District College Football Preview for Saturday, October 31st

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, October 28, 2015 | 10:51 PM

Conference races head up as Week 9 of the district college football season kicks off. The focus will be along Interstate 80 as IUP travels to Clarion to see who stays alive in the PSAC West race. Duquesne is in a three way tie for the NEC lead, while W & J fell out of the top 25 after last week’s loss in Cleveland.

Here are previews of ALL THE GAMES, with recaps on Sunday morning:

Robert Morris(2-5) at Central Connecticut(3-5)   Noon
The Colonials are 1-2 in the NEC and have dropped 2 straight.

Sophomore Cole Blake leads the offense with 413 rushing yards but has not scored a rushing touchdown. Rameses Owens added 304 rushing yards and 3 scores. QB Matthew Barr is completing 40 percent of his passes, he has 6 interceptions.  Kyle Buss leads with 26 catches.

JR Richards has 3 interceptions to lead the RMU defense.

The Blue Devils are 2-1 in the conference, coming off a 26-10 win over Sacred Heart. CB Jevon Elmore was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week with 10 tackles and a blocked field goal during the win. 

Tavion Pauldo is likely to get the nod at QB this week. He has thrown for 5 touchdowns.

Sacred Heart(4-3) at Saint Francis(3-3)   Noon
Both teams are 1-1 in the NEC.

RJ Noel has thrown for 1,613 yards and 11 td’s to lead Sacred Heart. Tyler Dube has 49 catches.

The Red Flash lead the NEC in scoring offense at 32 points per game and remain a perfect 26-26 in red zone offense with 18 touchdowns. Junior Zach Drayer has thrown for 1,143 yards and 9 scores this year. Marcus Bagley has ran for 390 yards. Terell Smith leads the Red Flash with 37 catches.

Delondo Boyd is tied for the NEC lead in interception with 3.

Wagner(0-7) at Duquesne(5-3)   Noon
The Seahawks are 0-2 in the conference after going 7-4 last year. Wagner is minus 9 in the turnover battle this year, last in the NEC. The Seahawks are the least penalized team in the conference at 57 yards per game.

Wagner has been outscored 157-43 in the first half. 

The Dukes are 2-1 in NEC play after a 16-7 win at Robert Morris in the Steel City showdown. RB Rafiq Douglas was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. The sophomore ran 32 times for 172 yards in the win, he is 2nd in the conference at 539 rushing yards on the year. 

QB Dillon Buechel(Montour) has thrown for 1,726 yards this season with 13 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. Chris King has 50 catches while Wayne Capers(Char Valley) has 32.

K Austin Crimmins was named NEC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 3 field goals and 4 touchbacks in the win. 

Duquesne leads the NEC in scoring defense at 16 points allowed per game. The Dukes are plus 7 in turnover margin this year and are 24-28 in the red zone with 16 td;s scored.

IUP(5-2) at Clarion(7-1)   Noon
Both teams are 4-1 in the West, one will likely see their title hopes end after today.

Despite IUP’s loss to SRU last week, QB Lenny Williams(Sto-Rox) posted a career game. The senior racked up 504 total yards of offense and was named PSC West Division Offensive Athlete of the Week. Williams ran for over 100 yards for the third straight week, he is sixth in the conference in rushing at 101 yards per game. RB Chris Temple leads the PSAC with 15 rushing touchdowns and rushing at 137 yards per game. WR Walt Pegues set career highs with 14 catches and 233 yards in last week’s loss.

Clarion moved into the top 25 last week at #25, the Golden Eagles fell out after the 42-28 loss to Cal last week. QB Connor Simmons needs 80 passing yards to break the Clarion single season mark of 2,880 yards. Simmons has 28 td passes on the season, 4 shy of tying the school record. RB Delrece Williams(Steel Valley) is fifth in the PSAC in rushing at 107 yards per game, he has scored 6 touchdowns. WR Matt Lehman(Burrell) is second in the conference at 55 catches and 835 receiving yards. He has 13 touchdowns.

Gannon(6-2) at California(5-3)    Noon
Both teams are 3-2 in the West, the winner keeps their faint division title hopes alive.

Gannon defeated Seton Hill 43-28 last week. DB Mike Zanders was named PSAC West Division Defensive Athlete of the Week with 8 tackles and 2 interceptions. The senior’s second interception was a Pick 6 that sealed the victory.

RB Brock Jones is third in the conference at 120 rushing yards per game, he has scored 13 touchdowns. QB Liam Nadler is fifth in the conference at 273 passing yards per game, with 20 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

RB John Franklin ran his streak of 100 yard rushing games to 8 in last week’s win over Clarion. The sophomore has scored 12 touchdowns. QB James Harris is averaging 265 yards passing per game, sixth in the PSAC. Harris has 14 td passes but 11 interceptions. WR Garry Brown has 6 touchdown catches and averages 99 yards receiving per game. Kowan Scott has 3 td catches.

California is the second most penalized team in the conference at 94 yards per game.

Seton Hill(2-6) at Mercyhurst(4-4)   Noon
Both teams are 1-4 in the PSAC West.

QB Christian Strong was held to just 198 yards and 2 td’s in last week’s loss to Gannon. Strong is third in the conference at 302 passing yards per game. Strong has 14 touchdown tosses but also 14 interceptions. 

The Lakers lead the PSAC as the least penalized team at just 55 yards per game. WR FJ Williams is fifth in the PSAC at 90 receiving yards per game, he has caught 7 touchdowns. Tarique Ellis averages over 9 tackles per game. Tevin Stewart is the PSAC leader with 5 interceptions. Dorian Stevens has added 4 picks.

Slippery Rock(7-1) at Edinboro(0-8)   Noon
The Rock is 4-1 and tied with Clarion and IUP for first place after defeating IUP 40-39 at home on Saturday. Slippery Rock moves up 2 spots to #13 in this week’s AFCA D-II coaches poll.

SRU has gotten key contributions from a number of former WPIAL players this year, most notably West Mifflin. RB Shamar Greene is second in the PSAC in rushing at 132 yards per game, the senior has 7 touchdowns. Marcus Martin leads the defense with 6 sacks while Derrick Fulmore has 4 interceptions.

Continuing the WPIAL theme, RB Julian Durden(Montour) is third in the conference with 14 touchdowns. QB Dante Nania(Hempfield) has 13 td passes. WR Marcus Carter(New Castle) has 25 catches, 2 for touchdowns and RB Isiah Neely(OLSH) has ran for 5 scores. On defense Cody Conway(Gateway) has 5 sacks and Titus Howard(Clairton) with 2 interceptions.

SRU leads the PSAC in scoring offense at 44 points per game. The Rock is second in scoring defense at 20 points per contest. 

The Fighting Scots are 0-5 in the West. Edinboro fell to Erie County rival Mercyhurst last Thursday night. Freshman CB Mitch Thomas made 8 tackles in the loss but it was his 47 yard punt return for a touchdown that earned him PSAC West Division Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors. It was the first punt return for a touchdown by a Fighting Scot in almost 3 vears.

WR Darren Massey is the Edinboro all time receptions leader with 164 and counting. The junior broke the mark last week. Massey has caught at least on pass in all 26 games of his NCAA career.

Edinboro has not committed a lot of penalties this year at 54 flags for 56 yards per game, that is second best in the PSAC.

Saint Vincent(3-4) at Westminster(5-2)   1pm
The Bearcats have dropped back to back games. Saint Vincent is 2-3 in the PAC.

QB Tyler Donahue has thrown for 556 yards and 7 td’s, he has ran for 579 yards and 3 scores. RB Shavonta Craft(Jeannette) leads the Bearcats with 5 rushing touchdowns. Damon Black has 30- catches, 6 for scores. Devin Anderson leads the defense with 3 interceptions.

The Titans are 4-1 in the PAC. Westminster fell to Thomas More in PAC play, the Titans do not play Case Western this year. Should the Titans win out and Case Western beats Thomas More next week, then falls to CMU in 2 weeks, the Titans could claim a share of the PAC crown.

The Titans are riding a 3 game winning streak. RB Dominique McKinley(Greensburg Salem) is 2nd in the PAC, averaging 118 rushing yards per game, but has scored only 3 touchdowns.

LB Mac Quinn is 2nd in the Pac with 80 tackles. DB Todd Jeter(Gateway) leads the Tians with 4 interceptions.

Westminster is the most penalized team in the PAC, averaging almost 95 yards per game. 

Westminster leads the series 11-3 and has won the last 3 meetings.

Waynesburg(3-5) at Thomas More(8-0)   1pm
QB Jake Dougherty threw for a career high 296 yards in a 28-15 win over Thiel to go to 2-4 in the PAC. Dougherty has thrown for 1,524 and 15 touchdowns this year.  WR Kevin Barnes has 41 catches and 6 td’s for the Yellow Jackets. RB Jerry Lawman leads the team in rushing 754 yards and touchdowns with 7.

The Saints are ranked #11 this week in the AFCA and the D3football.com polls. Thomas More is 6-0 in the PAC, tied with Case Western Reserve.

K Tommy Budke was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 9 extra points and a field goal in a 66-14 win at Grove City. Budke also posted 3 touchbacks on his kickoff attempts.

Thomas More posted 687 offensive yards in last week’s win. The Saints lead the PAC in scoring offense at 53 points per game and scoring defense 13 points allowed. Thomas More also leads the conference in red zone offense at 41 for 45 this year with 37 touchdowns.

The Saints lead the series 8-4 and have won the last 2 meetings.

Grove City(0-7) at Bethany(3-5)     1:30pm
Turnovers could decide this meeting as Bethany is minus 12 and Grove City is minus 16 in turnover ratio.

It’s the first trip out of the commonwealth for the Wolverines this year. Grove City is 0-5 in PAC play. The Wolverines continue to be the least penalized team in the PAC, averaging just 37 yards per game.

Grove City has been outscored 113-14 in the opening quarter this season. Converted receiver Caleb Jakiel(Moon) has taken over at QB for the Wolverines. Josh Peach leads the offense with 34 catches, while Brett Pinson has 5 touchdowns. Cobie Pratt has 3 interceptions on defense.

For Bethany, Nadim Raddar posted 12 tackles including 3.5 sacks in a 41-15 win over Geneva last week to earn PAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. The senior is second in the PAC with 9 sacks. 

WR Eric Blinn(Western Beaver) became the third active Division III player to go over the 5 thousand yard mark for all-purpose yards. Blinn is the PAC all-time leader in receptions, he leads the conference in 2015 by a wide margin with 74 catches and 10 touchdowns.

RB Jalen Holmes(New Castle) has rushed for over 100 yards in 3 straight weeks. Holmes needs 72 yards to become the first Bethany runner to break 1 thousand yards for a season since 2003. The junior is averaging 116 rushing yards per game, 4th in the PAC.

The Bison are 2-4 in the PAC and have won the last 2 meetings. Grove City leads the all-time series 42-25-2.

Carnegie Mellon(4-3) at Thiel(1-6)   7pm
Two school records were set in last week’s 41-13 win over Saint Vincent. Graham Schilling posted 159 receiving yards to go with a career high 9 catches. Brian Khoury recorded 4.5 sacks on defense. The junior leads the PAC with 10.5 sacks.

The Tartans lead the PAC in turnover ratio at plus 10 for the year. The offense is 24-30 in red zone trips this season with 22 touchdowns. RB Sam Benger leads D-III with 1,287 yards rushing, the sophomore has scored 12 touchdowns.

CMU is 4-2 in the PAC, while Thiel is 0-5. CMU leads the series as well 28-11-2.

QB Ryan Radke ran for 2 scores in last week’s loss to Waynesburg. Radke has thrown for 881 yards and 4 scores, while running for 331 and 4 touchdowns. WR Alex Horvatits had 7 catches for 100 yards, both career highs. He leads the team with 30 catches.

Despite their record, the Tomcats lead the PAC in time of possession at 33:09. The Tomcats have been outscored in the first half 205-50.

W & J(5-2) at Geneva(2-5)   7pm
The Presidents fell out of the top 25 and likely out of the PAC title picture with the 35-28 loss to Case Western Reserve. W & J is 3-2 in the conference.

W & J is second in the PAC in scoring offense at 42 points per game. The Presidents are 33-39 in the red zone this season with 29 td’s.  RB Ryan Ruffing leads the Presidents and the PAC with 16 touchdowns, the senior from Thomas Jefferson is 5th in the PAC in rushing at 115 yards per game. QB Pete Coughlin(USC) leads the conference at 277 passing yards per game. Coughlin has thrown 14 touchdowns. A pair of former WPIAL stars have been Coughlin’s main targets. Daniel Lis(Char-Houston) has 47 catches while Jesse Zubik(Avonworth) has 36.

QB Aaron Channing combined with Nick Cook for both touchdowns in last week’s loss. Geneva is 1-4 in PAC play. Channing has thrown for 1,307 yards and 10 td’s on the year. Nick Cook leads the GT’s with 31 catches. Devin Kelosky(Riverside) has 21 grabs. RB Dylan Jones(Laurel) leads Geneva with 258 yards rushing, the senior did not carry the ball in last week’s loss.