District College Football Preview for Saturday, October 27th

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, October 25, 2012 | 12:44 AM

The season begins to wind down as teams start trying to stay alive in the race for the NEC, PSAC and PAC titles as the Stretch Run moves to the college ranks. California and Waynesburg try and hold on to the top spot, while Duquesne looks to stay in the race.

And the big question is, can Lock Haven end a 50 game losing streak. Here are previews of All the games, including two that can be heard right here on the Network.

Slippery Rock(4-4) at California(7-1)  3:30pm on  WLER 97.7 FM and the MSA Sports Network
SRU is 3-2 in the PSAC West, 2 games behind Cal. The Rock defeated Edinboro 38-31 in overtime last week

Running back Akeen Satterfield leads the team with 587 rushing yards, he is 8th in school history. Satterfield has fallen out of the top 10 in rushing in the PSAC, averaging just 73 yards per game.
 

Nigel Barksdale has put up good numbers since taking over at QB for the Rock. In 3 starts, Barksdale has thrown for 757 yards and 8 touchdowns, he has ran for 4 more scores.
 

LaQuinn Stephens-Howling is turning into a good receiver, leading the Rock with 28 catches and 5 td catches.
 

The SRU defense led the PSAC last season, this year the Rock ranks 10th in both scoring and total defense. However, the Rock got 9 sacks in last week's win. Jeff Thompson was named PSAC Defensive Player of the Week. Thompson made 11 tackles and had 3 sacks.
 

The Rock is the third worst team in the PSAC with the yellow flags, averaging over 80 penalty yards per game. Only LIU Post and IUP are worse.
 

An interesting stat, Cal is the second best team on 3rd down, converting 46 percent of the time, the Rock is the 2nd best defense on 3rd down, allowing just a 30 percent conversion rate.
 

Cal leads the PSAC West at 5-0, the Vulcans are ranked 13th this week in the AFCA Division II poll.
 

Cal blanked Gannon 41-0 last week for the second straight shutout. The Vulcan defense forced 4 turnovers in the win. 
 

The Vulcans ran for 4 touchdowns in last week's win, including Jeff Knox, who scored twice. Lamont Smith leads Cal with 638 yards rushing.
 

Peter Lalich is still 2nd in the conference passing stats, he has not played the last 2 games. Lalich has thrown for an average of 357 yards per game and 17 touchdowns. Cody Schroeder has started the last 2 games, going 35-63 for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns.
 

Watch out for Trey Johnson, he has 5 td catches on the season for Cal. Mike Williams is 3rd in the PSAC with 53 catches and 6 touchdowns.
 

Cal has the 2nd best scoring defense and 3rd rushing defense in the PSAC. The Cal special teams also blocked 2 kicks last week.
 

B.J. Stevens led the Vulcans with 9 tackles last week.

Geneva(2-5) at Grove City(3-4)  7 pm on WBVP 1230-AM and the MSA Sports Network.
Both teams are 2-3 in PAC play. Geneva leads the series 41-35-7.
 

Geneva fell to Waynesburg last week, a game in which the GT's saw leads of 13-7 at the half and 20-7 evaporate.
 

Rocco Colavecchia scored 2 more touchdowns last week, giving him 17 for the season. Colavechia is 3 shy of the Geneva single season record. The QB/RB/WR from Shenango is 3rd in the PAC in rushing at 84 yards per game.
 

QB Zack Hayward is 2nd in the PAC in passing at 1,601 yards and 12 touchdowns with just 4 interceptions.
 

Geneva has 3 of the top 10 receivers in the PAC. Corey O'Patchen is third with 37 catches, he leads with 598 yards. Jordan Curry has 36 catches and Colavecchia 31.
 

Dillon Goodell made 18 tackles and grabbed a pair of interceptions last week, he leads the conference with 80 tackles. Geneva is second in the PAC in both red zone offense and defense. 
 

Geneva will need to win all 3 remaining games to avoid back to back losing seasons for the first time in Coach Geno DeMarco's 20 year career.
 

Grove City fell last week to Thomas More. QB Mike McDonald made his first career start, throwing for just 98 yards on 12-23.
 

The Wolverines lead the PAC in time of possession and 4th down conversions.
 

RB Shane Kaclik leads the conference with 751 yards rushing. Kaclik is the first Wolverine to rush for more than 750 yards in a season since R.J. Bowers in 2000.
 

Anthony Ritchie has made 31 catches this season with 5 touchdowns.
 

Grove City is the least penalized team in the league. The Wolverines are third in the PAC in red zone offense, but last in red zone defense.

Saint Francis(3-5) at Central Connecticut State(1-6)  Noon
The Red Flash are 2-3 in the NEC and have dropped 2 straight. QB John Kelly ran for 109 yards and a td in last week's loss to Wagner. Kelly is 8th in the NEC in rushing at 70 yards per game, Keion Wade averages 93 yards per game and is 6th. Wade has scored 9 touchdowns this season.
 

The Blue Devils are 1-3 in NEC play, falling to Robert Morris last week. Rob Hollomon was named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, taking a kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Hollomon also added 208 yards rushing and 56 yards receiving for an all-purpose total of 377 yards on the day. He averages 97 yards rushing per game, good for 3rd in the NEC.

Monmouth(3-4) at Duquesne(5-2)  12:10pm
Monmouth is 2-2 in the NEC, dropping 3 straight games with a 27-24 loss to Bryant last week. QB Kyle Fraizer was held to under 200 yards passing and was picked off twice. K.B. Asante ran for 94 yards and a td for the Hawks.  Fraizer leads the NEC with 1,786 yards passing, he has 14 touchdowns but 8 interceptions. 
 

The Dukes are 3-1 in the conference, coming off a 35-3 win over Sacred Heart last week. QB Sean Patterson was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week. The senior threw for 156 yards and two scores and ran for 3 more in the win. Patterson has 11 touchdowns passes on the season, he is 4th in the conference with 1,443 yards.
 

Larry McCoy leads the NEC in rushing with an average of 118 yards per game, McCoy has 9 touchdowns this season. Duquesne boasts 3 of the top 10 receivers in the conference. Gianni Carter has 37 catches, Noel Oduho has 31 and Sean Brady 28.
 

LB Dorian Bell was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week. Bell made 14 tackles, including 4 sacks in last week's home win. He also picked off a pass and forced a fumble. 

Robert Morris(2-5) at Wagner(4-3)  1pm
The Colonials are 1-3 in the NEC. Marcelis Branch was named NEC Rookie of the Week. Branch made 6 tackles, broke up 3 passes and picked off another in the 37-31 win over CCSU. Robert Morris scored the final 14 points, Jeff Sinclair hit Donte Jeter for 37 yards and Deontae Howard ran in from 2 yards out with 1:50 to play. 
 

Evan Taylor is 7th in the conference rushing stats at 580 yards, but he does not have a rushing touchdown. Jeter has only 22 catches but leads the conference with an average of 20 yards per reception.
 

The Seahawks are 4-1 in conference play, trailing Albany by a half game. Wagner has won 4 straight games with the 31-24 victory at Saint Francis last week. QB Nick Doscher threw for 3 touchdowns and Dominique Williams scored twice. It's the first time since 2009 that Wagner has won 4 straight games.
 

Williams is 4th in the NEC at 96 yards rushing per game. Doscher is 6th in the conference in passing at 121 yards per game. David Crawford leads the team with 21 catches for 253 yards.

Mercyhurst(6-2) at Edinboro(3-4)  Noon
Mercyhurst is 4-1 in the PSAC West. Edinboro is 2-3 in divisional play. Both teams are coming off losses, Edinboro fell to SRU in overtime 38-31 and Mercyhurst may have seen it's title hopes go astray with a 31-13 loss to IUP, ending a 6 game winning streak.
 

Edinboro QB Cody Harris leads the team in both passing and rushing yards, Harris has thrown for 2,016 yards this season with 12 touchdowns, he has ran for 7 more. Marcus Johnson has 531 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns. Kenny Pettis is 2nd in the PSAC with 83 tackles, he has picked off a couple of passes. Braden Williams blocked a punt to set up a touchdown last week, it's the 10th blocked kick of his career.
 

Mercyhurst is led by RB Brandon Brown-Dukes, with over 1 thousand yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. QB Anthony Vendemia has thrown for 12 touchdowns this season.

Clarion(4-4) at IUP(7-1)  1pm
The Golden Eagles are 2-3 in the PSAC West. Clarion got a touchdown pass from Ben Fiscus on the final play of the game to defeat Lock Haven 30-28 last week. For his efforts, Fiscus was named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. The QB from Indiana HS has thrown for 1,906 yards and ran for 570. Fiscus has figured in on 17 Golden Eagles TD's this campaign. His main target is Jon Reid, who has 669 yards receiving, good for 5th in the PSAC.
 

IUP is 4-1 in the West, one game back of Cal, but the Vulcans defeated IUP earlier this year. The Crimson Hawks are ranked 16th in the AFCA D-II poll this week after a 31-13 win over Mercyhurst that saw the Crimson Hawks score 24 points in the second half.
 

IUP has the best total and scoring defense in the conference and the second best rushing attack. Harvie Tuck leads the PSAC with 1,428 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, including 231 yards and a pair of scores last week.  Johnny Franco is tied for the PSAC lead with 4 interceptions.

Gannon(1-7) at Lock Haven(0-8)  7pm
Both teams are 0-5 in the PSAC West.
 

Gannon was blanked by Cal last week. Liam Nadler leads the Golden Knights with 2,224 yards and 13 touchdowns. Abraham Ocasio is the leading receiving with 738 yards, 4th in the conference. Will Giles leads Gannon with 77 tackles, he is tied for the PSAC lead with 4 interceptions.
 

Will this be the week for the Bald Eagles, who dropped their 50th straight game last week on the final play to Clarion. QB Jarrett Kratzer threw for 3 touchdowns last week, he has 5 for the season.
 

The 50 game streak is the longest in D-II history and is the longest current streak on any level of NCAA football.

Bethany(1-6) at Thiel(2-5)  1pm
The Bison are 1-4 in the PAC, falling 45-28 to Westminster last week. QB Matt Grimard needs just 2 completions and 118 passing yards to break the Bethany all time records. Ed Holmes moved into 4th place on the all-time list with 130 catches. Eric Blinn had 10 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown last week.
 

The Tomcats are 2-3 in PAC play. Thiel had the bye last week, they fell 28-16 two weeks ago at Thomas More.Thiel leads the series 37-31-1, but the Bison have won the last 3 meetings.

Westminster(3-3) at Waynesburg(8-0)  1:30pm
Westminster is 2-3 in the PAC coming off a 45-28 win over Bethan last week. QB Dak Britt ran for touchdowns of 73 and 52 yards and also threw for 150 yards and 2 scores, he was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week. Tyler Banks ran for 195 yards and 2 scores, he has 6 touchdowns on the season, he is 2nd in the PAC, averaging 94 yards per game.

Waynesburg is ranked 23rd this week in the AFCA D-III Top 25 poll, the Yellow Jackets defeated Geneva 21-20 last week. QB Carter Hill hit Mike Ferraro for a touchdown. Betrand Ngampa ran for 120 yards on 24 carries and a score.
 

The Yellow Jackets are off to their best start since winning the NAIA title in 1966. Waynesburg is first in the conference in scoring defense and second in total defense.

Saint Vincent(0-7) at Thomas More(4-3)  1:30pm
The Bearcats are 0-5 in the PAC, falling to W & J last week. Dan Wirkowski made his 6th career interception last week. Dwayne Brown returned his first career interception 97 yards for a touchdown. Freshman Renny LaRue-Holloman recorded 15 tackles.
 

The Saints are 4-2 in the conference, Thomas More stands two games back of Waynesburg in the PAC standings.
 

Thomas More defeated Grove City 27-0 last week, DB Zach Autenrieb picked off a pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown in the win. Autenrieb now has 31 interceptions for his career, the highest total ever in Division III. The senior was named PAC Defensive Player of the Week. QB Jensen Gebhardt was 20-28 for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Saints are plus 16 in turnover ratio. Thomas More has won all 5 meetings between the 2 teams.

West Liberty(4-4) at Seton Hill(0-8)  3pm
The Hilltoppers are 3-3 in the WVIAC, falling to Charleston last week. Isiah Moody scored on a 16 yard run and a 50 yard fumble return. Moody is 6th in the conference in rushing. Dylan Lagarde has thrown for 1,049 yards and 5 touchdowns this season, he has been picked 10 times. 

The Griffins are 0-6 in conference and have lost 10 straight games. The last win for Seton Hill, last season 26-22 at West Liberty. Seton Hill fell 54-47 to Fairmont State last week. Andrew Jackson threw for 432 yards and 3 touchdowns, D.J. Carter had 13 catches for 138 yards and a score.
 

Jackson has thrown for 961 yards since taking over for Ryan Morris. He has 8 touchdowns and 9 picks. Carter leads the WVIAC with 56 catches and 618 yards. Niko Hall-Brown has 45 catches for 613 yards.

Allegheny(4-3) at Kenyon(4-3)  1pm
The Gators and the Lords are both 3-1 in the NCAC and tied for 2nd place with Wittenberg and Wabash, all 4 trail Ohio Wesleyan.
 

With a win, it would be the 500th in school history. Allegheny would become the 35th school in D-III to reach such an honor. The Gators fell 35-6 to Wittenberg last week, the Tigers racked up 542 yards of offense and scored on a blocked punt in the win. Junion Joel DeFelice, who became the 6th player to start at tailback this season, carried 8 times for 87 yards.
 

Kenyon defeated DePauw 21-19 last week. Carlo Gagliardo returned a kickoff 90 yards for a score and caught a td pass. Brett Williams ran 29 times for 129 yards.
 

The Lords have gone winless the last two seasons, the 4 wins this year equal the win total of the last 4 seasons combined. Kenyon last won 4 games in 2006, they have had only 2 winning seasons since 1990.
Allegheny leads the series 23-6 and has won the last 6 meetings.

Carnegie Mellon(5-2) at Washington University(2-5)  1pm
The Tartans dropped a 34-26 decision to Ohio Wesleyan last week. Tim Kitka needs 119 receiving yards to become the school's single season leader, he has 650 yards on the season. Liam McGrath picked off 2 passes last week, giving him 6 for the season, the record is 7. Big plays have helped the Tartans this season, QB Rob Kalkstein has thrown 5 touchdown passes for 50 yards or more.
 

Washington defeated Denison 18-13 last week