THE GAME

Susquehanna tries to avoid its second straight 0-2 start when the Crusaders travel to Williamsport to battle archrival Lycoming for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Old Hat Trophy. In the teams’ last meeting at Person Field, the Crusaders held on for a 16-14 upset of the host Warriors to knock Lycoming out of the national playoff picture. Susquehanna has not won in consecutive trips to Lycoming since winning four in a row spanning 1960 through 1970.

SELINSGROVE, PA — Tailback Tim Deasey ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns and Lycoming scored 29 unanswered points to break a 14-14 third-quarter tie to roll to a 45-20 win at Susquehanna.

Quarterback Joe Feerrar passed for 295 yards and two long touchdowns to Chris Dauber as the Warriors (2-0, 2-0 MAC) rolled up 489 yards of total offense. The Crusaders fell to 0-2 (0-1 MAC) for the first time since 1988, allowing 108 points in their first two games.

Deasey, whose 18-yard scoring run gave the Warriors a 14-7 lead just before halftime, scored on a 21-yard run with 9:59 left in the third quarter to give the Warriors a 20-14 advantage. Following a 68-yard touchdown pass from Feerrar to Dauber, Deasey bounced left and scored from 24 yards out to give the Warriors a 36-14 lead after three quarters.

SELINSGROVE, PA — French Pope ran for 135 yards and two first-half touchdowns as McDaniel defeated Susquehanna 27-7 in non-conference football action on Saturday afternoon at Lopardo Stadium.

Pope accounted for 250 all-purpose yards as the Green Terror (1-1) ran for 318 yards as a team and held the Crusaders (0-1) to just 2 net yards on the ground. Jemel Johnson added 88 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and Jason Hartman chipped in with 63 yards on 12 rushes as McDaniel outgained Susquehanna 426-201 on the day.

The Crusaders scored their lone touchdown of the afternoon late in the third quarter as Mike Bowman connected with Mark Bartosic on a 19-yard strike to cap an 86-yard drive and pull Susquehanna within 20-7.

Bowman finished 15-of-31 for 199 yards and a touchdown, surpassing the 6,000-yard mark for his career, while Canine and Luster combined to complete 9-of-13 passes for 108 yards. Tim Ronchi led all players with six catches for 56 yards for the Crusaders while Bartosic made four receptions for 83 yards and a score.

OFFENSE: The Crusaders gained just two net yards rushing against Lycoming, the team’s lowest total since being held to minus-20 yards in a 13-9 loss at Washington & Jefferson on September 18, 1993. Sophomore HB Jordan Rawlins led the Crusaders with 12 yards on eight carries in his first career start, including a 16-yard run on the second play of the third quarter. Sophomore FB Jason Eck, who led the Crusaders with 582 yards rushing and eight touchdowns as a freshman, gained just one yard on two carries. The Crusaders punted on 10 of their 13 possessions on the afternoon, including seven series of three plays and out. Other than the team’s seven-play, 86-yard scoring drive in the third quarter, Susquehanna did not cross into McDaniel territory after the 4:14 mark of the first quarter. Senior QB Mike Bowman passed for 199 yards and a touchdown to surpass 6,000 yards passing in his career. Senior SE Tim Ronchi tied his career high with six receptions while junior SE Mark Bartosic grabbed four passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Senior TE John Smith made a pair of catches for 31 yards while sophomore SE Josh Kleha added two catches for 23 yards.

DEFENSE: The Crusaders allowed 318 yards on the ground to McDaniel, the fifth time that Susquehanna has allowed 300 or more yards rushing in Steve Briggs’ 13 seasons as head coach and the most allowed since Washington & Jefferson gained 358 yards in a 34-0 Presidents win on September 17, 1994. The defense was on the field for 40:31 as the Green Terror ran 78 plays to the Crusaders’ 49. Senior CB Antonio Nash led all players with 10 tackles (9 solo) against McDaniel, including his first career sack in the second quarter. Senior FS Nick Chesney made eight tackles (six solo) against the Green Terror while linebackers Bill Heinzelmann, Dennis Kodack and Tony Treese all made seven stops. Sophomore LB Charles Payne saw his first career action on Saturday and made five solo tackles and a sack. Sophomore DB Justin Rawlins made five tackles as well, while freshman DE Kyle Jury made four solo tackles, including two for loss. In his first action since the 2000 season, junior DE Adam Summers was credited with four tackles (two solo), while senior DE Brent Stransky set a career high with three tackles. Senior Andy Nadler, who has served as the Crusaders’ placekicker for the last three years, saw his first action at defensive back on Saturday and made one assisted tackle.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kodack resumed punting duties and kicked 10 times for a 35.2 average, including a long kick of 47 yards, while Nadler converted his only extra-point attempt. Nash amassed 116 yards on special teams, averaging 24.3 yards on three kickoffs and 21.5 yards on a pair of punt returns. Defensively, the Crusaders allowed 32.0 yards on two kickoffs and 13.6 yards on five punt returns, including a 31-yard return by French Pope in the second quarter that led to McDaniel’s third touchdown.

LAST WEEK: The Warriors rolled up 477 yards of total offense, including 127 rushing yards from Jared Morris and 103 from Jon Neve, in a 24-6 win at Lebanon Valley on Saturday afternoon. Ricky Lannetti caught seven passes for 173 yards and a score while Phil Mann passed for 238 yards as the Warriors gained 24 first downs and controlled the ball for 37:05.

OFFENSE: The Warriors have turned to a two-man ground game following the graduation of career rushing leader and two-time MAC first-team All-Conference running back Tim Deasey. Both of Lycoming’s senior running backs, Jared Morris and Jon Neve, have gained 100 yards rushing in each of Lycoming’s first two games, and the duo have combined for 440 yards and five touchdowns on the young season. Morris has gained 232 yards on 33 carries (7.0 average) while Neve has amassed 208 yards on 37 rushes (5.6 average). Junior WR Ricky Lannetti has caught 10 passes for 205 yards (20.5 average), accounting for nearly half of the Warriors’ 23 receptions through two games. Sophomore QB Phil Mann has completed 61.1 percent of his pass attempts for 344 yards and two touchdowns, good enough for a pass efficiency of 154.2. The Lycoming offensive line averages 272.2 pounds per man, led by second-team MAC All-Conference center Matt Mendola (6-6, 267). As a team, the Warriors are averaging 283 yards per game rushing and 459 yards overall.

DEFENSE: Lycoming’s defense limited Lebanon Valley to 188 yards of total offense on Saturday, one week after Delaware Valley was held to just 60 yards. Senior SS Matt Henrich picked off three passes in the season opener to earn MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Backup LB Luke Sterling led the Warriors with nine tackles and a sack against Lebanon Valley, while sophomore FS Brian Caspick added seven stops. The Lycoming defense recorded four sacks against the Flying Dutchmen, one week after senior DT Zach Latsha made three sacks alone against Delaware Valley. The Warriors start eight seniors on defense, including 2001 MAC first-team All-Conference CB Jake Davis. In addition to Henrich’s three picks, junior SS Adam Bickford and junior FS Tim Schmidt have also intercepted passes this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Dave Christensen has connected on 7-of-9 extra points and 1-of-3 field goals on the year. He nailed a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Lebanon Valley. Sophomore P Dylan Dupuis has averaged 37.2 yards on just four punts — all against Lebanon Valley — with a long of 42 yards. Lannetti has averaged 6.3 yards on six punt returns while the Warriors have returned just two kickoffs as a team for an 11.0 average. Lycoming has allowed 17.3 yards on six kickoff returns and just 6.0 yards on three punt returns as a team.