District College Football Preview for Saturday, October 16th

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 14, 2010 | 12:00 AM

Seperation Week comes to the area college football teams this weekend as battles form for the conference titles and contenders are separated from pretenders. Two good matchups highlight the PSAC slate as Slippery Rock tries to state it's case for a West Division crown, but they will have to beat number four California, and Edinboro hosts Mercyhurst in another all Erie County matchup.

In Division I, Robert Morris looks to stay unbeaten in the Northeast and Youngstown State faces their second straight nationally ranked foe. In the PAC, several old foes square off, including the Bethany Bisons, who look to win three straight.

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

Slippery Rock(5-1) at California(6-0) 3:30pm on WISR 680-AM and the MSA Sports Network

The Rock is one of three teams tied at 2-1 for second place in the PSAC-West with a 28-14 come from behind win over then 24th ranked Edinboro last week to go to 5-1 for the second straight season.

Sophomore running back Akeem Satterfield ran for four more touchdowns last week, he leads the PSAC in rushing touchdowns with eleven. Satterfield has ran for 737 yards this season.

Freshman quarterback Ryan Sabo went 17 of 23 for 192 yards. Sabo has thrown for 862 yards and four touchdowns on the season, he is completing 54 percent of his passes.

Wide receiver Devin Goda had eight catches for 75 yards, Goda leads the PSAC in catches with forty, he has three touchdowns.

The Rock is first in the conference in pass defense. Cal is first in the conference in rush defense and total offense and defense. Cal also leads the conference at a plus twelve turnover ratio.

The Vulcans maintained their number four ranking in the AFCA Division II poll with a 34-7 win over Gannon last week. Cal is one of three PSAC teams and the only Western Division team to be ranked. Bloomsburg is ranked 20th, Kutztown 23rd.

Cal leads the PSAC in scoring offense and scoring defense. The Vulcans have won 23 consecutive division games.

Quarterback Josh Portis posted another 300 yard passing game, the fourth of his career. Portis is in third place in Cal history with fifty touchdown passes. Portis has thrown for 1,330 yards and fourteen touchdowns.

Running back Lamont Smith has rushed for 100 yards or more in five consecutive weeks. Smith has 771 yards and twelve touchdowns.

It's Homecoming at Adamson Stadium, the Vulcans have won five straight Homecoming games. Slippery Rock leads the series 42-30-3, but Cal has won the last four and six of the last seven.

Frostburg State(1-4) at W& J(3-1) 2pm on WJPA 1450-AM and the MSA Sports Network

Frostburg State is struggling in the win column this season, but three of their four losses have come to nationally ranked teams(Wesley, Randolph-Macon and Alfred).

The Bobcats come off the bye week, they allowed 464 yards of offense to Alfred in a 49-24 loss. Anthony King leads Frostburg State with 359 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Junior Josh Volpe has taken over at quarterback, he threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns two weeks ago. Sophomore Anthony Young has 19 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bobcats are allowing 440 yards per game, only ten teams in Division III are worse defensively.

Running back Tim McNerney ran for 131 yards and a touchdown in last week's 31-20 victory over Saint Vincent. McNerney has moved up to sixth in the PAC in rushing.

The Presidents have won two straight after the loss to nationally ranked and two-time conference champion Thomas More.

Senior quarterback Gino Rometo threw for 211 yards and three scores in the win. Rometo leads the conference at 66.7 percent, he ranks 12th nationally. Wide receiver Jordan Roycroft leads the PAC in receptions per game

Junior safety Matthew Gal made a career high fourteen tackles. The Presidents have won all five meetings with Frostburg State.

Geneva(3-3) at Grove City(2-3) 7pm on WBVP 1230-AM and the MSA Sports Network

Geneva gave up 55 points in a loss to Waynesburg last week. Senior running back Gerald Muschette tied a school record with five touchdowns last week. Muschette ran for 226 yards in the loss.

Muschette becomes the third GT running back to go over the three thousand yard rushing mark for his career.

Corey O'Patchen leads the PAC with 572 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, he did not play last week.

Grove City was led by Blaine Miller with 91 yards rushing in last week's loss to Thomas More 31-9, a game in which the Wolverines led the then number 9 Saints 9-7.

The Wolverines committed four turnovers and eleven penalties for just shy of 100 yards in the loss.

Grove City is eighth in the conference in scoring at 18.8 ppg. The Wolverines have had success on third down, converting at 42 percent to lead the PAC.

Both teams are minus when it comes to turnovers, Grove City minus three, Geneva minus four.

Geneva leads the all-time series 41-36-7. Grove City is 1-2 in the annual night game at Thorn Field, the only win came at the expense of Geneva.

Albany(3-2) at Robert Morris(5-1) Noon
The Great Danes are 1-1 in NEC play. Freshman Dillion Romain was named NEC Rookie of the Week. Romain ran for two touchdowns in Albany's rout of Saint Francis 48-0. The Colonials sit atop the NEC at 4-0 thanks to sophomore Cory Nolton blocking a 28 yard field goal attempt to give RMU a 17-16 win over Monmouth last week. The win was the 100th for head coach Joe Walton. Robert Morris has now won five straight. Myles Russ was held under 100 yards, but just barely, he gained 95 on 17 carries. Russ needs 272 yards to become RMU's all-time leading rusher.

Sacred Heart(1-5) at Duquesne(3-3) Noon
Sacred Heart is 0-3 in the NEC. Sacred Heart allowed 17 points in the fourth quarter in a 25-24 loss to Wagner last week. Marcel Archer scored two touchdowns for Sacred Heart. Duquesne is 1-2 in conference play coming off a heartbreaking loss to Central Connecticut State 31-29, in which the Dukes scored on the final play of regulation, but could not get a two-pointer to force overtime. Sophomore running back Larry McCoy ran for 246 yards, the highest total in the NEC since 2008. For his efforts, McCoy was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week. Wide receiver Dave Williams made two touchdown catches in the final three minutes for Duquesne.

Wagner(3-2) at Saint Francis(1-4) 2pm
Wagner is 0-1 in the NEC. Senior safety Stefen Gage was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week. Gage made eleven tackles, forced two fumbles and picked off a pass in a 22-16 overtime win at Georgetown. Sophomore kicker David Lopez was NEC Special Teams Player of the Week. Lopez kicked a 54 yard field goal with six seconds remaining to force overtime. Saint Francis is 1-2 in conference play. The Red Flash gained only 87 yards against the Albany defense last week.

Youngstown State(3-3) at Western Illinois(4-2) 7pm
The Penguins are 1-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference. YSU fell 34-29 to number 18 North Dakota State at the Ice Castle last Saturday. Quarterback Kurt Hess ran for a touchdown and threw for another. Hess has thrown for 982 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions this season. The Penguins lost three fumbles in the game. Jamaine Cook leads YSU with 620 yards and six touchdowns. Dominique Barnes has 28 catches and two touchdowns to lead the Penguins. The Leathernecks are ranked 23rd in this week's TSN/FCS coaches poll. Western Illinois is 2-1 in MVC play, falling 33-29 to South Dakota State last week. Matt Barr threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns for the Leathernecks.

Gannon(3-3) at Lock Haven(0-6) Noon
The Golden Knights are 1-2 in West Division play. Senior quarterback Zach Boedicker has moved into third place at Gannon with 3,112 passing yards. Boedicker has thrown for 877 yards and ran for 254 more this season. Lock Haven has dropped 27 consecutive games, the Bald Eagles have not had a winning season since 1981.

Clarion(1-5) at IUP(4-2) 1pm
The Golden Eagles are 1-2 in divisional play. Quarterback Ben Fiscus, who played his high school ball at Indiana, was named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. Fiscus, making his first career start, was 16 of 16 for 187 yards and four touchdowns, he also ran for 87 yards and a score in a 49-6 win over Lock Haven. Wide receiver Jacques Robinson with his seven catches last week, took over all the all-time leader in catches with 196. IUP is another of the three teams chasing Cal in the West, at 2-1 in divisional play. Head coach Lou Tepper will try again to pick up his 100th career win. Kicker Craig Burgess leads the nation with thirteen field goals. Running back Harvie Tuck ran for 160 yards in the loss to Mercyhurst, Tuck has put up 328 yards on the ground in the last two weeks. Freshman quarterback Bo Napoleon continues to struggle, completing only 45 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and seven interceptions. IUP has the worst passing offense in the PSAC. IUP leads the series 54-23-3, the Golden Eagles ended a seven game losing streak against IUP with a 30-28 win last season.

Mercyhurst(4-2) at Edinboro(4-2) 1pm
The Lakers are the third team tied at 2-1 in the PSAC West, one game back of Cal. Strong safety Ryan Taylor made seven tackles and the game-ending interception to preserve a 28-27 win over IUP. He was named PSAC Defensive Player of the Week. The Lakers also lead the nation with fifteen interceptions. Trevor Kennedy continues to lead the nation in punt returns, averaging 22.7 yards per return. Quarterback Travis Rearick made his first career start and was 32 of 53 for 344 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Both Kennedy and Terrance Coon had over 100 yards receiving in the win. The Fighting Scots are 1-2 in divisional play. Edinboro has not scored a point in the last three games in the second half. Edinboro is 14th or lower in every team offensive category in the PSAC, averaging only fifteen points per game. It won't be easy for the Fighting Scots against their Erie County rival, Mercyhurst is third in the conference in total defense. Edinboro leads the all-time series four to two.

Seton Hill(2-5) at Charleston(3-3) 2pm
Seton Hill is 1-3 in the WVIAC. Quarterback D. J. Lenehan was named WVIAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Lenehan was 18 of 22 for 241 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-20 win over West Virginia State. R. J. Butler ran twenty times for 142 yards and scored three touchdowns. David Miller ran for 123 yards. Seton Hill ended a twelve game conference losing streak. Charleston is 2-2 in conference play. The Golden Eagles racked up 319 rushing yards and held the football for over 37 minutes in a 35-27 win over Fairmont State. Jordan Roberts rushed for 75 yards and scored three touchdowns. Charleston jumped out to a 21-0 lead.

Bethany(3-3) at Thiel(0-5) 1:30pm
The Bison is 2-1 in the Presidents Athletic Conference, Bethany has won two straight games. Freshman defensive back Jordan Joyce made nine tackles and grabbed his first interception as the Bison held on to defeat Westminster 47-39. Quarterback Matt Grimard was 10 for 12 and 204 yards, he threw for two scores and ran for three more. Eric Walker rushed for a career high 33 times, picking up 174 yards. Walker leads the Bison with nine touchdowns. The Tomcats are winless in three PAC games. Thiel comes off the bye last week, the Tomcats lead the all-time series 37-29-1.

Saint Vincent(1-4) at Thomas More(5-0) 1:30pm
The Bearcats are 1-1 in PAC play. Junior linebacker Anthony Johnson set a Saint Vincent record for tackles in a game with 17 in the 31-20 loss to W & J. Quarterback Aaron Smetanka threw for 283 yards on 28 of 39 with no interceptions and three touchdown passes. The Saints are 3-0 in the conference and continue to be nationally ranked, coming in at number nine in the AFCA Division III poll this week. Thomas More leads the PAC in points scored and the least points given up. The Saints come off a 31-9 victory over Grove City, a game in which they trailed 9-7. Sophomore corner Zach Autenrieb was named PAC Defensive Player of the Week, he picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown. Quarterback Robert Kues was 13 of 21 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas More has outscored Saint Vincent 118 to 37 in three previous meetings. The Saints are 12-1 overall and 11-0 in the regular season at Bank of Kentucky Field.

Westminster(1-4) at Waynesburg(3-2) 1:30pm
The Titans are 0-3 in PAC play. Gino Pasquinelli caught six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in last week's loss to Bethany. Westminster has lost four straight, it's the Titans longest losing streak since they dropped seven in a row during the 1999 season. Junior quarterback Shawn Lehocky threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns, but was picked twice. Westminster head coach Jeff Hand was the head coach at Waynesburg from 2001-04. Hand led Waynesburg to the PAC championship and a playoff berth in 2003. Westminster leads the all-time series 36-29-3. Waynesburg is 2-1 in the conference. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 55-42 win at Geneva. Quarterback Brad Dawson was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week. Dawson threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, ran for fifty yards and caught his first touchdown pass on a trick play. Kicker John Storck was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week, going 7 of 7 on point after attempts and 2-2 on field goals in the win. Storck has not missed a extra point or field goal attempt this season. Junior wideout Jeff Young caught five passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Junior corner Sean Hunt leads the PAC with five interceptions.

Allegheny(3-2) at Dennison(3-3) 7pm
Both teams are 1-1 in North Coast Athletic Conference play.
Allegheny is second in the NCAC, allowing just fifteen points per game. Junior running back Bryan Tamburlin is fifth in the conference in rushing at 57 yards per game. T. J. Salopek has thrown for 1,169 yards, he has ten touchdowns and four interceptions. David Strawser has thirty catches for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Dennison has allowed 24 sacks this season, last in the conference. Sam Fioroni is third in the conference, averaging 59.7 yards per game rushing, he has six touchdowns. Quarterback Max Palus has thrown 206 passes this season for 1,190 yards. Palus has nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. Allegheny is plus five in the turnover department, Dennison is minus three.