Lebanon Valley (1-2, 0-0 MAC)
vs. #13 Delaware Valley (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 2 - 1 p.m. - James Work Stadium - The 28th Meeting
Live Stats: Delaware Valley College
Radio: Flying Dutchmen Radio Network (WMSS 91.1FM and WWSM 1510AM)
Webcast: WMSSFM.com
LVC Media Notes
Lebanon Valley couldn't ask for a tougher opening to its Middle Atlantic Conference schedule as it travels to Doylestown to face #13 Delaware Valley. LVC salvaged a 21-6 win over a Moravian before the bye week to finish its non-league schedule 1-2; Del Val is 2-1 after a close 21-17 loss at #3 Wesley.
On the Radio
Saturday's game will be simulcast on the Flying Dutchmen Radio Network on Middletown's WMSS 91.1 FM and WWSM 1510 AM in Annville.
John Wilsbach and
Brian Keyser will call the action against Gettysburg. The game will be streamed live and free at
WMSSFM.com and GoDutchmen.com.
Live Stats On the Web
Live stats for the game will be available courtesy of
Delaware Valley College.
If You Only Know 5 Things...
1. The game is a match-up of the Middle Atlantic Conference's top two teams as picked in the preseason coaches' poll. Delaware Valley enters ranked #13 by d3football.com and #12 by the AFCA.
2. Both teams are coming off their bye week. LVC beat Moravian, 21-6, in Week 3, and Delaware Valley lost a tough game to #3 Wesley 21-17.
3. Three Dutchmen are statistically ranked in the top 20 in the nation:
Ben Guiles (15th, rushing, 126.7 ypg),
Alex Gilchrist (t9th, TFL, 2.33/gm), and
Zach Bleiler (15th, sacks, 1.33/gm).
4. Delaware Valley has won seven in a row over Lebanon Valley dating back to 2003.
5. LVC is 1-15 in Middle Atlantic Conference openers under coach
Jim Monos.
Series History
The game is the 28th meeting all-time ... DVC leads the series 16-11, and the Aggies have won seven straight ... This will be the 26th consecutive year they have met, dating back to 1985 ... Last year, Delaware Valley stopped LVC's perfect 3-0 start with a 28-7 win at Arnold Field ... Head Coach
Jim Monos is 6-11 against the Aggies ... The first meeting in the series was Nov. 13, 1965, a 34-18 LVC win ... LVC is 5-8-1 on Oct. 2 ... LVC is just 1-15 in Middle Atlantic Conference openers under Monos ... The only MAC-opening win came two years ago with a 28-21 win over Wilkes ... LVC has not played a nationally-ranked opponent since their 2008 loss to #13 Delaware Valley ... The Dutchmen haven't beaten a ranked team since their 2000 victory over Susquehanna, ranked #33 by Don Hansen's Football Gazette.
Moravian Recap
Lebanon Valley held Moravian to 176 yards of offense and racked up nine sacks as the Dutchmen picked up their first win of the season, 21-6, on Sept. 18. The LVC defense was absolutely dominant, getting pressure in the backfield all day as they were led by
Zach Bleiler's four sacks (which tied the school single-game record) and
Cory Homer's 10 tackles.
Dane Eichelberger picked off a pair of passes, as well. Senior kicker
Brittany Ryan booted three extra points to become the NCAA's all-time points leader among female kickers as she scored her 88th career point on her first PAT kick in the first quarter. She broke the record of West Alabama's Tonya Butler, who had 87 points in her career. Everything clicked in week three as the Dutchman passing game awakened for the first time, with
Caleb Fick going 12-for-22 for 159 yards and a touchdown after shaking off an early interception. LVC (1-2) ran for 142 yards on the ground, led by
Ben Guiles (74 yards with a touchdown),
Blair Ransom (58 yards), and
Pete Panichi (11 yards). Moravian (1-2) used three different quarterbacks, and starter Phil Gardner was sacked seven times as he threw for 188 yards and a touchdown with the two picks. Neither Max Coveleski or Brandon Lesko completed a pass, but both were put down once by the LVC defense.
Moravian Notables
In addition to her NCAA record, Ryan is now two PATs away from becoming LVC's all-time PAT leader ... Bleiler's four sacks ties the LVC single-game record set by Joe Gift and Kris Kohler, both in 1992 ... LVC had not had nine sacks in a game since hitting Widener 11 times in 1992 ... Moravian ended up with -12 yards rushing (79 gained, 91 lost) ... It was Eichelberger's second career multi-pick game. He also had two in his debut as a starter against Gettysburg in 2008 ... Time of possession was heavily lopsided towards Moravian (33:04 to 26:56) ... After a sloppy first two games, LVC was penalized just four times for 20 yards. Moravian was flagged only once ...
Sean Fakete attempted his first career field goal at the end of the first half from 42 yards and just missed wide left despite putting plenty of boot on it ... In his second week of filling in at punter,
Kevin Greene booted six punts for a 36.5-yard average. He also caught three passes for 42 yards ... Fick hit eight different receivers ...
Alex Gilchrist had another big game with two sacks, six tackles, and a pass break-up ...
Chadd Comp's punt block was the second by LVC in three games ... The Dutchmen have also blocked two kicks this season.
Ryan Sets NCAA Scoring Mark
Senior K
Brittany Ryan, already the unofficial NCAA all-divisions leader for PATs by a female player, broke Tonya Butler's (West Alabama) record of 87 career points with her three PATs against Moravian. She now has 90 career points. In LVC history, Ryan is two PATs short of the program record in that category (has 75, record is 76), and four shy of PAT attempts (has 87, record is 90). She set LVC single-season marks in both PATs made (33) and attempted (40) last year. Ryan has 90 points (75 PATs, 5 FGs) in her career. Ryan received plenty of national attention for her record-breaking performance; she was featured on d3football.com this past week, and also garnered mentions in USA Today and the Chicago Tribune.
Bleiler, Ryan Garner Honors
After the Moravian game,
Zach Bleiler and
Brittany Ryan both earned conference honors. Bleiler was named the MAC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Week after his four-sack performance; Ryan was named the MAC Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time in her career.
Guiles, Gilchrist, Bleiler Among National Leaders
Three weeks into the season, a trio of Dutchmen are making noise on the national scene in the NCAA statistical rankings.
Ben Guiles ranks 15th in the nation in rushing, averaging 126.7 ypg. Defensively,
Zach Bleiler is tied for 15th in sacks (1.33 per game) and
Alex Gilchrist is tied for 9th in tackles for a loss (2.33 per game).
Big Blocks
With a tall and speedy special teams unit, LVC has been blocking kicks and punts at a prodigious rate this season, with two of each through three games. It started in week one when 6'5” freshman tight end
Doug Lester blocked a Gettysburg punt to set up a touchdown;
Zach Bleiler (also 6'5”) then blocked a Grove City field goal attempt. Against Moravian,
Chadd Comp got his hands on a punt block, and Bleiler struck again as he blocked a PAT try on Moravian's only touchdown.
Dan Kelly '07 Re-Signs With Reading Express
Record-setting LVC quarterback Dan Kelly '07 has re-signed with the Reading Express of the Indoor Football League. He's been a member of the team for the past three seasons, transforming from a backup quarterback into a standout wide receiver and defensive back for the Express. Kelly finished the 2010 season with 44 receptions and 14 touchdowns as a receiver. In his time under center, Kelly completed 57 percent of his passes, throwing for 6 scores and was not intercepted. In a 56-20 victory over New Jersey on June 5th, Kelly showed versatility by catching, running and throwing for a touchdown. A football and baseball star at LVC, Kelly owns virtually every passing record on the football books, including career yards (5,934) and touchdowns (61). He also graduated second in hits (151) in baseball. After graduating, he went abroad to play for Jyväskylän Jaguaarit, a member of the American Football Association of Finland, before signing with the Express.
Del Val Scouting Report
Delaware Valley's offense is ranked fourth in the MAC in scoring (23.7 avg), rushing (146.0 avg) and total yardage (334.3 avg). Senior QB Mark Hatty is in his first year as a starter and is second in the MAC in both passing yardage (185.0) and total offense (197.0). He has completed 54 of 95 passes for 555 yards and three touchdowns and has also rushed for 36 yards and a score. Hatty's favorite target in the early going has been senior Dan Heiland. Heiland is tied for the top spot in the conference with 13 catches for 129 yards. Sophomore Chris Ruiz and senior Joe Gionfriddo follow with 10 and nine receptions respectively. Ruiz has 131 yards while Gionfriddo's catches have gone for 112 yards and two trips to the end zone. Three-time all-conference RB Matt Cook is closing in on the Aggies' all-time rushing mark as his 3,455 yards is just 75 yards shy of Steve Cook's record. Cook already owns the career marks for rushing attempts (754), rushing touchdowns (33), total touchdowns (35) and total points (210). This season, Cook has lugged the ball 60 times for 224 yards and three scores and has also caught a touchdown pass. He has had great success against Lebanon Valley as he has racked up 461 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in three previous meetings with the Flying Dutchmen.
The Delaware Valley defensive numbers speak for themselves as the unit is ranked first in the conference in scoring (9.3 avg), total yardage (225.7 avg), first downs (32), sacks (12) and interceptions (5). The squad is also second in rushing (79.3 avg), passing (146.3 avg) and forced turnovers (9). Combined with the offense committing just two turnovers and the Aggies' plus-seven figure tops the MAC (Lebanon Valley is at minus-five).
All-American LB Kyle Gesswein holds the Aggies' all-time record for sacks with 33.5 and he is closing in on the top five for tackles with 270 (fifth place is 286). This season, Gesswein has notched 17 tackles and he is ranked second in the conference with 3.5 sacks. Fellow linebackers Ken Fowlkes and Chris James lead the team with 23 and 19 tackles respectively. Fowlkes and James, both juniors, also have a fumble recovery to their credit while James has also notched an interception.
The three starters on the 3-4 defensive line, Amadeus Hall, Mike Jaskowski and Garrett Wooters, have combined for 35 tackles and eight sacks over the first three games. Hall (15 tackles) and Jaskowski (13 tackles) have three sacks apiece while Wooters, a 2009 all-MAC honoree, has seven tackles and a pair of quarterback takedowns. Five separate Aggies have one interception apiece, including junior safety and 2009 all-MAC and all-region honoree Ryan McCullough. McCullough has also notched 16 tackles and two forced fumbles this season.
Next Time Out
LVC returns home to face Wilkes Oct. 9.
