2009 ECAC Southwest Bowl
Lebanon Valley (8-2, 5-2 MAC) vs. Salisbury (5-5, 2-1 ACFC)
Saturday, Nov. 21 - Noon - Arnold Field - The First Meeting
Live Stats: GoDutchmen.com
Radio: WMSS 91.1 FM (Harrisburg area), WWSM 1510 AM (Lebanon county)
Webcast: WMSSFM.com
Media Notes In PDF Format (includes two-deep)
For the first time since 1951, Lebanon Valley has a chance to snag some postseason hardware as it hosts Salisbury in the 2009 ECAC Southwest Bowl. The Dutchmen hope to reach nine wins for the first time in program history if they can capture the championship.
If You Only Know Five Things...
1. This is LVC’s first postseason appearance in 58 years, since the 1951 Burley Bowl, and only third overall.
2. Salisbury is making its fifth ECAC appearance and 11th postseason berth overall. They are the defending ECAC Southwest Bowl champions.
3. LVC is +11 on turnovers this year and has committed just two in the last four games, with no interceptions in that span. Caleb Fick has not thrown an interception in six games, and LVC has not had an offensive turnover in four games (fumbles vs. Widener and Lycoming were on punt returns).
4. Salisbury went 5-0 at home, and 0-5 on the road this year. LVC is 3-1 at Arnold Field.
5. Combined, LVC and Salisbury average 469.2 yards rushing per game, and just 263.2 yards of passing. Salisbury’s triple option yields 248.9 ypg on the ground, and LVC’s offense averages 220.3 ypg.
Series History
Lebanon Valley and Salisbury have never met ... LVC has never met a member of the Atlantic Central Football Conference ... Salisbury is 8-6 all-time against the Middle Atlantic Conference ... The Sea Gulls are 2-2 against the MAC in the postseason, including 1-1 in ECAC games (a 1995 loss to Albright, and a 2006 win over Delaware Valley) ... LVC has played 10 times on Nov. 21, but not since 1970. LVC is 6-4 in those games ... LVC has not played a Maryland team since McDaniel in 1996.
Albright Recap
Albright’s Dave Harig knocked away
Caleb Fick’s two-point conversion pass to
Matt Donley in double overtime as the Lions came back to win, 44-43, in a heart-stopping game at Shirk Stadium. In a game that meant a likely NCAA at-large berth for the winner, the Lions (9-1, 6-1 MAC) pounced on every LVC mistake in the second half after falling behind 16-0 at the half, and the Dutchmen (8-2, 5-2 MAC) let multiple opportunities slip by.
Brittany Ryan missed a 25-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation that would have put the Dutchmen (8-2, 5-2 MAC) up, and after the sides traded touchdowns in both overtimes, LVC elected to go for two and the win in the second period but came up short.
Charlie Parker had scored on a four-yard run in the first overtime, and Scott Pillar caught an incredible 30-yard pass on fourth-down to keep the game alive for Albright; in the second extra period, Pillar grabbed a wide-open seven-yard look on the first go-round, and
Joe Brennan caught an easy two-yard pass on fourth down.
Salisbury Scouting Report
Salisbury averages 248.9 yards rushing per game out of its spread option offense, passing for just 89.6 yards per game this season. A host of Sea Gulls are rushing threats, led by Bryan Woolson (519 yds, 5 TD) and Randal Smedley (472 yards, 3 TD). Quarterback Sean Kelly has thrown for 740 yards and seven touchdowns with 10 interceptions. No Salisbury receiver has more than 10 catches this year. Defensively, the Sea Gulls run a 3-3-5 odd-stack system that has held opponents to just 108.6 yards per game on the ground and 308.3 yards of offense overall. Paul Cynewski leads the team with 58 tackles, including 21.5 for a loss and nine sacks, and Brandon Hudson has eight interceptions this season. The Sea Gulls have hit opposing QB’s 39 times this year.
Mighty MAC
Four of the eight MAC teams are in postseason action today, with two in the NCAAs and two in ECAC Bowls. Champion Delaware Valley and runner-up Albright take on Susquehanna and Alfred, respectively, in the NCAA First Round, while LVC hosts Salisbury in the ECAC Southwest Bowl and Wilkes visits F&M in the South Atlantic Bowl.
Best Start Ever
Lebanon Valley’s 8-2 record is tied for the most wins in program history, and is the only other eight-win year since going 8-5 in 1902. A win over Salisbury would be LVC’s first nine-win season in program history.
Twelve Dutchmen Named All-MAC
On Tuesday, twelve members of the Lebanon Valley College football team were named all-Middle Atlantic Conference, including nine members on the first team. LVC’s offense had five first-teamers, including running back
Charlie Parker, fullback
Bryan Lynch, wide receiver
Joe Brennan, right tackle
Jason Sneeringer, and left tackle
Sean Tetreault, while running back
Ben Guiles and center
Clint Surgeoner were named to the second team. On defense, end
Zach Bleiler and linebacker
Will Keylor received first-team nods, joined by second-teamer
Dane Eichelberger at strong safety. Punter
Colt Zarilla and kick returner
Sean Donovan were selected first-team all-MAC as specialists.
LVC Matched With Grove City For 2010 PAC-MAC Challenge
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) and the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) have announced the pairings for the “PAC-MAC Football Challenge Series,” which will take place during the second weekend of the 2010 and 2011 football seasons. Lebanon Valley, the MAC’s third-place team, will be matched up against Grove City, the PAC’s fourth-place team, on Sept. 11, 2010 at Arnold Field. LVC will make the return trip on Sept. 10, 2011. The pairings were determined by matching up the top teams in each conference based on the 2009 final results, followed by the second place teams, etc. PAC member Thomas More (Ky.) College is not participating in the Football Challenge Series due to geographic considerations.
Lynch Named Academic All-District
Senior FB
Bryan Lynch has been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second Team, it was announced Thursday. Lynch, a psychology major, is only the third student-athlete in program history - and first since 1999 - to earn the prestigious honor, which is voted on by the region’s sports information directors to recognize outstanding academic and athletic achievement. Lynch was one of just two MAC players honored, along with Widener defensive back Brian Pastor.
Taking Care Of The Ball
LVC is an outstanding +11 on turnovers this season, and has committed just two in the past two games, including none at Albright.
Caleb Fick and
Colt Zarilla have not thrown a pick in four games, since Zarilla was intercepted at FDU-Florham; Fick has been even better, going six straight games without a pick. In fact, Zarilla’s fourth-quarter INT in that game was the last offensive turnover committed by LVC; the two turnovers in the last four games were both fumbles, and neither came on an offensive play -
Sean Donovan fumbled a punt return at Widener, and
Nic Shirey did likewise against Lycoming.
Twin-Headed Attack
The rushing tandem of senior
Charlie Parker and sophomore
Ben Guiles, both of whom were banged up at Albright, are expected to play against Salisbury. The duo, both named all-MAC last week along with fullback
Bryan Lynch, have combined for 1,758 yards and 19 touchdowns this year, and Guiles has averaged a huge 6.6 yards per carry.
Pick-Pocketing
Something has gotten into the LVC secondary. After grabbing just five interceptions in the first six games of the season, the Dutchmen have been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks, picking off 10 passes in the last four games. CB
Matt Lillis has five of his six interceptions this season in that span, including two returned for touchdowns. LB
Will Keylor, FS
Ju’rey Fowlkes (two), SS
Dane Eichelberger, and LB
Bruno Iozzo have also snagged interceptions in the last three weeks.
Ryan Nears NCAA Points Mark
Junior K
Brittany Ryan, already the unofficial NCAA all-divisions leader for PATs by a female player, is just five points short of Tonya Butler’s (West Alabama) record of 87 career points. Ryan has 83 points (68 PATs, 5 FGs) in her career, and is only a junior.
Sack Happy
Part of LVC’s strategy all season long has been to put major pressure on the quarterback, and as a result, they lead the MAC in sacks with 32 for a loss of 208 yards. The good news this week? Salisbury’s offensive line has allowed 25 sacks this year in a run-heavy option offense.
Rock vs. Hard Place
LVC possesses the MAC’s #1-ranked rushing defense, allowing just 94.8 yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, Salisbury possesses one of the nation’s top run offenses, using the spread option to generate 248.9 yards per game on the ground.