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Football - Week 6

Tuesday, October 2, 2012 12:52 PM

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The third week of divisional play in the PSAC features what should be some close matchups.  Highlighting these games is what looks to be a physical matchup between California and Clarion. Clarion has a two-game winning streak and is looking to keep its momentum after a come-from-behind win against East Stroudsburg last week. California is hoping to remain unbeaten in the PSAC-West after losing a hard-fought game against West Chester last week. Another divisional game in the West pits Slippery Rock against IUP. Both teams are 1-1 in divisional play and will try to keep its PSAC Championship aspirations alive.    

In the East, West Chester and East Stroudsburg appears to be a key match-up.  West Chester upset California last weekend, is on a four game-winning streak and now ranks No. 24 in the AFCA poll. East Stroudsburg is looking to try and regroup after loss to Clarion last weekend. Another top matchup is LIU-Post and Shippensburg. Shippensburg showcases the top offense in Division II and seeks to carry on its unblemished mark in 2012.  LIU has lost its last two games but has hung tight with some of the league's top teams.   

AFCA Top 25 Poll
#7 Bloomsburg
#16t California
#16t Shippensburg
 #22 IUP

D2football.com Top 25 Poll
#10 Bloomsburg
#15 California
#20 Shippensburg
#21 IUP
#24 West Chester

 

PSAC in the Polls

Pre.

9-3

9-10

9-17

9-24

10-1

10-8

10-15

10-22

10-29

11-5

11-12

Bloomsburg

25/21

19/19

12/14

11/12

10/12

7/10

California

11/11

10/10

6/6

6/6

6/6

16t/15

IUP

RV/-

23/24

17/22

14/21

22/23

22/21

Kutztown

12/18

11/15

21/23

-/-

-/-

-/-

Shippensburg

-/-

RV/-

RV/-

RV/-

21/21

16t/

Slippery Rock

RV/-

RV/-

-/-

-/-

-/-

-/-

West Chester

-/-

-/-

-/-

-/-

-/-

RV/24

*Ranking order: AFCA/D2football.com



PSAC Football – Week Six Notes –10/3/12

Quick Hits

-The PSAC has two teams in the top five in total ofense this year. (Shippensburg No.1 and Bloomsburg No. 3)

- Bloomsburg rnning bck Franklyn Quiteh is the nation's third eading rusher - averaging 165.4 yards per clip through five games and recently became the third runner in school history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark. He is one of 11 runners in the PSAC to run for 4,000 yards and currently ranks ninth all-time. 

-The PSAC has two quarterbacks in the top five in total passing yards for the year (#3 Shippensburg’s Zach Zulli, 1866 and # 5 California’s Peter Leitch, 1775)

-West Chester is ranked No. 24 this week; it marks the first time the Golden Rams have been ranked since September 19. 2009.

-The PSAC has two running backs in the top five in Division II in rushing yards per Game (#1 IUP’s Harvie Tuck 180.25 yds./game #3 Franklyn Quiteh 165.40 yds. /game)

-Cheyney linebacker Isaiah Fleming is seventh in Division II with 6.6 solo tackles per game. 

-Kutztown quarterback Kevin Morton threw for 301 yards and five scores as he eclipsed the century mark for passing touchdowns in a career, only the 19th person in Division II to reach 100. He has also thrown for 9,485 career yards which is tops for KU and fifth all-time in PSAC history.

- The IUP defense is one the nations best, ranking near the top of Division II in several categories including scoring defense (1st - 7.80 ppg); rushing defense (2nd - 37.75 ypg); and total defense (3rd - 211.60 ypg).

Game Previews
 
Lock Haven (0-2, 0-5) at Mercyhurst (2-0, 4-1)                    Lock Haven Preview / Mercyhurst Preview
October, 6 – 12:00 p.m.
Erie, PA
Tullio Field (2,300)
 
Conference Ranks                                Mercyhurst                                  Lock Haven
Scoring Offense/Defense             36.2  / 6th; 22.6 / 3rd                        5.0 / 16th; 42.4 / 12th
Rush Offense/Defense                  242.4 / 3rd ; 218.4 / 13th                 58.6 / 15th; 183.0 / 10th
Pass Offense/Defense                   171.0 / 12th; 120.0 / 1st                   138.2 / 14th; 285.2 / 15th
Total Offense/Defense                  413.4 / 8th; 338.4 / 4th                    196.8 / 16th; 468.2 / 15th
 
What to Expect
- Lock Haven is coming off a 49-6 loss to Shippensburg last week. The loss to marks the 47th straight for Lock Haven, which breaks the all-time NCAA Division II record for consecutive losses.

- Mercyhurst had a more positive outcome last week and is looking to follow up a 36-10 win over Cheyney with another win this week. After dropping its season opener to Notre Dame College (Ohio), Mercyhurst has won four straight games.

- Lock Haven junior tailback Brandon Brader has 1,456 career rushing yards which is 10th all-time at LHU. He is just 42 yards from ninth all-time and will be looking to achieve this goal against Mercyhurst’s rush defense which is averaging 218.4 rushing yards allowed.

-Fifth-year senior QB Jarrett Kratzer will be making his 19th career start this week. Kratzer is averaging 125.4 yards passing this year and completed passes to nine different receivers last week.

-One of the brightest spots for Lock Haven has been the play of its young defense. The Bald Eagles top three leading tacklers are all new to their roles this season. They include:  sophomore linebacker Matt Kirchner  (32 tackles),  sophomore safety George Christas (31 total tackles, 18 solo), and freshman linebacker Tashawn Bunch (27 total tackles , 18 solo).  The trio had combined to make zero starts before this season.

-Mercyhurst has scored at least 22 points in every game this season and has scored 36 points or more in four of five games. The Lakers are also averaging over 400 yards of offense and 36.6 points per game. The Lakers will look to continue this offensive success against Lock Haven’s  second lowest ranked total defense in the PSAC.

- Mercyhurst rushed for 221 yards last week, its lowest output since rushing for just 119 against Notre Dame College in the season opener.

-  Brown-Dukes and Allen Jones II are continuing to be a huge threat for Mercyhurst out of the backfield. Brown-Dukes is averaging 133.6 rushing yards a game for a total of 677 yards and 9 touchdowns. Jones II has added another 84.0 average yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.

-  Mercyhurst’s passing game is led by quarterback Vendemia who has 814 yards through the air and 10 touchdowns. His go-to receiver has been Devyn Woods who has hauled in 5 of Vendemia’s touchdown passes.

- Mercyhurst’s defense is also impressive and is ranked in the top five in the PSAC for scoring defense (3rd), passing defense (1st), and total defense (4th).  
 
Series/Game Notes
-  Saturday’s game will mark the fifth meeting between the two schools. Lock Haven has never won against Mercyhurst in this short time frame.  The two teams began playing annually in 2008, when Mercyhurst joined the PSAC as a full-time member.  Their last meeting came last year in week three at Hubert Jack Stadium and resulted in a Mercyhurst victory (42-3). The Lakers led last year's game 14-3 at halftime and remained close until the fourth quarter when the Lakers scored 21 points to secure the win.




Bloomsburg (2-0, 5-0) at Millersville (0-2, 1-4)                             Bloomsburg preview / Millersville preview
October 6 – 12:30 p.m.
Millersville, Pa.
Biemesderfer Stadium (6,700)
 
Conference Ranks                            Bloomsburg                                               Millersville
 Scoring Offense/Defense            40.2 / 3rd; 26.0 / 6th                          15.0 / 15th; 44.0 / 14th
 Rush Offense/Defense                355.8 / 1st; 93.6 / 3rd                          117.6 / 11th; 253.0 / 16th
 Pass Offense/Defense                 174.0 / 11th; 278.0 / 14th                  109.6 / 15th; 278.0 / 14th
 Total Offense/Defense                529.8 / 2nd; 371.6 / 6th                      227.2/ 14th; 522.88 / 16th
 
What to Expect
- Bloomsburg is coming off a 43-24 victory over Gannon last week. Through its first five games, Bloomsburg has scored 30 or more points which is a school record.

- Millersville is coming off a 41-7 loss to IUP last week on its home turf.

- Bloomsburg’s offensive line brings into the game an average height of 6-4 and weight of 295 pounds. This has been a huge part of Bloomsburg’s success through the running game (355.8 avg. yards) and offense as a whole (529.8 avg. yards).

- Bloomsburg’s size doesn’t stop on offense. Defensive lineman, Webster , at 6-7 has become one of the most dominating threats in the country. His 7.5 sacks are tops in the conference and is tied for fourth in Division II. 

- Behind the offensive line, Bloomsburg has the second-best rushing offense in Division II.  The Huskies are averaging 355.8 yards on the ground, and look to follow up their 483-yard outing last week against Gannon.

- Bloomsburg’s 483-yard rushing performance last week was the most rushing yards in a game for the team since it ran for 541 against Cheyney in 2004. The Huskies will face the PSACs lowest ranked rush defense in Millersville (253 rushing yards allowed per game).

 - Leading Bloomsburg’s rushing attack thus far has been junior back Franklyn Quiteh. Quiteh comes into the week ranked third in the country with 165.4 yards per game. He also surpassed the 4,000 yard career mark and became the third back in his team’s history to reach that mark.  He is currently ranked 9th all time in the PSAC with 4,034 rushing yards.

- Putting points on the scoreboard has become an easy occurrence for the Huskies and Millersville has had issues preventing this.  The Huskies are 99-2 all-time when scoring 40 points and are averaging 40.2 this season. Millersville has allowed 40 or more points in each of its last four games.

- Including Bloomsburg, the overall record of Millersville’s opponents this season is 22-2, four of which are nationally ranked.

- Last week, Millersville quarterback Sean Quarterman made his first collegiate start against the Crimson Hawks and broke off a 52-yard run at one point.  This week however, the Marauders are expected to start Ted Stachitas.  Stachitas hopes to have a career day against a Bloomsburg defense that has given up 278.0 ypg avg through the air.

- Stachitas is also Millersville's leading rusher with 201 yards on the season.  Myron Myles and Mike Jones are getting a majority of the carries at tailback and have run for a combined 252 yards.


Series/Game Notes
- Saturday marks the 75th meeting between the long time members of the PSAC.  Bloomsburg has experienced much of the recent success against the Marauders, winning 12 consecutive games. They also hold the advantage in the overall series, 39-30-5. 

- Under head coach Danny Hale , Bloomsburg is 7-2 at Biemesderer Stadium against Millersville.
 



LIU-Post (1-1,2-2) at Shippensburg (2-0,5-0)                                   LIU Post Preview / Shippensburg Preview
October 6 – 1:00 p.m.
Shippensburg, Pa
Seth Grove Stadium (7,700)
 
Conference Ranks                                  LIU Post                                              Shippensburg
Scoring Offense/Defense              35 / 8th; 26.8 / 7th                            53.2 / 1st; 19.2 / 2nd
Rush Offense/Defense                   198.8 / 5th; 216.3 / 12th                  160 / 8th; 83.8 / 2nd
Pass Offense/Defense                    194 / 9th; 230.3 / 7th                        404.4 / 1st; 181.2 / 5th
Total Offense/Defense                   392.8 / 10th; 446.5 / 13th                564.2 1st; 265.0  / 2nd
 
What to Expect
- Shippensburg seeks its 10th consecutive victory this week after defeating Lock Haven last week. The Red Raiders have won nine consecutive games dating back to last season which is the second longest streak in Division II.

- Last week, LIU Post lost a heartbreaker in overtime against Edinboro with a score of 31-24.  

- Shippensburg enters the matchup ranked first in Division II in total offense and ninth in total defense. The Raiders are averaging 564.4 yards per game on offense while only allowing an average of 265 yards per game on defense. SU is also averaging 53.2 points per game, which ranks second in the nation.

- Shippensburg quarterback Zach Zulli leads the nation’s second ranked passing offense (404.4 ypg), and is also ranked second in Division II for pass efficiency (189.81).

- The Red Raider defense is also all over the national rankings. Shippensburg ranks fifth in the country in sacks (four per game) and sixth in tackles for loss (9.8 per game). These stats also lead the PSAC in each category.

- For LIU Post, PSAC East Rookie of the Year, Steven Laurino will be taking the snaps. Laurino poses as a threat as both a runner  and a passer (9 touchdowns). Along with running backs  Jeff Mack and Anthony Brunetti, the LIU Post running game averages almost 200 yards a game.

- Last weekend, Shippensburg quarterback, Zulli completed a career-high 32 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters of play. These stats earned Zulli another PSAC Eastern Division Offensive Player of the Week honor.

- LIU Post totaled 401 yards on 85 plays as Laurino completed 21 of 38 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 86 rushing yards and a TD.

- For the Pioneers, senior Antonio Powell-Fields is coming off another solid performance on defense. He led the Pioneers with 12 tackles and a pass break up while freshman Anthony Turano added another  11 tackles. 

Series/Game Notes
-The Red Raiders and Pioneers are tied in the overall series at three games each. Shippensburg won the first three meetings in the overall series but LIU Post has won the last three meetings. Shippensburg renewed its series history with the Pioneers in 2008 by recording an impressive 27-10 win from Seth Grove Stadium.



 
Kutztown (0-2, 2-3) at Cheyney (0-2, 1-4)                                              Kutztown Preview / Cheyney Preview
October 6 – 1:00 p.m.
Cheyney, Pa
O-Shields-Stevenson Stadium (5,000)
 
Conference Ranks                                 Kutztown                                                      Cheyney
Scoring Offense/Defense              44.0 / 2nd; 37.6 / 11th                            16.2 / 14th; 42.6 / 13th
Rush Offense/Defense                  104.0 / 13th; 172.6 / 9th                           143.2 / 10th; 219.2 / 14th
Pass Offense/Defense                   354.6 / 3rd; 273.6 / 12th                        73.6 / 16th; 248.2 / 8th
Total Offense/Defense                  458.6 / 5th; 446.4 / 12th                           216.8 / 15th; 467.4 / 14th
 
What to Expect
- Kutztown found its way back to the win column last week against a solid Slippery Rock team with a score of 56-49. With its starting quarterback and starting running back in the line up again, Kutztown will look to follow up this strong performance.

- In his return from injury last week, senior quarterback Kevin Morton threw for 301 yards and five touchdowns as he eclipsed the century mark for passing touchdowns in a career. He is only the 19th player in Division II history to reach 100. He will also look to surpass the 10,000 yard passing mark this week against a Kutztown pass defense that is allowing 273.6 yards through the air.

- Kutztown senior running back Josh Mastromatto also returned from injury last week and did so in style. Mastromatto averaged  7.2 yards a carry last week on five carries, scoring one touchdown.

- Kutztown senior Colby Tuell caught 10 passes last week for 70 yards, catching two of Morton's five touchdowns. The 10-reception game by Tuell tallied the fourth straight week a Golden Bear receiver has hauled in double-digit receptions as he and sophomore Shahaid Smith have done it twice each.

- Kutztown's Dixon-Dougan leads his squad with 39 tackles while Connors adds 23 of his own. Connors is also coming off a performance that helped lock up the team's second victory, recovering two fumbles.

- Cheyney’s offense features a run heavy attack with two players over 200 yards and four over 25 attempts this season.

- Cheyney quarterback Blaze Wasserleben leads the team with 273 rushing yards and one touchdown while running back Marcus Jones comes off a solid performance against Mercyhurst where he went for  110 yards on the ground.

- Wasserleben carries over a 93 pass efficiency rating into the week with and four touchdowns.

- Cheyney’s leading tackler is linebacker Isaiah Fleming who leads the defense with 48 tackles. Last week Fleming registered a team-high 11 tackles. 

Series/Game Notes
- This match-up marks the 63rd meeting between the two programs with Kutztown owning a commanding lead in the series, 51-10-1. Kutztown is also on an 18-game winning streak against Cheyney. Last season, Cheyney was one of two teams the Kutztown defense shut out on their way to a 49-0 win.
 
 

West Chester (2-0, 4-1) at East Stroudsburg ( 1-1, 2-2)                                       WCU Preview / ESU Preview
October 6 – 1:05 p.m.
East Strousburg, Pa.
Eiler-Martin Stadium (6,000)
 
Conference Ranks                           West Chester                                                       East Stroudsburg                                   
Scoring Offense/Defense             36.0 / 7th; 25.6 / 5th                                       34.0 / 9th; 30.2 / 10th
Rush Offense/Defense                 178.6 / 7th; 95.0 / 4th                                     159.5 / 9th; 133.0 / 6th                  
Pass Offense/Defense                  271.8 / 7th; 277.0 / 13th                 276.0 / 6th; 298.0 / 16th
Total Offense/Defense                 450.4 / 6th; 372.0 / 7th                                   435.5 / 7th; 431.0 / 11th
 
 
What to Expect
- West Chester upset No. 6-ranked California on the road, 37-34, last Saturday while ESU fell late at Clarion, 31-27.

- East Stroudsburg is averaging 6.89 yards per play which is 3rd in the PSAC. The Warriors are averaging 9.36 yards per pass attempt (1,104 on 118) and 4.73 yards per rushing attempt (638 on 135). ESU ranks 7th in the PSAC and 42nd in DII with 435.5 yards per game.

- The Warriors are 2nd in Division II averaging 17.8 yards per catch and have 9 plays of 30+ yards, including 5 TD. 

-East Stroudsburg quarterback Soltes had 6 completions of 20+ yards with a long of 33 last week at Clarion.

- East Stroudsburg also offers a steady rushing attack with Williams (65.0 ypg, 5.9 avg) and Deery (63.3 ypg, 6.8 avg) who are 16th and 17th in the PSAC in rushing yardage. ESU's 4.7 yards per carry are tied for 5th-best in the PSAC.
- Fresh off its upset of No. 6 California (Pa.) on Saturday, West Chester cracked the Top 25 of D2Football.com's media poll this week coming in at No. 24.

- West Chester running back Rondell White rushed for 200 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns in last week's win. He has 663 yards rushing on the season, another 203 yards receiving, and six touchdowns. White ranks 11th in Division II with 176.8 all-purpose yards per game.

- West Chester quarterback Mike Mattei ranks sixth in the country in passing efficiency with a rating of 174.63, which is also second in the PSAC.


Series/Game Notes
- East Stroudsburg and West Chester have met 76 times, tied with Bloomsburg as the Warriors' most frequent opponent. They have met every year since 1946, with the 65 games in that span making it ESU's longest continuous series.
 


Gannon (0-2, 1-4) at Edinboro (1-1, 2-2)                                                   Gannon Preview / Edinboro Preview
October 6 – 2 p.m.
Edinboro, Pa
Sox Harrison Stadium (6,000)
 
Conference Ranks                                           Gannon                                                          Edinboro
 Scoring Offense/Defense            20.0 / 12th; 29.2 / 9th                                     23.5 / 11th; 24.3 / 4th
Rush Offense/Defense                44.4 / 16th; 227.2 / 15th                                  91.5 / 14th; 188.8 / 11th
Pass Offense/Defense                 276.2 / 5th; 141.4 / 2nd                                   285.0 / 4th; 209.8 / 6th
Total Offense/Defense                320.6 / 13th; 368.6 / 5th                                  376.5 / 12th; 398.5 / 9th
 
What to Expect
- Edinboro Quarterback Cody Harris completed a 20-yard pass to Marcus Johnson to break a 24-24 tie in overtime last week to propel the team to victory against LIU Post.

-  Last week Gannon was unable to hold off undefeated Bloomsburg while they remained strong throughout the game.

- Gannon brings the PSACs second best pass defense into the game while Edinboro brings the fourth best pass offense.

- Gannon’s defense has been a strong point throughout the season allowing an average of 368.6 yards per game.

- Gannon’s pass offense takes control and is led by quarterback Liam Nadler. Nadler has a total of 1380 passing yards on the season and 10 touchdowns.

- Gannon’s receiver Ocasio has accounted for 6 of Nadler’s touchdown passes and will be going up against one of PSACs tougher pass defenses in Edinboro (6th)

- Edinboro is also a largely a pass based team behind Cody Harris. Harris has over a thousand yards passing on the year to go along with 8 passing touchdowns.



Slippery Rock (1-1, 2-3) at IUP (1-1, 4-1)                                                   Slippery Rock Preview / IUP Preview
October 6– 2:00 p.m.
Indiana, Pa.
Miller Stadium (6,000)
 
Conference Ranks                           Slippery Rock                                               IUP
Scoring Offense/Defense            39.0 / 5th; 34.6 / 10th                      39.2 / 4th; 7.8 / 1st
Rush Offense/Defense                198.0 / 6th; 113.4 / 5th                    293.2 / 2nd; 40.4 / 1st
Pass Offense/Defense                 196.6 / 8th; 273.8 / 11th                  170.0 / 13th; 171.2 / 3rd
Total Offense/Defense               394.6 / 9th; 387.2 / 8th                     463.2 / 4th; 211.6 / 1st                     
 
What to Expect
-IUP's offensive attack is led by the nation's leading rusher, senior Harvie Tuck, who averages 152.4 rushing yards per game and has scored nine rushing touchdowns this fall.

-Redshirt senior quarterback Pat Smith has passed for 375 yards and four TDs, while redshirt junior quarterback Mike Box, who made his first start of the season last Saturday in a win over Millersville, has passed for 475 yards and two TDs. 

- IUP linebacker Carl Fleming is IUP's top tackler with 27 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss.

-Through the first five games of the season, The Rock features a balanced offensive attack with 990 rushing yards and 983 passing yards.

-Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jared Buck, a transfer from IUP, passed for 556 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions as SRU's starting quarterback in the first four games this fall. Buck sat out last week's game due to injury and is questionable for this week's game. Junior Nigel Barksdale stepped into the starting role last week and passed for 261 yards and three TDs without throwing an interception.

-Slippery Rock linebacker Gary Allen leads the way with 43 tackles, including three for loss and one quarterback sack. Allen ranks 15th on the PSAC total tackles chart.
 
 
Series/Game Notes
The Rock and IUP have battled to a 3-3 stalemate in their last six meetings after the Crimson Hawks won seven straight over the Green and White, starting with a 27-20 upset victory in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Division II playoffs and running through 2005.
 

California (2-0, 4-1) at Clarion (1-1, 3-2)                                              California PA Preview / Clarion Preview  
October 6– 2:00 p.m.
Clarion, Pa.
Memorial Stadium (5,000)
 
Conference Ranks                                    California                                                    Clarion
Scoring Offense/Defense            31.6 / 10th; 28.0 / 8th                                      17.8 / 13th; 20.4 / 3rd
Rush Offense/Defense                113.6 / 12th; 145.2 / 7th                                  202.6 / 4th; 147.8 / 8th
Pass Offense/Defense                 355.0 / 2nd; 265.8 / 9th                                   177.0 / 10th; 172.8 / 4th
Total Offense/Defense                468.6 / 3rd; 411.0 / 10th                                  379.6 / 11th; 320.6 / 3rd 
 
 What to Expect
 
-California quarterback Peter Lalich has completed 133 of 215 passes for 1,775 yards and 14 td's. He ranks No. 2 in passing yards in the PSAC and is No.5 in all of Division II.

-California running back Lamont Smith leads the team with 348 yards and two touchdowns on 80 carries.

-The California defense is allowing 409 yards and 28 points per game.

-Clarion quarterback Ben Fiscus, the PSAC-West Offensive Player of the Week, leads Clarion's offense. Fiscus has rushed for 450 yards and two touchdowns while completing 72 of 135 passes for 885 yards and seven touchdowns.

-Clarion running back Bobby Thomas leads the team with 113 rushes for 502 yards and three touchdowns (Ranks #6 in PSAC at 100.4) while also catching five passes for 47 yards.

-The Clarion defense is led by defensive end Julian Howsare. Howsware has 23 hits, seven tackles for a loss and six sacks this year, and was named PSAC-West Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Series/Game Notes
-The all-time series between the two schools has Cal leading 40-38-3 in games dating back to 1927. In the past 17 years Cal has a narrow 10-7 lead and has spawned some great games over the years. Last year Cal defeated Clarion 40-13 at Cal.