THE GAME
The Crusaders open a new era of football as they host Dickinson in the first-ever game at Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium. Susquehanna will be looking for its third 3-0 start in the last four seasons while the Red Devils will try and snap a two-game losing streak in its final non-conference game of the year.
THE COACHES
Susquehanna head coach Steve Briggs (Springfield, 1984), now in his 11th season, is the winningest football coach in school history at 70-34 (.673), and is 11-0 in season openers. The 1999 MAC Commonwealth League Coach of the Year, he began the season ranked 26th among active Division III coaches in winning percentage.
Dickinson head coach Darwin Breaux (West Chester, 1977) is in his eighth season with the Red Devils and is the third-winningest coach in school history with a record of 51-24-1 (.678). Breaux has coached Dickinson to the postseason three times in his first seven years with the Red Devils, including the 1994 NCAA Tournament following a 10-0 regular season.
THE LAST MEETING
Susquehanna 42, Dickinson 6 (September 25, 1999 at Carlisle, Pa.)
The Crusaders led 14-0 before the offense ever took the field and rolled to an easy non-conference victory. Sophomore linebacker Dom DeSteno stole the ball from Dickinson's quarterback and dashed 40 yards for a touchdown on the game's third play, while freshman cornerback Antonio Nash took a punt 85 yards to the end zone less than three minutes later. Once the offense touched the ball late in the first half, the unit mounted a 22-play drive that culminated in a one-yard run by junior halfback Rashonn Drayton, who ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Senior defensive end Denny Bowers recorded a pair of sacks as the Crusaders limited the Red Devils to just 119 yards on the ground, 34 yards below the team's average.
RECAPPING KING'S
Mark Bartosic caught one touchdown pass and ran for another as the Crusaders scored on four straight first-half possessions and improved to 2-0 on the season with a 26-23 victory over host King’s in MAC action at Robert L. Betzler Field on Saturday afternoon. Bartosic carried eight times for 42 yards, including an 11-yard reverse midway through the second quarter that gave the Crusaders a 19-0 lead. Earlier in the quarter, Bartosic hauled in his third touchdown catch in two games from Mike Bowman to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive. The Monarchs mounted a comeback on the shoulders of tailback Damon Saxon, who ran for 171 yards on the ground on 22 carries against the Crusaders. His scoring runs of four yards in the second quarter and 61 yards in the third pulled King’s within 19-16 early in the second half. However, the Crusaders mounted a 17-play, 99-yard drive that spanned 6:38 of the third and fourth quarters and was capped by a 7-yard bootleg by Bowman that gave Susquehanna a 26-16 advantage.
THE CRUSADER OFFENSE (DELAWARE WING-T): Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) threw for 186 yards and a touchdown against King’s, the seventh time in eight career starts that Bowman has thrown for a touchdown. In addition, Bowman scored on a 7-yard bootleg in the fourth quarter for the second rushing touchdown of his career. Since becoming a starter in the fifth week of last season, Bowman has completed 116 of 225 passes (51.6 percent) for 1,453 yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games. He has passed for 200 or more yards in four of his eight starts. Freshman split end Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) hauled in his third touchdown catch in two games and added a rushing score on a reverse to help the Crusaders build a 19-0 lead in the second quarter. Bartosic leads the Crusaders with 147 yards receiving (73.5 yards per game) and three touchdowns. Sophomore Jon Dvorshock (Picture Rocks, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) set career highs with seven catches and 90 receiving yards against King’s, including a 36-yard grab in the second quarter that set up Bartosic’s first touchdown. Junior Isaac Hernandez (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove H.S.) led the Crusaders in rushing for the second straight game at King’s, with 73 yards on nine carries. He ripped off a 70-yard run in the first quarter to set up an Andy Nadler 26-yard field goal — the longest carry by a Crusader since Pete Borriello posted a 74-yard non-scoring run in a 12-10 win over Widener on October 30, 1993. Furthermore, this is the first season since 1989 that the Crusaders have had both a run and pass play of 70 yards or more in the same season. Senior fullback Rashonn Drayton (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) made his 2000 debut against King’s and carried the ball 10 times for 15 yards (1.5 average). However, his eight-yard catch on fourth-and-five from the King’s 25 late in the third quarter kept a Crusader touchdown drive alive.
THE CRUSADER DEFENSE (4-3): Sophomore Antonio Nash (Washington, D.C./Spring Brook, Md. H.S.) is this week’s Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week, sponsored by the Golden Corral Family Restaurant in Shamokin Dam, after posting a career-high 13 tackles (eight solo) and picking off his first pass of the year in the win at King’s. Nash, an All-American cornerback as a freshman last season, made his first career start at free safety against King’s and was a major factor against the run and short pass game. He has recorded at least one interception in eight of his 12 career games. Senior defensive end Frank Hanlon (Mahanoy City, Pa./Mahanoy Area) made seven stops, including three for losses of 11 yards, while senior tri-captain Mario Cromartie (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna H.S.) made six tackles and recorded an interception while starting at outside linebacker. Junior linebacker Troy Sosnovik (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere H.S.) nearly added a third Crusader interception in the fourth quarter but could not hang on to the ball. Susquehanna’s pass defense allowed King’s just 95 yards in the air and no completion longer than 19 yards. Sophomore cornerback Nick Chesney (Kulpmont, Pa./Mt. Carmel H.S.) recovered a fumble deep in King’s territory in the first quarter to set up a Crusader field goal. Junior strong safety Dave Howard (Frackville, Pa./North Schuylkill) broke up a pair of passes in the secondary and made three tackles on the day.
THE CRUSADER KICK SPECIALISTS: Senior punter Ryan Hollis (Mifflin, Pa./Juniata H.S.) booted the ball five times against King’s for a 38.6 yard average, including a 50-yard kick in the second quarter. After two games, Hollis is averaging 41.4 yards per punt. Sophomore Andy Nadler (Westport, Conn./Staples H.S.) hit a pair of field goals (30 and 26 yards in the first quarter) for the second straight game and third time in his career at King’s, and is 4-for-5 on the season.
THE CRUSADER RETURN SPECIALISTS: Nash returned three punts for 24 yards, including an 18-yard return in the fourth quarter — the third return of 10 or more yards for Nash this season. He is averaging 10.8 yards per return this season after leading the MAC with a 13.2 yard average last season. The kick coverage unit gave up a 33-yard return to the Monarch’s Kamu Woolard but yielded just three yards on three punt returns. Susquehanna has allowed just 2.8 yards on five punt returns this season.
THE RED DEVIL OFFENSE (I-FORMATION): Dickinson annually boasts one of the top rushing offenses in the Centennial Conference and this year is no exception. The Red Devils average 215.7 yards per game on the ground to rank third among Centennial schools. Leading the way is junior running back Mike Smith, who hhas posted 236 yards on 49 carries (4.8 average) and three touchdowns. Junior fullback Ryan MacPhee has posted 161 yards on 24 attempts (6.7 average) and a touchdown. Against Muhlenberg, the Red Devils rolled up 275 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, with Smith running for 87 yards and a score. Five different runners totaled at least 30 yards rushing in the game. Senior quarterback Jeff Sturgeon completed 20-of-43 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown against Muhlenberg, but for the season is just 32-of-81 (39.5 percent) for 418 yards and eight interceptions. His favorite targets have been sophomore Isaac Custer, who has corraled eight passes for 102 yards (12.8 per catch) and junior Ryan Earley, with seven receptions for 148 yards (21.1 average). The Dickinson offensive line consists of four juniors and a sophomore and averages just 5-11 and 222 pounds per man.
THE RED DEVIL DEFENSE (MULTIPLE): Dickinson ranks sixth in the Centennial Conference in rushing defense (190.3 yards per game) and fifth in pass defense (196.3 yards per game). Dickinson has not allowed a running play over 21 yards this season. Junior tackle Keith Fischer (6-2, 232) recorded 16 1/2 sacks last season and earned All-American recognition while playing end. In three games, Fischer has not recorded a sack but is third on the team with 17 tackles (10 solo) and has posted four stops for losses of nine yards. Sophomore linebacker Chuck Nesley came within one of a school record as he made 18 tackles in the Red Devils’ 28-13 loss at Hobart. He leads the team with 34 stops (six for losses) this season. Junior safety Kevin Myers is a returning Centennial Conference All-Star and is second on the squad with 26 tackles this season. Myers has also recorded one of the Red Devils’ three interceptions on the year.
THE RED DEVIL KICK SPECIALISTS: Freshman Michael Levin has the task of replacing Joel Heintzelman, who made 33 career field goals at Dickinson. Levin’s only attempt this season was a 33-yarder against Muhlenberg that was blocked. Junior Jonathan McEvoy takes over punting duties from Heintzelman and is averaging 29.1 yards per punt with a long of 41 yards.
THE RED DEVIL RETURN SPECIALISTS: Senior Craig Sutyak and sophomore Mike Jackowski have split kickoff and punt return duties. Sutyak has returned seven kicks for an average of 18.4 yards (long of 24) while Jackowski has taken five kickoffs for an average of 21.2 yards (long of 28). On punts, the duo have combined for 5.8 yards on five returns with a long of eight by Jackowski. Dickinson has yielded just 17.0 yards per kickoff return and 6.3 yards per punt return in three games.
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