Friday, October 22, 2010

The Friday Tailgate


Well, "Showdown Saturday" quickly became "Separation Saturday," as Ursinus and Muhlenberg now have a two-game lead on the field in the chase for the Centennial championship. McDaniel and Franklin & Marshall have a chance to make amends for last week's losses and can bring the "field" back in the race with wins against the Bears and Mules.

Gettysburg at Dickinson (Friday night)
Radio: WDCV-FM 88.3.
The Red Devils (2-3 CC, 2-4) play their third Friday night game of the season and second at home when they welcome long-time rival Gettysburg (2-3, 3-3) to Biddle Field in the battle for the Little Brown Bucket. The Bucket was presented in 1938 by trustees of the two schools. This is the 76th meeting between the schools with Gettysburg holding a 40-33-2 all-time advantage. Dickinson has won four straight in the series and has not lost to the Orange and Blue in Carlisle since 1986 (31-0). The Bullet offense has been firing on all cylinders recently, averaging 42.7 points over its last three games. Gettysburg leads the Centennial in scoring (36.3), rushing (242.2) and total offense (429.0). QB Kyle Whitmoyer is second in the CC in total offense (237.7). RB Jamel Mutunga needs 61 rushing yards to reach 2,500 for his career and one TD to reach the 30-plateau. The Dickinson defense has struggled this season, allowing an average of 360.3 yards and 30.2 points per game. DB Scott Sullivan leads the unit with 52 tackles and two interceptions. PK Gordon Craig has converted 9-of-12 field goals and is 3-of-4 from beyond 40 yards. RB Tim Smith leads the Devils in rushing (276 yds) and receiving (26 rec).

McDaniel at Ursinus
Live Stats: Yes. Radio: WTTR-AM 1470, Ursinus Sports Network.
It's Homecoming in Collegeville as the undefeated 24th ranked Bears (5-0, 6-0) welcome the Green Terror (3-2, 4-2) to the alumni. Ursinus is looking to go 7-0 for the first time since 1996 - the last time that UC won the Conference title. McDaniel leads the all-time series, 24-9-1, but has dropped four straight to the Bears. Green Terror WR Matt Cahill has caught a pass in 20 consecutive games and has 135 career receptions. QB Tom Massucci has thrown 122 passes without an interception. The shutout loss to Muhlenberg was the first time in 18 games that McDaniel has failed to score a point. DB Chris Kolb leads the Centennial with six interceptions. Ursinus freshman RB Bryan Ellis leads the Centennial with 96.7 yards per game in his bid to become the first rookie to lead the Conference in that category. He is 169 yards away from the school freshman record of 749, set by Aaron Harper in 2006. QB Justin Decristofaro needs 274 passing yards to reach 4,000 for his career. The Bears are ranked first in the CC in scoring (13.8), rushing (60.5) and total (231.5) defense.

Franklin & Marshall at Muhlenberg
Live Stats: Yes. Audio: WMUH-FM 91.7, F&M Sports Network. Video: Yes.
One of the oldest rivalries in the Conference in renewed for the 94th time on Saturday as the Diplomats (3-2, 4-2) and the Mules (5-0, 5-1) meet. F&M has a 51-41-1 all-time lead in the series, but everything is tied in Allentown with each team winning 25 times. This is the second straight trip to the Lehigh Valley for the Dips, who visited Moravian last weekend. WR Jarrell Diggs is on a roll, catching a scoring pass in four straight games. He is 16 receptions shy of 100 for his career. Fellow wideout Jay Ridinger has a reception in 23 consecutive contests - the 16th longest active streak in DIII. QB John Harrison is 90 yards shy of the 6,000-yard mark for his career and will join an elite list of five other passers whom have reached the plateau. Muhlenberg RB Terrence Dandridge has rushed for over 100 yards in four straight games, including a career-high 140 vs. McDaniel. He is the 22nd Mule to gain more than 1,000 career yards (1,062). The Mules have outscored their last two opponents, 67-3, and only a missed extra point last week prevented 'Berg from reaching 30 points for a fourth straight contest. PK Michael Katz became the first kicker in program history to boot three 40-yard field goals in a game, connecting from 40, 46 and 44 yards vs. the Terror. He has made six consecutive three-pointers. LB Pat McDonough leads the defense with 61 tackles, while Kenneth Cobb has 3.5 sacks.

Johns Hopkins at Susquehanna
Live Stats: Yes. Radio: WQSU-FM 88.9. Video: Yes.
The Blue Jays (3-2, 3-3) and the Crusaders (1-6, 1-6) meet for the first time in more than 30 years Saturday in Selinsgrove. The last meeting was in 1978, when a Hopkins freshman QB named Jim Margraff (now head coach at JHU) led his squad to a 30-0 victory for a 4-3-1 Blue Jay series advantage. Hopkins' Centennial title defense hopes suffered a crippling blow with its loss at Ursinus last weekend. In JHU's three losses, it has committed 12 turnovers, compared to two miscues in its three wins. WR Sam Wernick is second in the CC in all-purpose yards (141.7) and third in receptions (6.0) and yards (84.0) per game. The Jays are first in the Conference in passing offense (257.5). The Crusaders have had some outstanding individual performances in the midst of a difficult debut season in the Conference. WR Mike Ritter leads all receivers with 43 catches and 589 yards, while RB Greg Tellish is third with 89.9 rushing yards per game. P/K Bobby Eppleman is second in the CC in punting (38.4) and has yet to miss a field goal this season (6-of-6). DL Ken Schetroma leads all defensive linemen in the Conference with 46 tackles.

Moravian at Juniata
Live Stats: Yes. Radio: WSAN-AM 1470.
The Greyhounds and the Eagles square off for the 56th time in a series that dates to 1932. Moravian holds a slim 27-26-2 all-time advantage and has a 13-6-1 record in the last 20 games. Juniata spoiled the 'Hounds Homecoming with a 10-3 triumph last season. The teams had a four-year stretch from 1996-99 that saw each game end in a regulation tie. Greyhound DL Allen Petros was the CC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 2.5 sacks in the upset win over F&M. He is second on the school's all-time list with 34.5 tackles for loss. QB Matt Johnson is now 2-1 as a starter since moving from safety. He has thrown for 589 yards and rushed for 229 more, accounting for five TDs. The Eagles are 10th in the Conference in both scoring offense (6.7) and defense (39.7). RB Derek Kramer rushed for 139 yards last week vs. Gettysburg and is sixth in the CC with 69.7 per game. It was the second straight year that he broke the century mark vs. the Bullets. The 21 points produced vs. Gettysburg was the most since the season finale against Dickinson in 2008 (41).

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