Monday, November 3, 2003

MORAVIAN COLLEGE GREYHOUNDS, 3-5 (3-5 MAC)

ALBRIGHT COLLEGE LIONS, 5-3 (4-3 MAC)

1:30 p.m.; Saturday, November 8, 2003
Shirk Stadium (c. 7,000); Reading, PA

THE GAME: Moravian looks to snap a two-game losing streak in its final Middle Atlantic Conference game of the 2003 season at Albright College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Shirk Stadium in Reading, Pennsylvania.

THE COACHES: Scot Dapp (West Chester ’73) is in his 17th season at Moravian, with a career record of 103-67-1 (.606). 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.

Albright coach E.J. Sandusky (Penn State ’92) is in his seventh season at the school with an overall mark of 32-36 (.483).

THE SERIES: Saturday’s meeting will be the 59th in the series with Albright holding a 32-25-1 advantage. Moravian won last year's contest, 28-7 while the Lions won, 30-21, in last time the two schools played in Reading.

LAST TIME THEY MET: In Bethlehem last fall, Moravian had its defense score a pair of touchdowns as the Greyhounds earned a 28-7 Homecoming victory over Albright in MAC action. The Greyhounds jumped on the scoreboard before the offense even took the field as cornerback Jarrod Pence picked up a fumble and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Nate Strohl added the first of four extra-points to give Moravian a 7-0 with 12:25 to play in the first quarter. On the play, Moravian linebacker John Cupples forced the fumble. Quarterback Charlie Bowden capped a 12-play, 50-yard second quarter drive with a one-yard touchdown run. On the drive, Bowden picked up a pair of long third down conversions on with a ten-yard pass and a 21-yard scamper. Tailback Josh Fick led the Moravian rushing attack, which gained 149 yards on 52 carries, with 50 yards on 18 carries. Late in the second quarter, Bowden completed an 18-yard pass to wideout Jarod Rhinehart, the 100th of Rhinehart’s career. Bowden completed eight of 21 pass attempts for 107 yards and he rushed for 16 yards on nine carries while Rhinehart caught three balls for 50 yards. Four plays into the following drive, Moravian cornerback Nate Pogue (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown to give the Greyhounds a 21-0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first half. The Greyhounds fumbled on the first play of the third quarter and Albright would score its only points two plays later to cut Moravian’s lead to 21-7. Moravian forced seven turnovers including a pair of interceptions by safety John Panikiewsky (Carteret, NJ/Carteret HS). The Greyhounds capitalized on Albright’s sixth turnover with Bowden rushing for his second score on a one-yard dive. Cupples led the Moravian defense with 11 tackles in the game while Pogue had five tackles. Senior defensive tackle Tom Blackledge and defensive end Shawn Nelson (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) each had two sacks in the game. Blackledge finished with eight stops while Nelson had five tackles.

LAST WEEK: Moravian jumped out to an early lead but couldn’t hold on as the Greyhounds dropped a MAC game to Widener University, 22-12. Moravian took a 3-0 lead when senior kicker Josh Miller (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) connected on a 27-yard field goal to cap a 15-play, 70-yard drive that took the first 6:34 of the game. Widener responded right away with a touchdown on a ten-play, 72-yard drive. Moravian junior linebacker Bill Carasia (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson Fair Haven HS) nearly intercepted the scoring pass in the end zone. Greyhound freshman wide receiver Josh Kline (Reading, PA/Exeter HS) blocked the extra-point attempt, limiting Widener to a 6-3 lead. The Greyhounds tied the game on a 19-yard field goal by Miller to cap a nine-play, 70-yard drive. Sophomore quarterback Jerry Venturino (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong HS) was 9-for-16 in the contest for 103 yards and an interception before being knocked out in the third quarter with an injury. Freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs (Fair-Haven, NJ/Rumson Fair Haven HS) finished the game with 81 yards on 27 carries. Widener took the lead for good with late in the third quarter when the snap on a Greyhound fourth-and-ten play from their own 20-yard line sailed over junior punter John McLain’s (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere HS) head and out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Pioneers and 8-6 lead. Sophomore defensive end Bryan Kohlbecker (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South HS) forced a fumble and sophomore defensive back Gerald Weiss (Gilbertsville, PA/St. Pius X HS) grabbed the ball at the 42-yard line and raced to the end zone for Moravian’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Senior wide receiver Jeff Lowry (Catawissa, PA/Southern Columbia HS) caught a career high nine passes for 104 yards. Senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo (Zionsville, PA/Emmaus HS) led the Moravian defense with eight tackles while Weiss, Carasia, senior cornerback Nate Pogue, senior safety John Panikiewsky and sophomore linebacker Richie Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) each made six tackles.

SCOUTING ALBRIGHT: The Lions enter the game with an overall record of 5-3 with a 4-3 slate in the MAC. Junior quarterback John Port leads the Albright offense, having completed 183 of 293 passes for 2,715 yards with 20 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. His top targets have been junior wide receiver Nick Cushman, who has 61 catches for 878 yards and six touchdowns, senior wideout Jesse Dorais, who was 37 receptions for 739 yards and nine scores, junior wide receiver Steve Mocey, who has caught 33 passes for 435 yards and four scored and junior tight end Justin Holland, who as 24 receptions for 318 yards. Junior running back Adam Hubley leads the Lion rushing attack with 728 yards and nine touchdowns on 206 carries while freshman running back Darnell Hayes has 286 yards and two scores on 37 carries. Cushman returns punts for Albright with an average of 10.3 yards per return on 21 attempts while sophomore Byron Haupt returns kickoffs with an average of 19.3 yards on 23 returns. Senior Bert Wenzel is averaging 38.4 yards per punt on 42 kicks with 12 inside the 20-yard line and seven fair caught. Sophomore Dustin Kaplan is 33 of 36 on extra-points and one of three on field goals with a long of 25 yards while sophomore Tom Fitzpatrick is three of four on field goals with a long of 37 yards. Senior cornerback Jack Byers leads the Albright defense with five interceptions. Byers has added 37 tackles and 11 pass break-ups. Junior linebacker Brian Alboucq leads the Lion defense with 50 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Sophomore linebacker Pete Manotti has added 46 tackles with two and a half sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Freshman defensive back Muhammed Siddiqu also has 46 tackles to go along with an interception. Sophomore cornerback Kevin Bliss has made 38 tackles, three interceptions, 16 pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries.

YOUNG, BALANCED & EXPERIENCED ‘HOUNDS: Of the 81 players on the Moravian roster, 30 are freshmen, 28 are sophomores and 13 are juniors. There are ten seniors on this season’s squad, and the Greyhounds return 44 letterwinners and nine 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 Albright College was picked eighth. Lycoming College was selected as the top team in the MAC.

THE MAC STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds are ranked seventh in the MAC in total defense, allowing 372.0 yards per game. The squad is sixth in passing defense at 207.0 yards per game and the defense is sixth in rushing yards allowed at 165.0. The Greyhounds are fourth in the MAC in points allowed at 19.6 per game but the squad is ninth in points scored per game at 19.1. Offensively, Moravian is tenth in the MAC at 288.5 yards per game. The Greyhounds are ranked sixth in rushing offense at 155.4 yards per game and tenth in passing offense at 133.1 yards per game. Moravian is tied for seventh in turnover margin with a -0.38 per game average as the Greyhounds have committed 16 turnovers while forcing 13 turnovers. Individually, junior quarterback Jerry Venturino is ninth in the MAC in pass efficiency at 98.8 and he is tenth in passing yards per game at 94.0. Freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs is seventh in rushing yards per game at 81.6 yards a contest. Sophomore defenisve back Tyler Chomik (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) leads the MAC in kickoff returns with an average of 30.7 yards per return while freshman running back Marc Panepinto (Perkiomenville, PA/Boyertown HS) is seventh in the MAC in kickoff return average at 20.9 yards per kickoff return. Sophomore wide receiver John Miles (Warriors Mark, PA/Council Rock HS) is ninth in the MAC in punt returns with an average of 8.3 yards per return while senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle HS) is tenth in punt return average at 8.0 yards per return. Senior Josh Miller is tied for sixth in kick scoring at 3.9 points per contest, and he is tied for third in field goals per game at 0.62, third in field goal percentage at 71.4 percent (5 of 7) and fifth in extra-point percentage at 88.9 percent (16 of 18). Junior punter John McLain is fifth in the MAC in punting average at 36.6 yards per punt. Senior cornerback Nate Pogue and senior safety John Panikiewsky are tied for seventh in the MAC in pass break-ups with nine, and Panikiewsky is 13th in the MAC in tackles per game with an average of 7.5. Sophomore safety Gerald Weiss is tied for third in the conference with two fumble recoveries.

THE QUARTERBACKS: Sophomore Jerry Venturino has completed 46 of 105 passes for 658 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Venturino has been sacked 13 times this season and gained 45 yards on 43 carries. Senior Will Seng has completed 32 of 65 pass attempts for 407 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Seng has been sacked six times this season, and he was run for 30 yards on 22 carries.

IN THE BACKFIELD: In the backfield, freshman tailback Chris Jacoubs leads the Greyhounds with 653 yards and four touchdowns on 136 carries. Jacoubs surpassed the 100-yard mark in his first two starts of his career, with 126 yards at King's College and 136 yards against Wilkes University. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich (Ogdensburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley HS) has 124 yards on 37 carries. Junior tailback Cody Hendershot (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) has added 73 yards on 17 carries while senior fullback Ray Burgan (Egg Harbor, NJ/Oakcrest HS) has 47 yards on 15 attempts. Freshman Marc Panepinto has added 33 yards on five rushes while freshman Earl Kunkel (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe HS) has 24 yards on five carries.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: Senior wideout Jeff Lowry leads the Greyhounds with 28 receptions for 367 yards and four scores. Senior wide receiver Kevin Miltenberger has caught 14 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown while freshman wideout Shawn Martell (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has seven receptions for 161 yards and two scores. Junior tight end Chad Opdyke (Bath, PA/Northampton HS) has grabbed seven aerials for 92 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore fullback Kevin Lukich has five receptions for 39 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Russ Demko (Hellertown, PA/Saucon Valley HS) has three receptions for 52 yards. A total of 12 players have caught at least one pass for Moravian.

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Junior nose tackle Kevin McLaughlin (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic HS) leads the Greyhounds up front defensively with 36 stops, five tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and one pass break-up. Junior defensive end Shawn Nelson also has contributed 36 tackles, six tackles for loss, two half sacks and a pass break-up while sophomore defensive end Bryan Kohlbecker has added 28 tackles with two for loss, half a sack, a forced fumble and two pass break-ups. Sophomore defensive end Robert Stockley (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South HS) has 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and three pass break-ups while senior defensive end Justin Moyer (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) has made seven stops with a sack, a forced fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown against King's College.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Sophomore linebacker Richie Cline leads the Moravian linebackers with 54 tackles, three tackles for loss, a pass break-up, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. Senior linebacker Josh DiGiacomo has added 52 tackles, three tackles for loss, half a sack and one pass break-up. Senior linebacker Steve Maslanek (Stockholm, NJ/Vernon Township HS) has contributed 47 stops, seven tackles for loss, one and a half sacks, an interception and three pass break-ups while sophomore linebacker Steve Cline (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport HS) has 25 tackles with three for loss. Junior linebacker Bill Carasia has made 38 tackles, three pass break-ups, a tackle for loss and an interception. Sophomore linebacker Chad DiFelice (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl HS) has contributed six tackles while sophomore linebacker Eric Williams (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland HS) has seven stops. Freshman Cliff Garr (Easton, PA/Notre Dame HS) has added four tackles.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Senior free safety John Panikiewsky leads Greyhound defense with 60 tackles, two interceptions, three tackles for loss, one and a half sacks and nine pass break-ups. Senior cornerback Nate Pogue has made 50 tackles, two interceptions, three tackles for loss and nine pass break-ups this season while sophomore cornerback Tyler Chomik added 22 tackles, two interceptions and eight pass break-ups. Junior safety Bill Skriletz (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has 16 tackles while freshman defensive back Israel Aguila (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) made 24 tackles. Skriletz has one pass break-up on the year while Aguila has three pass break-ups this season. Junior Jim D’Agostino (Oakland, NJ/Ramsey HS) has 15 tackles with one tackle for loss while sophomore Gerald Weiss made 18 tackles with two for loss, a half a sack, a forced fumble, two pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries, one he returned 42 yards for a touchdown against Widener University.

KICKING GAME: Junior punter John McLain is averaging 36.6 yards on 43 attempts. Three of his punts have ended up as touchbacks, ten others have been inside the 20-yard line and three have been fair caught. McLain had a long punt 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 against FDU-Florham, and he is five-for-seven on attempts this season with a long of 28 yards versus Wilkes University. He added 16 extra-points on 18 tries on the year.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Kevin Miltenberger returned 11 punts for a total of 88 yards with a long return of 21 yards. Sophomore Tyler Chomik also has two punt return for 20 yards with a long of 15 yards while sophomore John Miles has nine punt returns for 75 yards with a long of 38 yards. Freshman Chris Jacoubs has returned six kickoffs for 134 yards with a long of 44 yards for the Greyhounds while freshman Marc Panepinto has seven kickoff returns for 146 yards with a long of 27 yards. Chomik has added ten kickoff returns for 307 yards and a long of 96 yards for a touchdown against Lycoming College. Junior Cody Hendershot has two kickoff returns for 28 yards. Freshman wide receiver Josh Kline has blocked an extra-point this season while freshman wide receiver Shawn Martell has a blocked punt and six tackles on special teams this fall.

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. The Greyhounds were 0-1 in overtime last year.

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 will be the play-by-play announcer with color commentary from Chris Michael.