District College Football Preview for Saturday, September 18th

By: Bruce Markey
Thursday, September 16, 2010 | 12:00 AM

College football kicks off Week 3 in Western Pennsylvania with the opening of conference play for the President's Athletic Conference.

The PSAC continues East vs. West crossover action, before divisional play starts next week. The WVIAC also starts conference play this week. Here are previews of all the games from around the area.

Slippery Rock(2-0) at West Chester(0-2) 7pm on WISR 680-AM and the MSA Sports Network

The Rock defeated Cheyney last week 30-0. SRU is now 2-0 for the third time in the last four seasons and seventh in 23 years under Dr. George Mihalik.

Devin Goda caught seven passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, giving him three for the season.

Chris Darby ran for 140 yards on 20 carries, he replaced Akeem Satterfield, who ran for 240 yards and four touchdowns in the opening week win over Merrimack. LaQuan Stephens-Howling has put up 107 yards on the ground with 25 carries. The Rock leads the PSAC in rushing offense, averaging 245 yards over the first two games and 5.9 yards per carry.

It was the first shutout recorded by the Rock since 2006, a Week 8 blanking of Lock Haven 35-0.

Rock QB Ryan Sabo had completed under fifty percent of his passes, but does have three touchdown tosses, all to Goda. Sabo has only thrown one interception. SRU has done well in the red zone, having scored on eight of nine trips.

West Chester starts 0-2 for the first time since 2006, which looks similar to 2010, with losses to Delaware and Edinboro in both seasons. In 2006, the Golden Rams went 9-4 overall and went to the Division II playoffs.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Mattei had his first career 300 yard passing game in the 16-14 loss to Edinboro last week. Mattei is 31 of 59 for the season, gaining 389 yards, but only one touchdown. The Rams have a league worst eight turnovers, seven of those are Mattei interceptions.

West Chester is the worst team in the conference rushing the ball, despite two experienced backs in D'Andre Webb and Jackson Fagan. West Chester has failed in the red zone, scoring only once in five trips with four turnovers.

West Chester and Slippery Rock have met twelve times previous, each team has won six. West Chester won the last game back in 2006, 21-20.

Thomas More(1-0) at Geneva(1-1) 1:30pm on WBVP 1230-AM and the MSA Sports Network

Thomas More is ranked 12th this week in the D3football.com poll, up from 15th last week. The Saints are the two-time defending PAC champions. Senior kicker Dustin Zink was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week, going 8-8 on extra points in the Saints 56-12 win over Hanover last week.

Freshman running back Dominque Hayden became just the third player in school history to score five rushing touchdowns in one game in the big win last week. Hayden carries 16 times for 110 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Robert Kues was 15 of 21 for 140 yards in his first collegiate start, he also ran for 85 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown.

Freshman defensive back Jake Fishburn had two interceptions and recovered a fumble.

Geneva had won seven consecutive home games before falling to Albright last week. The GT's actually led 20-17 in the second quarter before Albright scored 37 points from that point to win 54-27. Geneva allowed two touchdowns in twelve seconds, one coming on a halfback pass, the other on the ensuing kickoff, which was fumbled and ran back for a score.

Senior running back Gerald Muschette ran for 135 yards last week vs. Albright, he moves into fourth place on the GT's all-time rushing list.

The defense allowed 507 yards last week. Geneva may be one of the few PAC teams that can say this, they have beaten the Saints in two of the past three seasons.

Bethany (1-1) at W & J(0-1) 7pm on WJPA 1450-AM and the MSA Sports Network

It's the 89th meeting between the two schools, and it's been one-sided. W & J has won 66 of the games including the last 27.

Eric Walker was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week in the Bison's 31-29 win over King's College last week. Walker ran for a career high 220 yards on 32 carries, scoring three touchdowns. Walker can reach a couple of milestones this week, he needs 114 rushing yards to break into the two-thousand yard club. Walker also needs two more touchdowns to pass Will Anderson for the all-time touchdown lead at Bethany, Walker has 29 for his career.

Quarterback Matt Grimard ran for 150 yards in the win and a touchdown, he also threw for a score.

With the 27-0 loss last week at Delaware Valley, it's the first time W & J has been blanked in consecutive games since 1981. The Presidents were shut out by Mount Union 55-0 in the first round of the Division III playoffs last season.

W & J was held without a first down until the third quarter, notching only five for the game. The Presidents ran for negative yardage(minus eleven) and had 67 yards of total offense. Quarterback Gino Rometo threw for only forty yards and was sacked six times.

Sophomore safety Ian Hennessey made 13 tackles while junior safety Matthew Gal had 12 stops and an interception.

Liberty (2-0)at Robert Morris(1-1) Noon
The Flames start the season with two straight wins, 52-7 over St. Francis and last week 27-23 at Ball State. Mike Brown threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third. Brown scored with 4:55 remaining and the Liberty defense made it hold up, stopping a Ball State drive on the Liberty 26 late. Linebacker Elias Navarro was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week in a 35-31 win at Dayton. Navarro made five tackles for loss in the win. In a dramatic finish, Jeff Sinclair hooked up with Shadrae King from seven yards out with 17 seconds to play to give Robert Morris the win. Sinclair and King connected for three touchdowns on the day. Sinclair ended up 14 of 28 for 250 yards. Myles Russ ran for 116 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns.

Sacred Heart(1-1) at St. Francis Pa(0-2) Noon
Sacred Heart lost the conference opener to Robert Morris last week. Quarterback Dale Fink had a wonderful day in the loss, throwing for 324 yards and four touchdowns, he was sacked five times and intercepted on the final play of the game. St. Francis fell 31-21 to Morehead State last week. Kyle Harbridge returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a score to put the Red Flash up 7-0, he was named the NEC Special Teams Player of the Week. John Kelly threw for 162 yards, going 20 of 34 with two touchdowns for the Red Flash.

Duquesne(2-0) at Delaware(2-0) 6pm
With the 2-0 start, the Dukes have also done well with the NEC weekly awards. Linebacker Nathan Totino won the Defensive Player of the Week in the win over Bucknell, this week it was quarterback Sean Patterson's turn. Patterson was named the Offensive Player of the Week for his winning touchdown drive in a 35-31 win vs. Dayton. Patterson hit Sean Bunevich with an eight yarder with 21 seconds to play to give Duquesne the win. Patterson ended up with 326 yards passing and three touchdowns in the win. Delaware has allowed only a field goal this season, defeating Division II West Chester 31-0 and defeating South Dakota State 26-3 last week. Andrew Pierce ran 26 times for 165 yards and a touchdown last week.

Central Connecticut State(1-1) at Youngstown State(1-1) 6pm
CCSU freshman Chris Linares was named NEC Rookie of the Week for his interception in a 45-14 win over Bentley last week. CCSU quarterback Gunnar Jespersen threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns to rebound from a tough season-opening setback at New Hampshire. CCSU won the NEC title last season, breaking Albany's stranglehold on the championship. YSU rebounded from a 44-14 loss at Penn State with a 31-7 win over Butler. Dominque Barnes returnd a punt 88 yards for a touchdown to give the Penguins their first win at the Ice Castle this season. Adaris Bellemy ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns for YSU.

East Stroudsburg(1-1) at California(2-0) 3:30pm
For only the 29th time in NCAA history, two 200-win coaches will face each other, John Luckhardt for Cal and Denny Douds from East Stroudsburg. East Stroudsburg was ranked 25th before falling to IUP at home 23-17 last week. The Warriors led 10-0, before IUP scored 23 straight points. Senior quarterback Matt Marshall threw for two touchdowns, he now has 42 for his career, sixth in ESU history. The Vulcans remain at number 4 this week in the AFCA Division II poll., tying the highest ranking in school history. Sophomore running back Lamont Smith, a Pittsburgh Central Catholic standout, was named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. Smith ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns in Cal's 40-13 win over C.W. Post. Smith leads the team with 196 yards rushing and four touchdowns, he entered camp listed as a defensive back. Cal has trailed in both wins this season, the Vulcans scored 30 unanswered points in the win over the Pioneers. Cal is nine of their last ten in home openers, including a 26-3 win over the Warriors in 2007.

Gannon(2-0) at Millersville(1-1) 1pm
The Golden Knights won their sixth straight, and third consecutive road game, defeating defending PSAC champion Shippensburg last week 22-19. It's the first time that Gannon has been 2-0 to start the season since 1995. Senior quarterback Zach Boedicker threw three touchdown passes last week. Senior Parris Williams made eleven tackles, including seven in the second half. Bill Shirk threw four touchdown passes last week, three to Jamal Smith. Mike Jones ran for 100 yards, the first time he has hit the century mark at Millersville. The Marauders grabbed four interceptions in the game, including two for Matt Sutjak.

Mercyhurst(1-1) at C.W. Post(1-1) 1pm
Mercyhurst has not fared well on the road against the PSAC-East, the Lakers are 3-4 in crossover games, but only have one win away from Erie, a 35-0 win over Cheyney in 2008. Cornerback Brandon Harper picked off three passes last week in the loss to Kutztown, the Lakers forced five interceptions in the game. Running back Gerald Anderson ran for a 70 yard touchdown, a career long. The Pioneers were up 13-7 on nationally ranked Cal last week, but collapsed in the second half. Sophomore running back Thomas Beverly ran for 74 yards and a touchdown. It's the first meeting between the Pioneers and Lakers since 1995.

IUP(2-0) at Bloomsburg(1-1) 1pm
IUP starts the season 2-0 for the fifth consecutive season, they have owned the PSAC-East, winning eight straight crossover games. Sophomore quarterback Pat Smith was 14-18 for 196 yards, he left the game with a hand injury. Bo Napoleon came on and led IUP to a touchdown on a seven yard pass to Nate Morrow to extend the lead to 23-10 over ESU, they would hold on to a 23-17 victory. Craig Burgess kicked three more field goals, he leads all IUP kickers with 37 for his career. The Huskies swept the PSAC East Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors in their 41-13 win over Clarion last week. Running back Franklyn Quiteh, playing in his second NCAA game, ran for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Mike Varanavage led the defense with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery. With last week's win, the Huskies snapped a four game losing streak.

Edinboro(2-0) at Cheyney(0-2) 1pm
The Fighting Scots are ranked 22nd this week in the AFCA Division II poll. Senior strong safety Dan Skelton was named PSAC-West Defensive Player of the Week. Skelton made nine tackles and had a fourth-quarter interception in Edinboro's 16-14 win over West Chester. The Boro defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions and recorded a safety. Freshman quarterback Cody Harris hooked up with Gary Nolen for two touchdowns last week. It's the final road game for the Fighting Scots, they return home to Sox Harrison Stadium next week. The Wolves were shut out 30-0 at home vs. Slippery Rock last week, Cheyney is still looking for it's first win, having lost 30 consecutive games and their first points of the season.

Shippensburg(0-2) at Clarion(0-2) 6pm
The Red Raiders got 116 yards on the ground from sophomore Kevin Herod and two touchdowns from another sophomore Mike Frenette, but it was not enough to keep the defending PSAC champions from going to 0-2 with the loss to Gannon. The Golden Eagles try and rebound after losses to Fairmont State and Bloomsburg. Clarion racked up 353 yards of offense, but struggled in the red zone with only one touchdown and two field goals in five red zone trips. All-American running back Alfonso Hoggard was held to just 64 yards. Sophomore quarterback Eric Coxon threw for 246 yards in his second career start. WR Jacques Robinson moved into second place all-time for receptions at Clarion, grabbing nine passes last week, he now has 178 for his career and needs 18 to put him at the top.

Kutztown(2-0) at Lock Haven(0-2) 7pm
The Bears start 2-0 for the second straight season, they defeated Mercyhurst last week. Kevin Morton threw for 364 yards last week, a career high. Josh Mastromatto put up three touchdowns in the opening week win over Saint Anslem, Josh Smith scored three touchdowns last week. The Bald Eagles fell 35-21 to Millersville last week, they have dropped 23 consecutive games. Freshman quarterback Robert Meade made his first career start, he was the team's leading rusher wit 57 yards and threw a touchdown pass. Lock Haven will play at home for the first time this season.

Seton Hill(1-2) at Glenville State(1-1) 1pm
Both teams open up WVIAC play. The Griffins fell lost at Urbana 44-13 last week. Linebacker Nick McGahagan made 14 tackles and returned a fumble 53 yards to the house. Urbana led 30-0 at the half, the Griffins did not score an offensive touchdown until Patrone Wood ran in from four yards with 3:17 remaining. Seton Hill commited six turnovers and 10 penalites for 121 yards. Urbana was none better in that category with 16 penalties for 199 yards. Seton Hill is last in the conference in scoring offense with only 50 points in three game, an average of 16.7. They are seventh in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 30.7 points per game. It's been feast or famine for Glenville State, defeating West Virginia Tech 44-10 in week one, but falling to third ranked North Alabama 54-10 at home last week. DeAndre Johnson staked Glenville to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive, but North Alabama scored the next 38 points, including 28 in the second quarter. Glenville State gave up 591 yards of offense, including 510 thru the air.

Grove City(1-1) at Westminster(1-1) 1pm
Junior linebacker Jason Ferguson was named PAC Defensive Player of the Week in the Wolverines' 17-14 win over Lebanon Valley. Ferguson made ten tackles and forced a fumble in the victory. Junior tailback Blaine Miller caught eight passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns last week, including the 33 yard game winner with four minutes left. Quarterback Clayton Hall threw for a career high 205 yards, he also led the team in rushing with 72 yards. Hall leads the PAC with 639 yards of total offense. Westminster trailed 14-0 before ever running an offensive play in a 40-10 loss at Lycoming. Shawn Lehocky connected with freshman Collin Wallace for a 17 yard touchdown. Westminster was outgained 466-254. Jordan Rooney blocked another field goal attempt, his second in as many games. Westminster leads the series 49-33-8, the Wolverines have not won at Harold Burry Stadium, since before it was named that, the last win was in 1962.

Waynesburg(0-1) at Thiel(0-2) 1:30 pm
It's Homecoming already for the Tomcats and it could be a bad day for Thiel as Waynesburg has dominated this series, leading 23-8-1, and having won the last four games played. Yellow Jackets senior quarterback Brad Dawson moved into third place all-time for passing with his 271 yards last week vs. Wilkes, a 38-35 loss. Dawson threw for three touchdowns, two to sophomore Christian Jackson. Freshman running back Dominic Moore scored two touchdowns in the loss. On the negative side, Waynesburg turned the football over five times. Thiel fell at Widener 21-0 last week, all of the points came in the first half. The Tomcat offense was not purring, gaining only 137 yards. A pair of freshman, Jared Soell and Andrew Smith split time at quarterback, that will continue this week.

Hobart(1-0) at Carnegie Mellon(1-1) Noon
The Tartans have never beaten the Statesmen, losing all three meetings, including last year in Geneva, NY 24-16. Hobart defeated Dickinson College 38-7 last week. Steven Webb scored two rushing touchdowns and returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. The Statesmen also blocked a punt for a touchdown. CMU fell to Allegheny last week 34-27. Justin Pratt scored on a four yard run and Rob Kalkstein threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns, he also was the Tartans' leading rusher with 59 yards. Senior linebacker Mike Shedlosky was named UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week after recording a career-high 19 tackles last week.

Tags: Slippery Rock