PSAC Football Athletes of the Week - Weeks 1/2 (Sept. 6)
East Stroudsburg QB Matt Marshall threw a career-high five touchdown passes to help the Warriors to a shutout win over Pace to earn the first PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week award of the season. C.W. Post LB Billy O'Connor made a game-high 12 tackles to help the Pioneers to a win over American International to earn East Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Slippery Rock's Akeem Satterfield nearly equalled his career rushing total in just one game in leading The Rock to a season-opening win over Merrimack to win the West Offensive Player of the Week. Edinboro CB Branden Williams keyed the Fighting Scots' defensive effort as he helped them hold West Liberty to 65 fewer points than in the teams' last meeting, including a blocked kick that helped make the difference in the game, and he is this week's West Defensive Player of the Week.
PSAC Players of the Week - Sept. 6
(Weeks 1&2)
PSAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Matt Marshall, East Stroudsburg
QB, Sr., York, Pa./Spring Grove
Marshall accounted for 363 yards of total offense and threw a career-high five touchdown passes to help East Stroudsburg to a 57-0 win over Pace. Marshall went 22-for-33 for 337 yards through the air and also rank twice for 26 yards. Both his passing yards total and total offense were the third-highest single game total of his career and it marked his sixth career 300-yard passing game. All five of his TD passes came in a span of just 18:30 from the final minute of the first half until early in the fourth quarter as he went 9-for-11 with 185 yards in that stretch. His five TD passes went to five different receivers and overall, his 22 completions went to a total of 10 different receivers in the game.
PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Billy O’Connor, C.W. Post
LB. Jr., Sayville, N.Y./Sayville
O’Connor led the C.W. Post defense that held AIC to just 85 rushing yards by making 12 tackles, including eight solo stops, in a 20-11 win for the Pioneers over the Yellow Jackets. His efforts helped C.W. Post hold AIC, which had scored a total of 66 points against the Pioneers in the last two season openers, to just 11 points and 283 yards of total offense to pick up their first win against the Yellow Jackets since 2006.
PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Akeem Satterfield, Slippery Rock
RB, So., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep
Satterfield, the lone returning running back on Slippery Rock’s roster this year, started his sophomore season off with a bang as he ran for a career high 240 yards on 25 carries, for an eye-popping 9.6 yards per carry, and four touchdowns, to help lead The Rock to a 45-26 win over Merrimack, last year’s tri-champions of the Northeast 10. Satterfield, who surpassed his total of three rushing TDs from last year and came within 13 yards to equaling his entire 2009 rushing total in just one game, scored on TD runs of 1, 12, 32 and 7 yards, three of which came in the second half. His 240 yards paced a 415-yard offensive attack, were the 10th highest single-game total in Rock history, and marked the highest single-game total for a Rock player since 1994.
PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Branden Williams, Edinboro
CB, Jr., Eastlake, Ohio/St. Edward
Despite only playing a little more than a half before leaving due to injury, Williams’ play sparked Edinboro to a 20-19 win over West Liberty, as the Fighting Scots held the Hilltoppers, who averaged nearly 50 points per game last year, to just 19 points. Williams made eight tackles, recorded his 10th career interception, broke up another pass, and blocked his eighth career kick, an extra point, as the Scots blocked two Hilltopper PATs, which ultimately were the difference in the one-point win. Williams’ efforts helped the Edinboro defense, which was basically the same unit that gave up 84 in last year’s NCAA playoff game to West Liberty, held the Hilltoppers scoreless and to just 98 total yards in the second half and to 3-of-14 on third downs while sacking 2009 Harlon Hill runner-up Zach Amedro three times and picking him off twice.
Team Notes
Bloomsburg Huskies
Redshirt freshman Franklyn Quiteh rushed for a game-high 140 yards and one score in his collegiate debut against Ashland...Quiteh became the 23rd player in the Danny Hale-era to record a 100-yard rushing game...QB Pat Carey, in his first collegiate game, completed his first-ever pass with wide receiver Matt Marchioni making his first-ever catch...Placekicker Dan Fisher connected on his first two career goal attempts hitting from 32 and 38 yards...Linebacker Mike Varanavage had 10 tackles in the game marking the fifth time in his career he has had double digit tackles in a game...The last time Bloomsburg dropped its season opening game was 2006 (14-3 to James Madison). The team then went on to win its next 12 games advancing to the NCAA D-II semi-finals.
California Vulcans
Trailing 21-3 in the second quarter, the Vulcans rallied to a 42-41 overtime victory at No. 11 Saginaw Valley on Saturday…Cal U now holds a 7-2 record in season-openers under head coach John Luckhardt…The victory marked the 10th fourth-quarter comeback win under Luckhardt since 2002…Over the last three-plus seasons, the Vulcans have posted a 14-6 record against nationally-ranked opponents…Quarterback Josh Portis threw touchdown passes for the ninth time in his career…Jr. wide receiver Chedrick Cherry caught both a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and the ensuing two-point conversion to force the game into overtime…Cal U will make its second trip outside the Commonwealth next weekend for its first-ever trip to New York…The Vulcans open the year with back-to-back games outside Pennsylvania for the first time in program history.
Cheyney Wolves
Bend but not break was the best way to describe the Wolves’ defensive effort after a week one loss to Lincoln 12-0...The Wolves’ defense only allowed one touchdown and stood tall on two goal line stances, preventing Lincoln from putting additional points on the board...However, pinned deep in their own territory the Wolves gave up safeties after taking the ball over on downs...James Vallery led all players with nine tackles and a tackle for loss while the Wolves were credited with 10 pass break ups; five by Carl Meeks...The offense struggled all afternoon totaling only 81 yards (65 rushing)...The running attack was led by Dominic Crowell; five carries for 23 yards...Cheyney will play their next three games at home in O'Shields-Stevenson Stadium.
Clarion Golden Eagles
Clarion lost a tough 27-16 opener on Thursday night against Fairmont State…The Eagles had 494 yards of offense to FSU's 217 - but turnovers proved costly for the Eagles…All-American Alfonso Hoggard rushed 36 times for 143 yards - he had 212 all-purpose yards on the day…So. QB Eric Coxon completed 28 of 45 passes for 285 yards in his first start…Jr. receiver Matt Ward had 12 catches for 118 yards…The 12 catches ties for third on the Clarion all-time single game list…Alvin Slaughter's 14 catches vs WC in 1998 is the record, while Don Hohman had 13 vs Edinboro in 1965…Jacques Robinson had six catches, raising his career total to 169 - he is tied for second place all-time with Tim Brown who had 169 from 1990-93…Slaughter has the record at 195…Robinson's 66 receiving yards has him at 1,965 yards - seventh on the all-time list…Tim Brown is next at 1,994 yards…Clarion visits Bloomsburg on Sept. 11th at 1pm.
C.W. Post Pioneers
C.W. Post captured its first season opener and first win against American International since the 2006 season on Saturday…The Pioneer offense registered 464 yards of offense in the game, including 273 yards rushing…Sr. quarterback Erik Anderwkavich led the offense with 191 yards passing and 133 yards rushing…Sr. wide receiver Darnel Williams caught seven passes for 125 yards...C.W. Post will host its first-ever meeting with preseason West Division favorite, California (Pa.) next Saturday on Hickox Field.
East Stroudsburg Warriors
ESU blanked Pace 57-0, the third-most points in 83 season openers at ESU and the fifth shutout in 37 openers under Denny Douds...Sr. QB Matt Marshall threw for 337 yards and career-high 5 TD passes, hitting five different players...Warriors outgained Setters 500-155...Had yardage margin of 168-1 in second quarter and 207-20 in 4th quarter (24 points in each quarter)...Defense had nine sacks, its most in at least 10 years, and forced five turnovers...Eight players had sacks and eight were involved in creating turnovers (4 fumbles, 1 interception)...So. TB Eric Deery (2-yard run), Fr. TB Joe Klebon (68-yard pass) and Fr. TB Dusty Reed (44-yard pass) scored their first career TDs...The Warriors take on IUP, California, West Chester and Bloomsburg in the next four weeks, the top two teams in each division in the PSAC preseason poll.
Edinboro Fighting Scots
Edinboro held seventh-ranked West Liberty scoreless in the second half to win its third straight season opener against the Hilltoppers…West Liberty led Division II in scoring offense and total offense a year ago…A pair of redshirt freshmen took part in all three touchdowns. Cody Harris scored on a one-yard run and tossed the winning touchdown pass to D'mar Jeter with 7:16 remaining, and Drew Herrell scored on a one-yard run…Harris completed 13 of 19 passes for 144 yards and had 37 yards rushing in first game…Fr. James Jackson, filling in for injured preseason All-American Branden Williams, secured the win with an interception at the EU 5 in the final two minutes…Williams had an interception and blocked a PAT, his eighth career block, before exiting…The Scots blocked two PATs…James Thomas matched last year's tackle total with four in first career start, with three for losses.
Gannon Golden Knights
Gannon opened the 2010 season where it left off in 2009. The Golden Knights won their fifth consecutive game dating back to last season with a 26-20 victory against Lake Erie in the opener...It was the third consecutive win against Lake Erie, but all three have been decided by a combined nine points...Gannon scored 20 of the 26 points off four Lake Erie turnovers. Sr. quarterback Zach Boedicker accounted for 83 percent of Gannon's offense, producing 287 yards of total offense...He recorded his fourth career 100-yard rushing performance with 109 yards and two touchdowns on the ground...Boedicker also moved into Gannon's all-time top five in passing with 2,413 career passing yards...Sr. safety Matthew Neal-Mink had 10 tackles, moving into Gannon's all-time top 10 in tackles with 223 career stops...Sr. Jeremy Ditzler became Gannon's all-time leading kicker with his 29th career field goal.
IUP Crimson Hawks
IUP improved to 5-0 in season openers under Lou Tepper and 6-0 all-time vs. Southern Connecticut State with a 16-6 win over the Owls…The Crimson Hawks were flirting with a shutout until the Owls scored with 7:20 remaining…IUP forced four turnovers, including interceptions by Mike Scott, Mark Jackson and Mike Katch…Craig Burgess kicked three field goals and increased his school record to 34…One of his field goals was a career-long 45-yarder and he also extended his consecutive extra point streak to 92…Tobias Robinson made six tackles and broke up a pass in his first game at cornerback after three seasons at running back in which he rushed for 2,179 yards…Harvie Tuck, who assumed the top spot on the depth chart from Robinson, rushed for 98 yards and wide receiver Roy-al Edwards scored IUP's only touchdown on a 34-yard end around…The Crimson Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak at Miller Stadium.
Kutztown Golden Bears
Going back to last season, Kutztown has scored 70 points since it trailed IUP 31-3 in the second quarter of its 2009 finale...Kutztown has scored 30 or more points in three of its last four games going back to last year...Kutztown is 3-0 all-time against Saint Anselm...Kevin Bolinsky has 5.5 sacks in his last two games against Saint Anselm...Last year, Kutztown had three total interceptions for no return yards. In the fourth quarter alone, Chris Davidson and Chance Gaines had interceptions that gained 35 yards on the returns...The 35 second half points were the most scored in any half by Kutztown since it scored 41 in the first half against American International during a 55-20 victory...Kutztown is seeking its second consecutive 2-0 start...Kutztown recorded 11 takeaways all of last year. The Golden Bears had four against Saint Anselm.
Lock Haven Bald Eagles
Lock Haven dropped in its 2010 opener to VMI 48-6 on Saturday...Lock Haven and VMI had met just once prior to this game...In the 2007 season-opener the Bald Eagles lost to their Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent 20-0...The Bald Eagles are winless in each of the last two seasons, which runs their losing streak to 22 with their last win coming in the 2007 season finale at Clarion in overtime...The Haven’s last winning season came back in 1981...Lock Haven heads back on the road next weekend when it travels to Millersville...It will be the first meeting since 1997.
Mercyhurst Lakers
After a bye-week, Mercyhurst returns to action against Kutztown in the teams' first meeting...The Lakers face their second-straight road game as they are away for six of their first seven contests...In the opener, Mercyhurst defeated Notre Dame College 23-0 to mark the first season-opening shutout since the Lakers first-ever football game in 1981 when they defeated St. John Fisher 28-0...So. Andrew Bailey recorded his first two rushing touchdowns of his career in the win while Fr. kicker Steven Wakefield notched three field goals to fall one shy of tying the single-game record...Sr. linebacker Bryan Boyce overtook 18th place on the career tackles list (220) and also moved into 14th place in sacks (12)....Head coach Marty Schaetzle has founded the "Make a Point to Take Away Cancer" campaign in which he will donate a dollar per point scored and five dollars for each takeaway by the Lakers this season...All money will go towards the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.
Millersville Marauders
One year after defeating Assumption by three in the season opener, Assumption edged Millersville 33-28 on a TD with 16 seconds left...Bill Shirk topped the 300-yard mark for the second time in his career and threw three touchdowns without an interception. His 87-yard strike to Matt Egenrieder was the second longest pass in school history...Both Egenrieder (106) and Jamal Smith (103) totaled 100 yards receiving marking the first time two Millersville receivers totaled 100 yards in the same game since Ryan Clift and Omar Sanders on Sept. 4, 2004...Smith’s nine catches were a career high...Dominic Sanders and Greg Frantz both caught their first career touchdown passes...Zack Riley scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter...Shane Gross totaled a career-high 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble...Matt Sutjak made 13 stops, giving him double-figure tackles in a game for the fourth time in his last 11 games.
Shippensburg Red Raiders
Shippensburg just completed its first regular-season bye week since 1976 after a season-opening loss to Shepherd on August 28...SU will face Gannon on Sept. 11; it will be the first-ever meeting between the two squads...Quarterbacks Steven Adams and Dave Chervansky will likely split time at quarterback...Jr. linebacker Vinnie Ranauto had two interceptions against Shepherd...It was the first time a Red Raider had achieved this feat since 2006...So. split ends Bryan Barley, Taimur Harris and Jacob Baskerville all set career-highs for receptions and receiving yards against Shepherd...Barley became the first SU player to have a 100-plus yard receiving game since Mike Harris '10 last season at Bloomsburg....SU has an active streak of 13 consecutive games scoring 21 or more points.
Slippery Rock - The Rock
So. Akeem Satterfield rushed for 240 yards and four TDs, both career-high marks, against Merrimack...His rushing total is 10th highest in Rock history and highest since 1994...Sr. CB Robert Doiley shared the team lead with nine tackles and had two TFLs to lead the Rock defensive effort against Merrimack QB James Suozzo, the reigning Northeast-10 Conference MVP...Jr. CB Andre Freeman and Jr. LB Zach Sheridan also had nine total tackles...Rock did not allow a TD toss by Suozzo, who threw for 23 TDs in 2009, and picked him off twice...Sr. PK C.J. Bahr was 6-6 on PATs, booted a 43-yard FG and averaged 57.6 yards per kickoff...Rock blocked a punt and converted it into a TD two plays later...Rock played turnover-free football in opener...The win was Rock’s first in four games against current members of NE-10.
West Chester Golden Rams
West Chester was shut out by Delaware for the second consecutive year…West Chester has not scored on Delaware since the 6:59 mark of the fourth quarter in 2008…The scoring drought has now reached 126:59…West Chester has now dropped the last 17 contests against Delaware and trail the all-time series, 45-6-2…The Golden Rams have not beaten the Blue Hens since 1992…Head coach Bill Zwaan is now 0-8 against his alma mater…So. QB Mike Mattei made his first college start…A total of 14 Golden Rams made their collegiate debuts on Thursday…West Chester opens its home slate on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Edinboro at 1 p.m.…Tt will be Michael Horrocks Day at Farrell Stadium as a statue of the Golden Rams' former quarterback will be unveiled in a ceremony that morning that is set to begin at 10:30 a.m.…Horrocks played football at WCU from 1981-84 and was the co-pilot of the second plane that crashed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.