On the Rebound

THE GAME The Crusaders will look to bounce back from last week’s 42-21 loss at Widener by traveling to Lebanon Valley. The Flying Dutchmen dropped a 31-26 decision at Albright as the Lions scored the game-winning touchdown with just 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Susquehanna will be looking to spoil Lebanon Valley’s Homecoming and extract revenge for last season’s 17-14 upset by the Dutchmen in Selinsgrove.

THE COACHES Susquehanna head coach Steve Briggs (Springfield, 1984), now in his 11th season, is the winningest football coach in school history at 73-35 (.676), 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. Lebanon Valley head coach Mike Silecchia (Mansfield, 1978) is in his third season with the Flying Dutchmen and has compiled a 5-21 record (.192) during his tenure. A former assistant coach at Lycoming, Silecchia has helped the Dutchmen match or improve their win total from the previous season in each of his three years.

THE LAST MEETING Lebanon Valley 17, Susquehanna 14 (October 23, 1999 at Selinsgrove, Pa.) Junior kicker Eric Connelly drilled an 18-yard field goal as time expired to give the underdog Flying Dutchmen their first win over the Crusaders in 14 games and their first triumph at Stagg Field since 1938. Sophomore quarterback Dennis Yagmourian threw for 224 yards and ran for a touchdown while running a two-minute drill to set up the winning kick. Junior halfback Rashonn Drayton led all runners with 43 yards while freshman fullback Jon Dvorshock carried 12 times for 42 yards and a score for the Crusaders.

RECAPPING WIDENER Widener 42, Susquehanna 21 (October 14, 2000 at Chester, Pa.) Wide receiver Mike Coleman caught touchdown passes of 73 and 65 yards while Jim Jones added a 95-yard touchdown reception as the Pioneers moved to 6-0 overall (3-0 MAC Commonwealth) and gained the inside track to the overall MAC championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Crusaders were plagued by five turnovers, including three in Widener territory, in their unsuccessful bid for the program’s first 6-0 start since 1992. Widener rolled up 254 yards rushing and 592 yards of total offense – over 200 more yards of offense than the Crusaders had allowed in any of their first five games this season – while quarterback Mike Granato threw for 338 yards on 12-of-23 passing with three touchdowns. Senior fullback Rashonn Drayton ran for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns while sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman completed 23-of-44 passes for 275 yards and a 15-yard touchdown to freshman split end Mark Bartosic. Bartosic led all players with seven receptions on the afternoon.

THE CRUSADER OFFENSE (DELAWARE WING-T): The Crusaders are third across the board in the MAC in offense — averaging 395.8 yards of total offense, 148.3 yards rushing and 247.5 yards passing. Senior fullback Rashonn Drayton (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) ran for two more touchdowns against Widener, and in the last four games has rushed 101 times for 490 yards (4.85 per carry) and 10 touchdowns. Drayton has now climbed to second in the MAC in rushing yards per game with an average of 101.0 yards per game on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) set career highs for completions (23) and attempts (44) at Widener. His 44 pass attempts are the third-most in Susquehanna history while his 23 completions place him in a fourth-place tie on the single-game list. Bowman is now sixth in school history in completions (219), attempts (440) and passing yards (2,868), and ranks third in passing yards per game (245.7) and eighth in pass efficiency (111.5) in the MAC this season. Freshman split end Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) is this week’s Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week, sponsored by the Golden Corral Family Steak House in Shamokin Dam, after making a game-high seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown at Widener. Bartosic continues to lead the Crusaders in receptions (27), yards receiving (559) and touchdown catches (8). He ranks sixth in the MAC in catches per game, fourth in receiving yards per game and fourth in touchdown scoring. Sophomore halfback Jon Dvorshock (Picture Rocks, Pa./Hughesville H.S.) continues to rank second on the team with 23 catches for 256 yards (11.1 average) and has carried the ball 44 times for 123 yards. The Crusaders continue to lead the MAC in third-down conversions as they have been successful on 43 of 103 attempts for a percentage of 41.7, well ahead of second-place Widener (37.7 percent). Susquehanna is also the most successful team on fourth down with a conversion rate of 63.2 percent (12-of-19). The Crusaders have also racked up the most first downs in the MAC (125) and are the least-penalized team in the conference with just 32 flags for 263 yards.

THE CRUSADER DEFENSE (4-3): The Crusaders took a hit in the defensive rankings after Widener piled up 592 yards of total offense. Susquehanna is now ninth in the MAC in overall defense with 363.3 yards allowed per game. In rushing defense, the Crusaders are 10th at 153.8 yards per contest, while the unit is sixth in passing defense with 209.3 yards allowed per game. Junior linebacker Troy Sosnovik (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere H.S.) led the Crusaders with 10 tackles against Widener and recovered a fumble. He leads the team in total tackles with 47 stops (22 solo), including six for losses. Sophomore All-American Antonio Nash (Washington, D.C./Spring Brook, Md., H.S.) made nine tackles (six solo) and boosted his season total to 46 stops (34 solo), while senior defensive end Frank Hanlon (Mahanoy City, Pa./Mahanoy Area H.S.) tallied three tackles for loss and a sack against the Pioneers. Hanlon leads the Crusaders and is tied for seventh in the MAC with 5 1/2 sacks this season. Junior cornerback Tom Kay (Tabernacle, N.J./Shawnee H.S.) picked off his fourth pass of the season against Widener to increase his career total to 13 — moving into a fifth-place tie on the Susquehanna all-time list. Kay’s four interceptions in six games (0.67 average) is fourth in the MAC this season. Sophomore strong safety Dennis Kodack (Paxinos, Pa./Shamokin Area H.S.) recorded two tackles for loss among his six stops at Widener, and is tied for second on the team with six stops for loss and with five pass breakups. Nine different players have recorded a sack this season, while five Crusader defenders have intercepted passes and seven have recovered fumbles. Kodack is the only player to post at least one of each this season — with two sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

THE CRUSADER KICK SPECIALISTS: Senior punter Ryan Hollis (Mifflin, Pa./Juniata H.S.) averaged 34.5 yards on four punts, and is fourth in the MAC in punting averaged with 38.1 yards per kick. Sophomore Andy Nadler (Westport, Conn./Staples H.S.) converted on three extra-point tries against Widener but did not attempt any field goals. Nadler still leads the MAC with six field goals, the most for a Crusader placekicker in one season since Matt Seagreaves connected on 10-of-19 attempts during the 1991 season.

THE CRUSADER RETURN SPECIALISTS: Nash did not return any punts against Widener, and is eighth in the MAC with 9.0 yards per return. Junior Isaac Hernandez (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove H.S.) returned six kickoffs for 73 yards (12.2 per return), with a long runback of 15 yards. Senior Matt Fenstermacher (Watsontown, Pa./Warrior Run H.S.) is tenth in the MAC in kick returns with an average of 19.5 yards per return. The Crusaders allowed 20.0 yards per kickoff return to Widener and are sixth in kick coverage in the MAC with 19.0 yards per return. However, Susquehanna is last in kickoff returns with an average of just 14.3 yards per runback.

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN OFFENSE (MULTIPLE I): The Dutchmen average 247.8 yards per game to rank 10th in the MAC. Lebanon Valley is last in rushing offense with an average of 52.5 yards per game, while ranking seventh in passing offense at 195.3 yards per contest. Senior tailback Joe Trezza is the team’s leading rusher with 281 yards on 87 carries (3.2 average) and one touchdown. Sophomore Tommy Long made his debut against Lycoming and has run for 99 yards and a touchdown in two games. Sophomore Dallas Noll has started five games at quarterback and is ninth in the MAC in passing efficiency (105.81) and has completed 59-of-122 passes for 757 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Dennis Yagmourian, who engineered last year’s 17-14 upset of the Crusaders, returned to the lineup against Albright and completed 14-of-23 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. The Dutchmen also employ the option pass and as a team have completed 3-of-5 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns on the gadget play. Senior wide receiver Doug Henning has caught 24 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns. He is tied for ninth in the MAC in catches per game at 4.0. Freshman wide receiver Chris George made three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against Albright, and is tenth in the MAC in receiving yards per game as he has 15 catches for 329 yards (54.8 average) and three scores.

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN DEFENSE (4-3): Lebanon Valley is seventh in the MAC in overall defense, allowing 357.5 yards per game. The Dutchmen are ninth in rushing defense at 148.3 yards per outing, while the pass defense checks in fifth with 209.2 yards allowed per contest. Senior linebacker Todd Lipp leads the Dutchmen with 66 tackles (28 solo) and was the MAC Defensive Player of the Week after coming up with 19 stops against Lycoming. Senior linebacker John Music paces the defense with four sacks and 11 tackles for loss among his 47 stops. Senior defensive back Shawn Berwager and junior defensive back Malou McIntire have each picked off a pair of passes and defensed 10 others. The Lebanon Valley pass rush has generated just ten sacks in six games, while the defense has allowed opponents to convert on 34-of-89 third-down opportunities (38.2 percent) to rank 10th in the MAC.

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN KICK SPECIALISTS: Senior Eric Connelly, whose game-winning field goal as time expired gave Lebanon Valley the win over Susquehanna last year, has hit all four of his field-goal attempts this season (long of 32) and is 12-for-13 on extra points. Freshman Scott Marek has doubled as tight end and punter and is averaging 35.0 yards per boot to rank fifth in the MAC.

THE FLYING DUTCHMEN RETURN SPECIALISTS: Lebanon Valley leads the MAC in both kick and punt returns, led by freshman Pete Henning who averages 30.7 yards per kickoff return. He registered 100-yard runbacks in consecutive games against King’s and Lycoming, and is second in punt returns with an average of 14.0 yards on 10 returns. Long averages 15.8 yards on eight kick returns and took a punt 58 yards in his only runback of the season. The Dutchmen are 10th in the MAC in kick coverage, allowing 23.3 yards per return.