Saturday’s Game
Two teams in the midst of frustrating seasons will clash as Susquehanna will travel to Moravian for a matchup of the two lowest-ranked pass defenses in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Crusaders have allowed 562 yards rushing in the last two games while the Greyhounds blew fourth-quarter leads in losses to King’s and Juniata earlier this season.
The Last Meeting
Freshman Tim Barlok rank for 197 yards and four second-half touchdowns, including a school-record 95-yard run late in the fourth quarter, as Moravian scored 46 points in a span of 27 minutes en route to the victory. The Greyhound outburst spoiled a record-setting day from Mike Bowman and Mark Bartosic. Bowman went 28-for-51 for 407 yards to establish single-season school records for attempts, completions and passing yards, while Bartosic set new standards for receiving yards and touchdowns thanks to nine catches for 208 yards and three scores.
End of an Era
With their 2-6 record, the Crusaders will see their string of 15 consecutive non-losing seasons come to an end this season. The last time that Susquehanna failed to reach the .500 mark was 1985, when the Crusaders opened 0-6 en route to a 3-7 overall record. This will be just the second losing record posted by Susquehanna over the last 20 seasons.
Ground Game Grounded
Through eight games, the Crusaders have mustered just 748 net yards rushing, an average of 93.5 yards per contest. Susquehanna has averaged at least 100 yards per game on the ground every season since 1979, when the Crusaders managed just 74.1 yards per contest.
Reversal of Fortune
With last Saturday’s 24-6 loss to King’s, the Crusaders have now lost to three teams that they defeated en route to a 7-3 record last season — Lycoming, Juniata and King’s. On the flip side, each of the Crusaders’ final two opponents this season — Moravian and Lebanon Valley — posted wins over Susquehanna last year.
No Passing Fancy
Junior quarterback Mike Bowman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) is well on his way to owning the Crusader record book. Last season, he set single-season records for completions (184), attempts (354), yards (2,563) and touchdowns (20) and career marks for completions (now at 415) and attempts (now at 825). This season, Bowman broke two more records set from 1987 to 1990 by David Battisti. Bowman shattered the mark for career passing yards of 4,087 against Lycoming and moved past Battisti’s mark of 38 passing touchdowns against Albright. Bowman, the first junior to serve as a team captain in the Briggs era, has thrown for 5,481 yards and 42 touchdowns in just 27 career games.
Worth Watching
Sophomore split end Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) made an immediate impact in his first season at Susquehanna in 2000 after transferring from Division I-AA Bucknell, setting a Crusader single-season record for receiving yards (1,028) and the NCAA Division III record for touchdown catches by a freshman (15). Bartosic, who has 108 catches and 24 touchdowns in 18 career games, broke Al Bucci’s career mark for receiving yards (1,944) against King’s (now at 1,962) and has two seasons left to break Bucci’s records for receptions (121) and TD catches (25). Bartosic, who set a career and Lopardo Stadium record with 10 catches against Widener and tied Bucci’s 1987 mark of 12 catches against Juniata, has 12 career 100-yard games and has caught at least one touchdown pass in 16 of his 18 games. Incidentally, no Division III player has ever posted four straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards.
A “Golden” Performance
Senior LB Troy Sosnovik is this week’s Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week Award, sponsored by the Golden Corral Family Steak House of Hummels Wharf, after making a career-high 18 tackles (12 solo) in the Crusaders’ 24-6 loss to King’s. Sosnovik will be honored at Friday’s Quarterback Club luncheon at the Degenstein Campus Center as the Golden Corral will donate $100 to the charity of his choice. Since agreeing to sponsor the Player of the Week program, Golden Corral has donated $4,500 to charity. The Player of the Week Award is named after former University President Gustave Weber. Weber was president at Susquehanna for more than 18 years (1959-1977) and was a former standout player at Wagner College. He was an avid booster of Crusader athletics, particularly the football team — serving as head coach for the last two games of 1965.
Scouting Susquehanna
THE CRUSADER OFFENSE (DELAWARE WING-T): After totaling just 76 yards rushing against bottom-ranked Juniata two weeks ago, the Crusaders tallied 50 yards in 28 rushes against the top-ranked unit of King’s. Freshman FB Jason Eck (Williamsport, PA/Loyalsock H.S.) led the Crusaders with 54 yards on 14 carries (3.9 per carry) and added a career-high four catches for 53 yards. Eck continues to lead the Crusaders in rushing with 460 yards on 134 carries (3.7 average) with three touchdowns. His average of 57.5 yards per game is seventh in the MAC. Junior QB Mike Bowman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) completed 20-of-38 passes for 260 yards, but threw four interceptions against King’s. His 102.3 quarterback rating is tied for seventh in the MAC this season. Bowman also ranks fifth in passing yards per game (218.1) and sixth in total offense per game (206.7). Junior Tim Ronchi (Factoryville, PA/Lackawanna Trail H.S.) surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for his career after making four catches for 50 yards against King’s. Ronchi, who has made 87 receptions in his first three seasons (tied for fifth in school history), has gained 1,034 yards to rank 11th on the career list. Sophomore SE Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) failed to catch a touchdown pass for just the second time in his Crusader career, but scored on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter for the team’s only points against King’s. Bartosic ranks second in the MAC with 57 catches and 934 yards, and is third with nine touchdown catches. Junior HB Jon Dvorshock (Picture Rocks, PA/Hughesville H.S.) needs 120 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for his career.
THE CRUSADER DEFENSE (4-3): Thanks to 210 second-half yards from Richard Jackson, the Crusaders surrendered 310 rushing yards to King’s. Senior LB Troy Sosnovik (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere H.S.) had a career day against the Monarchs with 18 total tackles (12 solo) to remain third in the MAC with 91 total stops. Junior CB Antonio Nash (Washington, DC/Springbrook, MD H.S.) made his 17th career interception against King’s and moved into fifth in the MAC with four picks in eight games (0.5 per contest). Junior FS Nick Chesney (Kulpmont, PA/Mount Carmel H.S.) made his second career interception against King’s while his three solo tackles increased his season total to 40. Junior LB Bill Heinzelmann (Allentown, PA/Parkland H.S.) continues to play though chronic back problems and finished with nine tackles (seven solo) against King’s to give him 50 for the season. On the line, freshman DT Matt Hill (Williamsport, PA/Montoursville H.S.) enjoyed his best game since switching over from tight end with six tackles (three solo) while sophomore DT Matt Ellis (Easton, PA/Wilson Area H.S.) contributed four solo tackles among his five stops. Senior DL John Hoffman (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland H.S.) made his first start at defensive end against King’s and finished with three total tackles. For the season, Hoffman has recorded 28 overall tackles to rank sixth on the team.
Scouting Moravian
LAST WEEK: The Greyhounds allowed 23 consecutive points in a 30-21 loss at Albright to see a two-game winning streak come to an end. Michael Abbate made six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown while Tim Barlok tallied 97 yards rushing on 23 carries.
THE GREYHOUND OFFENSE (WING-PLUS): Moravian ranks third in the MAC in rushing despite a revolving door in the backfield. Junior RB Josh Fick is the team’s leading rusher with 468 yards on 79 carries (5.9 average) with eight touchdowns despite missing the last two games. Sophomore RB Dave Darmofal has added 294 yards on 55 rushes while junior Eric Gustafson has run for 201 yards and two scores. Sophomore Tim Barlok, who ran for 197 yards against the Crusaders last season, returned against Albright after missing three games with a shoulder injury. Junior QB Charlie Bowden is sixth in the MAC in pass efficiency witha rating of 102.4 after completing 15-of-34 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns against Albright. Senior WR Michael Abbate became just the fifth player in Moravian history to surpass 100 career receptions against Albright after making six grabs for 111 yards. His 1,473 career receiving yards are fifth all-time in Moravian history. For the season, Abbate leads the Hounds with 30 catches for 397 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore WR Jeff Lowry has made 22 receptions for 263 yards while junior Jarod Rhinehart has caught 18 passes for 240 yards. On the line, the Greyhounds start just one senior, RT Matt Gray (6-4, 285). On the other side, freshman LT Andrew Leska tips the scales at 6-0, 290 as part of a line that averages 259 yards per man.
THE GREYHOUND DEFENSE (4-3): The Greyhounds have been moderately successful in stopping the run this season, ranking fifth in the MAC with an average of 118.4 yards per game, but the pass defense has been picked apart to the tune of 245.1 yards per contest. Leading the unit is junior LB John Cupples, who has made 64 total tackles (30 solo), including 15 for losses of 67 yards and four sacks. Cupples, who ranks fifth in the MAC in tackles, made nine tackles against Albright while junior LB Bill Engler made a team-high 11 stops and forced a fumble. Engler is second on the Greyhounds with 52 tackles (10 for loss) and three sacks. The Greyhounds have brought down opposing quarterbacks 26 times through seven games, with sophomore LB Steve Masianek leading the way with 4 1/2 sacks and senior DE John Kwiatkowski adding 3 1/2 sacks. The Greyhounds have made just eight interceptions this season, with three different players leading the team with two apiece. One of the players with two picks, junior CB Jarrod Pence, has broken up 20 passes to lead the MAC. Senior CB Jim McIntyre, who has seen part-time duty as a kicker throughout his Moravian career, has also intercepted two passes and broken up 10 others.
