Monday, September 15, 2003

MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 1-1 (1-1 MAC)

SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS, 1-1 (1-0 MAC)

1:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 20, 2003
Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium (c. 3,500); Selinsgrove, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to win its second game of the 2003 season in a Middle Atlantic Conference in the squad's first road contest of the year. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium in Selinsgrove, PA.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) is in his 17th season at Moravian, with a career record of 101-64-1 (.612). He entered the season 45th in winning percentage among NCAA Division III active coaches. Dapp has earned Coach-of-the-Year honors from the MAC three times including Co-Coach of the Year in 1997 and has led the ’Hounds to two appearances in the NCAA playoffs and the ECAC Southeast Championship game in 2002.

Susquehanna coach Steve Briggs (Springfield ’84) is in his 14th season at the school with an overall mark of 85-49 (.634).

THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the 30th in the series with Moravian holding a 15-13-1 advantage. Moravian captured a 23-6 victory last fall in Selinsgrove. That victory was the 100th win in coach Scot Dapp's career.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Selinsgrove last fall, quarterback Charlie Bowden completed eight of 14 passes for 152 yards and a score and tailback David Darmofal (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights HS) ran for 80 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown to lead Moravian to its sixth straight victory, a 23-6 decision over Susquehanna University in MAC action. Moravian took a 7-0 lead with 12:04 left in the first quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Bill Carasia (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS). Freshman Nate Strohl (Coplay, PA/ Whitehall HS) added the extra-point. The Greyhounds scored again on a 32-yard field goal by Strohl with 10:52 remaining in the second quarter, giving Moravian a 10-0 lead. After forcing Susquehanna to turn the ball over on downs, Bowden capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to tailback Josh Fick. Strohl added the extra-point to give the Greyhounds a 17-0 lead with 3:52 to play in the second quarter. Susquehanna scored its only points of the game on a three-yard run with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter but defensive back Steve Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) blocked the extra-point attempt to set the score at 17-6. Moravian would score again with Darmofal diving in from two yards out with just 47 seconds left. The Greyhound defense, which allowed under seven points for the third straight game, was led by John Cupples and cornerback Jarrod Pence, who both had nine tackles. Junior linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) added eight tackles while cornerback Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS), senior defensive lineman Tom Blackledge and Andy Fick each had six tackles. Blackledge had three tackles for loss including one of Moravian’s four sacks.

LAST WEEK: Moravian lost its first game of the year, falling to Juniata , 21-14, in a MAC game. Juniata jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter with the second score coming after a Moravian turnover. Moravian would need just one play on its second drive of the half to score its first points of the game when senior quarterback Will Seng (Allentown, PA/William Allen HS) connected on a 47-yard scoring strike with senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS). Senior Josh Miller (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) added the kick to cut the Eagles lead to 14-7 with 12:36 left in the third quarter. The Greyhounds other touchdown came when Seng hit junior tight end Chad Opdyke (Bath, PA/Northampton HS) with an 18-yard scoring strike with 6:38 to play in the third stanza. Miller added the kick to get the score to 21-14. Seng completed 14 or 31 passes for 204 yards, and he was intercepted once. On the drive, freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven Regional HS) ran for 17 of his team high 95 yards. Jacoubs had 19 carries in the game. For Moravian, senior tailback David Darmofal had 32 yards on 13 carries, and he was the team’s leading receiver with four receptions for 32 yards. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley HS) added three catches for 25 yards and three carries for 12 yards while Opdyke had two receptions for 29 yards. Seng carried the ball nine times for 26 yards. The Moravian defense was led by junior defensive tackle Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS), who had nine tackles and half a sack. Senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo (Zionsville, PA/Emmaus HS) added six tackles and a half a sack while senior safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS) had six tackles and four pass break-ups including two possible interceptions that he was unable to control the ball on. Senior cornerback Nate Pogue also had six tackles and he added two pass break-ups and one and a half tackles for loss while junior linebacker Bill Carasia had six tackles and an interception.

SCOUTING SUSQUEHANNA: The Crusaders enter the game with an overall record of 1-1 after a 27-6 victory at Widener University last weekend. Senior quarterback Craig Ulrich leads the Susquehanna offense on the field. Ulrich has completed 28 of 55 pass attempts for 408 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Senior wide receiver Mark Bartosic leads the Crusaders with 13 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns while junior wideout Josh Kleha has five catches for 62 yards. Junior split end Duane Park has caught four passes for 31 yards. Junior running back Chris Ross leads Susquehanna on the ground with 144 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries. Ross also has four receptions for 41 yards. Junior fullback Jason Eck has added 86 yards and two scores on 26 carries. Junior kicker Chris Pride is five-for-six on extra-points this season and one-for-two on field goal attempts with a long of 21 yards. Senior Dennis Kodack is averaging 37.6 yards per punt on eight attempts. He has a long of 47 yards this season, and he has put five punts inside the 20-yard line. Bartosic is averaging 30.5 yards per kickoff return and 17.0 yards per punt return while Kleha has an average of 15.7 yards per punt return. The Crusaders defense has made four interceptions this season, two by sophomore free safety Ben Gibboney and one each by Kodack, who is also a linebacker for Susquehanna, and senior linebacker Mark Costello. Gibboney leads Susquehanna with 13 tackles, and he has added a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. Junior cornerback Kyle Sanders has added ten tackles, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and three pass break-ups. Senior defensive end Adam Summers leads the Crusaders with five tackles for loss and four sacks. Summers also has nine tackles and a forced fumble. Costello, sophomore defensive end Kyle Jury and senior strong safety Andrew Pratt have each made nine tackles this season. Jury has three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble while Costello has a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Pratt has a tackle for loss and a pass break-up while Kodack has made eight tackles, including one for loss.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 86 players on the Moravian roster, 33 are freshmen, 29 are sophomores and 13 are juniors. There are 11 seniors on this season’s squad, and the Greyhounds return 46 letterwinners and 11 starters.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: Beginning two seasons ago, the Middle Atlantic Conference became an 11-team conference instead of two separate leagues. Moravian was selected to finish seventh in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll this season while Susquehanna was picked to tie for fifth in the MAC poll. Lycoming College was selected as the top team in the MAC.

THE MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds are ranked third in the MAC in total defense, allowing 300.0 yards per game. The squad is sixth in passing defense at 1722.0 yards per game and the defense is fifth in rushing yards allowed at 128.0. The Greyhounds are second in points allowed at 14.5 per game but the squad is eighth in points scored per game at 15.0. Offensively, Moravian is third in the MAC at 365.5 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked second in rushing offense at 206.5 yards per game and seventh in passing offense at 159.0 yards per game. Moravian is fifth in turnover margin with a +0.5 per game average as the Greyhounds have committed four turnovers while forcing five turnovers. Individually, senior quarterback Will Seng is third in pass efficiency at 124.8, seventh in passing yards per game at 159.0, and ninth in total offense at 180.0 yards per game. Freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs is ninth in rushing yards per game at 65.5 yards a contest while senior tailback David Darmofal is tenth at 64.0 yards per game. Sophomore defensive back Tyler Chomik (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) is sixth in the MAC in punt return average at 10.0 yards per return, and he is averaging 27.5 yards per kickoff return, which is ranked fifth in the MAC. Chomik is also tied for fifth with three pass break-ups. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger is tenth in the MAC in punt return average at 6.4 yards per return. Senior wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) is tied for sixth in scoring at 6.0 points per game while senior Josh Miller is tied for fifth in kick scoring at 3.0 points per contest. Junior punter John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) is second in the MAC in punting average at 40.0 yards per punt. Senior safety John Panikiewsky leads the MAC with six pass break-ups while senior cornerback Nate Pogue is second with five pass break-ups. Pogue is also tied four fourth in interceptions with 1.0 per game.

THE QUARTERBACKS: Senior Will Seng has completed 24 of 48 pass attempts for 318 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Seng has been sacked four times this season, and he was run for 42 yards on 16 carries. Sophomore Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong HS) saw action in the season opener versus FDU-Florham but did not attempt a pass.

IN THE BACKFIELD: In the backfield, freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs leads the Greyhounds with 131 yards on 24 carries. Senior tailback David Darmofal has added 128 yards on 36 attempts. Darmofal went over 1,000 yards in his career versus FDU-Florham, and he now has 1,103 yards as a Greyhound. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich has 60 yards on 13 carries. Junior tailback Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) has added 26 yards on eight carries while senior fullback Ray Burgan (Egg Harbor, NJ/Oakcrest HS) had 15 yards on seven attempts.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Senior tailback David Darmofal leads Moravian in receptions with five catches for 48 yards. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger has caught four passes for 90 yards and a touchdown while senior wideout Jeff Lowry has four receptions for 81 yards and two scores. Junior tight end Chad Opdyke has grabbed two aerials for 29 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Russ Demko (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley HS) has two receptions for 17 yards while sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich has four receptions for 29 yards.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Greyhounds return two of their starting offensive linemen from a year ago with junior Andrew Leska (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) and sophomore Brenten Runne (Stanhope, NJ/Hopatcong HS) back this season. Sophomores Salvatore DeWalt (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS), Shaun MacDonald (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts HS) and Justin Runne (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township HS) have earned the other three staring positions to give the Greyhounds a line that averages six feet, one inch and 275 pounds.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Junior defensive end Shawn Nelson leads the Greyhounds up front defensively with 12 tackles, a tackle for loss and half a sack. Sophomore defensive end Bryan Kohlbecker (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South HS) has added eight tackles while junior nose tackle Kevin McLaughlin (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic HS) sophomore defensive end Robert Stockley (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South HS) each have five tackles. Stockley has added a sack and a pass break-up this season. Senior defensive end Justin Moyer (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) has made two stops.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo leads the Moravian defense with 13 tackles, a tackle for loss, half a sack and one pass break-up. Senior linebacker Steve Maslanek has 12 tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception. Sophomore linebacker Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) has added eight stops while sophomore backer Steve Cline has four tackles. Junior linebacker Bill Carasia has made eight tackles and an interception while sophomores Chad DiFelice (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) and Eric Williams (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland HS) have two and one tackles respectively.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Senior cornerback Nate Pogue has made seven tackles, two interceptions, two tackles for loss and three pass break-ups this season while sophomore Tyler Chomik added eight tackles and three pass break-ups. Senior free safety John Panikiewsky has added seven tackles, an interception and five pass break-ups. Junior Jim D’Agostino (Oakland, NJ/Ramsey HS) has seven tackles while sophomore Gerald Weiss (Gilbertsville, PA/St. Pius X HS) made three stops before leaving the FDU-Florham game with an injury. Junior Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has six tackles while freshman defensive back Israel Aguila (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) made four tackles in a reserve roll.

KICKING GAME: Junior punter John McLain is averaging 40.0 yards on nine attempts. Three of his punts have ended up as touchbacks and two others have been inside the 20-yard line. McLain had a long kick of 48 yards. Senior kicker Josh Miller made his first career field goal attempt, a 27-yard field goal, to open the scoring for the Greyhounds this season, and he is one-for-two on attempts this season. He added three extra-points on four tries in the game. Sophomore place-kicker Nate Strohl (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has missed both games with an injury.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Kevin Miltenberger returned seven punts for a total of 45 yards with a long return of 11 yards. Sophomore Tyler Chomik also has two punt return for 20 yards with a long of 15 yards. Freshman Chris Jacoubs returned one kickoff for 22 yards for the Greyhounds while freshman Chris Tomelden (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional HS) recovered an FDU-Florham on-side kick attempt with just over a minute and a half to play in the game, helping seal the Moravian victory. Chomik has added two kickoff returns for 55 yards while senior Ray Burgan has one kickoff return for 21 yards.

OVERTIME ‘HOUNDS: Moravian has played a total of seven overtime games since the NCAA instituted the rule for the 1996 season and is 5-2 all-time in the extra-session. Last year was the second time since 1996 that the Greyhounds did not play at least one overtime game.

WINNING WAYS: Moravian had 11 consecutive winning seasons—all under Coach Scot Dapp, from 1987 to 1997 and has had 13 winning seasons in Dapp’s 16 years. The 11-straight winning seasons is the longest in school history. Dapp ranks third among Greyhound coaches in winning percentage.

ON THE AIRWAVES: For the seventh straight year, the Greyhounds football game will be aired on WGPA, Sunny 1100 AM. Phil May calls the play-by-play call with color commentary from Jim Wills.