last season with 93. Anthony Waite led Albion in solo tackles with 61 last season and finished with 85 total stops. Jose Rodriguez was limited to four games in 2015 due to injuries, making 19 total tackles, including 11 solos, along with four tackles for losses and one sack after ranking sixth on the team in tackles in 2014.
 
"I know the Albion coaching staff and they're very good," Morel said regarding Saturday's game. "They've been there for a long time. They've been very successful. Things won't change a lot. Albion is excellent at executing their offensive scheme. Defensively they will be sound. We thought they played as hard as any team we faced last year. Also it's the first game of the season for both teams, so I expect both teams to bring their 'A' game Saturday.
 
"We have to secure the football. We just cannot have any turnovers. We have to avoid game-one mistakes that you almost always see, whether it's a fumble, only getting ten guys out on the field on the punt team, or the illegal procedure penalties. If we can avoid those types of mistakes we will put ourselves in position to get a win."
 
Kickoff Saturday at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium is 6 p.m. Albion will provide a live video stream and statistics during the game. The Wabash radio broadcast is available at 91.3 FM WNDY and online.