District College Football Preview for Saturday, November 6th

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, November 4, 2010 | 12:00 AM

Conference titles could be decided in the Northeast, the PSAC and PAC on Saturday. The big game focus will be on Joe Walton Stadium as Robert Morris looks for its first title since 2000, in Erie as Mercyhurst looks to steal the PSAC-West from Cal and in Waynesburg where the Yellow Jackets battle nationally ranked and two-time PAC champion Thomas More.

Here are previews of all the games from around the area and please come back early Sunday morning for recaps of all of those contests.

Gannon(5-4) at Slippery Rock(6-3)  1pm on WISR 680-AM and the MSA Sports Network

Both teams are 3-3 in divisional play and were eliminated from the championship race last week.

A win will give Gannon back to back winning seasons for the first time since 1995-96.

Junior cornerback Chris Cook ran an interception back 100 yards for a touchdown against Clarion last week. Cooks score was the only touchdown of the game for the Golden Knights.

Kicker Jeremy Ditzler kicked a career long 50 yard field goal in the second quarter.

QB Zach Boedicker has contributed strongly to the Golden Knight offense. Boedicker has thrown for 1,326 yards and nine touchdowns, while running for 374 and five scores.

Running back Tyler Batts leads the team in rushing at 613 yards, he is also second on the team with 22 catches.

With SRUs loss to Mercyhurst, the Rock saw its NCAA hopes go up in smoke. For the third straight time, when the Rock has been held without a 100 yard rusher, they have gone down to defeat. The Rock was held to one yard rushing last week and 47 offensive yards. Junior cornerback Andre Freeman scored the only SRU touchdown in the 21-13 loss last week. C.J Bahr kicked a pair of field goals.

Running back Akeem Satterfield needs 70 yards in the final two games to go over the one-thousand yard mark for the season. Satterfield has fourteen rushing touchdowns. Should Satterfield hit the one-thousand mark, he would become the 23rd back in Rock history to do so.  

Quarterback Ryan Sabo has struggled, completing just 48 percent of his passes. Sabo has thrown just five touchdowns and has six interceptions. Wide receiver Devin Goda is the only target with fifty catches for 539 yards.

Center Ryan Fusco has continued to have a good senior season, he is projecting to be a fifth round draft pick for the NFL draft in 2011.

The Rock defense is first in the conference in defending the pass, allowing just 150 yards per game.

Gannon leads the series three wins to two.

W & J(6-2) at Thiel(0-8)  1pm on WJPA 1450-AM and the MSA Sports Network

The Presidents are 4-1 in the conference. W & J has won five straight games.  

Running back Tim McNerney did not go over 100 yards, but was very close in the win over Grove City 21-14. The freshman ran for 97 yards on 25 carries. McNerney has 680 yards for the season and eleven touchdowns.  

Last weeks win gives the Presidents their 27th consecutive winning season.

QB Gino Rometo threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns in last years 56-16 rout, the Presidents racked up 537 yards of offense. Rometo this season has completed over 63 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,484 yards and fourteen touchdowns.  

Jordan Roycroft leads the team in catches with 49, with six touchdown catches.
Linebacker Nick Resnick and safety Craig Sedunov each had twelve tackles.

Thiel has scored 46 points all season. Freshman quarterback Jared Soell tried to jump start the offense, throwing for 196 yards and a touchdown, he ran for 101 yards against Geneva last week. Freshman running back Eric Petrovich ran for 96 yards as well.

W &J leads the series 39-22-2, with the Presidents winning 27 of the last 28 season, the only Thiel win was in 2005 when the Tomcats went undefeated.

Clarion(3-6) at Mercyhurst(7-2)  Noon
The Golden Eagles are 3-3 in divisional play.  Free safety Jay Pettina was named PSAC-West Defensive Player of the Week for his role in an 11-10 win over Gannon. The freshman had two sacks and picked off a pass with 36 seconds left to seal the win for the Golden Eagles. Clarion is 3-1 in road games and 0-5 at Memorial Stadium this season. Alfonso Hoggard ran for 119 yards last week, putting him over the two thousand yard mark for his career, good for seventh place on the Clarion all time list. QB Ben Fiscus is tenth in the PSAC in rushing, despite only starting five of nine games this season. Mercyhurst enters this week ranked 21st in the country in Division II in the AFCA poll. The Lakers are 5-1 in the PSAC-West and clinch the division title with a win or a Cal loss at Edinboro. If Mercyhurst wins the division, the Lakers would play for the PSAC championship in the State Game next week against the winner of the Kutztown(9-0) at Bloomsburg(8-1) game. Kutztown is ranked 15th coming in, Bloomsburg is ranked 13th.  Mercyhurst is ranked third in the Super Region 1 rankings, one of four PSAC teams in the top six. Shepherd is the number one team, followed by Kutztown, Mercyhurst, Cal, Bloomsburg and New Haven. The top six qualify for the regional playoffs, four of the six spots were filled by PSAC teams last season. The Lakers have won four straight coming into Saturday, the latest a win over Slippery Rock last week. Running back Gerald Anderson went over 100 yards for the sixth time this season, he is now sixth all-time in rushing at Mercyhurst. Anderson has posted 1,027 yards, good for fourth in the PSAC, and six rushing touchdowns this season. QB Travis Rearick, since taking over the starting job, has thrown for eleven touchdowns with just three interceptions. Trevor Kennedy now has fifty catches for the season, eight for touchdowns. The series is even at one game apiece, both teams exchanging home wins. Its the second straight trip to Erie for Clarion, playing at Gannon last week.

California(8-1) at Edinboro(6-3)  1pm
The Vulcans are 5-1 in PSAC West play. Cal maintained the number twelve spot in this weeks AFCA Division II poll. The Vulcans are ranked fourth in the NCAA Super Region 1 rankings released this week.  Cal scored fifteen points in the final quarter to defeat IUP 18-15 in overtime. Its the second OT game of the season for Cal, the Vulcans had not played an overtime game since 2003. Sophomore running back Lamont Smith has gone over the one thousand yard mark for the season. He is the fourth Cal back to run for a thousand yards in the last seven seasons. WR Chedrick Cherry has already set a career high with 36 catches this season, seven for touchdowns. Edinboro is 3-3 in divisional play. Tailback Drew Herrell was named PSAC-West Offensive Player of the Week. The freshmanl rushed for 197 yards and a touchdown as the Fighting Scots defeated Lock Haven 30-22. It was the first 100 yard game for an Edinboro running back this season. The Fighting Scots are 1-2 at Sox Harrison Stadium this season, Edinboro is 5-1 on the road. Senior wideout Gary Nolen needs ten catches in the last two games to become the all-time leading receiver at Edinboro. Cal leads the all-time series 39-35-2 with the Vulcans winning the last five meetings.

Thomas More(8-0) at Waynesburg(6-2)  1:30pm
Thomas More is ranked ninth in the AFCA Division III poll for the fourth consecutive week. The Saints are 6-0 in the PAC and can claim their third straight conference title with a win. Thomas More is ranked fifth in the South in the NCAA Regional Rankings, released this week. The Saints lead the conference in scoring offense with 303 points and scoring defense with just 98 points allowed. Freshman running back Domonique Hayden ran for 82 yards and a touchdown in a 37-13 win over Westminster last week. Sophomore Kendall Owens was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week, The junior racked up almost 180 yards on returns, including a 96 yard punt return at the end of the third quarter. The Yellow Jackets are the only team that can stop a three-peat, sitting at 4-1. Waynesburg must win today and at W & J next week to claim the PAC crown. Waynesburg is second in the conference with 282 points scored. Freshman running back Betrand Ngampa ran for 96 yards and a score last week. The Yellow Jackets mixed up the offense, QB Brad Dawson threw for 254 yards, while safety Ryan Williams lined up at quarterback and ran for two scores. TE Adam Moses had nine catches for 98 yards. DB Bryan Gary picked up his second PAC award this season. The sophomore was named PAC Defensive Player of the Week in the 34-28 victory over Saint Vincent. Gary picked off a pass and went eighty yards for a touchdown, that broke a 21-all deadlock. It was Garys second Pick Six in back to back weeks. Thomas More leads the series five wins to two and have won two straight against the Yellow Jackets.

Central Connecticut State(6-2) at Robert Morris(7-1)  Noon
The Northeast Conference title is on the line at Joe Walton Stadium. CCSU is 4-0 in conference play and is the defending conference champion. Defensive end Charles Williams was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week in a 38-20 win over Wagner. The junior made six tackles and forced two fumbles that both led to CCSU touchdowns. Senior Josue Paul was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Paul returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in last weeks win. Freshman Chris Tolbert was named the NEC Rookie of the Week. The running back ran for two scores, caught two passes and made two tackles on special teams. Everette Benjamin ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns, his fifth consecutive 100 yard performance. Kicker Joe Izzo is perfect on the season, hitting all eleven field goal attempts and 27 extra points. Robert Morris is 6-0 in the NEC, the Colonials would wrap up the conference title with a win in their final conference game of the season. The NEC title also carries an automatic bid into the Division I FCS playoffs. Senior running back Myles Russ was named NEC co-Offensive Player of the Week. Russ ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-11 win over Duquesne. In the process, Russ became the all-time leading rusher at RMU. Quarterback Jeff Sinclair threw for 113 yards and a score last week, he also ran for two touchdowns. Junior tight end Shadrae King has caught at least one pass in sixteen consecutive games.

Bryant(5-3) at Saint Francis(1-7)  1pm
Bryant is 2-3 in the NEC. Jordan Brown regained the NEC rushing lead with a 200 yard performance in a 24-7 win over Albany. Brown was named NEC co-Offensive Player of the Week. He has 1.044 yards and eleven touchdowns on the season. Saint Francis is 1-4 in conference play. The Red Flash fell to number 20 Caly-Poly last week. Sophomore quarterback John Kelly threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns, he was also the leading rusher with 71 yards. Senior wideout Omar Winston is second in the NEC with six touchdown catches.

Youngstown State(3-6) at Illinois State(4-5)  2pm
The Penguins are 1-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference. YSU fell to Northern Iowa 34-30 last week at the Ice Castle, it was the Penguins fifth straight loss. The lead changed five times in the game, Kurt Hess threw two touchdowns passes for YSU, he has ten for the season. Jamaine Cook needs fourteen yards to hit the one-thousand yard mark for the season. Cook has scored eight touchdowns, Adaris Bellemy leads the team with nine. Illinois State is 3-4 in conference play, falling to Western Illinois 65-38 last week. Matt Brown threw three touchdown passes for the Redbirds, two going to Tyrone Walker.  

Lock Haven at IUP  1pm
Something has got to give on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium. Lock Haven has lost thirty consecutive games, IUP has lost four straight and head coach Lou Tepper is still looking for career win 100. The Bald Eagles have scored only 89 points all season, they have allowed 397, worst in the conference. Third-string QB Jarrett Kratzer hooked up with Jay Hartman for a pair of touchdowns last week in a 30-22 home loss to Edinboro. Kratzer and Hartman were high school teammates. The Bald Eagles are dead last in the conference in five of eight team catigories. For IUP, Harvie Tuck looks to go over the one-thousand yard mark this season against a Lock Haven defense that has struggled against the run. Tuck put up 112 yards last week in the 18-15 loss to Cal, giving him 812 for the season. Freshman quarterback Bo Napoleon has struggled since he took over for the injured Pat Smith. Napoleon has completed just 47 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and thirteen interceptions. IUP leads the series 53-15-3, with IUP winning the last 28 meetings between the two teams.

West Liberty(5-3) at Seton Hill(2-8)  3pm
West Liberty is 4-2 in the WVIAC. Zach Amedro threw for 419 yards and four touchdowns as the Hilltoppers defeated Charleston 37-23 last week. Ryan Travis caught thirteen passes for 143 yards and two scores. The Griffins wrap up the season at Offut Field, with a 1-6 record in conference play. Seton Hill fell behind 30-7 on the way to a 44-28 loss to Fairmont State.  Daniel Butler rushed 22 times for 106 yards to lead Seton Hill. D.J. Lenehan threw for 183 yards and two scores. Zach Delo recorded a touchdown reception and a team-high 71 yards on six receptions.

Saint Vincent(2-6) at Westminster(2-6)  1pm
The Bearcats are 2-3 in the Presidents Athletic Conference. Freshman wide receiver Chance Ginyard was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week. Ginyard caught four passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-28 loss to Waynesburg. His performance was the highest yardage total for a PAC receiver this season. Running back Mike Kale had a day as well, rushing for 133 yards last week. QB Aaron Smetanka threw for 303 yards, he also ran for a score.  The Titans are 1-5 in conference play. QB Shawn Lehocky threw for 189 yards and touchdown in the loss to Thomas More last week. Lehocky also ran for a touchdown. Sophomore Gino Pasquinelli has caught a touchdown pass in five consecutive games. Jake Brown led the Titan defense with thirteen tackles last week. Westminster leads the all-time series 8-1, with the only Saint Vincent win coming in 1949.

Bethany(4-4) at Grove City(3-5)  1:30pm
The Bison are 3-2 in the PAC and had the conference bye last week. If the Bison could pick up two wins in the final two games, it would give Bethany its best record since 2001 and its first five win conference slate since 1981. Eric Walker and Matt Grimard both have ten rushing touchdowns this season, one shy of Walkers eleven touchdown season from 2009. Grove City is 1-4 in the conference. Blaine Miller scored both touchdowns but is was not enough as Grove City fell 21-14 to W & J. The Wolverines held the ball for over 36 minutes in the loss. Anthony Reda had six catches and Luke OHara grabbed five passes for Grove City. Four Wolverine players have thrown touchdown passes this season. Grove City leads the series 40-22-2, including three straight overall and six straight at Thorn Field.

University of Chicago(6-2) at Carnegie Mellon(4-4) 1pm
UC is 1-0 in the UAA. The Maroons upset number 23 Case Western Reserve last week 24-20. Dee Brizzolara caught two touchowns in the fourth quarter to end Case Westerns 38 game regular season winning streak. CMU is 0-1. The Tartans lost 20-13 in overtime to Washington University in Saint Louis. Justin Pratt gave CMU a 6-0 lead on a yard run, set up by a Brandon Van Tassel fumble recovery. Nick Karabin gave the Tartans a 13-6 lead on a fumble recovery in the end zone midway thru the second quarter. .Rob Kalkstein was intercepted on the second play in overtime for CMU, ending the game.

Allegheny (5-3) at Hiram(1-7)  1pm
The Gators are 3-2 in the NCAC. The Gators saw their three game winning streak come to an end in Indiana in a defensive battle. Both teams were held to under 100 yards rushing each with the only Gator points coming on a Ryan Zipf 27 yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half. The Terriers are 1-4 in conference play. Hiram fell 62-0 to Wooster. The only highlight for the Terriers was linebacker Oliver Dickerhoofs seventeen tackles.