Skipping the Sidelines
For October 27
By Bill Albright
It was a big weekend for small college football, especially in the PSAC and PAC conferences. Here is a closer look at those big games along with action from the MAC:
PSAC
California (PA) 22, Slippery Rock 13: It was for a share of the top spot in the PSAC-West, and when it was all over, the California (PA) Vulcans sat alone with a perfect 5-0 conference mark as a result of a 22-13 win over Slippery Rock at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.
The Vulcans struck first when they engineered a 62-yard drive on eight plays for a score, Cal tailback Brandon Lombardy taking it in from two yards out for the score.
However, after that, it was a case of too many mistakes and the inability to finish drives that cost The Rock a possible win over the Vulcans.
"We didn't panic when things didn't go our way," said Cal coach John Luckhardt. "We fought back and had guys make plays on both sides of the ball. To be honest about it, that is what you need in order to win big games."
Although the victory was a sweet one for the Vulcans, they also suffered a huge loss.
Just prior to halftime when the pile unfolded after a running play, Cal's outstanding tailback Brandon Lombardy lay on the artificial surface at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, obviously in a lot of pain.
Ten to 15 minutes later when Lombardy was loaded on a John Deere Gator and taken off the field with an air cast on his leg, it was apparent that his season, and his input in leading Cal to a possible NCAA championship, was more than likely finished.
"He's done. He's done for the year," said Luckhardt. "We'll get him to the doctor, get him taken care of as soon as we can and get him back for next year."
Here is a closer look at how the pluses and minuses for The Rock figured in the outcome of the game:
First Big SRU Mistake: After a three-and-out, SRU took over on their own 20. On the first play of the possession, quarterback Nate Crookshank was intercepted by Cal linebacker Darren Burns who returned the "pick" to the 6-yard line. On the third play following the turnover, Lombardy carried the mail for the final yard and Cal's second touchdown. A failed extra point left the score at Cal 12, SRU 0.
"I am very proud of our team because when they took the first two drives down and scored, we could have folded the tents," said SRU coach Dr. George Mihalik. "We fought back, but we just came up a little short."
Second Big SRU mistake: On the first possession following Cal's second score, The Rock picked up a first down before facing a fourth-and-8 at their own 42. The punt was blocked by Vulcan Juan Butler blocked the SRU punt. The defense stiffened at that point and fortunately for The Rock, a Cal field goal attempt was no good.
Cory Manfull, the workhorse: Taking over on their own 31, the Rock maneuvered down the field 69 yards for its first score, Manfull carrying all six times for the 69 yards, including his final run of eight yards for the score. C.J. Bahr's PAT cut the Cal lead to 12-7 with 12:30 left in the first half.
Third Big SRU Mistake: After an exchange of possessions, the Rock was forced to punt. With his back to the wall, the SRU punter "shanked" his kick to give the Vulcans excellent field position at the SRU 24. Six plays later, Vulcan place-kicker Tyler Lorenz connected from 21 yards out for a field goal that extended the Cal lead to 15-7 with 5:36 on the clock.
Fourth Big SRU Mistake: Crookshank threw into coverage again and was picked off by Cal's Brian Mohr at the California 18. Fortunately for SRU, its defensive unit stepped up and kept Cal out of the end zone 12 plays following the turnover when Corey Lacek pounced on a Cal fumble caused by Robert Doiley at the Rock 31.
First Bit of Unfinished Business by SRU: Taking over on its own 10, The Rock marched downfield, picking up four first downs along the way until it was faced with a fourth-and-11 at the Cal 33. However, unable to capitalize on the drive, a Crookshank aerial fell short of the mark on the fourth-down play and Cal took over.
Taking Care of Business: On the fourth play following the stalled drive, A.J. Saunders stepped in front of a Joe Ruggerio aerial at the 16. Fourteen plays later, Crookshank connected with Paul Favers for a 31-yard scoring strike to cut the Cal lead to 15-13.
Second Bit Of Unfinished Business by SRU: After cutting the Vulcan lead to just two points, the Rock defense couldn't get off the field on Cal's next possession when a third-and-1 play resulted in a gain of 12 yards by a scrambling Ruggerio. Ruggerio then came back to connect with his favorite target, Nate Forse, for a 39-yard touchdown connection on yet another third down play from the SRU 39 to set the final at Cal 22, Slippery Rock 13.
"We have other weapons (in addition to Lombardy) and the big drive at the end of the game was huge for us," added Luckhardt. "The defense had been on the field for the entire second half and we needed the offense to get something done and they did it. We got a couple big plays along the way, one on the third-and-short and then the big throw to Nate (Forse) that broke for a score."
Mihalik also felt that his club was wearing the Vulcans down with their two big drives.
"I thought we were wearing them down," he said. "In terms of stats, they are number one in the nation. They are tough. But I thought we moved the ball well on them, we were controlling the ball and in the second half, we did what we needed to do to win the football game."
Coming Up Big For The Vulcans: Mohr registered a game and career-high 13 tackles, including seven solo hits, and his first interception of the season. He became the second player this season to reach 200 career tackles (now 204).
Mohr's partner in the middle, senior linebacker Josh Zunic added nine stops and raised his career total to 228 and moved past 2005 grad Lloyd Price into fifth place on Cal's career list. Junior defensive back Juan Butler also had a strong game in the Cal secondary, recording eight stops, including six solo hits. He also broke up two passes and blocked a kick.
Ruggiero completed 15-of-24 passes for 199 yards and the game-clinching TD to Forse, who had three receptions for 71 yards.
Making Noise For The Rock: The Rock, led by Corey Manfull's 175-yard, one touchdown effort, amassed 207 yards on the ground against a defense that came into the game as the nation's top-ranked defense against the run in Division II, allowing just 52.6 yards per game.
Tid-Bits: The win assured California (9-0, 5-0), ranked sixth in the latest AFCA national poll, of at least a share of its third straight PSAC-West title. The Vulcans also matched a school record for best start and consecutive wins..... The loss dropped Slippery Rock, ranked 24th in the AFCA poll, to 7-2, 2-2.....For Cal, it is the third straight year with five PSAC wins and the fifth time since 1960 Cal has won five league games in a season.
Shippensburg 56, Lock Haven 10: Coming up with a pair of 100-yard rushers, another pair of 100-yard receivers and a 300-yard passer, the Red Raiders set a school record for total offense in the lopsided win. For Ship, it was the first home win of the season and the Red Raiders third victory in their last four games. Shippensburg's 749 yards were not only the most in school history, but also the second most in the history of the PSAC, only eight behind the 757 yards totaled by California (Pa.) in an 88-12 victory over Mansfield at home on Sept. 10, 2005. The previous school record for total offense was 644 yards set on Nov. 7, 1998 in a 52-12 victory at California (Pa.). In that game, Shippensburg (3-6, 2-2 PSAC West) totaled 351 yards rushing and 293 passing. On Saturday, the Red Raiders had 340 yards rushing and 369 yards passing. In his final game at Seth Grove Stadium, red-shirt senior Gabe Maiocco (Media/Marple Newtown) totaled 369 yards passing, the fifth-highest single-game total in school history. Maiocco's previous career-high was 263 yards set earlier this season in a 33-18 loss at home to Edinboro on September 29. The last Red Raider to throw for over 300 yards was Tony Gomez who totaled 312 in a 20-16 loss at home to Indiana (Pa.) on Oct. 21, 2006. Maiocco's favorite target was red-shirt senior Tim Devanney who had a career-high 182 yards receiving and one touchdown on just five catches. Devanney totaled 82 yards on his first two catches, a 40 and 42-yard reception in the first quarter, and had four receptions for 104 yards at halftime. His 182 yards were the sixth-most in a single-game in school history. Devanney's final catch of the game came with 47 seconds left in the third quarter when he caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Maiocco which marked Shippensburg's longest play of the season and gave the Red Raiders a 42-10 lead. Red-shirt senior Kyle Fogarty who, like Devanney, also totaled 100 yards receiving in his final game, hauling in three receptions for 102 yards and 75-yard touchdown pass. In addition to two 100-yard receivers, the Red Raiders also two 100-yard rushers as red-shirt freshman Kevin Marshall had a career-high 135 yards and red-shirt senior Aaron Dykes totaled 129. The last time Shippensburg had two 100-yard rushers in the same game was Oct. 30, 2004 when John Kuhn totaled 156 and Walter Crump had 134. It was the fifth-time in school history that the Red Raiders have totaled two 100-yard rushers in the same game. Not to be overlooked from Saturday's game was the play of Shippensburg's defense that held Lock Haven (0-9, 0-4 PSAC West) to just 126 yards of total offense on 56 plays, an average of just 2.2 yards per play. Leading the way was red-shirt junior Josh Oswalt (Mechanicsburg/Cumberland Valley) who had nine tackles, five for loss and 1.5 sacks en route to earning Shippensburg VFW Defensive Player of the Game honors. Red-shirt senior Jaron Nalewak (Chambersburg/Chambersburg) had five tackles and half a sack while red-shirt senior Jonathan Aldridge (Pittsburgh/Seneca Valley) also added five stops. As a result of today's victory, Shippensburg is now in a three-way tie for third-place in the PSAC Western Division standings with Slippery Rock and Edinboro. The Red Raiders will travel to Indiana (Pa.) next week, looking to end a 19-game losing streak to the Crimson Hawks that dates back to 1989. Leading the LHU ground attack was Ibrahim Smith who ran the ball six times for 17 yards. Through the air LHU was led by sophomore quarterback Ilio DiPaolo, who in two quarters of work was 8-16 for 78 yards and an interception. Leading the receiving core was junior DeMar Dowell with three catches for 31 yards. Defensively LHU was led by a 12 tackle performance by senior linebacker Corey Gildea.
Bloomsburg 32, East Stroudsburg 26: The Huskies scored 29 unanswered points to rally for the win. Jamar Brittingham rushed for a game-high 190 yards and one touchdown. Leading 22-20, the Huskies came up with the play of the game when Jesse Cooper intercepted a Tim Roken pass and returned the "pick" 50 yards for a score to give Bloom a 28-20 lead with less than six minutes left to play. With his 190 yards rushing, Brittingham moved to within 239 yards of former California (PA) standout Wesley Cates for the all-time career rushing mark in the PSAC. Defensively, Jeremy Lightner wound up with eight tackles, while Greg Myers added seven more stops to the Bloom defensive effort. For ESU, Roken finished with 19-for-35 for 245 yards and four scores. He was intercepted once.
IUP 38, Clarion 31: Kareem Dutrieuille rushed for a career-high 192 yards, Poohbear McNeal scored twice on the ground and Andrew Krewatch tossed three touchdown passes as IUP held off a determined Clarion Golden Eagle squad for a 38-31 victory. The win was the third in a row for the Crimson Hawks since their only loss of the season on October 6 against California and improved their record to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the PSAC West. The Golden Eagles remained winless in nine games, including four in the division. Trailing 14-10 at halftime, IUP responded by building fourth quarter leads of 31-21 and 38-28. But it was not until Steve Cooper recovered an on-side kick with 1:41 remaining that the Crimson Hawks were able to secure the win. Dutrieuille posted his second 100-yard game of the season, averaging 7.1 yards on his 27 carries, a total that was one shy of his career high. He also reached the 1,000-yard mark in his career, completing the game with a total of 1,039. McNeal rushed for 51 yards and became the tenth player in PSAC history to rush for 4,000 career yards, finishing the game with 4,031. Krewatch completed 18 of 27 passes for 267 yards and touchdown strikes of 34 yards to Garrett Lestochi, 48 yards to Anthony Cellitti and three yards to Dan Pickens. Lestochi finished with career highs of nine receptions for 133 yards. Krewatch has three touchdown passes in four of eight games this season and moved into a tie for ninth all-time at IUP with 29 career scoring aerials. Eddie Emmanuel scored two touchdowns for Clarion, and his four-yard run on the first drive of the third quarter increased the Golden Eagles' lead to 21-10. IUP responded with Krewatch's first two touchdown passes of the game to Lestochi and Cellitti, the latter capping a 90-yard drive that gave the Crimson Hawks their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Tyler Huether completed 24 of 45 passes for 260 yards for Clarion. He was intercepted by Quinton Cobb and Shayne Fletcher and sacked four times, including twice each by Rob Plowman and Anthony Guerra. Plowman finished with a team-leading 10 tackles, with six coming behind the line of scrimmage. Terrence Jackson and Cobb both had eight tackles for IUP.
PAC
Washington & Jefferson 22, Waynesburg 21: Any way you look at it, this was the game of the year in the President's Athletic Conference. With his team trailing, junior quarterback Bobby Swallow sneaked one-yard with 7:29 remaining in the game to give the President's their narrow win. The Presidents turned the ball over on downs twice over the next seven minutes deep in Waynesburg territory, but finally jumped ahead with 7:29 remaining after Swallow dove in for the eventual game-winning touchdown. Swallow completed all five of his pass attempts on the 11-play drive. The Presidents (8-0, 4-0 PAC) can now clinch the PAC's first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs with a win at Thomas More next week or against Bethany the following week. Robert Heller galloped 89 yards on the second play of the Yellow Jacket drive (1st play of second quarter) to tie the game, 7-7. Heller, just a freshman, continued his record-setting campaign breaking two school records against the Presidents. The Ringgold product broke his own single-game rushing record 289 yards with two touchdowns on 30 attempts. The two touchdowns moved Heller past wide receiver Don Herrmann (1968) for most single-season touchdowns with 21 (20 rushing, one receiving). Swallow was sacked three times on the next two W&J possessions and Heller capitalized with a 1-yard scoring run at the 4:05 mark of the second quarter to give the Yellow Jackets (7-1, 4-1 PAC) a 14-7 lead at halftime. Heller put Waynesburg in field-goal position with a 36-yard jaunt on Waynesburg's first play following the touchdown, but Kyle McBride's 45-yard attempt with 3:10 remaining was short. The Yellow Jackets forced a punt and had the ball with 51 seconds remaining, but Kiper was picked off by senior cornerback Ryan Mullen and W&J escaped with the win. Swallow completed 27-of-42 passes for 208 yards, but was sacked six times. Junior running back Kevin Mathews steadied the W&J offense with 115 yards on 21 attempts, while senior wide receiver Tom McCafferty (Large, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) hauled in eight passes for 100 yards. Junior linebacker John Fahey led the defense with nine tackles, while sophomore defensive end Jacob Bloomhuff had six tackles, including three for a loss, and two sacks. Heller topped his previous school record mark for single-game rushing yards with 289 on 30 attempts. Kiper was limited to 4-of-15 passing for 52 yards. Dan Andreassi led the Waynesburg defense with a game-high and career-best 18 tackles (12 solo). He also forced a fumble as well as recovered a W&J bobble. W&J was outgained for the first time this season (358-311), but the Prexies held a 35:10-24:50 edge in time of possession, including a 10-minute edge in the second half. Senior defensive back Stefon Strothers made nine stops (five tackles) with a forced fumble and pass breakup. Senior defensive end Mike Czerwien and junior defensive end D. J. DeWitt each finished with three sacks and two quarterback hurries. Czerwien finished with five tackles (five solo) with 3.0 TFL for a total loss of 21 yards. The one-point contest is the first since the 1997 season when the Presidents won 28-27 in Waynesburg... The Yellow Jackets held the edge in total offense, 358-311, despite running 19 fewer plays, 79-60 … The Waynesburg defense allowed an opposing team to amass 100-plus yards in a game for the first time all season (103 yards on 37 attempts).
Westminster 34, Frostburg State 30: The Titans stepped outside the PAC and posted a hard-fought win. The win evened the Titans record at 4-4 on the season, Westminster scored touchdowns on its first five possessions, while the Bobcats reached paydirt on their first three drives. Sophomore tailback Nick McKolosky set a new career high with 156 rushing yards and tied his career high with 28 carries. McKolosky also scored the first two Westminster touchdowns in the first quarter, the first on a 4-yard run and the second on a 15-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Kevin Franz. Franz completed 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Brett Ziegler, a 36-yarder in the second quarter and a 28-yard connection in the third quarter that gave the Titans a 34-23 lead. Ziegler, who caught five passes for 99 yards, is now ranked third all-time in school history with 126 career receptions. He is 14 receptions away from the record with two games remaining in the season. Freshman fullback Jacob Shaffer scored the other Westminster touchdown, giving the Titans a 27-20 lead just before halftime. Frostburg State (2-6) nearly rallied back from the 11-point third quarter deficit when Derek Saunders scored on a 52-yard interception return, but with the Bobcats, facing a four-point spread, then fumbled, punted and turned the ball over on down for their final three possessions. The Titan defense keyed in stopping the Bobcats, as junior linebacker Scott Brucker forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman linebacker Adam Falkowski in the fourth quarter with the Bobcats driving on the Titan 29-yard line. Falkowski, who finished the game with eight tackles, also stopped quarterback Andre Dixon on fourth down short of the first-down mark on the Bobcat 34-yard line during Frostburg's final drive in the fourth quarter with one minute remaining. Westminster out-gained the Bobcats in total yards, 402-319. Wade Anton led the Bobcats with 80 rushing yards on 14 carries, while quarterack Andre Dixon completed 14 of 27 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns for Frostburg. Junior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski led the Titans with nine tackles, while senior cornerback Eric Brown made five tackles and led the Titans with two pass break-ups.
Bethany 35, Thomas More 14: The Saints dropped their second straight game with the loss to the Bison. The Bison scored the game's first 28 points, all in the first half, before Thomas More finally got on the board with 32 seconds remaining in the half. The scoring drive had freshman quarterback Joey Zerhusen connecting with senior Kyle James on three straight completions, including a 22-yarder for the score. James completed the game with a team-high 94 yards, while senior John Resch hauled in a team-high eight passes for 72 yards and a score. Zerhusen finished the contest 24-of-51 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The 54 pass attempts were just three off the Thomas More single-game record set by John Paul Case in 1990, and ties Dustin Hicks for second. His 313 yards were the fifth-highest game total in TMC history. Freshman Matt Clark recorded 14 tackles to lead the Saints. Senior Les Colegrove finished with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and interception, while sophomore Andy Poe and junior Tyler Grant finished with 10 tackles each.
MAC
Lycoming 26, FDU-Florham 14: With the win, the conference win put Lycoming head coach Frank Girardi in sole possession of 15th place on the NCAA's all-time winningest coaches list. With starting running back Josh Kleinfelter out of action with an injury, sophomore Mark Rosa took over and manufactured Lyco's first 100-yard effort of the season. Rosa finished with 160 yards overland while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He gained 75 net yards on the Warriors final possession, running six times, including bursts of 43 and 20 yards. Lycoming scored touchdowns on its first two possessions when wideout Brad Shellenberger caught a 16-yard scoring pass from freshman quarterback Tim Hook and Bill Margetich followed with he hauled in a 13-yard scoring strike on the Warriors' next drive. After FDU cut Lycoming's lead to 20-14, Rosa took things in his own hands as he racked up the final 23 yards on three totes for a score to put the Warriors in front 26-14. Shellenberger ended the day with five catches for 41 yards, while Margetich had four grabs for 42 yards. Hook was 16 of 29 for 147 yards. Middle linebacker Mike DiPlacido (Perkasie, PA) led Lycoming with nine tackles (five solo) and two sacks. The Warriors had 288 yards rushing on the afternoon.
Albright 27, Lebanon Valley 20: With the win, the Lions claim possession of the Pretzel Bowl for another year. The Dutchmen (2-6, 1-4 MAC) received big performances from both its primary offensive weapons, as sophomore Charlie Parker rushed for 140 yards and senior Adam Brossman caught six passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, Albright (7-1, 5-0 MAC) stayed atop the MAC and will clash with the conference's other undefeated team, Widener, next week. Freshman kicker Brittany Ryan made history as she came into the game to boot an extra point on LVC's final touchdown, becoming the first female player in program history to see game action. Albright built up a 27-13 lead, but LVC didn't go away quietly as thd Dutchmen came back to score on Sean Donovan's 21-yard run with 9:53 left in the game. Ryan's PAT made it a one-score game at 27-20. After holding Albright on the 1-yard line, the Dutchmen marched to midfield, but that is where the drive stalled as LVC turned over the ball on downs. After stopping Albright one more time, the Dutchmen had one final crack at tying or winning the game. Quarterback Patrick Weiss completed a 44-yard pass to the Albright 32, but following an incomplete pass, Weiss was intercepted by Brett Gaul and the comeback effort was halted.
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