Lebanon Valley (4-1, 1-1 MAC) at FDU-Florham (1-4, 0-2 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 17 - 1 p.m. - Shields Field - The 13th Meeting
Radio: WMSS 91.1 FM
Webcast: WMSSFM.com
Media Notes In PDF Format (includes two-deep)
Coming off a statement win at Wilkes last week, Lebanon Valley hopes to get on a roll at FDU-Florham. The Dutchmen, trying to keep pace in the MAC chase, will have to stop a dangerous Devils team and their offensive catalyst, quarterback Bill Winters.
On the Radio
All of this season’s games will be heard live in the capital region on WMSS 91.1 FM.
John Wilsbach and
Brian Keyser will call the action for the fourth consecutive season. Every game will be streamed live and free at
WMSSFM.com and
www.GoDutchmen.com.
If You Only Know 5 Things...
1. Senior RB
Charlie Parker needs just 10 yards and one carry to top
Rick Coleman ’78 for the program records in those rushing categories. He is chasing Coleman’s career records of 3,106 yards and 673 carries.
2. LVC is bidding to be 5-1 for the first time since 1979. That year, the Dutchmen started out 4-0 before losing their fifth game.
3. Lebanon Valley has held opponents to 20 or fewer yards rushing in three of five contests this season. FDU-Florham enters the game averaging 140 yards per game on the ground, with 62.6 yards coming from quarterback Bill Winters.
4. Winters accounts for more than three-quarters of their total offense, racking up 305.8 ypg out of a 394.6 total. He has 11 passing and 5 rushing touchdowns.
5. LVC is 3-0 on the road this season, winning at Gettysburg, Moravian, and Wilkes.
Series History
Today’s game is the 13th meeting all-time between LVC and FDU-Florham (formerly FDU-Madison) ... LVC leads the series, 7-5 ... The first meeting was on Oct. 7, 1983, an 18-17 LVC win ... This is the ninth consecutive meeting dating back to 2001 ... LVC has won four in a row, including a 38-3 trouncing last year in Annville ...
Jim Monos is 5-1 against the Devils ... LVC is 3-2 on the road against FDU-Florham ... LVC is 5-10 when playing on Oct. 17 ... LVC is 11-5 all-time playing in New Jersey ... FDU-Florham is one of only two active opponents from New Jersey that LVC has played. The Dutchmen lost a single game at Rutgers, 56-0, in 1924 ... LVC also played 15 games against now-defunct Upsala College, going 12-3 overall and 6-2 in New Jersey ... LVC did also played two indoor games against Widener at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in 1969 and 1970, winning both.
Wilkes Recap
Ben Guiles ran for a career-high 187 yards and Lebanon Valley’s defense held Wilkes to 168 yards of total offense as LVC won, 21-18, last weekend in a key MAC match-up at Ralston Field.
The Dutchmen (4-1, 1-1 MAC) kept from falling into an 0-2 hole in conference play after last week’s loss to Delaware Valley, while the Colonels (3-2, 0-2 MAC) lost for the second straight game after a 3-0 start. LVC had to use some smart clock management to halt a late Wilkes comeback after the Colonels’ Chris Swinarski returned a goal-line fumble 97 yards for a touchdown to start the fourth quarter. A year after teammate
Charlie Parker ran for a school-record 267 yards at Wilkes, Guiles turned in the sixth-best rushing performance in LVC history, while Parker, who needed 57 yards to become LVC’s all-time leading rusher, inched closer with 47 yards and a touchdown. Parker did, however, equal the career record for carries, toting the ball 16 times to get to 673 for his career, tying
Rick Coleman ‘78 for that mark. Quarterbacks
Caleb Fick and
Colt Zarilla combined to go 12-for-18 for 154 yards and no interceptions. Rob Johnson completed just seven passes for 157 yards for Wilkes, but was sacked six times, including three times by linebacker
Alex Gilchrist. But even with three sacks, it was Gilchrist’s first-quarter interception that was biggest play as he picked off Johnson at the Wilkes eight yard-line, setting up Parker for a touchdown two plays later.
FDU-Florham Scouting Report
The struggling Devils (1-4, 0-2 MAC) have lost two straight, most recently a 41-17 setback to Delaware Valley last week. FDU’s pass-first offense is led by outstanding QB Bill Winters, a rushing and passing threat who accounts for more than three-quarters of the Devils’ total offense. Winters has thrown for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns this year, while also running for 313 yards and five scores. RB Bayshawn Wells averages 46.6 ypg with a touchdown as well. FDU has five different receivers who average 30 or more yards per game, led by Kyle Bukowiec (68.0) and Lou Pietrangelo (48.0). Six different Devils have caught a touchdown this season from Winters. Defensively, the Devils have struggled against the run, allowing 207.2 yards per game. Ian Moore is the team’s leading tackler with 39 stops, and George Gibson has 3.5 sacks. Dan Labrutto has 3 interceptions this season.
Twin-Headed Attack
LVC has relied heavily on the twin rushing attack of
Ben Guiles and
Charlie Parker, who are second and fourth in the MAC in rushing, respectively. Guiles averages 105 yards per game and leads the MAC in total yardage at 525 (including a 6.9 yards per carry average, nearly two yards better than anyone else in the MAC). Parker, who has played only four games, averages 89 yards per game with a 356-yard total. LVC as a team leads the MAC in rushing by a large margin, averaging 213.2 ypg, ahead of Delaware Valley’s 171.2 ypg.
Parker Ties Carries Record, Nears All-Time Yardage Mark
Senior RB
Charlie Parker started the season chasing after three LVC career rushing records, and now owns twos of them. His two touchdowns against Gettysburg put him in the lead for career rushing TDs with 25, breaking
Ken Wilson ’90’s 20 year-old record. Two weeks ago, Parker became just the second LVC player to reach 3,000 career rushing yards, and last week, he tied the all-time carries record at 673. Now, with 3,097 yards, he needs just 10 yards to surpass
Rick Coleman ’78’s 3,106 yards.
Gilchrist Earns National, MAC Honors
After a dominating game against Wilkes, junior LB
Alex Gilchrist was named to the d3football.com Team of the Week, and was also tabbed the MAC Defensive Player of the Week. Gilchrist rolled up three sacks and an interception on Wilkes’ Rob Johnson, with his pick setting up LVC’s first touchdown of the game. Four of Gilchrist’s six tackles were for a loss, and he accounted for 27 lost yards for the Colonels.
Ryan Breaks NCAA PAT Mark
Junior K
Brittany Ryan, with three PATs against Wilkes, became the unofficial NCAA all-divisions leader for PATs by a female player. Ryan broke the mark of 48 held by Tonya Butler (West Alabama), and will now go for Butler’s record of 87 total points (Ryan has 56 heading into the FDU-Florham game).
Guiles’ Big Day
Sophomore RB
Ben Guiles had a huge performance last week against Wilkes, running for a career-high 187 yards and a touchdown. Guiles’ performance was tied as the sixth-best single-game performance in LVC history, and his 35 carries was also fifth-most. Between Guiles and
Charlie Parker, the two active backs have three of the top six rushing performances at LVC; Parker has the game-record 267 yards last year at Wilkes and a 196 yard outing at Susquehanna in 2007.
Sack Happy
Part of LVC’s strategy this week figures to be hitting mobile FDU quarterback Bill Winters early and often, and based on their track record, the Dutchmen defense should have no problem delivering. Last week, LVC sacked Wilkes’ Rob Johnson six times, accounting for -36 yards off Wilkes’ offense. This season, the LVC front seven has sacked opponents a MAC-best 19 times for a loss of 118 yards.
Stingy Run Defense
LVC possesses the MAC’s #1-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 87.4 yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry. The LVC front seven have allowed 20 or fewer yards in three games this year: against Ursinus (-19 yards on 25 attempts), Moravian (14 yards on 25 attempts), and Wilkes (11 yards on 26 attempts).
Controlling the Clock
LVC’s prolific run game has allowed it to control the clock when it needs to, exemplified best at Wilkes when the Dutchmen ate the final 6:40 of the fourth quarter to prevent the Colonels from getting the ball back, preserving a 21-18 lead. LVC has controlled the ball for 31:47 a game this year, which ranks second in the MAC, and is also second in first downs at 21.2 per game.
Everybody Scores
LVC has had nine different players involved in scoring points this season, including five different players with rushing touchdowns.
Joe Brennan (4 TDs receiving) is the only receiver to score, with all four passes from
Caleb Fick;
Ben Guiles (4 TDs),
Charlie Parker (3 TDs),
Bryan Lynch (2 TDs),
Blair Ransom (2 TDs),
Colt Zarilla (2 TDs), and Fick (1 TD) have all scored on the ground.
Dan DiBona (1 FG) and
Brittany Ryan (14 PATs) have also scored points this season.
Two Under Center
In preseason, coach Jim Monos indicated that he would have several packages ready for back-up quarterback
Colt Zarilla, a more mobile option than pocket passer
Caleb Fick. Zarilla has certainly shown why he can make life difficult for opposing defenses; this season, he has completed 13-of-21 passes for 208 yards, while also running 14 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
Special Teams Shine
LVC’s special teams have been outstanding so far this season, averaging 58.0 yards per kick-off behind the boot of freshman
Nate Fehr; 25.8 yards per kick-off return with
Ben Guiles and
Sean Donovan; and 40.0 yards per punt thanks to
Colt Zarilla. Defensively on special teams, the Dutchmen have been equally good, limiting opponents to -1.0 yards per punt return and 21.0 yards per kick return.
Next Time Out
LVC returns to Arnold Field for an Oktoberfest Weekend match-up with King’s Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.