District College Football Preview – 09/08/2011

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 8, 2011 | 5:08 PM

The weather has turned, as temperatures will be in the 60’s and 70’s this weekend for kickoff, instead of hovering around 90. There are some good matchups this week, including three that can be heard here on the Network. The PSAC starts crossover play with East meeting West and the PAC and MAC have their challenge week with the local conference looking to come out on top this season.

Here are previews of all the games this weekend and stop back on Sunday for recaps of all of the action:

Cheyney at Slippery Rock 6pm on WISR 680-AM and the MSA Sports Network

The Wolves started the season with a 21-19 win over Lincoln last week. Senior DE Tim Hume was named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week, he made 5 tackles(4 for loss and forced a fumble with 14 seconds left to seal the win for the Wolves. The defense was key in the win, with two interceptions, two fumbles and 3 sacks. RB Marcus Jones ran for 96 yards in the win. He ran for a score and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. QB Chris Anderson was only 4 of 13 for 60 yards, but two of the completions went for touchdowns. Last week’s win was the first for interim coach Ken Lockard. It was the first win in a season opener for Cheyney since 2000. Ken Amos got the Rock season off to a great start with a 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 51-14 win at Seton Hill last week. The Rock piled up 48 first half points. Akeem Satterfield ran for 125 yards on just 8 carries and the Rock scored two defensive touchdowns. With the score tied at 7, . LaQuinn Stephens-Howling scored on a 2 yard run, then the flood gates opened. Brandon Watters had a 50 yard interception return for a score and Satterfield added a 22 yard run, the Rock was up 28-7 after one and looking for more. The Rock will rename N. Kerr Thompson Stadium to honor current coach Dr. George Mihalik on Saturday. The new name will be Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. Mihalik, the 15th head coach in Rock football history, has a 154-95-4 record in 23 seasons. He has led the Green and White to a winning record 17 times since becoming head coach in 1988. He ranks fifth on the PSAC’s all-time wins list and 12th among active NCAA Division II head coaches. SRU got good news following last week’s game that All-American Division II center Brandon Fusco had made the opening day roster of the Minnesota Vikings. Fusco, a standout at Seneca Valley, was selected in the sixth round by the Vikings in April.

Delaware Valley at W & J 1:30pm on WJPA 1450-AM and the MSA Sports Network.

Delaware Valley won it’s 3rd MAC championship last season and went to the Division III playoffs. The Aggies defeated Muhlenberg 10-9 in overtime on Saturday. The Mules scored first but Ryan McCullough blocked the extra point. Delaware Valley faced a 4th and 15 from the 30 yard line, QB Aaron Wilmer connected with WR Isiah Hall for a touchdown and the victory with the extra point. Wilmer finished 18 of 33 for 245 yards and the lone touchdown. Rodney Blango and Chris Ruiz had five catches each for the Aggies. W & J defeated Juniata 40-0 in last week’s opener. Quarterback Matt Bliss made his first start and what a start it was. Bliss was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week, going 19 of 28 for 286 yards with 3 td passes and no interceptions. W & J rolled up 588 yards of offense last week. RB Tim McNerney ran for two more touchdowns, he has scored in 9 consecutive games and has scored multiple touchdowns in 7 straight. W & J has a 52-0 record since 2003 when posting 400 or more offensive yards. The shutout was the first for W & J since 2009, the Presidents have had 11 shutouts since 2003. The Presidents have made 12 straight trips to post-season play, making the NCAA playoffs in 10 seasons and played last season in the ECAC Southwest Bowl, defeating Franklin and Marshall 54-41. W & J has a winning record in 27 straight seasons. Heading into the 2011 season, the Presidents are third in all time wins in Division III, trailing only Mount Union and Wittenberg. Delaware Valley held W& J to just 67 yards in last year’s meeting, a 27-0 win for the Aggies.

Geneva at Albright 6pm on WBVP 1230-AM and the MSA Sports Network

Geneva fell to Frostburg State 34-21, the GT’s trailed 14-0 in the first quarter. WR A.J. Delmonico caught 8 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the loss. QB Zack Hayward threw for 299 yards and2 touchdowns. WR Corey O’Patchen caught a 30 yard td pass in the fourth quarter. Geneva had two scores wiped out by holding penalties. The GT’s only managed 49 yards on the ground, Jordan Curry was the leading rusher with 18 carries for 25 yards. The Geneva offense could get a spark as former Shenango star quarterback Rocco Colavecchia has transferred in from Slippery Rock. This is Colavecchia’s third school after leaving Kent State with concussion issues. Colavecchia started at quarterback for the Rock, but elected to transfer to Beaver Falls. He had 4 catches for 34 yards last week and 2 carries for 12 yards. Colavecchia holds most of the all-time passing records at Shenango. Dillion Godell, Marcus Costanza and Scott Erb led the defense with 7 tackles each. Albright defeated Ursinus 24-17 last week. Josan Holmes ran for one touchdown and caught another. Holmes carried 22 times for 110 yards. Albright used two quarterbacks in the win, Adam Galczynski was 6 of 9 for 133 yards with a touchdown and interception. T.J. Luddy was 5 of7 for 55 yards with a interception. Albright allowed 4 sacks. Albright leads the series 3-0, including a 54-27 win last season. Albright ran for 300 yards and gained over 500 in the win at Reeves Field.

Duquesne at Dayton 1pm
The Dukes lost 27-26 at Bucknell last week. WR Issac Spragg had only 8 catches in his NCAA career, he had 9 grabs for 100 yards and a touchdown. Larry McCoy ran for 112 yards and a score on 30 carries. The Dukes got a good break from the NCAA when WR Connor Dixon was given a rare 6th year of eligibility. The grad student from South Park had 2 catches for 21 yards and a touchdown, he has made at least 1 reception in 16 games since he changed from QB to WR in the 2009 season. Dayton defeated Robert Morris 19-13 last week, despite only gaining 233 yards. The Flyers got two touchdown passes from Will Bardo and two field goals from Nate Miller to hold on for the road win at Joe Walton Stadium. Bardo finished 14 of 24 for 180 yards.

St. Francis at North Dakota State 1pm
A.J. Alexander transferred in from Florida State and brings some speed to the Red Flash offense. The Altoona native connected with QB John Kelly for a 69 yard 4th quarter touchdown that put St Francis back in the game in a 38-28 NEC loss to Wagner, Alexander had 3 catches for 99 yards. Kelly threw for 273 yards and 2 scores last week. The Red Flash were happy to have RB Kyle Harbridge back in the lineup, having played in only five games in 2010. Harbridge came back in a big way, running 28 times for 154 yards and 2 scores. North Dakota State routed Lafayette 42-6 last week. Brock Jenson and Warren Holloway connected for two long touchdown passes and D.J. McNorton ran for 3 touchdowns.

Valparaiso at Youngstown State 4 pm
Valpo lost 49-35 to Division III Franklin College last week, despite leading 28-14 in the second quarter. QB Eric Hoffman was 27-42 for 394 yards in the loss. The defense allowed 669 yards, including 442 threw the air. The Crusaders have lost 21 straight games. YSU more than held their own against 17th ranked Michigan State last Friday night in East Lansing. The Penguins fell 28-6, but made 20 first downs and held the ball for over 31 minutes against the Spartans. QB Kurt Hess tossed a td pass to Jelani Berassa in the second quarter. RB Jermaine Cook ran for 76 yards on 17 carries. LB John Sasson had 11 tackles. The Penguins have won 15 straight home openers at the Ice Castle.

Robert Morris at Liberty 7pm
The Colonials fell at home to Dayton 19-13. The defense came to play for RMU, allowing just 21 yards rushing and 10 first downs. DB D.J. Myers made 9 tackles in his first career start. QB Jeff Sinclair struggled, going 13-29 for 156 yards, he was sacked 8 times. In comparison, Sinclair was sacked only 14 times all last season. TE Shadrae King had 5 catches last week, he has now had at least a catch in 20 straight games.

Shippensburg at Gannon Noon
The Red Raiders fell 53-27 to nationally ranked Shepherd. Shippensburg has not won an opener since 2005. QB Zach Zulli made his first start, he threw for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns. Gannon fell 13-10 to Lake Erie College last week, it was the first season opening loss since 2007 for the Golden Knights. Alex Papson made his first NCAA start, the North Allegheny product, carried 16 times for 42 yards. Quarterback Daniel Tapscott was 15 of 34 for only 147 yards, he was sacked 5 times. The pair were two of four freshman starters for Gannon. Another was Justin Caliste, he went 85 yards with a punt return in the first quarter. Senior DB Chris Cook picked off his 12th pass of his career.

Kutztown at Mercyhurst Noon
It’s a battle of top 25 programs. The Bears are ranked 18th in the D2 football poll, the Lakers are 17th. In the coaches poll, the Lakers are 18th and Bears 19th. Kutztown racked up 697 yards of offense in last week’s win over St. Anselm. Robbie Frey and Josh Mastomatto each ran for over 100 yards and QB Kevin Morton threw 6 touchdown passes. Morton has thrown a TD pass in 18 straight games. For Mercyhurst, QB Travis Rearick was named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. Rearick threw for 273 yards and 2 scores, he also ran for the winning score in a 24-23 win at Notre Dame College. A pair of former Lawrence County standouts helped in last week’s win. RB Ricky Matthews(Shenango) ran for 92 yards on 19 carries in his first career start. DB Linnell Robinson(Union) grabbed his first career interception.

Merrimack at Edinboro 1pm
Edinboro defeated West Liberty 30-13 last week. It was the fourth straight win for the Fighting Scots over the Hilltoppers to start a season. LB Ryan Skelton was named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week, Skelton made a career high 14 tackles, including 11 solo stops. K Alex Romanias made three more field goals on Saturday, he has moved into 8th place on the Edinboro all-time scoring list.

Bloomsburg at Clarion 1pm
The Huskies are ranked 13th in the latest D-2 football.com poll and have moved up to 9th in the coaches poll. Bloomsburg defeated Ashland last week 27-20s, moving coach Danny Hale just 5 wins away from 200. TB Franklyn Quiteh ran for 144 yards, the 13th time in 14 career games that he has gone over one thousand yards. He is now 9th on the Huskies all-time rushing list. K Dan Fisher made 2 more field goals, giving him 22 for his career. He needs 7 more to equal that school record. The Golden Eagles had a balanced offense but still fell to Fairmont State 31-14 last week. QB Ben Fiscus threw for 201 yards and a score and also ran for 90 yards and a td.

Assumption at Seton Hill 3 pm
Assumption lost to Bowie State 28-7 in Worcester last week. Derek Fernandes threw a second quarter touchdown pass for Paul Perez for the Greyhounds’ only score. Matt Pedone ran for 93 yards. Seton Hill lost 51-14 to Slippery Rock in last week’s season opener. Daniel Butler ran for a touchdown in the first quarter and caught a td pass from D.J. Lenehan in the third. Seton Hill had 195 yards of offense and 12 penalties for 126 yards. The Griffins were 1 of 15 on third down conversions.

C.W. Post at California 3:30pm
The Pioneers lost in overtime to American International 13-7 last week. Freshman QB Steven Laurino threw for 107 yards and a score and ran for another. ILB Billy O’Connor made 13 stops. The Vulcans fell from 11th to 21st in the D2 football poll and from 12th to 22nd in the coaches poll. Cal lost 26-3 to St. Cloud State last Thursday. It was the first time since 2003 that Cal did not score a touchdown in a game. QB Peter Lalich threw for 150 yards, it was his first time in a game since the second game of the 2008 season when he played at Virginia. The Vulcans’ run game was shut down, gaining only 56 yards. S Rontez Miles had a career high 14 tackles last week.

East Stroudsburg at IUP 4pm
ESU comes off a 56-14 win over Pace last week. Senior quarterback Ray Wagner made his first career start and was named PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week. Wagner threw for 375 yards and six touchdowns, all in the first half. Wide receivers Robert Bleiler and Dusty Reed each caught 2 touchdowns, while both going over 100 yards. RB Kendrick Williams also rushed for 101 yards. Head Coach Denny Douds picked up his 230th win. Douds returns to Indiana, he was a 1959 graduated of Indiana High School, before going to SRU. IUP has a new head coach with a familiar last name to their fans. Curt Cignetti takes over the job, his father Frank coached IUP from 1985-2005. IUP leads the series with East Stroudburg 9-6, including 3 straight wins. QB Pat Smith returns for IUP, he was injured in the opener last season and missed the remainder of the season. 8 starters return for IUP, including first team PSAC running back Harvie Tuck.

Millersville at Lock Haven 7:30pm
Millerville was beaten 55-3 last week by West Virginia Wesleyan. The Miners have lost 9 straight games. The Bald Eagles return ten starters from last season, including QB Jarryd Burkett. The bad news is that Lock Haven has dropped 32 straight games, including three consecutive winless seasons. The good news is for one of these teams, a losing streak is about to end.

Wikes at Waynesburg Noon
Wilkes lost at Susquehanna 33-30 last week. Alex George threw three touchdown passes to Todd Eagles. George was 20 of 27 for 216 yards, he also led the team in rushing with 15 carries for 87 yards. Eagles had 8 catches for 143 yards. Waynesburg lost 12-7 at Christopher Newport. RB Bertrand Ngampa ran for 102 yards and the only touchdown for Waynesburg. S Bryan Gary had 13 tackles, S Ryan Williams made 12 tackles and picked off a pass for the Yellow Jackets. On the defensive line, Matt Krause made 10 stops. Wilkes won last year’s game 38-35 in the only meeting between the teams.

Allegheny at Carnegie Mellon Noon
The Gators look to bounce back from last week’s 28-7 loss to Bethany. Allegheny claimed a 34-27 win last season, the Gators are 9-1-1 in the last 11 meetings with the Tartans. Taylor O’Brien ran 14 times for 49 yards. Jordan Fowler made his first start, he was 14 of 26 for 128 yards, he threw two intereceptions and one touchdown to Sean Griffin. Patrick Blanks scored twice for CMU, but it all came down to a missed two point conversion which gave the Tartans the home win. After a scoreless first quarter, Jake Nardone scored on a 17 yard run to stake CMU to a 6-0 lead. Blanks found the end zone after a 10 yard run, the two pointer failed with 1:06 left in the half. Leading 12-7 coming out from the break, Carnegie Mellon added to the lead on a Blanks 2 yard scamper. Kevin Donohue hit a 21 yard field with 8:44 remaining in regulation to put CMU up 21-13. After a Blaine Miller td cut the lead to 2 with 3:07 left, Grove City could not score on the two pointer. CMU recovered the onside kick attempt and made two first downs to run out the clock. Blanks led the Tartans with 17 carries for 125 yards, Nardone added 76 yards on 13 carries.

FDU-Florham at Saint Vincent 1pm
FDU-Florham is playing it’s opener and the first game under new head coach Brian Surace. The Devils won last season 28-23 and opened with 3 straight wins before dropping 7 in a row. The Bearcats fell in overtime at Bridgewater 20-17, the first overtime game in the program‘s history. RB Mike Kale ran for 119 yards and a touchdown in the loss. QB Aaron Smetanka was 18-28 for 191 yards, Ricky Douglas had 4 catches for 61 yards in his first college start. Kicker Morgan Porter was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week, he kicked a 38 yard field goal and made both PAT’s in the game. Anthony Johnson led the way for the Bearcat defense with 12 tackles and a sack.

King’s College at Bethany 1pm
Kings lost to William Patterson 13-6 last week. Kings got two field goals from Mike Lloyd of 33 and 37 yards. QB Joe Kirschon was 13 of 29 for 102 yards, he was sacked 7 times. Bethany defeated Allegheny 28-7 last week, the first time the Bison start the season with a win since 2007. The Bison held the Gator offense to just 189 yards. CB Jeff Joyce was named PAC Defensive Player of the Week after picking off 2 passes and made 3 tackles in the win. QB Matt Grimard threw for 2 first half scores and ran for two more. RB Eric Walker had 80 yards on 17 carries but did not find the end zone. Bethany won last year’s matchup 31-29, the only meeting between the teams.

Lycoming at Westminster 1pm
Lycoming defeated #22 Rowen 8-6 on Saturday. Lycoming scored all of it’s points in the first half on two field goals by Zack Czap and a safety. Lycoming turned the ball over twice and had eight penalties. Westminster defeated Hiram 17-7 last week. John Proano rushed for only 43 yards but scored both Westminster touchdowns. The Titans recovered five fumbles in the victory, the second straight over Hiram. Lycoming leads the series 2-1, including a 40-0 win last season.

Lebanon Valley at Grove City 1:30pm
Lebanon Valley defeated Gettysburg 57-42 last week. Ben Guiles ran for 143 yards and 4 touchdowns and racked up 103 yards receiving and another score. QB Colt Zarilla threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Grove City fell to CMU 21-19 last week. RB Blaine Miller ran for 2 touchdowns and also caught a td pass from Clayton Hall. Miller scored with just over 3 minutes remaining but the Wolverines could not make the 2-pointer and failed to recover the onside kick. Grove City was 0-2 on 2-pointers in the game, they had not gone for 2 since 2009. Hall was 10-12 for 104 yards, he also rushed for 100 yards. LB Mario Posteraro had 17 tackles in his first start as a Wolverine. The team series is tied at 1, Grove City won 17-14 last season as Miller caught 2 td passes from Hall. Grove City is 8-3 vs. teams from the MAC.

Widener at Thiel 1:30pm
Widener defeated Moravian 44-6 last week. Chris Haupt threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score. Anthony Davis returned punts for 52 and 79 yard touchdowns. Haupt was 28 of 44 for 303 yards. QB Jared Soell threw for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 32-24 loss to Marietta, he also had a career high 128 yards rushing. Two of the scoring strikes went to WR Nate Houpt. CB Marshaun Hainesworth had 13 tackles and recovered a fumble for the Tomcat defense. Widener won last year’s meeting 21-0.