District College Football Preview for Saturday, November 13th

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, November 11, 2010 | 12:00 AM

It's the final week of the regular season and many of the district teams will be putting away the helmets after Saturday's finale. But for some, Division II playoff hopes are on the line. The PSAC placed four teams in the Division II field last season, California and Mercyhurst are looking to be two of those. The Vulcans host Cheyney and need a win, Mercyhurst hosts Bloomsburg in the PSAC State Title Game.

Only Robert Morris in Division I FCS play is guaranteed of a trip to the post-season, the Colonials won the NEC last week and look to head to the playoffs on a nine-game streak. Robert Morris also moved into the top 25 for the first time in a long while.

Also great thanks to all of the schools and conferences and their sports information departments for providing great articles, game notes and statistics that make this preview much easier to compose.

Here are previews of all the games, including three that can be heard here on the MSA Sports Network. Don't forget to check back early Sunday morning for recaps of all the games.

C.W. Post (6-4)at Slippery Rock(6-4) 1pm on WISR 680-AM and the MSA Sports Network

The Rock looks end a two game losing streak and pick up their fifth win on the turf at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium and Bob DiSprito Field.

C.W. Post gained 486 yards on 67 plays in a 63-28 win over Cheyney last week.

Freshman running back Anthony Brunetti ran for 143 yards and four touchdowns in last week's win.

Quarterback Erik Anderwkavich threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 14 of 19 with no interceptions. Anderwkavich is third in the conference with 2,311 yards, he has thrown for 24 touchdowns with thirteen interceptions. The senior also leads the team in rushing with 605 yards.

Senior wide receiver Darnel Williams had eight catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns last week. Williams leads the conference with 68 catches and is sixth in the conference with eleven touchdowns.

Billy O'Connor leads the Pioneers with 108 tackles on the season. Ronnie Modick has picked off four passes.

Sophomore running back Akeem Satterfield ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough as the Rock defense twice gave up ten point leads in falling to Gannon 24-20. Satterfield is third in the conference averaging 120 yards per game and leads with sixteen touchdowns.

QB Ryan Sabo has struggled this season, completing only 49 percent of his passes. Sabo has thrown for 1,220 yards and five touchdowns, but has been picked off nine times.

Senior Devin Goda has slipped to eighth in the conference, averaging 64,9 yards per game and 11 yards a catch.

When the Rock has gotten into the red zone, they have converted at 30 of 35 this season.

Kicker C. J. Bahr has returned nicely from an injury, Bahr has made nine of twelve field goals with a long of 47 and has gone 22 of 24 on extra points.

Both teams are near the middle in turnover ratio, the Pioneers are minus one and the Rock is minus two.

Westminster(2-7) at Geneva(4-5) 1pm on WBVP 1230-AM and the MSA Sports Network

It's known as The Game during PAC Rivalry Week. The two programs meet for the 113th time with Westmister leading 62-48 with eight ties.

Westminster was led by running back John Proano, who ran 19 times for 110 yards but the Titans fell to Saint Vincent 21-14.

In last week's game, the Titans led 14-0, but gave up 21 unanswered points. Westminster committed four turnovers, two of those led to Saint Vincent scores.

Quarterback Shawn Lehocky threw for 256 yards on 18 of 38 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Lehocky has thrown for 1,574 yards and thirteen touchdowns, but has sixteen interceptions.

Wide receiver Nick Sorice caught two touchdown passes, Gino Pasquinelli had six catches for 84 yards.

Linebacker Tom Geraghty made ten tackles, Aaron Nauer made nine in the loss. Geraghty leads the PAC with 100 tackles for the season.

Geneva has given up 283 points this season, amazingly that is third in the conference. The Golden Tornadoes come off the bye week this week.

Geneva has not won a game at Reeves Field this season. A loss would give Geneva only their fourth losing season under Geno DeMarco.

The GT's lead the conference in total offense, averaging 401 yards per game. QB David Girardi is second in the conference, averaging 223 yards per game passing. Girardi has thrown fourteeen touchdowns with seven interceptions and is the only PAC passer to throw for two thousand yards coming into the final week of play.

Senior running back Gerald Muschette needs 109 yards to become the all-time leading rusher for the GT's. Muschette holds the career record for touchdowns with 44 and the school record, rushing for 302 yards his last time out against Thiel. Muschette leads the conference in rushing at 1,465, the only back in the PAC to go over one thousand yards so far and touchdowns with 19.

Geneva is the least penalized team in the conference, Westminster is second. Both teams have struggled with turnovers, Geneva is a minus five this season, Westminster is dead last at minus fifteen.

This game also features four of the best receivers in the conference. Muschette and A.J. Delmonico lead the GT's with 46 catches, Pasquinelli has grabbed 43 for Westminster. And Geneva's Corey O'Patchen only has 28 catches but leads the conference with 660 receiving yards.

Washington & Jefferson(7-2) at Waynesburg(6-3) 1:30pm on WJPA 1450-AM and the MSA Sports Network

It's the 38th version of the PAC Backyard Brawl and matches the second and third best offenses in the conference. And it has been a one-sided Brawl as W & J has won 34 of the 37 previous, including six straight.

W & J is 5-1 in the conference. The Presidents have scored 271 points this season, third in the conference.

Quarterback Gino Rometo threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score as the Presidents defeated Thiel 47-14 for their sixth consecutive win. Rometo leads the conference with a 148.7 passer rating, he has thrown for 16 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

WR Jordan Roycroft caught eight passes for 143 yards and two first half touchdowns. Roycroft leads the PAC with 57 catches.

Sophomore running back Tim McNerney ran twenty times for 75 yards and two touchdowns. McNerney is fourth in the conference with 755 yards for the season and third with thirteen touchdowns.

Free safety Craig Sedunov made eight tackles, he needs two more to become only the second W & J player to make 300 tackles in his career.

Waynesburg is 4-2 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets have scored 292 points. Waynesburg leads the conference in red zone offense with 36 scores in 40 trips, including 29 touchdowns.

Waynesburg safety Bryan Gary has done a great job all season, blocking kicks, picking off passes and sacking quarterbacks. And last week was no exception, Gary made thirteen tackles, including three for loss and forced a fumble in the 14-10 loss to Thomas More last week.

Running back Dominic Moore ran for a touchdown to put Waynesburg up 10-7 with just under seven minutes remaining. The freshman has ran for nine touchdowns this season.

Quarterback Brad Dawson leads the conference with an average of 226 yards per game passing. Dawson has eleven touchdowns but has been picked thirteen times.

The Yellow Jackets are the most penalized team in the conference. Waynesburg is second in the conference with a plus seven turnover ratio, W & J is third at plus two.

Robert Morris(8-1) at Bryant(6-3) Noon
The Colonials have wrapped up the NEC title and automatic bid to the Division 1 FCS playoffs, with a 7-0 record going into today's final conference game. Robert Morris also moved into the D-1 FCS coaches poll, coming in at number 25 this week. Robert Morris also cleaned house on the NEC weekly awards following their eighth straight win. Tailback Myles Russ was named Offensive Player of the Week. Russ ran for 177 yards in the win on 24 carries. Linebacker Alex DiMichele was named Defensive Player of the Week. The former Sto-Rox linebacker made thirteen tackles and forced a fumble deep in Blue Devils territory that RMU turned into six points on the next play. Quarterback Jeff Sinclair threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns last week. The Colonials are 13-3 since the former Highlands star took over behind center in the fifth week of the 2009 season. Sinclair leads the NEC with twenty touchdowns passes. Bryant is 3-3 in NEC play and has won two straight games. The Bulldogs picked up a 48-10 win in Loretto last week against the Red Flash. Jordan Brown ran for 129 yards and two scores in the win. Michael Perry added 98 yards and a score as Bryant racked up 282 yards on the ground. At 6-3, Bryant will have their seventh winning season in the program's eleven year history.

PSAC State Title Game
Bloomsburg(9-1) at Mercyhurst(8-2) Noon
The winner takes the PSAC championship and is assured of a spot in the Division II playoff field. The Huskies are ranked 11th in the AFCA Division II poll coming into the title game, up two spots from last week. Bloomsburg is second in the Division II Super Region 1 rankings. Bloomsburg has won ten PSAC East championships, but is making it's first trip to the state championship game. The Huskies swept the PSAC East Player of the Week awards. Freshman running back Franklin Quiteh was named Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season. Quiteh racked up 194 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries as Bloomsburg knocked off Kutztown 61-35 to get into the state title game. Quiteh is the leading rusher in Division II and leads the PSAC with 18 touchdowns. Junior defensive back Vince Browning was named Defensive Player of the Week, he made five tackles and had two interceptions, the Huskies scored ten points off of those picks. In the win, Bloomsburg set a school record 685 yards of total offense. QB Pat Carey threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Carey is first in the conference in passer rating. Carey has thrown for 19 touchdowns with just six interceptions. The Huskies are the most penalized team in the PSAC, averaging 75 yards per game. Bloomsburg leads the conference in turnover ratio at plus fifteen. The Lakers are ranked 16th this week in the same poll, up five spots from last week. Mercyhurst is fourth in the regional rankings and likely needs a win to make the playoffs. The Lakers were picked seventh in the PSAC-West coaches poll. Mercyhurst will play for their first PSAC title after coming from behind to defeat Clarion 38-14. Senior running back Gerald Anderson became the school's single season rushing leader with 1,179 last week. Anderson is in fifth place on the all-time rushing list at Mercyhurst. Anderson is fourth in the conference in rushing. The Lakers are also in the positive in turnover ratio, Mercyhurst leads the conference in interceptions and is a plus three in turnovers.

Cheyney(1-9) at California(9-1)
The Wolves racked up 314 rushing yards with quarterback Chris Anderson running for 95 yards and Marcus Jones ran for 85. Cheyney turned the ball over five times, the Wolves have lost 23 fumbles this season. The Vulcans enter the game ranked number ten in the AFCA Division II poll, up two spots from last week, a win would assure Cal of a spot in the Division II Super Region I playoff field of six teams, since the Vulcans dropped in the regional rankings to fifth. Cal blanked Edinboro 24-0 last week. Josh Portis threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns for the Vulcans. Portis now moves into fourth place all-time with 5,562 passing yards. Sophomore running back Lamont Smith is second in the conference at 121 yards per game. Smith has ran for 1,093 yards on the season. The Vulcans lead the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 139 points per season. Cal has won 13 of 14 all-time meetings with Cheyney.

Kutztown(9-1) at Gannon(6-4) Noon
Kutztown is ranked 20th in this week's AFCA Division II poll, down five spots from last week. Kutztown needs a win to cement a spot in the Division II playoffs, but is in better shape, sitting at third in the regional rankings than Cal and Mercyhurst. Quarterback Kevin Morton has thrown a touchdown pass in fifteen straight games. Morton has thrown 32 td passes on the season. …Four different players have caught at least six touchdown passes: Josh Smith leads with nine, Chris McCormick has eight and Josh Mastromatto and Erik Frazier have six each. The Golden Bears lead the conference in scoring offense and passing offense. Senior quarterback Zach Boedicker was named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. Boedicker threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, racking up 210 yards of total offense. Those scores helped the Golden Knights rally from a pair of ten point deficits in a 24-20 win over Slippery Rock. Last week's win guaranteed Gannon back to back winning seasons for the first time since 1995. Gannon forced seven turnovers in last week's win. Saturday's game will be the first ever between the two schools.

Saint Francis(1-8) at Duquense(5-4) 1pm
The Red Flash are 1-4 in NEC play. Linebacker Scott Lewis needs one tackle to go over 500 for his career, he would be only the second player in Division I FCS play to do that. Dane Domonkos returned a kickoff 69 yards for a touchdown last week in a 48-10 loss to Bryant. The former Bishop McCort star was the second member of the Red Flash to return a kickoff for a score. The Dukes are 3-3 in the conference and had the bye week last Saturday. Duquesne tried to bounce back from a 34-11 defeat to Robert Morris in the Steel City Showdown. Sophomore running back Larry McCoy ran for 80 yards in that game, he saw a streak of three straight 100 yards games come to an end.

Indiana State(5-4) at Youngstown State(3-7) 1pm
Indiana State is 3-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, falling to Northern Iowa 30-20 last week. Darrius Gates ran for two scores and Ronnie Fouch threw for 200 yards and a TD for the Sycamores. YSU is 1-6 in conference play. The Penguins dropped their sixth straight 41-39 to Illinois State last week, with the game winning score coming with one second to play. Jamaine Cook led the Penguins with 213 rushing yards and three TDs, Kurt Hess threw two touchdowns passes and Dominique Barnes had eight receptions for 113 yards. For the season, Cook has ran for 1,199 yards and ten touchdowns. Adaris Bellemy has scored nine times for the Penguins. Hess has thrown for 1,926 yards and twelve touchdowns with only four interceptions. Barnes has 57 catches and four touchdowns.

East Stroudsburg(3-7) at Edinboro(6-4) Noon
This is a rematch of last year's first round NCAA Division II playoff game won by the Fighting Scots 31-16. The Warriors broke out the black jersey's for the first time in school history, but it didn't help as Shippensburg drove 80 yards in the final two minutes to claim a 20-17 win. Senior quarterback Matt Marshall had 360 yards of total offense last year against the Fighting Scots. Senior linebacker Matt Freed made twelve tackles last week to go over 100 tackles for the third straight season. The Fighting Scots were blanked by Cal 24-0 last week and posted only 79 yards of total offense. Senior wide receiver Gary Nolen needs five catches to become the all-time leading receiver in Edinboro history. The Fighting Scots have not fared well at home, going 1-3 so far at Sox Harrison Stadium.

Shippensburg(4-6) at Lock Haven(0-10) Noon
The Red Raiders won their third straight game by scoring twenty unanswered points to defeat East Stroudsburg 20-17. Sophomore quarterback Steven Adams threw for 347 yards in the win. Mike Frenette and Brian Barley both were over 100 yards receiving last week. The Bald Eagles scored their highest point total of the season, but it was not enough as they fell to IUP 63-31 last week. QB Jarrett Kratzer threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Lock Haven has lost 31 straight, their last win was on the final day of the 2007 season, over Clarion.

West Chester(4-6) at IUP(5-5) 1pm
The Golden Rams defeated Millersville 45-14 last week. Senior wide receiver Dan DePalma caught six passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns last week. For IUP, freshman DB Terrell Washington was named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week. Washington returned two interceptions for touchdowns and blocked a punt in an 63-31 win over Lock Haven. Harvie Tuck ran for 190 yards and became the tenth player in school history to rush for over one thousand yards in a season.

Millersville(2-8) at Clarion(3-7) 1pm
Millersville lost to West Chester 45-14 last week, it's the first time Millersville has gone winless in the PSAC East. Jamal Smith caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown for one of the few highlights last week. Smith needs 16 receiving yards to become the single season receiving yards leader. Clarion led 14-0, but gave up 38 straight points in a 38-14 loss at Mercyhurst last week. Alfonso Hoggard continues to move up the Clarion all-time lists. Hoggard is now sixth with 2,139 rushing yards and third in touchdowns with 23 for his career. Cornerback Chris Wilson had three interceptions last week, including a 97 yard return for a touchdown.

Saint Vincent(3-6) at Bethany(4-5) 1pm
In the fourth annual Green Game, both teams sports 3-3 PAC records coming in. Bethany has won all three previous meetings. Junior running back Mike Kale was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week. Kale ran 33 times for 157 yards and also threw a 29 yard touchdown pass in a 21-14 victory over Westminster. Sheldon Loughner caught the halfback pass from Kale, Loughner has caught a pass in 25 consecutive games dating back to October 2008. Armando Fortunato made fourteen tackles last week for the Bearcat defense. Quillian Reid grabbed an interception and picked up a fumble. Josh Diamond also picked off a pass. Linebacker Kyle Arrington and safety Jamaan Webb each had eleven tackles in the loss to Grove City last week. The Bison offense struggled last week, with four turnovers and converting only once in four trips in the red zone. Quarterback Matt Grimard ran for his eleventh touchdown of the season.

Thiel(0-9) at Grove City(4-5) 1pm
The Mercer County Cup is on the line for these two teams for the 27th time. Grove City has won three straight and leads the series 17-9. The Tomcats are winless on the season and have dropped eleven straight games. Thiel has scored only 60 points all season, the Tomcat defense has allowed 299 points, most in the conference. Freshman quarterback Jared Soell ran for 67 yards and threw for 248 in the loss to W & J last week. Kyle Turkalj caught five passes for ninty yards. The Wolverines are 2-4 in PAC play. Junior Ed Reith was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Reith averaged over forty yards per punt, including a long of 64 yards. Reith also returned two kickoffs for Grove City in the 21-7 win over Bethany. Quarterback Brian Pell was 15 of 21 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. WR Luke O'Hara caught six passes for 73 yards and a score. Blaine Miller ran for 75 yards and a score. Linebacker Jason Ferguson intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, Chris Korn also picked off a pass. Kicker Craig Bicehouse has made twenty consecutive extra points.

Carnegie Mellon(4-5) at Case Western Reserve(7-2) 1pm
Both teams are 0-2 in the UAA and meet in the 25th annual Academic Bowl, featuring two of the nation's top academic institutions. CMU leads the series 15-9, but Case Western has won three straight. The Spartans had won 38 consecutive regular season games, but have dropped two straight with losses at the University of Chicago 24-20 and Washington University last week 14-13. Trevor LaBarge ran for a career high 117 yards on 21 carries for Case Western, but the Spartans had two second half field attempts blocked that would have given CWU the lead. The Tartans jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a Jake Nardone touchdown against the University of Chicago last week, but Dee Brizzolara scored five touchdowns as the Maroons blew out the Tartans on their home field 61-22. For CMU, Justin Pratt ran for 107 yards and a touchdown. Nardone added 91 yards rushing.

Allegheny(6-3) at Oberlin(4-5) 1pm
The Gators are 4-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, with last week's43-21 win over Hiram, the Gators clinched their 25th winning season in the last 27 years. Quarterback T.J. Salopek threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns as the Gators cruised to the road win. Brian Tamburlin ran for 112 yards on 22 carries. Matt Dievert ran for 97 yards and a touchdown. Salopek has thrown for 1,997 yards on the season and has completed 67 percent of his passes. He has 18 touchdown passes and has thrown nine interceptions in 2010. Oberlin is 3-3 in the NCAC coming off a 16-12 win over Ohio Wesleyan last week. Drew Mixter ran for 94 yards and quarterback Joey Zebelian came off the bench to throw for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Allegheny leads the series 25-18-1, the Gators have won two straight and three of four since the series resumed in 2006.

Tags: Slippery Rock, Washington