Lebanon Valley and Albright meet for the 92nd time, as both teams enter the final week of the season with identical 6-3 records and chasing a possible ECAC Bowl bid.
 

Game Info Game Day Central LVC Media Notes / Two Deep

Game Coverage Live Video: LVCtv Live Stats: GoDutchmen.com Radio: Flying Dutchmen Radio Network (WMSS 91.1 FM / WWSM 1510AM) Radio Webcast: WMSSFM.com

Online Video
LVCtv will carry the game live and for free at GoDutchmen.com/LVCtv.

On the Radio
The game will be broadcast on the Flying Dutchmen Radio Network on WMSS 91.1 FM in Middletown and WWSM 1510 AM in Annville. John Wilsbach and Bryan Keyser will call the action. The game will be streamed live and free at WMSSFM.com and GoDutchmen.com.

Weather Forecast
[Forecast] A beautiful late autumn day for football - 57 degrees, sunny, with light winds.

Going to the Game
Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $2 for non-LVC students. LVC students and children under 6 are free.

If You Only Know Five Things...
1. Both teams enter at 6-3 overall, and both are looking for a win to secure a possible ECAC Bowl berth. LVC has been to three straight ECAC Bowls; Albright played in last year's ECAC South-East Bowl.
2. The Dutchmen have been led on the ground by Evan Fink's 14 touchdowns, the fifth-highest single-season total in program history. Albright is led by wide receiver Scott Pillar, who averages more than 100 yards receiving per game with 12 touchdowns.
3. Before the game, LVC will honor its 13-member senior class. The Class of 2013 has won more games (29) than any other senior class and will tie the mark for games played with 43.
4. LVC is trying to win its third straight game over the Lions for the first time since 1994.
5. Tradition holds that an LVC victory over Albright results in students getting the day before Thanksgiving off from school.

Series History
This is the 92nd meeting in the rivalry ... Albright leads 56-32-3 ... Tradition holds that an LVC win results in a march by the student body to the president's home, Kreiderheim, to request the day before Thanksgiving off from school ... It is the most-played rivalry in LVC history, and the oldest continuous, having been played every year since 1947 (excluding World War II years, it has been going every year since 1924) ... LVC has won two straight, and they've split the last six ... The first meeting was a 10-3 LVC win on Nov. 2, 1898 ... An unknown dispute led to a gap in the series between 1903 and 1912, despite the fact that Albright at that time was located in Myerstown in Lebanon County ... Jim Monos is 10-9 vs. the Lions.

Senior Day
Before today's game, LVC will honor its 13-member senior class and their parents. The Class of 2013 is one of the most successful in school history, winning a school-record 29 games and having the chance to become the first senior class to go to four consecutive postseason games. They will tie the program record for games played with their 43rd today (only last year's seniors played as many).

Relief For Hurricane Sandy Victims
At Saturday's game, LVC's cheerleaders will be coordinating a relief effort for those displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Fans can bring items to the GoDutchmen.com tent outside the stadium to be donated to an evacuation shelter in New Jersey. Those items needed include bottled water, non-perishable food, snacks, sports drinks, protein/cereal bars, and pet food, as well as household items such as baby products, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes, cleaning supplies, storage bins, and trash bags.

Recapping King's
Lebanon Valley scored 27 straight points in the first half to take control and beat King's, 34-19. The Dutchmen got it done in the air, as Leo Kyte and Brian Murphy combined for 275 yards and three touchdowns as King's defense held LVC to 92 yards rushing. Joey Miller (96 yards) and Jake Zeigler (91 yards) each caught touchdowns, as did Pete Panichi, who broke for a 39-yard touchdown on a screen pass. LVC's defense controlled the game, limiting King's to 209 total yards and 10 first downs. David Kennedy led LVC with eight tackles, and the Dutchmen hit Tyler Hartranft four times with sacks by Josh Borreli, DJ Poligone, Zach Halpin, and Drew Murphy. Sean Fakete made two field goals, including a career-long 40-yarder that was LVC's longest since 1982.

Noting LVC's Offense
LVC's already injury-hit offensive line will see more shuffling this week after right guard Matt Clark was injured at King's ... Clark had started 20 consecutive games at right guard ... Dustin Jones will move from left tackle to take Clark's spot, while Nate Valdez returns at left tackle ... Aaron Cummins will make his second start at center for Sam Colletts, who was hurt against Delaware Valley ... Several freshmen are being thrown into the two-deep for the first time, including Josh Reichert at center, Zach Smith at right tackle, and Tyler Good at left tackle ... It will be sixth different starting line LVC has had to use this year ... Pete Panichi scored his first touchdown of the season at King's, but it wasn't on the ground - the senior broke several tackles to score on a 39-yard screen pass from Leo Kyte ... Jake Zeigler and Joey Miller also caught touchdowns, the latter coming from Brian Murphy ... Evan Fink extended his team-best rushing TD total to 14 with a one-yard punch-in to start LVC's scoring ... Kyte threw for 206 yards on 14-of-26 passing, while Murphy was a perfect 3-for-3 for 69 yards ... Miller (7 catches, 96 yards) and Zeigler (6 catches, 91 yards) both approached 100 yards ... Kenny King had a career-high 16 touches for 44 yards, while Conrad Heisey went 15 times for 34 yards.

Noting LVC's Defense
No two-deep changes from last week for the defense ... Kevin Smith leads LVC with 47 tackles this season, including 5.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks ... Linebackers David Kennedy (45 T, 4.0 TFL) and DJ Poligone (42 T, 3.5 TFL) are also among the tackle leaders ... LVC made a shuffle on the defensive line last week, moving Smith from nose tackle to defense end in place of the injured Joey Scerbo, and handing Clayton Williard his first start at the nose ... Smith was active all day off the edge, making four tackles (one for a loss) with a pass break-up, and producing multiple backfield pressures ... The Dutchmen front held King's to just 209 yards of offense total, including 54 yards rushing ... It was the fewest rushing yards allowed to an opponent since Week 2 of 2011, when LVC held Grove City to 51 yards on the ground ... LVC's linebackers had one of their best games of the year, led by Kennedy's eight tackles and a break-up and Andrew Burkholder's seven stops and a break-up ... Drew Murphy had five stops, 1.5 for a loss, with a sack ... Zach Halpin forced a fumble that Andrew Livingston recovered ... Josh Borreli, Poligone, and Halpin each had sacks.

Noting LVC's Special Teams
No two-deep changes on special teams ... It was a mixed day for LVC's special teams at King's as Sean Fakete hit two field goals and Jerome Duncan blocked a PAT, but the Dutchmen allowed a kick return for touchdown and had a punt blocked ... Fakete made his first field goal from 22, then boomed a career-long kick from 40 into a stiff wind for LVC's longest field goal since 1982 ... Fakete became LVC's all-time PAT attempts leader, going 4-for-4 to take him to 99 ... Duncan's PAT block came on King's final touchdown ... Bryan Ek had a 20-yard continue on that play ... Kelly Saylor had a solid day returning punts, taking three for 24 yards including a 12-yarder ... Jake Zeigler punted six times for a 31.2 average, with his best punt of the day coming as he scooted one out within a foot of the goal line in the first quarter.

ECAC Bowl In the Future?
With both LVC and Albright at 6-3, a win could help secure a possible ECAC Bowl berth for either team. The Dutchmen hope to make their fourth straight postseason appearance when the bids are announced on Sunday. LVC's records over the past three years to earn them selection: 8-2, 6-4, and 7-3.

"The March"
Tradition holds that if Lebanon Valley beats Albright, its oldest rival, then the LVC student body is to march to the President's home, Kreiderheim, and request the day before Thanksgiving off from school. That day is usually a half-day of classes. Last year, an orderly mob of Dutchmen, led by the football team and Annville police and fire personnel, marched from Arnold Field up the hill to Kreiderheim, where they were granted the day off.

LVC Earns Fifth Consecutive Winning Season
With the win last week at King's, Lebanon Valley secured its fifth straight winning season - the first time that's happened in 49 years. LVC last had five consecutive winning seasons between 1958 and 1963; the record is six, set between 1941 and 1949 (with 1943-45 not played due to World War II).

Fakete Boots Career-Long FG, Sets Another PAT Mark
When junior kicker Sean Fakete made his second field goal last week at King's, he did something no Dutchman has done since 1982 - make a 40-yard field goal. His kick - into a stiff wind, no less - from 40 was LVC's longest in 30 years, since Bob Muir's record-setting 51-yard score at Muhlenberg. Fakete also became LVC's all-time PAT attempts leader during the game, and now has 99 in three seasons. He is already the PATs made career leader with 90.

LVC-Albright Back to November
Although historically a late-season game, last year's LVC-Albright game was played in October due to the schedule imbalance caused by the addition of Stevenson to the MAC. This year's expansion to 10 teams with Misericordia joining the league put LVC-Albright back to the final day of the regular season for the forseeable future, along with other rivalry games like Widener-Delaware Valley and King's-Wilkes. The Albright game has been in November in seven of the last eight years, although notably it was played in either September or October during the 1990s.

The Whacky MAC
The three-way race for the MAC championship comes down to today as undefeated Widener hosts Delaware Valley, and Lycoming is at winless Misericordia. One scenario is easy - if Widener wins, it's the champion and earns the NCAA automatic bid. But if Delaware Valley beats Widener, and Lycoming wins, some strange tiebreaks begin to happen. First, although Widener missed a game due to the cancellation of its FDU-Florham match-up last week in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the MAC is considering that a forfeit victory for the Pride, for the purposes of tiebreaking. So, in the event of a three-way tie with all three at 8-1, it would come down to point differential for the NCAA berth (all would be consider co-champions, however). If Delaware Valley beats Widener by 16 or more points, the Aggies get the automatic bid. However, if Del Val wins by 15 or fewer points, it would be Lycoming going to the dance.

Scouting The Lions
Albright shapes up very similarly to LVC, scoring 31.4 points per game. The offense is led by wide receiver Scott Pillar, who is one of the nation's best at 917 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Quarterback TJ Luddy has thrown for 1,406 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing 64.4% of his passes. Feature back Ty Hughes has run for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Albright allows 293 yards of offense per game, and is +3 on turnovers this year. Safety Matthew Hnatiuk leads the team with 54 tackles, while Ryan Ott (46 T, 8.5 TFL), Nick Gjoni (36 T, 13.0 TFL), and Mark Capetola (23 T, 10.0 TFL) have keyed the pass rush.

Last Year vs. Albright
A 17-0 second-half swing by Lebanon Valley led them in a comeback win at Albright, 24-17, in the 91st meeting of the rivals. Ben Guiles ran for 120 yards and a score while catching two passes for 83 yards - both for touchdowns - as the Dutchmen rallied from a 17-7 third-quarter deficit with 17 unanswered points to end the game. Colt Zarilla was an efficient 11-for-17 for 264 yards and two touchdowns, with Tim Picerno catching three passes for 137 yards. LVC's defense made two critical fourth-quarter stands, including a game-ending stop that finished with pass break-ups by Ryan Melley and Clay Chaney. LVC's quick-strike offense hit twice in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Down 17-10 to start the quarter, the Dutchmen made a stand just outside their red zone to force a turnover on downs, and Zarilla completed a 67-yard bomb to Picerno on first down to set up a three-yard touchdown catch for Guiles on a broken play. On their next possession, it took only one play as Zarilla hit Guiles for an 80-yard catch-and-run sprint, helped by a key sideline block from Picerno.