Susquehanna head coach Steve Briggs (Springfield, 1984), now in his 11th season, is the winningest football coach in school history at 73-36 (.670), 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.
Moravian head coach Scot Dapp (West Chester, 1973) is in his 14th season with the Greyhounds and has posted an 86-53-1 record during his tenure. A three-time MAC Coach of the Year, Dapp served as defensive coordinator for Susquehanna for seven seasons during the early 1980s before becoming an assistant at Delaware State prior to moving to Moravian.
THE LAST MEETING
Susquehanna 27, Moravian 24 (October 30, 1999 at Bethlehem, Pa.)
Trailing by 10 points with ten minutes remaining and with Moravian on the Crusader one-yard line, it looked like a second straight loss was a foregone conclusion. However, the Greyhounds fumbled the snap and Susquehanna recovered to keep the game alive. Freshman fullback Jon Dvorshock then scored on a spectacular 64-yard catch-and-run through the Moravian defense and junior Rashonn Drayton added a short run in the final minute to cap off a dramatic comeback. Freshman quarterback Mike Bowman went 18-for-29 for 266 yards and two scores while Dvorshock ran for a career-high 110 yards on 17 carries. Freshman cornerback Antonio Nash picked off a pair of passes to boost his season total to nine in eight games.
RECAPPING LEBANON VALLEY
Lebanon Valley 34, Susquehanna 27 (October 21, 2000 at Annville, Pa.)
A 33-yard touchdown pass from Dennis Yagmourian to Tommy Long with 14 seconds remaining was the difference as Lebanon Valley upset the Crusaders for the second straight year on Homecoming Saturday at Arnold Field. The Dutchmen took advantage of four Crusader turnovers and a blocked punt to hand Susquehanna its second straight loss and knock the Crusaders out of the national playoff picture. Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman connected with freshman split end Mark Bartosic on three touchdown passes while senior fullback Rashonn Drayton scored his 11th rushing touchdown in the last five games to lead the Susquehanna attack, which held the ball for 37:32, ran 85 offensive plays and outgained the Dutchmen by 423 yards to 280. Senior defensive end Frank Hanlon enjoyed a solid day on the line with eight tackles and a pair of sacks.
THE CRUSADER OFFENSE (DELAWARE WING-T): The Crusaders climbed one notch in the MAC rankings for total offense with their 423-yard performance at Lebanon Valley. Susquehanna now ranks second with an average of 399.7 yards per game, and remains third in both rushing offense (150.7 ypg) and passing offense (249.0 ypg). Senior fullback Rashonn Drayton (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) broke the 100-yard mark for the third time this season with a game-high 133 yards on 30 carries at Lebanon Valley. He continues to rank second in the MAC in rushing with an average of 106.3 yards per game. In six contests, Drayton has carried the ball 141 times for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns. Freshman split end Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) became the first Crusader since Don Duffy in 1996 to catch three touchdowns in one game. His scoring plays of 23, 25 and 33 yards increased his second total to 11 — ranking second in the MAC and the most for a Crusader since Kamief Jenkins caught 11 touchdown passes in 1995 and second all-time to Al Bucci’s 13 scoring grabs in 1987. Bartosic, who has caught at least one touchdown pass in every game this season, is sixth in the MAC in receptions per game (4.86) and fourth in receiving yards per game (98.0) as he has made 34 catches for 686 yards in seven contests. Sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy H.S.) is seventh in the MAC in pass efficiency with a rating of 114.84, completing 127-of-252 passes for 1,732 yards and 13 touchdowns. Bowman could break the Susquehanna single-season records for completions (140 by Erick Hackenburg in 1994), attempts (265 by Todd Coolidge in 1986) and yards (2,024 by Coolidge in 1986) against Moravian. For his career, Bowman is fifth in passing yards (3,126), third in completions (238), third in attempts (476) and tied for sixth in touchdown passes (24). Senior split end Josh Kitchin (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh H.S.) hauled in four passes against Lebanon Valley for 55 yards, and ranks fourth on the team with 19 receptions for 219 yards. Sophomore split end Tim Ronchi (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail H.S.) made two catches against the Dutchmen to increase his season total to 23 catches for 264 yards. Starting right tackle Rob Acheson (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown H.S.) left Saturday’s game after one play with a knee injury. Freshman Phil Falvo (Hughestown, Pa./Pittston Area H.S.) saw his first significant action of the season as he entered at right guard, with senior Randy Hayes (Fogelsville, Pa./Parkland H.S.) sliding over to Acheson’s tackle position.
THE CRUSADER DEFENSE (4-3): Susquehanna has rebounded to seventh in the MAC in team defense at 351.3 yards per game after allowing just 280 yards to Lebanon Valley. However, the rushing defense has fallen to last in the conference at 151.9 yards per game, while the pass defense remains sixth at 199.4 yards per contest. Susquehanna allowed Lebanon Valley to complete just eight passes on 31 attempts for 140 yards, but one of those completions resulted in the game-winning touchdown in the final 14 seconds of the game. Senior lineman Frank Hanlon (Mahanoy City, Pa./Mahanoy Area H.S.) has been named the Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks after leading the Crusaders with eight tackles (five solo) and a pair of sacks against Lebanon Valley. Hanlon leads the team with 15 tackles for loss and is tied for fifth in the MAC with 7 1/2 sacks this season. Sophomore All-American Antonio Nash (Washington, D.C./Spring Brook, Md. H.S.) finished with six tackles and a pass breakup to increase his season total to 52 tackles (38 solo), tied for the team lead with junior linebacker Troy Sosnovik (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere H.S.). The defense suffered a major loss at Lebanon Valley as senior linebacker Mario Cromartie (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna H.S.) suffered a dislocated elbow when he was tackled as he returned a fumble in the fourth quarter. Cromartie was removed from the field on a stretcher and taken to Hershey Medical Center for treatment. His status for the remainder of the season is uncertain.
THE CRUSADER KICK SPECIALISTS: Senior punter Ryan Hollis (Mifflin, Pa./Juniata H.S.) averaged 36.8 yards on four punts, with another being blocked and returned for a Lebanon Valley touchdown. Hollis ranks fourth in the MAC with an average of 37.9 yards per punt. Sophomore Andy Nadler (Westport, Conn./Staples H.S.) missed a 46-yard field goal with 2:41 left against Lebanon Valley, and converted on 3-of-4 extra points. As he has all season, Nadler 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 averaged 11.5 yards on two punt returns against Lebanon Valley, and is seventh in the MAC with an average of 9.3 yards per return. Senior Matt Fenstermacher (Watsontown, Pa./Warrior Run H.S.) is tenth in the MAC in kick returns with an average of 19.8 yards per return. He ran back two kickoffs against Lebanon Valley, averaging 21.5 yards per return.
THE GREYHOUND OFFENSE (WING-PLUS): Moravian owns the sixth-best offense in the MAC as the Greyhounds average 332.6 yards per game. The rushing attack places seventh overall in the conference with an average of 107.9 yards per game while the pass offense ranks fifth at 227.3 yards per contest. On the ground, freshman Tim Barlok is the Greyhounds’ leading rusher with 347 yards on 70 carries (5.0 average) and two touchdowns, ranking ninth in the MAC with 49.6 yards per game. Senior P.J. Jankowicz became the seventh player in school history to rush for 2,000 career yards in last week’s win over FDU-Madison. For the season, Jankowicz has rushed for 182 yards on 62 carries (2.9 average) and a team-high three touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Charlie Bowden has enjoyed a solid year in his first season as the Greyhound signalcaller, ranking fourth in the MAC in pass efficiency at 128.87 on the strength of 114 completions in 206 attempts for 1,514 yards and 11 touchdowns. His favorite targets have been freshman Kevin Miltenberger, who ranks tenth in the MAC with 23 catches (3.83 per game) for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior Michael Abbate has made 23 catches as well for 425 yards and a team-high four touchdowns. Sophomore Jarod Rhinehart has pulled in 19 passes for 264 yards while Jankowicz has added 12 receptions for 136 yards and two scores. The Greyhound offensive line features a pair of massive tackles in 6-2, 275-pound senior Adam Smith on the left side and 6-4, 285-pound junior Matt Gray on the right.
THE GREYHOUND DEFENSE (4-3): Moravian enters this week’s game with the third-ranked defense in the MAC, allowing just 306.0 yards per game overall. The Greyhounds rank fifth in rushing defense with 117.6 yards allowed per game on the ground, while placing second in pass defense at 188.4 yards per contest. The defense is led by senior outside linebacker J.D. Rhinehart, who tops the team with 69 tackles and 11 stops for loss. He has also posted 3 1/2 sacks and intercepted three passes on the year. Four players on the defense have intercepted at least three passes this season to help the Greyhounds rank second in the MAC in passes intercepted with 14. Sophomore free safety Jarrod Pence is tied for second in the conference in interceptions with four and has defensed seven passes, while strong safety Mike Wukitsch and senior cornerback Doug Joseph have each picked off three balls. On the line, junior tackle John Kwiatkowski tops the Greyhounds with 4.5 sacks among his 39 tackles, while senior end Dustin Collier has made 46 tackles and two sacks.
THE GREYHOUND KICK SPECIALISTS: Moravian’s extra-point duties have been done by committee this season, with junior Marc Roesch (4-7), freshman Josh Miller (5-7) and junior Jim McIntyre (6-7) all attempting conversions. Roesch has made 2-of-5 field goals this season with a long of 33 yards, while Miller missed his only attempt. Freshman Alex Myshak has been the Greyhounds’ regular punter and is seventh in the MAC with an average of 32.5 yards per boot.
THE GREYHOUND RETURN SPECIALISTS: Moravian ranks third in the MAC in kickoff returns (22.4 per return), with Harlok and Joseph tied for fifth in the conference with 22.9 yards per runback. Joseph is sixth in punt returns with an average of 9.8 yards per attempt.
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