District College Football Preview for Saturday, October 25th

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2014 | 5:12 PM

Week eight of the district college football slate sees another Thursday night game and some tough battles in the PSAC West and PAC. Here are previews of ALL the games including two that can be heard on the Network.

Edinboro (1-6) vs. Mercyhurst (3-4)   Thursday 7pm at Veterans Memorial Stadium
The Fighting Scots are 1-5 in the PSAC West. Darren Massey made 10 catches last week against Gannon. It’s the second time this year that Massey had double digit catches. He has 57 catches, seven shy of the school single season record. Cody Harris will make his 41st start at quarterback for the Fighting Scots, he leads the NCAA in completion percentage. The defense allowed 601 yards against the Golden Knights.

The Lakers are 3-3 in the West, coming off a huge comeback win over Slippery Rock in the Big House Battle on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Brandon Boylan threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns in the win, he was named PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Week, he is second in the PSAC in passing efficiency.  RB Brandon Brown-Dukes ran for 100 yards, his 14th career 100 yard game.

The series is tied at five apiece.

Case Western Reserve (3-3) at W & J (6-0)   2pm on WJPA 1450-AM and the MSA Sports Network
The Spartans are 3-3 in the PAC.

Case Western handed Geneva their fourth straight loss 33-19 last week.

Freshman RB Anthony Canganelli ran for 90 yards, including a 41 yard fourth quarter score.

LB Gavin Sandidge made 12 tackles and forced a fumble in the win.

The Spartans are second in the PAC in rush defense.

The Presidents sit at 4-0 alone on top of the PAC after a convincing win over Bethany last week.

W & J continues to move up in the D-III rankings, now at #16 in the AFCA poll.

The Presidents are fourth in the country in scoring offense at 49 points per game.

Ryan Ruffing is fourth in D-III in rushing at 934 yards, including 157 yards on 37 carries last week.

CB Alec Schram of Canon Mac was named PAC Defensive Player of the Week, he made eight tackles and had his first Pick 6 in the 34-3 win over Bethany. Schram also held the leading receiver in the PAC in Eric Blinn to just seven catches and 37 yards.

Kittanning’s Blake Davis was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week, he drilled four extra points and two field goals in the win. Davis is the third leading scorer in the PAC.

It was the least amount of points allowed by the Presidents defense since shutting out Thiel in 2012.

W & J leads the series 9-7, but the teams haven’t played since 1985.

Bethany (5-2) at Geneva (1-5)   7pm on WBVP 1230-AM/WMBA 1460-AM and the MSA Sports Network
The Bison are 4-1 in the PAC.

WR Eric Blinn comes home to Beaver County, the former Western Beaver star leads the PAC in both receptions and receiving yards.
New Castle’s Jalen Holmes is the team leader with 398 yards rushing, he is eighth in the PAC.

QB Brian Vales is seventh in the PAC at 188 yards per game. Vales has 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Bethany is fourth in the PAC in total offense.

The Golden Tornadoes are 0-4 in the PAC and have dropped four straight games.

Geneva jumped out to an early lead but then allowed 26 unanswered points.

QB Aaron Channing threw for 273 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss. Channing has thrown for 1,332 yards and 11 touchdowns. The freshman is third in the PAC in passing at 222 yards per game.

WR Josh Guiser had six catches for 112 yards, he is second in receptions per game with 41 catches. Guiser has scored five touchdowns.

Lemuel Fuller has 34 catches, seventh in the PAC.

RB Dylan Jones has 299 yards rushing and 27 catches this season, he has 5 touchdowns, tied for the team lead.

Geneva leads the series 29-11-1.

Alderson Broadus (5-2) at Duquesne (4-3)   Noon
The Dukes welcome their second D-II team to Rooney Field this season. The Battlers defeated Warner 45-21 last week, running back Brandon Jones ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore has 1,067 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year. 

QB Dillon Buechel left the game in the first quarter in the loss to Sacred Heart, the Montour grad still leads the NEC in passing at 274 yards per game, with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. Ryan Egolf filled in and threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Egolf is listed as the starter on the depth chart for this week.

WR Chris King still leads the FCS with 915 receiving yards on 50 catches. King has 11 touchdowns. Devin Rahming has 46 catches, Dave Thomas has 20. King is tied for the conference lead in scoring.

Robert Morris (1-6) at Bryant (5-1)   1pm
The Colonials are 1-1 in the NEC after a 27-24 victory over Central Connecticut State. Lineman Forrest Mason was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week in the win. Mason made eight tackles and had a strip sack in the victory. K Hunter Khaleghi was named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, becoming the first NEC kicker to boot four field goals in a game since 2002. WR Nick Lamica has made the transition from defense to offense look easy, the redshirt freshman was named NEC Rookie of the Week. Lamica had eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown last week.

The Bulldogs are 1-0 in the conference, knocking off Saint Francis 42-27 last week. QB Dalton Easton was named NEC co-Offensive Player of the Week. Easton threw for 283 yards and a school record five touchdowns in the win, he connected with seven different receivers for his 16 receptions.

Saint Francis (2-5) at Sacred Heart (6-1)  1pm
The Red Flash are 0-2 in the NEC.Saint Francis leads the NEC in scoring offense at 34 points per game, the Red Flash are next to last in scoring defense, also at 34 per game. Junior RB Khairi Dickson still leads the FCS and the NEC at 1,228 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns. 

The Pioneers are 2-0 in the conference and have won three straight games after a 23-20 victory at Duquesne. QB RJ Noel was named NEC co-Offensive Player of the Week with 305 yards of total offense, throwing for two scores and ran for 101 yards and another. Noel threw the game winning score with 23 seconds left.

Seton Hill (2-5) at Gannon (5-2) Noon
The Griffins are 2-4 in the PSAC West, having defeated Clarion 30-16. QB Dan Pietrangelo threw three touchdown passes to FJ Williams. Williams has 48 catches and six touchdowns.

The Golden Knights are 4-2 in the West, tied with SRU and IUP for second, after beating Edinboro 52-7 last Thursday night. Justin Caliste picked up his 9th 100 yard receiving game in the win, he also became the Gannon all time leader in catches. Junior RB Brock Jones ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns, he has taken over at the leading rusher in the PSAC and is fourth in D-II at 152 yards per game. Jones has scored 11 touchdowns.

Slippery Rock (5-2) at IUP (5-2)   1pm
The loser is likely out of the running for the West Division title, both teams are 4-2 and have both lost to Cal.

The Rock fell against Mercyhurst 45-23 at Michigan Stadium, after leading 23-17 at the half. RB Shamar Greene has fallen out of the top spot in the PSAC at 134 yards rushing per game, Greene has 9 touchdowns. SRU has all but abandoned the running game over the last two weeks. Jared Buck took over at QB last week for Zack Newsock. WR Melvin German has 5 touchdown catches.

IUP leads the series 45-35-2. RB Luigi Lista-Brinza is fifth in the PSAC in rushing at 97 yards per game. The Crimson Hawks lead the PSAC in total defense. IUP has committed 16 turnovers.

California (6-1) at Clarion (2-5)   1pm
The Vulcans are 5-1 and alone atop the PSAC West. Cal won the Coal Bowl last week 21-13 over IUP. Sophomore defensive lineman Jawan Turner of Woodland Hills was named PSAC West Division co-Defensive Athlete of the Week. Turner had seven tackles, including three sacks and forced a fumble in the win. Sophomore DB Jordan Bowman was named Coal Bowl MVP with two takeaways and six tackles. WR Gary Brown posed his second straight 100 yard game, he is second in the PSAC in receiving yards per game.

Cal has moved into the D2football.com rankings at #23. The Vulcans have won five straight games.

The Golden Eagles are 2-4 in the West, falling to Seton Hill 30-16 last week. Junior Brandon Short of New Brighton was named PSAC West Division co-Defensive Athlete of the Week with 11 tackles. S Cory McNamara had two interceptions last week. QB Connor Simmons has thrown for seven touchdowns but has been picked off five times.

Cal leads the series 43-38-3 and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings.

Carnegie Mellon (3-3) at Saint Vincent (2-4)   1pm
The Tartans are 3-3 in PAC play, CMU is 3-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. DB Ryan Aitkin sealed last week’s 21-10 win over Grove City with a fourth quarter interception. Sam Benger ran for a career high 131 yards in the win.

The Bearcats are 2-2 in the conference, they have lost two straight games. Last week’s only highlight was Darius Brown’s 82 yard punt return for a score. Saint Vincent had only 165 yards offense in the loss.

The series is tied at 4-4-1.

Grove City (0-6) at Thomas More (5-2)   1:30pm
The Wolverines are 0-4 in the PAC. Freshman QB Gabe Greco of New Brighton made his first career start and had 182 yards of total offense. David Folkmire comes off a seven catch performance and a touchdown. Folkmire has 35 catches, good for sixth in the PAC.

The Saints are 4-1 in PAC play, in a three way tie with Waynesburg and Bethany. Thomas More defeated Saint Vincent last week 49-7 and racked up 566 yards of offense. The PAC’s leading rusher Domonique Hayden did not play last week, he has 935 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Freshman RB CT Tarrent carried 25 times for 153 yards and two scores. 

Thomas More leads the series 8-1, including six straight wins.

Waynesburg (6-1) at Thiel (2-4)   7pm
The Yellow Jackets are 4-1 in the PAC and have won 3 straight games. RB Jake Forsythe was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week with a career high 222 yards on 33 carries in a 26-21 win over Westminster. The 222 yards were the most by a Yellow Jacket running back since 2007. QB Carter Hill threw for three scores and ran for another in the victory. Hill has 21 touchdown passes, he has now done that in back to back seasons.

The Tomcats are 1-3 in the PAC and come off the bye week. QB Ryan Radke averages 261 yards per game in total offense, second in the PAC. Thiel’s last win against Waynesburg was in 2005.

Waynesburg leads the series 27-8-1, the Yellow Jackets have won eight straight.