The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference

PSAC Football Preview - Week 2

(September 5, 2007)

Ten Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams square off in crossover action this week. Highlighted crossover games include Millersville at Slippery Rock (3 p.m.) and Bloomsburg at California (5 p.m.).

In 2006, league teams experienced the first 10-game mandated schedule, which featured teams from the Eastern and Western Divisions squaring off against the opposite division for the first three weeks of the season.

In two crossover games this season, the Eastern and Western Division are knotted at one win apiece after California defeated its Eastern Division rival in East Stroudsburg, 26-3, and West Chester upended Western Division rival Edinboro, 32-16.

The Millersville-Slippery Rock contest marks the first game in a series of 11 weekly games that will be broadcast state-wide by SPORTSfever Television Network. The broadcast will be available through a network of Pennsylvania commercial television stations with a potential audience of 4.8 million cable, satellite and over-the-air households. (SPORTSfever Release)

The Bloomsburg-California contest is a match up of last year's PSAC divisional champions, with California earning a share of the Western Division title along with IUP. It is also the second of the three PSAC football games to be broadcast via broadband at www.cstv.com/ncaa/divii.

Other scheduled contests include Cheyney at IUP (2 p.m), Kutztown at Clarion (6 p.m.), East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven (9 p.m.), Edinboro at St. Anselm (1 p.m.), Shippensburg at Liberty (7 p.m.), and West Chester at Delaware (7 p.m.).

On the national scene, three PSAC teams are ranked in the top 20 of both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.

AFCA Poll - Sept. 4

D2Football.com Poll - Sept. 4

1. Grand Valley St. (Mich.)
2. Northwest Missouri St.

3. North Dakota

4. North Alabama

5. Valdosta St. (Ga.)

6. Chadron St. (Neb.)

7. Pittsburg St. (Kan.)
8. Delta St. (Miss.)

9. Carson-Newman (Tenn.)

10. Shepherd (W.Va.)

11. Nebraska-Omaha

12. Bloomsburg (Pa.)

13. Northwood (Mich.)

14. Newberry (S.C.)

15. West Chester (Pa.)

16. Southeastern Oklahoma St.

West Texas A&M

18. Midwestern St. (Texas)

19. California (Pa.)

20. South Dakota

21. Catawba (N.C.)

22. Tarleton St. (Texas)

23. Tiffin (Ohio)

24. Abilene Christian (Texas)

25. Southern Connecticut St.

1. Grand Valley St.

2. Northwest Missouri St.

3. North Dakota

4. North Alabama

5. Chadron St.

6. Nebraska-Omaha

7. Delta St.

8. Valdosta St.

9. Shepherd

10. Bloomsburg

11. West Texas A&M

12. Pittsburg St.

13. Northwood

14. Newberry

15. Carson-Newman

16. West Chester

17. Midwestern St.

18. California

19. South Dakota

20. Missouri Western

21. Catawba

22. Tarleton St.

23. Winona St.

24. Southern Connecticut St.

25. Ashland

Following is a preview of this weekend's action:

Millersville at Slippery Rock - 3 p.m.
"APSCUF" Game of the Week - SPORTSfever Television Network

Series: Through 16 contests, Slippery Rock holds an 11-4-1 advantage. The Rock will look to make it three straight against the Marauders.

	Millersville Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC East Last Contest: Shepherd 36, Millersville 7 Players to Watch: DB Marcus Banks - Led all players in last contest with 10 TT. RS Jimmie Cotton - Helped the Marauders avoid a shutout as he returned a fourth-quarter punt for 57 yards and Millersville's only score. RB Brad Lantz - Led the Millersville ground game with 11 attempts for 42 yards Current Trends: Millersville again will face a tough run defense this week. Against Shepherd, the Marauders attempted just eight passes in comparison to 38 rushing attempts, which netted Millersville 77 yards.
Slippery Rock Overall: 1-0 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: Slippery Rock 54, Seton Hill 21 Players to Watch: RB Corey Manfull - Sat out entire 2006 campaign with injury and recorded career-high 145 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries in opener. His four touchdowns tied a Slippery Rock record. QB Nate Crookshank - 12-24, 187 yds, 2 TDs LB Jared Palmer - Last season's team tackles leader led The Rock with eight tackles against Seton Hill. Current Trends: The Rock held Seton Hill to just 91 yards rushing, marking the sixth time in its last 12 games that Slippery Rock has held an opponent to fewer than 100 yards rushing.

Bloomsburg at California - 5 p.m.
CSTV to Broadcast via Broadband - http://www.cstv.com/ncaa/divii

Series: Bloomsburg leads the series 10-6-2 against California, including last year's 24-19 victory. The Huskies will look to make it five in a row against the Vulcans with their last loss to Cal a 21-14 setback in 1985.

	Bloomsburg Overall: 1-0 Conference: 0-0 PSAC East Last Contest: Bloomsburg 42, C.W. Post 28 Players to Watch: RB Jamar Brittingham - Became the league's all-time leader in points (408) and rushing touchdowns (65) after posting 34 points via five touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions. QB Dan Latorre - Last year's PSAC East Rookie of the Year completed 16-of-20 passes for a career-high 282 yards. WR Brahin Bilal - Latorre's favorite target, Bilal amassed five receptions for 136 yards against C.W. Post. Last season, Bilal ranked fourth in the NCAA in receiving yards (1,183). Current Trends: The last time the Huskies lost to a conference opponent on the road in the regular season was on Sept. 11, 2004. Bloomsburg dropped a 48-10 decision at Shippensburg.
California Overall: 2-0 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: California 34, Glenville St. 13 Players to Watch: RB Brandon Lombardy - Picking up where he left off last season, Lombardy has averaged over 100 yards rushing in his first two games (41-222, TD). WR Nate Forse - Cal's leading receiver for the past two seasons, Forse has racked up six receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Vulcans Defense - Has allowed an average of 133.5 yards while holding two opponents to 16 total points. Current Trends: This is the second consecutive year that the two teams have been ranked in the top 20 when facing each other. It's also the second time in as many years that the NCAA and CSTV have selected the teams as one of their featured webcasts.

West Chester at Delaware - 7 p.m.

Series: Delaware owns a 41-6-2 advantage in the series. The last West Chester victory came in 1992 when the Golden Rams edged the Blue Hens by a score of 21-20.

	West Chester Overall: 1-0 Conference: 0-0 PSAC East Last Contest: West Chester 38, Edinboro 16 Players to Watch: RB Osagie Osunde - Rushed 23 times for 114 yards and a score against Edinboro. QB Bill Zwaan - Hit seven different receivers for 18 completions and 217 yards. Four receivers had three or more catches. DE Vlad Zarbovsky - Recorded five tackles, including four sacks for a loss of 15 yards. Current Trends: The Golden Rams outrushed Edinboro 193-86 while the defense forced four fumbles against the Fighting Scots.
Delaware Overall: 1-0 Conference: 1-0 Colonial Athletic Association Last Contest: Delaware 49, William & Mary 31 Players to Watch: RB Omar Cuff - Rushed for career-high 244 yards on 30 carries and tied an NCAA record for touchdowns as he rushed for six and added another through the air in last contest. QB Joe Flacco - Posted sixth-straight game with 200 yards or more passing, completing 19-23 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. WR Kevin Michaud - Led all receivers with seven catches for 75 yards and one score. FS Aaron Hicks - Led team with 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss. Current Trends: Against William & Mary, Delaware converted on seven of 10 third-downs.

Cheyney at IUP - 2 p.m.

Series: IUP leads the series 3-0, including last year's 33-6 decision.

	Cheyney Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC East Last Contest: Central St. 28, Cheyney 22 Players to Watch: RB Chinoso Okoro - Rushed for a career-high 81 yards on 16 carries. QB Derrick Murry - In less than three quarters of action, he posted 234 yards passing and two touchdowns. Linebackers - Brandon Hawkins and Justin Allen led the team with nine and eight tackles, respectively. The two seniors have been a dominant force for the defensive unit in their careers. Current Trends: Cheyney led 22-14 at the half after scoring all its points in the second quarter, but could not contain Central St. in the second stanza as they rattled 14 unanswered points to complete the comeback.
IUP Overall: 0-0 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: (2006), IUP 21, California 17 Players to Watch: WR Anthony Cellitti - Team's leading returning receiver with 27 receptions for 318 yards and two touchdowns. LB Rob Plowman - Led the conference in sacks a year ago with nine. LB Terrence Jackson - Led IUP in tackles with 67 in 2006. QB Andrew Krewatch - Returns under center this year after redshirting in 2006. Stats from freshman campaign in 2005 include 123 completions on 272 attempts for 1,714 yards and 12 touchdowns. Current Trends: This is the season opener for the Crimson Hawks after posting a 8-2 overall record in 2006. IUP finished in a tie for first in the Western Division with a 5-1 conference record.

Kutztown at Clarion - 6 p.m.

Series: Clarion holds a 13-5 advantage but the teams have split their last six contests.

	Kutztown Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC East Last Contest: So. Conn. St. 52, Kutztown 30 Players to Watch: WR Elfren Quiles - Last week, Quiles caught 12 passes for 211 yards, surpassing 3,000 career receiving yards (3,160). Has 64 receptions for 1,025 yards at Kutztown after transferring last year from Merrimack. His 37 career touchdowns are 21st all-time in DII. QB Kyle Spotts - Posted career-highs with 30 completions, 55 attempts and 389 yards passing. LB Tom Cressman - Had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and two recoveries for the defense. Current Trends: Kutztown's offense racked up 568 yards total offense against So. Conn. St. behind the strong play of an offensive line that did not allow a sack.
Clarion Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: Tiffin 38, Clarion 10 Players to Watch: QB Gino Rometo - Redshirt freshman made his first start under center, recording 19 completions on 46 attempts for 196 yards and a touchdown. Will battle sophomore Tyler Huether for starting spot. Wide receivers - Pierre Odom (10-93) and Herb Carraway (5-60) have emerged as early favorite targets of Rometo. Defense - After giving up 617 yards total offense to Tiffin, the Golden Eagles continue to work with a defense that is without All-America lineman Jimmy Simmons for the entire 2007 season because of injury. Current Trends: Clarion's 196 yards passing against Tiffin equaled its second-highest output from 2006. Last season, the Golden Eagles racked up 303 yards passing against West Chester but did not record more than 150 yards passing in any of its other nine games.

East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven - 9 p.m.

Series: The two squads are deadlocked at six wins apiece in the series. East Stroudsburg has won the last two games, including last season's 45-14 victory.

	East Stroudsburg Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC East Last Contest: California 26, E. Stroudsburg 3 Players to Watch: LB Dave Pacchioni - Made five stops against Cal, including three tackles for loss and a sack. QB Tom O'Brien - Redshirt sophomore starts under center after having earned his first collegiate start a week ago, finishing with 16-of-28 completions for 98 yards. Current Trends: E. Stroudsburg will need to find a way to generate offense as it gained only 53 yards total offense against California. For the past five years, ESU has finished in the league's top three in both scoring offense and total offense.
Lock Haven Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: VMI 20, LHU 0 Players to Watch: LB Adam Andrasko - Paced the defense with 13 total tackles, including a tackle for loss and fumble recovery. LB Corey Gildea - Recorded 13 total tackles. QB Ilio DiPaolo - The sophomore recorded 14 completions on 27 attempts for 82 yards. Current Trends: The defense allowed 439 yards of total offense but held VMI scoreless in the second quarter and almost shut the Keydets out in the fourth quarter until VMI broke loose for an 83-yard touchdown run with 2:50 left in the game.

Edinboro at St. Anselm - 1 p.m.

Series: Last season marked the first time that the two squads faced off, with Edinboro taking a 54-0 decision.

	Edinboro Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: West Chester 32, Edinboro 16 Players to Watch: QB Trevor Harris - Picked up where he left off a year ago during his record-setting freshman campaign, completing 18 of 29 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. TB Houston Brown - Collected 178 all-purpose yards (14-60 rushing, 4-66 receiving, 3-52 kick returns). Current Trends: Edinboro's defense allowed 193 rushing yards against West Chester in the season-opener, marking the first time since 2004 versus Shippensburg (262 yds) that the Fighting Scots allowed an opponent more than 175 rushing yards .
St. Anselm Overall: 0-0 Conference: 0-0 Northeast-10 Last Contest: 2006, So. Conn. St. 69, St. Anselm 7 Players to Watch: DE Casey Larson - All-America selection who posted 56 total tackles, including 16 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. TE Geoff Stevens - Double threat at both receiver and quarterback. Completed 87-of-209 passes for 846 yards last year under center. WR Ryan Drago - Led team in rushing last season with 127 carries for 410 yards and two scores. Current Trends: This is the season-opener for St. Anselm. The Hawks were winless in 2006, posting an 0-10 record.

Shippensburg at Liberty - 7 p.m.

Series: This is the first meeting between the squads.

	Shippensburg Overall: 0-1 Conference: 0-0 PSAC West Last Contest: Shepherd 19, Shippensburg 14 Players to Watch: RB Chris Lynch - Scored two touchdowns as the sophomore ran for 124 yards on 16 carries last week. WR Howard Chavous - Career-high five receptions for 99 yards against Shepherd. QB Gabe Maiocco - In first season as a starter at Shippensburg, he threw for 178 yards on 13-of-31 pass attempts. Current Trends: Rushed for 197 yards against top-10 ranked Shepherd, a team that hadn't allowed more than 100 yards rushing in a regular season game since Sept. 24, 2005.
Liberty Overall: 1-0 Conference: 0-0 Big South Last Contest: Liberty 38, Tusculum 14 Players to Watch: RB Zach Terrell - Ran 21 times for 153 yards against Tusculum. RB Wes Cheek - Provided two short touchdown runs as he totaled five carries for 21 yards. WR Dominic Bolden - Led the team with four receptions for 63 yards, including breaking wide-open for a 50-yard strike. Defense - Posted four interceptions and ran one back for a touchdown to jumpstart a sluggish offense. Also added 11 tackles for loss. Current Trends: Liberty notched its second-highest crowd last week in its season-opener, drawing 14, 925 fans.