Monday, September 13, 2004

MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 1-0 (1-0 MAC)

SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS, 2-0 (1-0 MAC)

1:00 p.m.; Saturday, September 18, 2004
Steel Field (c. 2,500); Bethlehem, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to win its second straight game as it opens the 2004 home season in a Middle Atlantic Conference game versus Susquehanna University. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Steel Field.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) is in his 18th season at Moravian, with a career record of 104-70-1 (.597). He entered the season 50th 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 15th season at the school with an overall mark of 90-54 (.625).

THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the 31st in the series with Moravian holding a 15-14-1 advantage. The Crusaders won last year's meeting, 26-14 in Selinsgrove. Moravian captured a 23-6 victory also in Selinsgrove back in 2002 and that victory was the 100th win in coach Scot Dapp's career.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Selinsgrove last fall, Moravian dropped it second straight game, falling to Susquehanna University, 26-14, in Middle Atlantic Conference action. The Greyhounds allowed the first 26 points of the game while committing four turnovers. The Greyhounds broke up the shutout with 3:57 remaining in the fourth quarter when quarterback Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong HS) found wide receiver Shawn Martell (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) on a 42-yard scoring strike. Josh Miller connected on the extra-point to cut the Crusader lead to 26-7. The touchdown pass was the first in Venturino’s career and capped a 95-yard scoring drive. Martell was Moravian’s leading receiver in the game, catching three passes for 68 yards. Venturino would throw his second touchdown pass with just 12 seconds remaining in the game, finding wide receiver Josh Kline (Reading, PA/Exeter HS) for a four-yard score after avoiding a sack. Miller added the extra-point to set the final score at 26-14. Venturino was 11 for 24 in the game for 164 yards, two scores and an interception after coming in to replace starter Will Seng, who completed four of eight passes for 39 yards but was intercepted twice. Tailback Chris Jacoubs (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven HS) led the Moravian ground attack with 49 yards on nine carries while tailback David Darmofal added 29 yards on 15 attempts. Senior safety John Panikiewsky led the Greyhound defense with 12 tackles while linebacker Steve Maslanek and linebacker Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) each had six tackles with one for loss.

LAST WEEK: Sophomore tailback Chris Jacoubs ran for 139 yards and a touchdown, and he added one pass reception for 23 yards and a score to lead the Moravian College football team to a 34-0 victory at Juniata College in MAC action at Knox Stadium. The shutout was the first for the Greyhounds since a 27-0 shutout win at FDU-Florham on November 17, 2001. Moravian took a 2-0 lead with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter when Greyhound senior defensive lineman Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) sacked the Juniata quarterback in the end zone for a seven-yard loss and two points. Moravian extended its lead with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter on a four-yard scoring run by junior quarterback Jerry Venturino. Senior John McLain (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) added the extra-point for a 9-0 Greyhound lead. Venturino, who completed six of ten passes for 138 yards and two scores, hit sophomore wide receiver Ben Hawkins (Belmar, NJ/Manasquan HS) on a 76-yard touchdown pass. McLain made his first career field goal when he connected on a 26-yard field goal to give the Greyhounds a 19-0 lead. Jacoubs scored on a 62-yard touchdown run. On the Greyhounds first drive of the second half, which was set up by a 22-yard interception return by freshman linebacker Arturo Duran (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood HS), Venturino connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jacoubs. Venturino hit junior defensive end Steve Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) with a two point conversion to give the Greyhounds a 34-0 lead. Moravian’s defense ended the next Juniata drive on a one-handed interception by sophomore cornerback Israel Aguila (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) at the Moravian 49 yard line. Jacoubs 139-yard day led the Greyhounds, who gained 339 yards on 61 carries. Sophomore tailback Marc Panepinto (Perkiomenville, PA/Boyertown HS) added 60 yards on 13 carries while freshman running back Kyle Heffron (Stanhope, NJ/Hopatcong HS) ran for 43 yards on seven carries. The Greyhounds had a total of 477 yards on 73 plays and had a 39:33 to 20:27 advantage in time of possession and a 19-9 edge in time of possession. The Moravian defense held Juniata to just 124 yards on 44 plays including no yards rushing. Junior defensive back Tyler Chomik (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) and sophomore linebacker Cliff Garr (Easton, PA/Notre Dame HS) each have five tackles for the Moravian defense with Garr adding a tackle for loss. Nelson made three tackles with two for loss, a sack and two pass break-ups.

SCOUTING SUSQUEHANNA: The Crusaders enter the game with a record of 2-0 and a 1-0 slate in the MAC after a 35-13 victory versus Widener University last Saturday. Sophomore quarterback Dennis Robertson has completed 20 of 31 passes for 284 yards with three touchdowns and an interception this season. Senior wide receiver Josh Kleha has been the top target with 12 receptions for 186 yards and three scores. Senior wideout Duane Park has three catches for 68 yards while sophomore running back Anthony Edwards has three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. Edwards has also contributed 129 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries while senior running back Jason Eck leads the Crusaders with 162 yards and three scored on 28 carries. Senior running back Chris Ross has added 101 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. Junior Dwight Swaney is averaging 37.2 yards per punt and he is nine for 11 on extra-points and has made his only field goal attempt of 32 yards. Park has four punt returns for 28 yards while Kleha has two returns for 26 yards. Senior cornerback Kyle Sanders leads Susquehanna with two kickoff returns for 39 yards. Defensively for the Crusaders, sophomore defensive tackle Justin Van Fleet has 12 tackles with 4.5 for loss and two sacks. Junior safety Ben Gibboney has added 11 tackles with one for loss, two fumble recoveries and a pass break-up. Sophomore cornerback Rob McGarrigle has ten tackles with two pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Senior linebacker Larry Cannon and Charles Payne each have nine tackles on the season with Payne adding three for loss and a sack. Junior safety Colin Burger has the Crusaders only interception with a return of 29 yards.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 83 players on the Moravian roster, 25 are freshmen, 25 are sophomores and 21 are juniors. There are 12 seniors on this season’s squad, and the Greyhounds return 57 letterwinners and 16 starters.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: Beginning three 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 eighth in the MAC poll. Lycoming College was selected as the top team in the MAC just one point ahead of Wilkes University.

THE MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds are ranked first in the MAC in total defense, allowing 124.0 yards per game. The squad is second in passing defense at 124.0 yards per game and the defense is first in rushing yards allowed at 0.0. The Greyhounds are tied for first in points allowed at 0.0 per game but the squad is fifth in points scored per game at 34.0. Offensively, Moravian is second in the MAC at 477.0 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked first in rushing offense at 339.0 yards per game and tenth in passing offense at 138.0 yards per game. Moravian is tied for third in turnover margin with a +2.0 per game average as the Greyhounds have committed one turnovers while forcing three turnovers. The Greyhounds are also first in the MAC in net punting, 42.7 net yards per punt, opponent first downs, 9, third down conversions, nine of 18 at 50.0 percent, time of possession, 39:33, and kickoff coverage, allowing just 12.6 yards per return. Moravian is also tied for the conference lead in opponent fourth down conversions, 0.00, red zone defense, 0-0, field goals, one for one at 1.000, and extra-point percentage, three for three at 1,000. Individually, junior quarterback Jerry Venturino leads the MAC in pass efficiency with a 241.9 efficiency rating. Venturino is also tenth in passing yards per game at 138.0 while sophomore running back Chris Jacoubs is third in the MAC in rushing yards per game at 139.0, third in all-purpose yards at 162.0, and tied for third in scoring and touchdown scoring at 12.0 points per game. Sophomore running back Marc Panepinto is ninth in the MAC with an average of 60.0 rushing yards per game while sophomore wide receiver Ben Hawkins is tied for sixth in receiving yards per game at 76.0 and tied for seventh in all-purpose yards at 109.0. Senior kicker John McLain is tied for first in field goals per game at 1.00 and extra-point percentage at 100.0 going three-for-three. McLain is also tied for second in kick scoring with an average of 6.0 points per contest. Junior defensive back Tyler Chomik is eighth in kickoff returns with an average of 25.0 yards and tenth in punt returns with an average of 5.7 yards per return. Freshman Arturo Duran and sophomore Israel Aguila are tied for third in interceptions per game at 1.0.

THE QUARTERBACKS: Junior Jerry Venturino has completed six of ten passes for 138 yards this season with two touchdowns. Venturino has been sacked once and scored a touchdown on five carries. Senior quarterback Rick Muschlitz (Easton, PA/Notre Dame HS) has attempted two passes with one interception while gaining five yards on two carries. Freshman signal caller Sean Hill (West Reading, PA/Wyomissing HS) did not attempt a pass and he carried the ball once for no gain in the season opener at Juniata College.

IN THE BACKFIELD: In the backfield, sophomore tailback Chris Jacoubs leads the Greyhounds with 139 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Sophomore tailback Marc Panepinto has added 60 yards on 13 carries while freshman running back Kyle Heffron has run for 43 yards on seven carries. Senior tailback Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) has added 34 yards on eight carries while junior fullback Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley HS) has 18 yards on three carries. Sophomore running back Joe Costanzo (Barnstead, NH/Bow HS & Tilton School) also has 11 yards on four carries while sophomore wide receiver Ben Hawkins has contributed 33 yards on two carries.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds has five different players catch passes this season led by freshman tight end Kris Bisci (Easton, PA/Easton HS), who has two receptions for 22 yards. Sophomore wideout Ben Hawkins has one catch for 76 yards and a score while sophomore tailback Chris Jacoubs grabbed one aerial for 23 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Jed Warsager (Andover, NJ/Newton HS) has one catch for 15 yards while sophomore wide receiver Shawn Martell has a catch for two yards.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Greyhounds return three of their starting offensive linemen from a year ago with juniors Brenten Runne (Stanhope, NJ/Hopatcong HS) and Salvatore DeWalt (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) and sophomore Michael Abruzzo (Newton, NJ/Kittatinny Regional HS) back this season. The trio is over six feet tall and average 280 pounds to give coach Dapp and the rest of his offensive staff a strong trio to build the rest of the line around. Junior Scott Burke (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel HS) and sophomore Andrew Remsing (Bath, PA/Northampton HS) each saw limited action on the offensive front last fall.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Senior defensive end Shawn Nelson leads the Moravian defensive front with three tackles including two for loss, a sack which ended up as a safety for the Greyhounds and two pass break-ups. Senior defensive end Steve Cline has two tackles and caught a two-point conversion pass while junior Mike Hurden (Spring Lake, NJ/Wall HS) had two tackles with one for loss. Sophomore defensive end Matt Lieberwirth (Chester, NJ/Mendham HS) added a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and a pass break-up.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Sophomore Cliff Garr leads the Moravian linebackers with five tackles including one for loss while senior John Murgitroyde (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan HS) and freshman Mike Prata (Little Ferry, NJ/Paramas Catholic HS) each had two stops. Murgitroyde also had a half sack for the Greyhounds. Junior Chad DeFelice (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) has added two pass break-ups.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Junior cornerback Tyler Chomik leads the Greyhound defensive backs with five tackles while senior safety Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has added three stops. Freshman defensive back Tom Carroll (Blackwood, NJ/Paul VI HS) has made three tackles and senior defensive back Mario Bevilaqua (Scranton, PA/West Scranton HS) has two tackles.

KICKING GAME: Senior John McLain is three-for three on extra-point attempts and has made his only field goal attempt of 26 yards. McLain also has one punt for 46 yards that landed inside the 20-yard line. Junior punter Corey Czerniak (Randolph, NJ/Randolph HS) has averaged 39.5 yards on two punts with a long of 43 yards and one inside the 20 yard line. Sophomore Michael Liccketto (Barrington, NJ/Haddon Heights HS) is kicking off for the Greyhounds.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior Tyler Chomik has three punt return for 17 yards with a long of 14 yards and two kickoff returns for 50 yards with a long of 28 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 third 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 17 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 eighth straight year, the Greyhounds football game will be on the radio. However, this fall Moravian's games will be aired on WKAP Oldies 1470 AM. Phil May calls the play-by-play call with color commentary from James Vaughn and technical assistance from John Elliott.

STARTERS PLAYER OF THE GAME: As part of Moravian's new radio contract with Oldies 1470 WKAP, the announcers will select the Starters Player of the Game for Moravian during the St. Luke's Hospital Post-Game Show. Last week, sophomore wide receiver Ben Hawkins was selected as the Starters Player of the Game for his performance. Hawkins had one catch for a 76-yard touchdown and two carries for 33 yards. Starters Restaurant, a sponsor of Moravian College Athletics, is located on Route 378 South of Bethlehem.

ON TELEVISION: Service Electric Cable TV-2 will be broadcasting the game this week with play-by-play from Mike Zambelli and color commentary from Jim Wills.