PSAC Preseason Football Report Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Football

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Football 2008 Conference and Overall Standings W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PSAC East Pct. H A .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 PSAC West Pct. H A .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 PSAC Football Weekly Release - August 27, 2008 PSAC Football Contact: Matt Beltz; Office: (570) 484-2884; Cell: (570) 660-8215; Fax: (570) 484-2206; Email: mbeltz@lhup.edu; www.psacsports.org Eastern Division For Opp Streak 0 0 W4 0 0 L9 0 0 0 0 W1 0 0 W1 0 0 L1 0 0 0 0 W8 W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pct. .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 H 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 Bloomsburg Cheyney C.W. Post East Stroudsburg Kutztown Millersville Shippensburg West Chester Overall A For Opp. Top 25 Streak 0-0 0 0 0-0 W5 0-0 0 0 0-0 L6 0-0 0 0 0-0 W1 0-0 0 0 0-0 W1 0-0 0 0 0-0 W1 0-0 0 0 0-0 L2 0-0 0 0 0-0 L2 0-0 0 0 0-0 L1 Overall A For Opp. Top 25 Streak 0-0 0 0 0-0 L1 0-0 0 0 0-0 L16 0-0 0 0 0-0 L1 0-0 0 0 0-0 L9 0-0 0 0 0-0 L1 0-0 0 0 0-0 W1 0-0 0 0 0-0 L6 0-0 0 0 0-0 W2 Western Division For Opp Streak 0 0 W6 0 0 L15 0 0 L1 0 0 0 0 W4 0 0 W1 0 0 0 0 W2 W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pct. .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 H 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 California (Pa.) Clarion Edinboro Gannon IUP Lock Haven Mercyhurst Slippery Rock W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 This Week’s Schedule Thursday, August 28 Fairmont State at Clarion, 6:00 p.m. St. Anselm at Kutztown, 6:05 p.m. Glenville State at Lock Haven, 7:00 p.m. Gannon at Lake Erie, 7:00 p.m. (SportsTime Ohio - tape delay) Virginia Union at East Stroudsburg, 7:30 p.m. (Blue Ridge Cable TV-13) Friday, August 29 Millersville at Bentley, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, August 30 West Chester at California, 12:00 p.m. (Fox Sports Net - Pittsburgh) American International at C.W. Post, 12:00 p.m. Mercyhurst at Wayne State, 12:30 p.m. (Comcast TV) Bloomsburg at Ashland, 1:00 p.m. (SportsTime Ohio - tape delay) Bowie State at Cheyney, 1:00 p.m. Shepherd at Shippensburg, 1:00 p.m. (Shippensburg Univ. TV) Edinboro at West Liberty State, 1:30 p.m. Slippery Rock at Seton Hill, 6:00 p.m. August 31 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: September 7 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: September 14 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: September 21 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: September 28 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: October 5 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: 2008 PSAC Players of the Week October 12 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: October 19 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: October 26 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: November 2 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: November 9 East Offensive: East Defensive: West Offensive: West Defensive: Next Week’s Schedule Saturday, September 6 IUP at C.W. Post, 12:00 p.m. California at Bloomsburg, 12:00 p.m. Edinboro at Shippensburg, 12:30 p.m. (SportsFever) Mercyhurst at Cheyney, 1:00 p.m. Slippery Rock at Millersville, 1:00 p.m. Lock Haven at West Chester, 1:00 p.m. Clarion at Kutztown, 3:35 p.m. (SportsFever) Gannon at East Stroudsburg, 6:00 p.m. PSAC Football - Week One Notes - 8/27/08 PSAC Tops Preseason Poll With Four Teams The PSAC topped all conferences with four teams appearing in the American Football Coaches’ Association Top 25 preseason poll. California (Pa.) led the PSAC quartet with a ranking of No. 5. West Chester was ranked No. 16 while IUP checked in at No. 21. Bloomsburg was tied for No. 25 to round out the four teams. Additionally, Slippery Rock, C.W. Post and Edinboro all received votes. Cal, IUP and West Chester were also ranked in the top 25 of the D2football.com preseason poll. Week One Schedule Brings Tough Matchups for PSAC PSAC teams will take on three ranked teams in week one in non-conference play, while one inter-division PSAC game features a pair of ranked teams. This week, No. 25/- Bloomsburg travels to meet No. 15/15 Ashland while No. 25/- Virginia Union travels to East Stroudsburg. No. 13/13 Shepherd travels to meet up with Shippensburg. Both Ashland and Shepherd qualified for the NCAA playoffs last year. Meanwhile, in what could be considered the feature game of the week not only in the PSAC but perhaps in the entire country, PSAC East favorite No. 16/20 West Chester travels to meet PSAC West favorite No. 5/6 Cal in what some are calling a preview of the first return of the State Game, the PSAC Championship game, to be played in November, although there are still 10 more weeks to the season after this week. Non-Conference Variety Teams from the PSAC will take on teams from four different conferences as well as an independent in first weekend of football this week. Listed below are the PSAC’s different opponents this week by conference. WVIAC (5) - Fairmont State (Clarion), West Liberty State (Edinboro), Glenville State (Lock Haven), Shepherd (Shippensburg), Seton Hill (Slippery Rock) Northeast-10 (3) - American International (C.W. Post), St. Anselm (Kutztown), Bentley (Millersville) GLIAC (2) - Ashland (Bloomsburg), Wayne State (Mercyhurst) CIAA (2) - Virginia Union (East Stroudsburg), Bowie State (Cheyney) Independent (1) - Lake Erie (Gannon) PSAC Debuts Two PSAC head coaches will make their debuts not only with their respective teams this weekend but also in their career head coaching debuts. Millersville’s Greg Colby will coach in his first career game as a head coach when the Marauders travel to Bentley to open up the season on Friday. Also, Cheyney’s Jeff Braxton will make his head coaching debut as the Wolves host Bowie State on Saturday. Welcome The PSAC welcomes three new members to its football membership this year, two full-time members and one associate member. Mercyhurst and Gannon, both of which formerly played in the GLIAC, join the PSAC as fulltime members beginning this year and will play in the PSAC West, becoming the first private schools to be made members of the PSAC. C.W. Post joins the league as an associate member in football as well as field hockey, coming over from the Northeast-10. They will reside in the PSAC East this year. Additionally, Shippensburg will move from the PSAC West to the PSAC East to make each division balanced with eight teams apiece. AFCA Top 25 (Preseason) 1. Valdosta State (17) 2. Grand Valley State (6) 3. Northwest Missouri State (1) 4. North Alabama 5. California (Pa.) 6. Carson-Newman (2) 7. Nebraska-Omaha 8. Abilene Christian 9. Chadron State 10. West Texas A&M 11. Central Washington 12. Delta State 13. Shepherd 14. Tuskegee 15. Ashland 16. West Chester 17. Pittsburg State 18. Texas A&M-Commerce 19, Catawba 20. Newberry 21. Indiana (Pa.) 22. Minnesota-Duluth 23. Mesa State 24. Southern Connecticut State T25. Bloomsburg T25. Virginia Union Also receiving votes: Saginaw Valley State, Winona State, Albany State, Washburn, Tarleton State, Shaw, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Missouri Western State, Bentley, Slippery Rock, Central Missouri, Tusculum, Western Oregon, Northwood, C.W. Post, West Liberty State, Edinboro, Midwestern State, Henderson State, Hillsdale, Harding, Nebraska-Kearney, Missouri S&T, Tiffin, Colorado School of Mines, Fort Valley State, Kentucky State, St. Cloud State D2Football.com Top 25 (Preseason) 1. Valdosta State 2. Grand Valley State 3. North Alabama 4. Northwest Missouri 5. Carson-Newman 6. California (Pa.) 7. Nebraska-Omaha 8. Abilene Christian 9. West Texas A&M 10. Delta State 11. Central Washington 12. Chadron State 13. Shepherd 14. Catawba 15. Ashland 16. Tuskegee 17. Pittsburg State 18. Indiana (Pa.) 19. Newberry 20. West Chester 21. Mesa State 22. Washburn 23. Saginaw Valley State 24. Minnesota-Duluth 25. Winona State Fairmont State at Clarion Aug. 28 - 6:00 p.m. Clarion, Pa. Memorial Stadium (5,000) Radio/Internet: RedZoneMedia.com Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 The Coaches Clarion head coach Jay Foster is in his third year at school and has a 1-21 record, both at Clarion and for his career. Fairmont State head coach Mike Lopez also serves as the team’s defensive coordinator and is in his second year in that role and his seventh year at FSU overall. He has a 6-5 career record. When Fairmont State has the Ball For as good as the Falcons’ defense was last year, the offense ranked near the bottom of the WVIAC in most categories, including second-to-last in both scoring and total offense. It was a young offense last year for the most part, as returning starting quarterback, Vick Bradford, starting running back Doug Brazill and starting wideout Perry Baker are all sophomores. The Falcons also have three starting offensive linemen returning. Clarion’s defense gets a boost this year with the return of 2006 All-American linemen Jimmy Simmons, who missed all of last year. He will team up with noseguard Bob Kail to form a formidable defensive line. A total of 10 starters return on defense for the Golden Eagles. All four starting linebackers are sophomores that all started and gained valuable experience as freshmen last year. Three of the four projected starters in the defensive backfield are also sophomores. When Clarion has the Ball It should be a balanced attack as sophomore Gino Rometo takes over the quarterback position on the full-time basis after splitting time as a freshman last year. He will have a reliable and experienced running back to hand the ball to in senior Eddie Emmanuel, who has rushed for 1,686 yards over the last two seasons, averaging 4.4 yards per carry during that span. Rometo also will have reliable hands to throw the ball to in sophomore wide receiver Alfonso Hoggard, last year’s PSAC West Rookie of the Year, wideout Jacques Robinson, and tight end Matt Foradora, a 2007 redshirt who averaged 26.8 receiving yards per game in 2006. Fairmont State’s pass defense ranked sixth (of nine) in the WVIAC last year. Fairmont State’s defense allowed a WVIAC-low 305 yards per game last year and also led the league in scoring defense, allowing just 16.5 points per game, and rush defense, limiting opponents to just 102.4 yards per game on the ground. However, the Falcons lost WVIAC Defensive Player of the Year Vince Black as well as three other first team All-WVIAC players in defensive linemen Brandon Geary and Jacob Owens and linebacker Shahram Shafii. Only four starters return on defense, led by leading returning tackler M.J. Twyman. On Special Teams Clarion will have one of the best special teams standouts in the PSAC to return kicks in the multi-talented sophomore Alfonso Hoggard, who had 693 kick return yards last year. Fairmont State return its primary kick returner as well in sophomore Zack Page, who averaged 23.1 yards per kickoff return but only 5.1 yards per punt return. Series/Game Notes Series: Clarion leads the series 9-4 Last Meeting: Fairmont State 21, Clarion 14 (10-20-07 at Fairmont, W.Va.) The teams played every year from 1982-91, 1994-95 and last year....In last year’s contest, Clarion outgained FSU 435-361 but fell shy as FSU came up with a goal line stand in the final two minutes. Eddie Emmanuel rushed for 103 yards on just 15 carries....Clarion will be looking to snap a 16-game losing streak that dates back to 2006....Clarion has a 21-7 all-time record against WVIAC teams. St. Anselm at Kutztown Aug. 28 - 6:05 p.m. Kutztown, Pa. University Field (5,600) Radio/Internet: WEEU 830 AM / kubears.com Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 The Coaches Raymond Monica is entering his third year as head coach at Kutztown, where he has a career record of 9-12, all at Kutztown. Patrick Murphy is in his first year as head coach at St. Anselm. He is in his first year as a collegiate head coach. When St. Anselm has the Ball The Hawks return seven starters on offense from a team that averaged just 11.7 points per game last year. They return starting quarterback Nick Barese, who started all 10 games last year, as well as leading rusher Conor Cahill, who rushed for nearly 600 yards a year ago. They will have a defense to go up against in Kutztown which got stronger as last year went on, averaging just 26.7 yards allowed per game in three last-season losses. They also did not allow more than 23 points in their five wins last year. All six returning starters on defense for the Golden Bears are either juniors or seniors, led by junior safety Mike Gardier, who is a two-time all-conference honoree. When Kutztown has the Ball Primarily a passing team last year, The Golden Bears will rely on a running game that has three potential starting tailbacks in Dontay Wilson, Maurice Adams and Cory McFadden after the loss of the PSAC’s leading receiver in Elfren Quiles. All three backs will likely see plenty of carries for an offense that will be breaking in a new starting quarterback in Shane Martin, a redshirt junior. Wilson was an AllPSAC East selection last year after rushing for 5.2 yards per carry, while Adams was a second team All-PSAC East choice in 2006 before missing last year with an injury. They will have four returning starters on the offensive line to run behind as well as a senior fullback in Joe Strauss. The Bears may try to play ball control with their running game, as they led the PSAC East in first downs last year. Overall, Kutztown has nine starters returning on offense. St. Anselm returns eight starters on defense from a team that went 0-10 last year and allowed over 40 points in eight of those losses. On Special Teams When Kutztown has to give the ball up, they will have on of the top punters in the conference in Ryan Nye, a first team All-PSAC East and a second team All-Region selection last year. He led the PSAC in punting average at 41.6 yards per attempt. This may play into Kutztown’s favor even more as St. Anselm averaged just 5.7 yards per punt return last year and only returned 11 punts the entire year. On the other side, Dontay Wilson led the PSAC in kick return average last year, averaging 25.8 yards per return. Series/Game Notes Series: This marks the first-ever meeting between Kutztown and St. Anselm. This will mark the second straight year that Kutztown will play a team from the Northeast-10 Conference. The Golden Bears opened up last year with Southern Connecticut State, losing 52-30, and they also defeated American International 55-20 in Week 5 last year....Kutztown has a 4-6 record against current teams from the NE-10, with all of those games being against either Southern Connecticut or AIC....St. Anselm enters this game on a 29-game losing streak, with their last win having come in the first game of the 2005 season against Plymouth State. Glenville State at Lock Haven Aug. 28 - 7:00 p.m. Lock Haven, Pa. Hubert Jack Stadium (3,500) Radio/Internet: ESPN Radio 1050 AM/FM 104.1/ espnwilliamsport.com Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 Gannon at Lake Erie Aug. 28 - 7:00 p.m. Painesville, Ohio Jack Britt Memorial Stadium (2,500) TV: SportsTime Ohio (tape delay) Radio/Internet: Jet Radio 1400 AM/wergfm.com Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 The Coaches John Klacik is entering his fourth season as head coach of Lock Haven. A 1988 graduate of Lock Haven, Klacik has a 5-28 career record. Alan Fiddler is in his fifth season as head coach at Glenville State, where he has a 25-19 record. When Glenville State has the Ball The Pioneers should have a balanced attack on offense, as they return leading rusher Jerry Seymour, who rushed for a school record 1714 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Quarterback James McCants was second in the WVIAC in passing efficiency, throwing for 1400 yards and 12 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions. Glenville State averaged 28.2 points per game and 387.7 yards per game in total offense. The Pioneers also return their top two receivers in Brian Miles and Jason Burton. Trying to stop them will be an experienced Lock Haven that will be looking to improve on its numbers from last year, when they ranked in the middle of the PSAC in most categories. There will eight starters returning on defense for the Bald Eagles, including leading returning tackler Shane Barie (75 TT) as well as linebacker Shawn Crebs (64 TT). LHU has five returnees that had at least 35 tackles last year. When Lock Haven has the Ball The Bald Eagles return some experience on the offensive side of the ball in quarterback Ilio DiPaolo, who is entering his third year as a starter, as well as Ibrahim Smith, who had a good season as a freshman last year, rushing for 520 yards and six touchdowns. Lock Haven also returns three starters on the offensive line, which should bode well for a running game that also features a mobile quarterback in DiPaolo, who rushed for 324 yards last year in addition to completing half of his passes. They Bald Eagles will also be looking to increase production in the passing game this year, and leading returning receiver DeMarr Dowell, who made 21 catches and scored three touchdowns in only six games last year. Glenville State allowed eight more points than it scored in 2007, allowing an average of 28.9 points and 398.1 yards per game. They return leading tackler Ryan Jannak (98 TT) as well as Terrell Parker (10 sacks). On Special Teams The Pioneers will be breaking in a new kick returner as they lost Donald Brown, who averaged around 18 yards per return on both kickoff and punt returns. The Bald Eagles should be strong on punting as punter Brendon Pickel ranked fifth in school history with a 38.8 yards per punt average. He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 29 times last year. Aaron Pryer averaged 21.6 yards per kickoff return for the Bald Eagles last year and he returns as well. Series/Game Notes Series: This marks the first-ever meeting between Lock Haven and Glenville State This game will mark the first on Hubert Jack Stadium’s new artificial FieldTurf surface. The change was made from AstroTurf following last season....Glenville State was picked to finish fourth in the WVIAC this year....This will be just Lock Haven’s seventh career meeting with a WVIAC school. The Bald Eagles hold an 0-6 record, having met Concord and West Liberty State in the past, with the last meeting having come against Concord in 1988. The Coaches Jim Kiernan is in his second year as head coach at Gannon and has a career record of 1-10. Mark McNellie is in his first year as head coach at Lake Erie, which is in its first year as a varsity football program. McNellie led the team to a 702 record last year as a club team. When Gannon has the Ball The Golden Knights return nine starters on offense but will still be a relatively young team on that side of the ball. All five offensive linemen return, featuring two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. However, the skill position players are still young, led by quarterback Bob Bartley, who received the majority of the snaps last year but rotated with Zach Boedicker, who also returns. Running back Jon Richardson, a junior, enters his third year as a starter and give the Knights a solid backfield that averaged a respectable 131.7 rushing yards per game last year. Anthony Weaver, who led the Knights in pass breakups and was second in tackles last year as safety, moves to running back and will likely set significant carries. When Lake Erie has the Ball Gannon’s defense will be looking to greatly improve this year, as the success the team has may depend greatly on its improvement. The Knights allowed 48.3 points per game last year and over 500 yards of total offense per game. The good news is that it was young defense for the most part last year, and eight starters return. Those eight returnees are made up of three seniors, one junior and four sophomores. On Special Teams The Golden Knights will also be looking to improve their return game as they averaged just 16.9 yards per kickoff return and 4.2 yards per punt return last year, while giving up almost triple that in punt return average to opponents. Leading kickoff returner Kendall Brown, who averaged 20.3 yards per kickoff return, does return, however, giving the Knights a solid option in the return game. Series/Game Notes Series: This is the first-ever meeting between Gannon and Lake Erie This game will be Lake Erie’s first as a varsity program and its first as a member of Division II. The Storm are a provisional member of Division II this year and are playing as an independent....Gannon is the first of two PSAC opponents that Lake Erie will take on this year, as the Storm will also travel to California (Pa.) in Week 3....The Golden Knights will be looking to win their first game on the field since a 20-17 win over Findlay on October 21, 2006. The Knights went 1-10 last year but received the win by forfeit....Officially, they will be looking to snap a nine-game losing streak....Lake Erie’s roster is made up of mostly freshmen, with only a few sophomores and juniors....This will be the first of four straight games on the road to open the season for Gannon, but the Knights close the year with four home games in their last five....The game will be broadcast on tape delay by SportsTime Ohio, with it airing on Friday, August 29 at noon and Saturday, August 30 at 7:00 p.m. #25/- Virginia Union at East Stroudsburg Aug. 28 - 7:30 p.m. East Stroudsburg, Pa. Elier-Martin Stadium (6,000) TV: Blue Ridge Cable TV-13 Radio/Internet: WVPO 840 AM/RedZoneMedia.com Overall: 0-0 The Coaches Denny Douds is the dean of PSAC coaches as he is entering his 35th season as head coach of East Stroudsburg and his 43rd year overall at ESU. He has a 209140-3 career record, all at ESU. Greg Richardson is in his first year as head coach at Virginia Union after being promoted from defensive coordinator. He has a 7-23 record as a collegiate head coach. When Virginia Union has the Ball East Stroudsburg ranked in the top half of the PSAC in overall defense last year, ranking sixth in both scoring and overall defense, and second in passing defense, yielding only 162.7 yards per game through the air, giving up over 200 yards only three times last year. Eight starters from that solid defense return, led by a pair of All-PSAC East second teamers in tackle Miguel Rivera and linebacker Dave Pacchioni. Two of the four defensive backs from that second-ranked pass defense also return. They will need every part of that strong defense to slow down the Panthers, who averaged 32.5 points and 401.3 yards of offense per game last year. They return quarterback Lamar Little (28 TD/12 INT, 9 rushing TD), and veteran receivers Jared Taylor (10 TD) and Michael Hampton (20.2 ypc). When East Stroudsburg has the Ball The Warriors will line up an experienced team on offense, led by senior quarterback Tim Roken, who threw for 1,765 yards last year and at least 236 yards in six of his last seven starts, improving as the year went along and culminating in a career-high 312 passing yards in the final game of the year. The Warriors ranked in the middle of the pack in the PSAC in most offensive categories last year, but sixth in passing. That should bode well for this year as Roken will have the team’s top five receivers from last year to throw to, led by Sam Shuman (36 rec., 4 TD) and Doug Ogden (27 rec., 5 TD) as well as Drew Sterm, who caught 21 balls in the first five games before being lost for the season due to injury. He will also have an experienced tailback to hand the ball off to in senior Joe Partridge, who ran for 87.3 yards per game last year and seven touchdowns. If the Warriors elect to throw the ball, Virginia Union’s defense was very good against the pass last year, giving up just 133.4 yards per game in the air and picking off 17 passes on the year while giving up just 13 passing touchdowns. They also limited their opponents to 144.8 yards per game on the ground and just 3.7 yards per carry. Linebacker Brandon Smith leads the team, as he has 84 tackles and 12.5 sacks last year. On Special Teams East Stroudsburg should have an edge in the special teams department as they return a pair of first team All-PSAC East specialists in punter Nick Krut and kicker Greg Knauss. Krut was second in the PSAC in punting average last year while Knauss was third in the country in field goals per game, going 13-for-19 on field goals. Kick returner Drew Stem has averaged better than 28 yards per return in each of his two previous years as the team’s returner, including a 30.9 yard average on kickoff returns last year. Series/Game Notes Series: This will be the first-ever meeting between East Stroudsburg and Virginia Union This also marks East Stroudsburg’s first-ever matchup with a team from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)....Virginia Union is tied for No. 25 in the AFCA preseason Top 25 poll along with PSAC member Bloomsburg....This game is an intra-region game as the CIAA is now in the Northeast Region, shifting to the Northeast from the Southeast beginning this year....The game will mark the debut of FieldTurf at Eiler-Martin Stadium, which was installed in place of natural grass after last season....ESU’s last win over an AFCA Top 25 team was over California (Pa.) on September 23, 2006. Millersville at Bentley Aug. 29 - 7:00 p.m. Waltham, Mass. Bentley Athletic Field (3,100) Radio/Internet: Marauder Sports Broadcasting Network/millersville.edu/~athletic/MSN.php Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 The Coaches Greg Colby is in his first year as the head coach at Millersville and his first year as a collegiate head coach. Peter Yetten is beginning his 30th year as head coach at Bentley, where he has a career record of 149-54-1. When Millersville has the Ball The Marauders’ offense begins and ends with dual-threat quarterback Jamal Smith, the PSAC East Rookie of the Year last year. Smith threw for 807 yards as a freshman but also rushed for 633 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 73.5 yards per game on the ground. All-PSAC East second team fullback and leading returning rusher Brad Lantz also returns. Both will be able to run behind All-PSAC East tackle Adam Cobb. The running game ranked fourth in the PSAC last year, compiling 167.7 yards per game on the ground, but Millersville will likely need to increase the scoring output this year, as the offense only scored an average of 15.6 points per game. That strong running attack will go up against a Bentley defense that led the Northeast-10 in scoring defense last year at 19.1 points per game. Millersville will likely need to continue that strong running game as Bentley’s defense led the NE10 in passing defense, while Millersville was 13th in the PSAC in passing offense. The Falcons did, however, lose a pair of first team all-conference picks and the team’s leading tackler from last year’s team. When Bentley has the Ball The Falcons return an experienced quarterback in senior John White, who threw for 1796 yards and 17 touchdowns last year. They also return leading rusher Luis Cotto (843 yards) and leading receiver John Studley (53 rec.). That trio helped Bentley average 27.3 points per game last year on offense. They will go up against a Millersville defense that was quite solid last year, ranking fifth in the PSAC in scoring defense, sixth in passing defense and seventh in overall defense. That defense returns six starters, led by All-PSAC East defensive end Kevin Kershner and second team pick Jarrod Linn up front. In fact, all four starting defensive linemen return, which should help Millersville improve on its ninth place rushing defense from last year. However, the Marauders will have to replace a pair of first team All-PSAC defensive backs in Brandon Shelton and Marcus Banks. On Special Teams Millersville averaged an impressive 15.2 yards per punt return last year but they lost primary return specialist Jimmie Cotton, so they will need to find a new returner to maintain an edge in the return game. For Bentley, Paul Tetzel averaged 28.9 yards per return but he is also not returning, so both teams will have new primary kick returners this year. Series/Game Notes Series: Bentley holds a 1-0 lead over Millersville in the all-time series Last Meeting: Bentley 17, Millersville 10 (11-3-07 in Millersville, Pa.) A 15-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the game broke a 10-10 tie as Bentley won by a touchdown in last year’s meeting in the second-to-last game of the year....Brad Lantz rushed for 70 yards and had four catches for 40 yards in the game, which featured 10 punts by each team....Millersville has a 3-2 all-time record against teams currently in the Northeast-10. The four other contests in addition to last year’s game against the Falcons have all been against Southern Connecticut State....Jamal Smith’s 633 yards rushing last year was the most by a PSAC quarterback since 2000....Senior Derek Fry will move from tight end to wide receiver, giving Smith a tall (6’7) target to throw at in an effort to boost the Marauders’ passing game. #16/20 West Chester at #5/6 California Aug. 30 - 12:00 p.m. California, Pa. Adamson Stadium (6,500) TV: Fox Sports-Pittsburgh Radio/Internet: RedZoneMedia.com Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 American International at C.W. Post Aug. 30 - 12:00 p.m. Brookeville, N.Y. Hickox Field (5,000) Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 The Coaches Bill Zwaan is entering his sixth season as head coach at West Chester, where he holds a 45-18 record. For his career, he has a 99-32 record in 11 seasons as a head coach. John Luckhardt is in his seventh season as head coach at California (Pa.), where he has a 45-22 record. He has a 182-59-2 in 23 years as a head coach. When West Chester has the Ball The Golden Rams have only three starters returning on offense, but were still picked to finish in first place in the PSAC East. Wideout Mike Washington is the biggest reason for that, as he ranked second in the PSAC and sixth in the nation in receiving yards last year. A three-time All-PSAC East first team selection, he has over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. Second-leading receiver Steve Miller also returns. Fifth-year senior quarterback Joe Wright will be the man charged with getting the ball to the dynamic receiving duo in his first year as the starting quarterback. The California defense, which led the league in all defensive categories last year, lost five starters, including PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year Gary Butler. Only Darren Burns, the team’s leading returning tackler returns to the linebacking group. Senior linebackers Jake Howell and Brent Whiteleather along with senior transfer Dontey Brown to fill the vacated linebacker spots. Willie Walker headlines the defensive line with his nine tackles for loss from last year, while three defensive backs return. When Cal has the Ball The Vulcans lost three-time All-PSAC West quarterback Joe Ruggiero as well as six other offensive starters from last year but will just plug in another experienced quarterback in senior transfer Kevin McCabe, a native of Western Pennsylvania who played at Virginia before transferring. He will have dynamic duo of backs to hand the ball off to in senior Brandon Lombardy, who rushed for 106 yards per game and 12 touchdowns before being injured in the ninth game of the year, and Daine Williams, who ran for 110.2 yards per game and 1,102 for the season. McCabe will also have two experienced receivers to throw to in senior wideout Perry Ivery and junior tight end Cory Garver, who caught six touchdowns last year out of 13 catches total. It will be a power-vs.-power matchup up front as West Chester returns two outstanding defensive linemen and three linebackers, led by first team All-PSAC East selection Michael Walter and second team selection Travis Ford-Bey up front and second team pick Mike Dell at linebacker. The Golden Rams ranked fourth in the PSAC against the run and third in scoring defense last year, setting up what should be an interesting matchup with the Vulcans. On Special Teams West Chester looks to have the edge in terms of experience. Cal lost its punter, kicker and return specialist from last year and will need to replace all three for a return game that averaged 21 yards per return last year. Kicker Tyler Lorenz went 21-for27 in field goals last year but will be replaced likely by Derek Fiorenza, a transfer from Villanova. By contrast, the Rams return their primary kick returner in senior Kevin Garland, who is also a running back. He averaged 24.7 yards per return last year. They also have a senior kicker in Alex Walsh, who hit on 75 percent of his field goals last year. Series/Game Notes Series: West Chester leads the all-time series 4-1 Last Meeting: Cal 30, West Chester 14 (11-3-07 at West Chester, Pa.) Cal topped West Chester in week 10 last year in a matchup of the top teams in each PSAC division as well at the Northeast Region....Daine Williams ran for 132 yards while Joe Ruggiero threw for 134 yards and two TDs....Cal’s schedule features contests against the teams picked first and second in the PSAC in the first two weeks, and then the teams picked just below them in the PSAC West in second and third place in IUP and Edinboro in weeks four and five, setting up a tough early-season schedule for the defending PSAC West champions....Saturday’s game is a matchup of the two defending PSAC divisional champions and the two teams picked to finish first once again in their divisions this year....Cal is ranked in the preseason top 10 for the first time in school history....The Vulcans have won 11 straight regular season games and 17 of their past 18 games overall....West Chester has finished either first or second in the PSAC East in each of the last four years, which include two divisional championships. The Coaches Bryan Collins is in his 11th year as head coach at C.W. Post, where he holds a career record of 84-26. Art Wilkins is entering his 15th year as head coach at American International, where he has an 86-58 career record. When AIC has the Ball The Yellow Jackets have had a quarterback battle going in the preseason between sophomore Rob Parent, who played most of the last year, and senior Shane Murphy, who was injured for most of last year but is more experienced. First team all-conference selection Marcus Cameron will return to the backfield as a fullback and should get more carries with the departure of fellow all-conference member Calvin Hall. The strength of AIC’s offense, however, is likely their passing game, as its top three receivers from last year return in Travis Poole, Tyler Scaccia and Kertis Hussey. However, the offensive line has some questions marks as three starters were lost from last year. The most experienced side of the ball for C.W. Post is the defensive side, where seven starters return, led by its top five tacklers from last year, including linebacker Tayrance Smith (72 TT, 9 TFL, 2 INT), safety Kurt Ellis (69 TT, 2 INT, 5 PB) and cornerback Juma McKenley (58 TT, 2 INT, 5 PB). The team allowed a respectable 22.8 points per game and 124.1 yards per game on the ground last year. When C.W. Post has the Ball The Pioneers return just four starters on offense, but one of them is senior quarterback Nick Georgetti, who was extremely efficient last year, throwing for over 2000 yards, completing 63.7 percent of his passes, and throwing 13 touchdowns with only three interceptions. His leadership and game management ability will be counted on to break in what should be a young offense. He will have fullback Anthoney Adamic to hand off to. Adamic ran for 268 yards in the final game of last season and will be looking to build on that for a breakout season this year. Senior Curtis Coombs will be the most experience option in the passing game, as he was second on the team last year with 26.2 receiving yards per game. Junior college transfer Ryan Pettys is expected to add another dimension to the passing game as there are high hopes for him this year. Post will have a stout defense to go up against in AIC as the Yellow Jackets return all four starters on the defensive line as well as leading tackler Terrence Holley at linebacker. That defense allowed just 2.9 yards per carry to opponents last year. The secondary was also equally as stingy, allowing only 11.3 yards per catch and the defense as a whole allowed under 300 yards per game (290.4). On Special Teams C.W. Post lost its top punt returner Chris Bone, who was also the team’s top receiver, as well as top kick returner Jamel Ramsay. They will have a reliable kicker, however, as senior Andrew Kroell went 9-for-15 on field goals last year, including hitting all four from 40-49 yards and seven of his last nine attempts on the year. He was a two-time All-Northeast-10 selection. AIC also has a reliable returning placekicker in Marek Prezbylek, who converted on 11 of 18 attempts last year, although his longest was only 34 yards. Series/Game Notes Series: C.W. Post leads the all-time series 13-8 Last Meeting: AIC 23, C.W. Post 14 (10-27-07 at Springfield, Mass.) C.W. Post will play its first game as a member of the PSAC by taking on a former Northeast-10 foe in AIC....This will mark the ninth straight year that the teams have meet on the football field....Prior to AIC’s win last year, C.W. Post had won six straight games in the series....The Pioneers will play their first three games of the year at home....C.W. Post is in its first year as an associate member of the PSAC in football, becoming the first-ever school from outside the State of Pennsylvania to join the PSAC in any capacity....AIC was picked to finish third in the Northeast-10....Post is receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll. Mercyhurst at Wayne State Aug. 30 - 12:30 p.m. Detroit, Mich. Adams Field (6,000) TV: Comcast Television/b2livetv.com Radio/Internet: WMCE 88.5 FM/104.9 FM/wmce.mercyhurst.edu Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 The Coaches Marty Schaetzle enters his seventh year as head coach at Mercyhurst, where he holds a career record of 21-43. Paul Winters is in his fifth season as head coach at Wayne State, where he has a 13-29 record. When Mercyhurst has the Ball The Lakers will have a new starting quarterback as last year’s starter, Mitch Phillis, graduated. Junior Joe Laffey is the most experienced of the group of potential starters at the position, but whoever it is will have a wealth of returning starters to work around. Seven total starters return from last year’s team that averaged 32.1 points and 383.5 yards per game last year, setting a new school record for points. Running back Richard Stokes (1177 yds., 13 TD) returns, as does four starters from the offensive line to block for him, while the passing game has senior Aaron Haynes (58 ypg, 6 TD) to rely on. If last year is any indication, Wayne State is a team that can be scored on, meaning it could possibly be a repeat of last year’s game that feature a combined 108 points for both teams. The Warriors 34.8 points per game las year , giving up over 200 yards per game on the ground and over 250 through the air. Overall, they allowed opponents to pick up 6.1 yards per play and 465.9 yards per game. When Wayne State has the Ball Mercyhurst will need to limit the damage done by Wayne State running back Joique Bell. A preseason All-American this year, Bell rushed for an average of 129.7 yards per game last year and 1427 yards overall, and an amazing 25 touchdowns. The Warriors are primarily a running team, as they averaged 219.5 yards per game on the ground last year compared to just 150.4 through the air while also scored 32 touchdowns on the ground as opposed to just 10 passing TDs. The defense is the part of the Lakers’ team that will likely need to improve if the Lakers want to improve greatly on last year’s team. The defense gave up 38.3 points and over 400 yards per game of total offense. It should be an experienced defense as eight starters return, led by dynamic dual threat Theo Hall in the defensive backfield. Hall had five interceptions to lead the team and is also a talented kick returner. Those eight returning starters, however, do not even include linebackers Jimmy Kokrak and Bryan Boyce, each of whom sat out last year with injuries. Kokrak was a preseason All-American in 2006 while Boyce led the Lakers in tackles for loss two years ago. Both will need to play effectively in their first game action in two years in order to limit Wayne State’s potent ground game. On Special Teams Mercyhurst has a dynamic return man in senior Theo Hall. He had 1,134 all purpose yards last year, setting the school record for kickoff returns and yards in a season. He averaged 23.7 yards per kickoff return while Aaron Haynes averaged 11.6 yards per punt return. Series/Game Notes Series: Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 5-2 Last Meeting: Mercyhurst 58, Wayne State 50 (3ot) (9-15-07 at Erie, Pa.) The Lakers won a shootout with Wayne State last year to improve to 3-1 on the season in a GLIAC matchup in week four of the season....Richard Stokes ran 35 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including one 58-yard run, while Josh Szeluga caught nine passes for 87 yards. Theo Hall picked off two passes on defense. The two teams put up 875 yards combined of total offense....Mercyhurst opens the season with three straight road games but after that will play three straight home games....This will be a matchup of former GLIAC foes, as Mercyhurst spent the last 10 years in the GLIAC before moving to the PSAC beginning this year. #25/- Bloomsburg at #15/15 Ashland Aug. 30 - 1:00 p.m. Ashland, Ohio Community Stadium (6,000) TV: SportsTime Ohio (tape delay) Radio/Internet: WHLM 930 AM Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 The Coaches Danny Hale is entering his 16th year as the head coach at Bloomsburg. He has a 125-44-1 record at Bloomsburg and for his career has a 165-57-1 record. Lee Owens is entering his fifth year as the head coach at Ashland, where he has a record of 26-16. For his career, he has a 66-77 record. When Bloomsburg has the Ball Although the Huskies lost the PSAC’s all-time leader in career rushing yards and scoring in tailback Jamar Brittingham, Bloomsburg still returns a solid group of veterans on offense, led by quarterback Dan Latorre, who is entering his third year as the team’s starting quarterback. He completed 59.5 percent of his passes last year for 1643 yards and only threw four interceptions to lead an offense that led the PSAC in scoring and was second in yards per game. Latorre will be protected three returning starting linemen and will have an experienced wideout in Kyle Ream to throw to. Finding a new tailback or group of backs to carry the load that Brittingham handled last year as well as improving on the 10th-ranked passing offense in the PSAC last year will be a key as to how Bloom’s offense performs. Ashland’s defense proved to be just enough last year with their high-scoring offense to back them up. The Eagles did, however, give up nearly 30 points per game last year and over 400 yards of total offense per game. If the Huskies can duplicate their high-scoring offense from last year, this game could prove to be a shootout. When Ashland has the Ball The Eagles return several key skill players from last year’s high-flying offense that set school records for points (44.0 ppg), passing yards (290.9 ypg) and total offense (528.2 ypg). The Eagles also proved to be efficient with the ball as well as they led the nation in fewest turnovers with just nine. Quarterback Billy Cundiff returns after setting school records for completion percentage (61.3 percent). However, his two top target from last year graduated. Starting tailback Dawon Harvey also returns after rushing for 1026 yards last year. He is also the top returning receiver with just 11 catches, meaning the Eagles will need to break in some new receivers if they are to duplicate their passing numbers from last year. Bloomsburg’s overall defense was ranked in the middle of the PSAC last year (ninth) but the Huskies’ rushing defense was a bit better, ranking sixth in the conference at just 133.2 yards allowed per game. Veteran defensive linemen John Ochs, a first team All-PSAC East selection last year, and Earl McNeil will be counted on to slow down Harvey, while fellow seniors and returning starting linebackers Dan Tillotson and Greg Myers will need to provide support from the linebackers. Starting defensive back Jesse Cooper can be a game-changer, as the three-year starter returned two interceptions for touchdowns last year. On Special Teams Dawon Harvery, in addition to being the team’s starting running back, served as the kick returner for the Eagles last year as well. He averaged 22.6 yards per kickoff return. The Huskies return a reliable kicker in junior Jon Koenig, who converted on 43 of 46 extra points last year as well as 5-for-8 on field goals. Blocked kicks may be something to watch out for as the Eagles have blocked 18 kicks over the past four seasons while for Bloomsburg, Jesse Cooper blocked four kicks last year, even returning one for a touchdown. Series/Game Notes Series: This marks the first-ever meeting between Bloomsburg and Ashland The game will be aired on a tape-delay basis by SportsTime Ohio. The game can be seen the same day, August 30, at 11:00 p.m. and then on Sunday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m....Bloomsburg has the highest winning percentage of any school in the PSAC in this decade....The Huskies return a pair of All-PSAC offensive linemen in Luke Beall and Matt Bosso....Ashland appeared in the NCAA playoffs last year after going 8-1 during the regular season, dropping a first round game at Central Washington. Bowie State at Cheyney Aug. 30 - 1:00 p.m. Cheyney, Pa. O’Shields-Stevenson Stadium (5,000) Radio/Internet: RedZoneMedia.com Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 #13/13 Shepherd at Shippensburg Aug. 30 - 1:00 p.m. Shippensburg, Pa. Seth Grove Stadium (7,700) TV: Shippensburg University Television (SUTV) Radio/Internet: WSYC 88.7 FM/shipraiders.com Overall: 0-0 PSAC East: 0-0 The Coaches Jeff Braxton is in his first year as head coach at Cheyney. This is his first collegiate head coaching job. He was the offensive coordinator at Delaware State last year. Mike Lynn is in his fifth year as head coach at Bowie State, where he has a record of 21-21. When Bowie State has the Ball The Bulldogs will likely start a senior at quarterback in Jason Scott, who threw for 1,096 yards last year. All together, nine starters return on offense. Leading rusher Isaac Redman, who averaged 117.9 yards per game and scored 13 touchdowns, will be an important weapon. Cheyney lost its top five tacklers from last year, so the defense will need to be rebuild around its five returning starters, led by safety Demel Chambers (38 TT, 2 PB), linebacker Joe Morris (28 TT, 3 PB) and linemen Darryl Wilkins (28 TT, 7 TFL). All three are juniors who will be relied on to improve the Cheyney defense, which was very good against the pass last year, ranking third in the PSAC with just 167.7 yards per game allowed through the air. Stopping the running game of Bowie State would appear to be a key in this game, as the Bulldogs were not particularly potent with the pass last year. When Cheyney has the Ball The Wolves will have an experienced quarterback in junior Ronald Thompson, who will be the starter for the second straight year. He will look to improve on his numbers from last year. He will have a pair of massive offensive linemen to protect him and run behind in Dennis Cooper and Darren Watson, both of whom tip the scale at about 330 pounds. They will also hopefully open up some holes for returning starting running back Chinoso Okoro (3.1 ypc last year). Bowie State was a young team on defense last year, starting eight freshman at one point. They will once again be young this year but will also be a little more experienced, as the Bulldogs return 10 starters. The Bulldogs gave up 24 points per game last year, not terrible, but not enough to win enough games as the offense scored less. Bowie State was much better in its pass defense, giving up just 132.9 yards per game in the air, as opposed to 172.3 on the ground. On Special Teams Cheyney averaged just 1.5 yards per punt return last year, a number that will be to be greatly improved on to at least gain better field position. The Wolves will need a new kick returner as their primary returner from last year graduated and they will also break in a new kicker as well. The Bulldogs averaged a decent 22.1 yards per kickoff return and 9.5 yards on punt returns. They would appear to have the edge on special teams as primary kick returner Larry Dixon returns Series/Game Notes Series: Cheyney has a 4-9 mark all-time against Bowie State Cheyney will break in a young team by playing its first four games at home. The Wolves will not need to hit the road until the last week of September....Cheyney and Bowie State met for six straight years from 1996-2001....Cheyney’s last win the series came in 2000. The Coaches Rocky Rees is entering his 19th year as the head coach at Shippensburg. He has a 105-94-1 record at Shippensburg and for his career, has a 141-109-2 record in 23 years as a head coach. Monte Carter is entering his 22nd season at Shepherd, where he has a 150-71-1 record. His overall record is 181-94-2 in 27 years as a head coach. When Shepherd as the Ball Shepherd ranked second in both scoring and total offense in the WVIAC last year but the Rams lost leading rusher Dervon Wallace and his WVIAC record 2138 rushing yards from last year. However, they return quarterback Tyler Lazear, who threw for 1587 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. They also lost leading receiver Mark Springirth. Their top returning receiver is tight end Ryan Lavin (23 rec., 28.1 ypg). The Red Raider defense should be a strength of the team, particularly up front. Defensive ends Josh Emberg and Jason Groller combined for 15 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last year and should form one of the best pair of defensive ends in the PSAC. The Red Raiders also return three starting linebackers, led by second team All-PSAC West pick Andy Casale (71 TT, 9 TFL), who was second on the team in tackles last year. Ship’s defense ranked third overall in total defense last year, giving up just 315.1 yards per game and were fifth against both the run and pass but ranked seventh in scoring defense, as opponents converted on 48 percent of fourth down conversions. When Shippensburg has the Ball That Raiders will have a new starting quarterback, likely junior Chad DiFebbo. He will have standout wide receiver Mike Harris to throw to. Harris averaged 70.8 receiving yards per game and had 57 catches. Ship will need a running back to step up and produce as the Raiders lost their top three rushers from last year. Kevin Marshall in the leading returning rusher at 3.8 yards per carry but just 20.9 yards per game in limited playing time last year. The Raiders will have three starters from the offensive line returning, however. Look for Ship to maintain a balanced attack, as it ranked fifth in the PSAC in both rushing and passing last year. The Shepherd defense ranked second in the WVIAC in both total and scoring defense, allowing 19.9 points per game. The defense should once again be a strength, particularly against the run, where the Rams allowed just 125.4 yards per game last year. The Rams return all four starters from the defensive line, all of which are juniors and seniors, as well as a pair of linebackers.Only one starter returns in the backfield, however. How effective the Red Raiders can be in the passing game may be the key to the game. On Special Teams Shippensburg will need to break in a new kick returner as Howard Chavous handled the majority of kick and punt returning last year. Kevin Marshall was the second option on kickoff returns and averaged 22.3 yards per return, including one for a touchdown. The Raiders also have a good punter in Kyler Ford, who ranked 27th in the nation in average yards per punt with nearly one-third of his punts pinning opponents inside the 20. Series/Game Notes Series: Shippensburg leads the all-time series with Shepherd 28-15 Last Meeting: Shepherd 19, Shippensburg 14 (9-1-07 at Shepherdstown, W. Va.) Shepherd and Shippensburg have met on the gridiron for the last 17 straight years, every year since 1991....The game has been known as the Great Valley Classic since 1998.... Shippensburg outgained the Rams in last year’s meetings but fell in a close game at Shepherd 19-14 as the Rams rallied from behind by scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Dervon Wallace ran for142 yards....The last three meetings have all been close games, with Ship losing by two points in 2005, 14 points in 2006 and five points last year....Shepherd was picked to win the WVIAC this year and has appeared in the NCAA playoffs in each of the past three years. Edinboro at West Liberty State Aug. 30 - 1:30 p.m. West Liberty, W. Va. Russek Field (4,000) Radio/Internet: teamline.cc Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 PSAC West: 0-0 Slippery Rock at Seton Hill Aug. 30 - 6:00 p.m. Greensburg, Pa. Offutt Field (5,000) Radio/Internet: MSAsportsnetwork.com Overall: 0-0 The Coaches Scott Browning is entering his third year as head coach at Edinboro, where he has a 13-9 record in his first two years. Roger Waialae is entering his fourth season as head coach at West Liberty State, where he has a 21-12 career record. When Edinboro has the Ball Let it fly. That should be the mantra for the Fighting Scots this year as reigning PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year Trevor Harris returns after a standout sophomore year in which he threw for 3268 yards and 30 touchdowns while competing 68.5 percent of his passes. He will have his top three targets back as well in Rich Cerro (58 rec., 5 TD), Ryan Rybicki (54 rec., 9 TD) and Jeremy Burr (40 rec., 4 TD). But the Edinboro offense likely won’t be limited to only the air either as leading rusher Houston Brown returns after missing the last three games of last year. Brown ran for 60.6 yards per game and seven touchdowns and he kept opposing defenses honest with the Scots’ potent passing game. Secondleading rusher Ulysee Davis also returns. All together, the Fighting Scots return eight starters from an offense that averaged 455.7 yards per game, 35.7 points per game, and 6.3 yards per play in 2007. West Liberty State’s defense was stingy last year, allowing only 20.3 points per game to place third in the WVIAC. They gave up including 149.5 per game on the ground and an average of 15 yards per catch but only 175.9 yards per game through the air. They will have their hands full with Edinboro’s high-flying offense, but defensive back Darren Banks has 28 career interceptions, including 13 last year, and can turn any mistake into a quick score. When West Liberty State has the Ball When combined with Edinboro’s offense, this game could end up being a shootout, as West Liberty averaged more yards per game on offense last year than Edinboro, putting up 470.5 yards per game and 6.4 yards per play as well as 39.3 points per game to top the WVIAC. The Hilltoppers return quarterback Zach Amedro, who threw for 3,297 yards and nearly 300 per game and 26 scores as a freshman last year. The difference between West Liberty and Edinboro is that the top two receivers for the Hilltoppers do not return as first team All-American Almonzo Banks (121 ypg) as well as second leading receiver Jerrett Ponder are gone. Johnny Bonar (27 rec.) is the leading returning receiver. In the running game, leading rusher Eddie Hills (1107 yds., 5.1 ypc) returns and will be joined in the backfield by Virginia Tech transfer Branden Ore. The Fighting Scots will need to put the clamps down in order to stay off the field long enough to the offense can do all of its work. Edinboro gave up 27.8 points per game last year and 381.4 yards per game. They do return a pair of experienced defensive ends in Jeremey Appell and Mike Enoch as well as veteran linebackers in seniors Hardin Moss and Y’Hoshua Murray as well as sophomore Greg Sondag (79 TT, 8 TFL). On Special Teams Darren Banks is not only a dynamic defensive back but he also is WL’s main threat in the return game. He averaged 24.4 yards per kick return and 11.0 yards per punt return. The Hilltoppers also have a reliable kicker in Billy Hager, who went 14-for-22 on field goals, with a long of 52. That experience would appear to give the Hilltoppers the edge on special teams, as Edinboro will have a new kicker this year and only averaged 5.9 yards per punt return last year while leading kickoff returner David Bostic has departed. Series/Game Notes Series: West Liberty leads the all-time series 3-2 Last Meeting: Edinboro 40, West Liberty State 14 (1984) Both teams received votes in the preseason AFCA Top 25 poll....Edinboro was first in the PSAC in passing offense last year and second in overall offense but only fourth in scoring offense....Trevor Harris was a Northeast Region finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy....West Liberty went undefeated at home last year. The Coaches Dr. George Mihalik is entering his 21st year as head coach at Slippery Rock, where he holds a career record of 136-79-4. Joel Dolinski enters his first year as the head coach at Seton Hill. When Slippery Rock has the Ball The Rock will be breaking in several new starters as they return only four starters from last year’s 9-2 team that finished one spot out of the NCAA playoffs. However, one of those returnees is All-PSAC West first team running back Corey Manfull, who rushed for 139.8 yards per game, 6.3 yards per attempt and 13 touchdowns. The Rock may rely heavily on its running game, especially early on in the season, as Ryan Lehmeier (6,9 ypc, 10 TD) also returns, as does Damarcus Cleckley (6.5 ypc, 65.3 ypg), giving The Rock a solid trio in the backfield. They also have an experienced interior offensive line as two starters return there to hopefully keep the running game strong. It is a battle between Joe DeSanzo and Brandon Frohnapple, a pair of sophomores, to earn the starting quarterback nod. They will have a solid receiver in Terry Grossetti (61.6 ypg) to throw to. Seton Hill allowed 428.2 yards per game, including 208.8 yards per game on the ground, which should work in The Rock’s favor with its running game. It’s scoring defense of 33 points per game ranked last in the WVIAC, which should bode in Slippery Rock’s favor as the The Rock breaks in its new starters. That’s the bad news for Seton Hill. The good news is that all 11 starters return and with the program being in just its fourth year of existence, the defense should be the most experienced ever. When Seton Hill has the Ball The Griffins should have a solid running game as well as Antwarn Jones returns after rushing for 1276 yards last year, including 127.6 per game. The Griffins averaged 369 yards per game overall, ranking in the middle of the conference, but it’s 209.8 passing yards per game ranked third. Ten of 11 starters return for the Griffins. Just like the offense, The Rock’s defense returns only four starters as well, but the strength is likely on the defensive line, where Tyler Boudreau(21 TFL) and Marty Kern reside. Boudreau was a second team All-PSAC West pick last year. Young but talented, the defense hopes to at least duplicate its holding opponents to 20.2 points per game last year, second best in the PSAC, including just 119.2 on the ground, third best in the PSAC. If The Rock can put up similar numbers, it may be in for another successful season, provided the offense can keep possession of the ball for long periods of time with a successful running game. On Special Teams Primary punt returner Anthony Walls returns for The Rock but primary kick returner Paul Favers departs. Walls will likely handle both as well as Robert Doiley. Walls averaged 23.5 yards per return on kickoffs last year. The Rock is also in good hands (or feet) with placekicker C.J. Bahr, who set the school record with 50 extra points last year. Samuel Tranks ranked third in the WVIAC in all-purpose yards last year for Seton Hill and will be the team’s primary kick returner. Series/Game Notes Series: Slippery Rock leads the series 1-0 Last Meeting: Slippery Rock 51, Seton Hill 24 (8-30-07 at Slippery Rock, Pa.) Corey Manfull ran for 145 yards while Demarcus Cleckley ran for 92 and the rock put up 487 yards of total offense, including 288 on the ground, in a 51-24 romp over the Hilltoppers to open the season....Seton Hill is in just its fourth year as a varsity football program and it eligible for postseason this year in Division II for the first time....Rock head coach George Mihalik is 21-3 in his career vs. the WVIAC....The Rock is receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 poll.