MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 1-1 (1-1 MAC)
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JUNIATA COLLEGE EAGLES, 0-3 (0-2 MAC)

1:30 p.m.; Saturday, September 23, 2006
Knox Stadium (c. 3,000); Huntingdon, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to bounce back from its first loss of the 2006 season in a Middle Atlantic Conference game at Juniata College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Knox Stadium in Huntingdon, PA.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) enters his 20th season at Moravian, with a career record of 118-79-1 (.598). He entered the season in the top 50th in winning percentage among NCAA Division III active coaches. Dapp, who served as the president of the American Football Coaches Association in 2005, 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, the ECAC Southeast Bowl game in 2002, the ECAC Southwest Bowl game in 2004 & 2005, winning the title in 2005.
     Juniata coach Darrell Alt (Frostburg State ’96) is in his third season at the school with an overall mark of 1-22.

THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the 52nd in the series with Juniata owning a 25-24-2 lead. The Greyhounds won last season’s contest, 49-14 in Bethlehem. Moravian shutout out Juniata, 34-0, to begin the 2004 season in its last trip to Huntingdon, and Moravian has owned the series recently with a 10-5-1 record in the last 16 games. The series has had a history of close games with a streak of five straight years in which the game ended in a regulation tie from 1995 until 1999. Four of those games went to overtime and three won by Moravian.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Bethlehem last fall, Moravian jumped to a 28-0 first quarter lead using big in the passing game, the rushing game, defense and special teams and carried the momentum throughout the game to post a 49-14 victory over visiting Juniata College in MAC action at Rocco Calvo Field. Moravian had two touchdown runs, one scoring pass, an interception return for a touchdown and a kick return all for more than 40 yards to put points on the board quickly. Running back Chris Jacoubs finished with 164 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns for the Greyhounds, setting a school record with 14.9 yards per carry, and quarterback Jerry Venturino was five for nine for 143 yards and three scores, a career high. The Greyhounds wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Juniata fumbled on its third play from scrimmage, turning the ball over deep in its own territory. Three plays later, Venturino found junior tight end Kris Bisci (Easton, PA/Easton HS) in the end zone for the game’s first touchdown. Sophomore kicker Brian Reckenbeil (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) added the point after to put Moravian in front 7-0 with 12:54 to play in the first quarter. The Greyhounds added to their lead on Juniata’s next series as cornerback Tyler Chomik picked off a pass and returned it 42-yards for a touchdown. Another successful point by Reckenbeil after made the score 14-0 in favor of the Greyhounds with 11:25 still left on the first quarter clock. The first quarter troubles continued for the Eagles as Moravian took possession and marched downfield for its third score. A long third-down pass from Venturino to Bisci for 27 yards moved the ball into the Juniata half of the field. Then on a fourth-and-four play, Venturino found senior wide receiver Shawn Martell (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) down the left sideline for a 31-yard scoring hookup. The point by Reckenbeil after put Moravian on top 21-0 with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter. The Eagles got its first sustained drive on the ensuing possession, but Juniata was unable to come away with points as a 38-yard field goal attempt missed wide right. Moravian was not done its first-quarter scoring as two plays after the miss. Jacoubs broke free for a 69-yard scoring rush with just 23 seconds remaining in the quarter. Reckenbeil nailed his fourth point-after of the period to push the lead to 28-0 in favor of the Greyhounds. After being forced to punt on their first possession of the second quarter, the Greyhounds faced a third-and-ten. On the play, wide receiver Ben Hawkins caught a jump ball downfield from Venturino and continued to the end zone to complete a 66-yard scoring pass. The point after by Reckenbeil with 6:43 remaining in the half made the score 35-0 Moravian. On the play, Venturino became the sixth quarterback in Moravian history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a career while Hawkins moved into ninth all-time with 1,321 receiving yards. The two teams exchanged defensive stops and punts the rest of the quarter, and the Greyhounds went into halftime leading 35-0. The big plays continued for the Moravian offense in the second half as Jacoubs took the first carry off the half and broke it 65 yards for his second touchdown of the game. The touchdown tied Jacoubs with Jim Joseph for the Moravian records in career touchdowns and career points with 32 touchdowns and 192 points. The scoring run was also Jacoubs’ fourth career touchdown run of more than 65 yards. The point after by Reckenbeil put the Greyhounds in front 42-0 with 14:49 to play in the third quarter. Juniata’s offense followed the score by putting together its first scoring drive of the game to make the score 42-7. The ensuing kick-off return proved to be another big play for Moravian as Chomik broke a 74-yard return to the Juniata three yard line. Junior running back Marc Panepinto followed with a two-yard scoring run two plays later to push the lead to 48-7 with the successful kick by Reckenbeil making it 49-7 for the home squad. The seventh extra-point of the game by Reckenbeil broke the previous Moravian record of six set by Chad Kurtz in 1993 and tied by Josh Miller in 2003. Juniata would score the final points of the game with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Moravian’s offense was on the field for just 21:48 in the game but gained 385 yards on just 43 plays, an average of 9.0 yards per play. The Greyhounds were limited to just 12 first downs while the Eagles had 19 first downs. Both teams ran for 242 yards in the contest, however, the Greyhounds needed just 34 attempts while Juniata had 61 rushing attempts. Linebacker Mike Prata led the Moravian defense with nine tackles. Linebacker Chad DiFelice and sophomore linebacker Andrew Morrissey (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus HS) each had seven tackles with DiFelice adding a sack and a pass break-up and Morrissey contributing a forced fumble.

LAST WEEK: The King’s College football team posted a 28-23 victory over Moravian College in Middle Atlantic Conference action at Rocco Calvo Field. Moravian opened the scoring on its first drive of the game as the Greyhounds took the opening kickoff and drove to the King’s 25-yard line where sophomore kicker Brian Reckenbeil connected on a career-long 42-yard field goal, giving the Greyhounds a 3-0 lead with 11:12 remaining in the first quarter. On the third play of King’s of the game, Moravian sophomore linebacker Kevin McGorry (Whitehall, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS), making his first career start, intercepted a pass at the King’s 39-yard line and returned it to the 14-yard line. The Greyhounds would pickup one first down but were held out of the end zone. Reckenbeil would hit a 19-yard field goal attempt with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter to give the Greyhounds a 6-0 lead. Each team would move the ball on their next possession but each series would end in a punt. The Monarchs took over on their own 25-yard line just before the first quarter ended and would drive 75 yards in 15 plays to take a 7-6 lead with 9:25 left in the first half. In addition to the third-and-ten play for the touchdown, the Monarchs converted on a third-and-nine and a fourth-and-12 on the drive. The Greyhounds would take the lead right back, driving 74 yards in just five plays. Junior quarterback Brad Swartz (Temple, PA/Muhlenberg HS) connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back Tyler McCambridge (Northampton, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) for the score and Reckenbeil’s kick gave Moravian a 13-7 lead with 6:53 remaining in the second quarter. During the drive, the Greyhounds faced a third-and-16 when Swartz found sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hersch (Macungie, PA/Emmaus HS) for a 45-yard reception. Each team would punt on its next series before King’s took over on its own 12-yard line with 3:40 remaining in the half. The Monarchs would cover the 88 yards to the end zone in 12 plays to send the Monarchs to the locker room with a 14-13 lead. King’s again converted two long third downs on the drive, one of seven yards and one of ten yards. To start the second half, each team had its first drive ended by an interception. Moravian sophomore defensive back Carl Robinson (Boothwyn, PA/Garnet Valley HS) intercepted a pass near midfield to give the Greyhounds possession while King’s would intercept a Swartz pass to give the Monarchs back the ball near midfield. On the second play of King’s drive, the Monarchs scored again to boost the lead to 21-13 with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter. Moravian would take possession on its own 18-yard line after the kickoff and drove into the red zone again. For the second time in the game, King’s defense forced the Greyhounds drive to stall at the eight-yard line and to settle for a field goal. Reckenbeil connected on a 25-yard try to cut King’s lead to 21-16 with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter. The three field goals was a career high for Reckenbeil and raised his career total to 13 in just 11 games as Moravian’s kicker. The Greyhound defense would force King’s into a three-and-out on the ensuing drive; however, Moravian freshman Ryan Rempe (Dickson City, PA/Mid-Valley HS) fumbled the punt return when he was hit at the Moravian 47-yard line and King’s recovered it. The Monarchs would drive the 47 yards to the end zone in ten plays for a 28-16 lead with 13:51 remaining in the game. King’s converted on a third-and-ten and a third-and-eight on the drive. On the ensuing kickoff, Hersch fielded the kick at the Moravian eight-yard line and found a seam up the middle, returning the ball 92 yards for a touchdown. Reckenbeil made the extra-point to pull the Greyhounds within 28-23 with 13:35 remaining in the game. The kickoff return was Moravian’s second of the season over 70 yards and third 90-plus yard return for a touchdown since the 2002 season. Each team would punt on its next possession, and then both the Monarchs and Greyhounds turned the ball over on downs on their final possessions of the game. King’s would kneel down three times to run out the clock. For the Greyhounds, Swartz completed five of 11 passes for 120 yards, an interception and a touchdown while sophomore Marc Braxmeier (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) completed six of 13 passes for 94 yards in his first collegiate action. Hersch caught three passes for 74 yards while senior wide receiver Shawn Martell had three receptions for 65 yards. Junior tight end Kris Bisci (Easton, PA/Easton HS) caught two passes for 21 yards. Sophomore running back Tyler de Rouen (West Milford, NJ/West Milford HS) led the Greyhound rushing attack with 26 yards on ten carries. McGrorry led the Moravian defense with 17 tackles, tied for the sixth highest single-game total in school history, with a forced fumble and an interception. Senior linebacker Cliff Garr (Easton, PA/Notre Dame HS) added 12 tackles while freshman cornerback Brad Bodine (Mt. Bethel, PA/Bangor HS) had eight tackles, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble in hit first collegiate start. Junior defensive back Zach Santiago (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) added seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass break-up.

SCOUTING JUNIATA: The Eagles enter the game with an 0-3 record and an 0-2 slate in MAC action. Sophomore quarterback Jay Leonard has completed 40 of 96 passes for 498 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions. Leonard has been sacked five times. His top targets have been senior tight end Jason Koch, who has ten catches for 111 yards, junior wide receiver Lance Tippett, who has six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown and junior wide receiver David Nicklaus, who has six receptions for 91 yards and a score. Freshman wide receiver Matthew Dunker also has six catches for 70 yards while junior wide receiver Chad Steiner has six catches for 56 yards. On the ground, senior Duane Ehredt, Jr. leads the Eagles with 408 yards and two touchdowns on 87 carries. Nicklaus has also connected on a 26 yard field goal while sophomore Colt Thomas is two-for-two on extra points. Junior punter Tyler Templeton is averaging 32.9 yards per punt with a long of 47 yards on 18 punts, and he has had two fair caught and five inside the 20-yard line. Nicklaus is averaging 19.0 yards on six kick off returns while senior Kiel Knisely has an average of 15.0 yards on six returns. Junior Dom Wytovich is averaging 6.4 yards per punt return with five attempts. Sophomore linebacker Nick Reiter leads the Juniata defense with 26 tackles while freshman strong safety Brandon Spayd has 23 tackles and two pass break-ups. Freshman strong safety Tyler Hall has added 19 tackles with two interceptions while sophomore linebacker Josh Roy has 19 tackles with one for loss and one forced fumble.

MAC WEEKLY HONORS: Sophomore linebacker Kevin McGorry of Moravian was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week while sophomore wide receiver/kick returner Tyler Hersch earned Special Teams Player of the Week accolades for their performances in Moravian’s 28-23 loss to King’s College last Saturday. McGorry led the Moravian defense with 17 tackles, including four solo stops, a half tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception with a 25-yard return to stop King’s first drive of the game in his first collegiate start at middle linebacker for the Greyhounds. McGorry’s 17 tackles are tied for the sixth most in a single game in school history. Hersch returned four kickoffs for 151 yards including a 92-yard return for a touchdown to finish off the scoring in the fourth quarter. It is the second straight week Moravian has had a kickoff return of at least 70 yards and the third 90-plus yard kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2002 season. Hersch also caught three passes for 74 yards including a 45-yard reception on Moravian’s first touchdown drive that put the Greyhounds ahead 13-7 in the second quarter.

BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 81 players on the Moravian roster, 17 are freshmen, 35 are sophomores and 18 are juniors. There are 11 seniors on this season’s squad, and the Greyhounds return 57 letterwinners and nine starters.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE: Beginning five seasons ago, the Middle Atlantic Conference became an 11-team conference instead of two separate leagues. Moravian was selected to finish sixth in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll this season while Juniata College was picked 11th. Wilkes University was selected to win the MAC.

THE MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds are ninth in the MAC in total defense, allowing 330.0 yards per game. The squad is eighth in passing defense at 169.5 yards per game, and the defense is eighth in rushing yards allowed at 160.5. The Greyhounds ninth in points allowed at 22.5 per game, and the squad is first in points scored per game at 23.5. Offensively, Moravian is seventh in the MAC at 261.0 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked tenth in rushing offense at 82.0 yards per game and tied for third in passing offense at 179.0 yards per game. Moravian is tied for second in turnover margin with a +1.00 per game average as the Greyhounds have committed three turnovers while forcing five turnovers. The Greyhounds are also first in the MAC in kickoff returns with an average of 27.2 yards per return. Individually, sophomore running back Tyler de Rouen is sixth in the MAC in rushing with an average of 74.5 yards per game, and he is tied for third in scoring at 6.0 points per game and tied for first in touchdown scoring at 6.0 points per game. Junior quarterback Brad Swartz is ranked fifth in passing yards per game at 132.0, and he is seventh in total offense at 126.0 yards per contest and third in pass efficiency with a 115.6 quarterback rating. Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hersch leads the MAC in kickoff return average at 37.8 yards a run back, and Hersch is second in the MAC in all-purpose yardage at 127.0 per game. Junior tight end Kris Bisci and senior wide receiver Shawn Martell are tied for eighth in receptions per game at 3.00. Martell is sixth in receiving yards per game at 53.0 while Hersch is seventh at 52.0 yards per contest. Sophomore Brian Reckenbeil is second in kick scoring at 7.5 points per game, and he is tied for first in field goals at 2.0 per contest, second in field goal percentage at 80.0 percent (four for five) and fourth in extra-point percentage at 75.0 (three for four). Sophomore punter Michael Voskian (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan HS) is fourth in the MAC in punting at 36.4 yards per punt Senior linebacker Cliff Garr is tied for first in the MAC with 1.0 fumbles forced per game while junior linebacker Dan Edleman is tied for the lead the MAC with 1.0 fumble recoveries per game. Freshman defensive back Brad Bodine, sophomore linebacker Kevin McGorry and senior defensive end Nick Feo (Hampton, NJ/Voorhees HS) are all tied for fifth in forced fumbles at 0.50 per contest. Senior cornerback Israel Aguila (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) and junior safety Zach Santiago are both tied for sixth in the MAC with 1.50 passes defended per contest. Garr is second in the MAC in tackles at 9.5 per game while McGorry is sixth at 8.5. Bodine and Edleman are tied for 19th at 6.5 tackles per contest while Santiago is tied for 23rd at 6.0 tackles per game. Sophomore defensive lineman Don Maxwell (Berkeley Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston HS) and sophomore defensive back Carl Robinson (Boothwyn, PA/Garnet Valley HS) are tied for 31st at 5.0 tackles per game.

THE QUARTERBACKS: Junior Brad Swartz has completed 17 of 35 passes for 264 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 115.65 pass efficiency rating. Swartz has been sacked six times this season but dies have a one-yard touchdown run and a long run of 15 yards. Sophomore Marc Braxmeier saw his first collegiate action last week against King’s College and completed six of 13 passes for 94 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns for a 106.89 pass efficiency rating. Braxmeier, who has been sacked once, has added two yards on three carries.

IN THE BACKFIELD: In the backfield, sophomore tailback Tyler de Rouen has 149 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries while senior Marc Panepinto (Perkiomenville, PA/Boyertown HS), who is out for the season with an injury, has added 12 yards on three rushing attempts. Sophomore running back Tyler McCambridge (Northampton, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) has eight yards on two carries while senior fullback Joe Costanzo (Barnstead, NH/Bow HS & Tilton School) and sophomore full back Morgan de Rouen (West Milford, NJ/West Milford HS) each have four yards on two carries.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Junior tight end Kris Bisci has six catches for 72 yards while senior wide receiver Shawn Martell has also caught six passes for 106 yards. Martell has now caught 65 passes (15th in school history) for 1,151 yards (13th) in his career. Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hersch has five receptions for 104 yards while sophomore running back Tyler de Rouen has three catches for 17 yards. Junior wide receiver Sean Hill (West Reading, PA/Wyomissing HS), who was converted to the position from quarterback during the week leading up to the Susquehanna game, has one reception for eight yards while sophomore running back Tyler McCambridge has a catch for 33 yards. Sophomore fullback Morgan de Rouen has one catch for 18 yards this season.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Leading the way for the backfield will be a solid offensive line that returns two starters from last season with senior Andrew Remsing (Bath, PA/Northampton HS) and sophomore Timothy McBride (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township HS) returning. Junior Dave Kircher (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan HS), who began 2005 as a starter for Moravian before an injury in the fourth game of the year sidelined him for the remainder of the season, also gives experience to the Moravian line. Sophomore Wes Harpel (East Greenville, PA/Upper Perkiomen HS) and junior transfer Jeff Kocsis (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) have earned the other two starting positions. Kocsis was a two-year starter for NCAA Division II East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and earned on a spot on the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Second Team last fall for the Warriors. Junior Eric Adams (Dover, NJ/Dover HS) and sophomore Blair Maginnis (Asbury, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) will also see action.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Sophomore defensive end Don Maxwell leads the Moravian defensive front with ten tackles this season including one for loss. Senior defensive end Nick Feo has added seven tackles and forced a fumble while senior lineman Alex Smith-Constantine (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus HS) has six tackles with one and a half for loss. Senior defensive tackle Michael Liccketto (Barrington, NJ/Haddon Heights HS) has three tackles. Sophomore defensive tackles Robert Kadel (Blairstown, NJ/North Warren HS) and Mike Nagle (Marlton, NJ/Bishop Eustace HS) have each added two tackles while sophomore Michael Ientile (Manchester, NJ/Manchester Township HS) has one tackle and recovered a fumble.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Senior Cliff Garr leads the linebackers and the team with 19 tackles with one for loss, and he has forced two fumbles. Sophomore linebacker Kevin McGorry has contributed 17 tackles with one for loss, a forced fumble and an interception with a 25-yard return while junior linebacker Dan Edleman has 13 tackles with two for loss, a pass break-up and two fumble recoveries. Sophomore linebacker Andrew Morrissey has nine tackles and two forced fumbles.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: In the defensive backfield, freshman cornerback Brad Bodine has 13 tackles with one sack, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble while junior free safety Zach Santiago has added 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, a half a sack and three pass break-ups. Sophomore strong safety Carl Robinson has contributed ten tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, an interception and one pass break-up while senior cornerback Israel Aguila has five tackles and three passes defended. Sophomore cornerback Ryan Andrew (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery HS) added two tackles.

KICKING GAME: Sophomore Brian Reckenbeil is four-for-five on field goal attempts this season with a career long of 42 yards versus King’s College, and he is three-of-four on extra-points with his miss being blocked by Susquehanna University. Reckenbeil, who is third in Moravian history with 14 field goals, tied school records with 11 points and three field goals in Moravian’s loss to King’s. Reckenbeil already has 70 points, fourth all-time, in just ten and a half games as Moravian’s kicker. Sophomore punter Michael Voskian is averaging 36.4 yards per punt on seven kicks with three fair caught and two inside the 20-yard line. Voskian’s longest punt of the season is 40 yards at Susquehanna and versus King’s.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore wide receiver Tyler Hersch is averaging 37.8 yards per kickoff return on four returns with a 92-yard touchdown versus King’s College. The return was Moravian’s third for a touchdown of more than 90 yards since 2002. Senior Marc Panepinto averaged 42.5 yards per kickoff return after a 72-yard run back on his second return in the season opener before being knocked out for the season with an injury. Freshman quarterback Ryan Rempe has returned five punts for an average of 8.2 yards and a long return of 14 yards while sophomore wide receiver Robert Shaffer (Pottsville, PA/Pottsville HS) has made two special teams tackles.

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 fifth 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 15 winning seasons in Dapp’s 19 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 10th straight year, the Greyhounds' games will be on the radio. Moravian's games will be aired on WYHM 1470 AM for the third straight year. Phil May calls the play-by-play call with color commentary and technical assistance from John Elliott. Saturday's game will feature Craig Barnes calling the play-by-play. The games can also be heard through streaming audio at http://www.1470wyhm.com/pages/wyhmstreaming.html.

STARTERS PLAYER OF THE GAME: As part of Moravian's radio contract with 1470 WYHM, the announcers will select the Starters Player of the Game for Moravian during the St. Luke's Hospital Post-Game Show. Last week, sophomore linebacker Kevin McGorry and sophomore wide receiver/kick returner Tyler Hersch were named co-Starters Players of the Game in Moravian’s 28-23 loss to King’s College. McGorry led the Moravian defense with 17 tackles, including four solo stops, a half tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception with a 25-yard return. Hersch returned four kickoffs for 151 yards including a 92-yard return for a touchdown. Hersch also caught three passes for 74 yards including a 45-yard reception on Moravian’s first touchdown drive that put the Greyhounds ahead 13-7 in the second quarter. Starters Riverport and Starters Pub, sponsors of Moravian College Athletics, are located on 2nd Street and Route 378 South of Bethlehem.