Lebanon Valley (1-5, 1-4 MAC) at Lycoming (2-4, 1-4 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 22 / 1 p.m. / David Person Field / The 32nd Meeting

GAME INFO
LVC Media Notes/Two-Deep

GAME COVERAGE
Live Video: Lycoming
Live Stats: Lycoming
Radio: Flying Dutchmen Radio Network
(WWSM 1510 AM)
Radio Webcast: WMSSFM.com
 

Online Video
The game will be streamed live and for free, courtesy of Lycoming.

On the Radio
The game will be broadcast on the Flying Dutchmen Radio Network on WWSM 1510 AM in Lebanon County. John Wilsbach and Brian Keyser will call the action. The game will be streamed live and for free on the TuneIn app, as well as at WMSSFM.com and on GoDutchmen.com.

Weather Forecast
(Forecast) It looks like our week of summer-like temperatures will come to an end but at least we should stay dry. Temperatures will hover near 50 degrees come kickoff and remain steady throughout the day. Look for partly cloudy skies with a 15 percent chance of rain.   

Going to the Game
(Directions) Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students ages 13 and older. Children 12 and under receive free admission. All tickets must be purchased at the Union and Packer Street gates on game day.

Five Things

1. Lebanon Valley is looking to end its recent four-game skid after dropping a 34-6 decision to Widener two weeks ago.
2. This is the 32nd matchup between LVC and Lycoming. The Warriors lead the overall series 25-6 but the Dutchmen have won six of the last 10 matchups.
3. LVC has won five in a row coming off a bye dating back to the 2011 campaign, and seven of 10 following the bye week dating back to 2006.
4. Quarterback Tim Pirrone had a career day in a 41-38 overtime win over the Warriors last fall, accounting for five total touchdowns in the victory.
5. Lycoming's Blake Bowman is the MAC's leading rusher with 581 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns on the ground.

 
Series History
Saturday's game is the 32nd meeting all-time ... Lycoming leads the series 25-6, winning the first 21 games, but LVC has won six of the last 10 ... The first meeting was on Nov. 19, 1955, a 25-7 Lycoming win ... The two teams played in 1956, then did not play again until 1985 ... The Dutchmen earned a 41-38 victory in an overtime thriller against the Warriors at Arnold Field last season ... Each of the last two meetings has gone to overtime … LVC's 14-7 win over Lycoming in Annville in 2013 was the program's first over a nationally-ranked team.

Last Year
Tim Pirrone's sneak from one yard out sealed Lebanon Valley's heart-stopping, come-from-behind 41-38 overtime victory over Lycoming on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon at Arnold Field last fall. The quarterback earned redemption following a fumble with less than two minutes to play that was scooped up by Lyco's Wyatt Entz and returned for a 47-yard touchdown to give the Warriors their first lead of the game. Pirrone and the rest of the Flying Dutchmen snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when the quarterback shook off back-to-back sacks and hooked up with a diving Travis Saylor on 4th and 18 for 38 yards deep in Lycoming territory with less than a minute remaining. Pirrone rolled out and hit Kyle Zimnik for the game-tying touchdown in the left corner of the end zone three plays later. Marcus Brown's extra-point attempt hit the left upright and fell through to give LVC new life heading into overtime. The Warriors were forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal on their opening possession of the extra session after Trevor St. Clair blew up quarterback Chase Whiteman with a bone-crunching sack on third down. Lebanon Valley used a roughing the passer penalty, a pair of 4-yard Brendon Irving rushes, and Pirrone's quarterback keeper to move the ball to the one-yard line. Two plays later, Pirrone capped the team's most dramatic victory of the season with his punch-in.

Last Time Out
For the second week in a row, Lebanon Valley's offense struggled to produce against one of the MAC's top defensive units. The Flying Dutchmen dropped a 34-6 decision to Widener in front of a Homecoming crowd at Arnold Field on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 8. The Pride made an early statement when linebacker Steve Gozur jumped in front of a Tyler Cottle pass on the LVC side of midfield and raced 41 yards down the right sideline for the game's first touchdown at the 8:46 mark of the first quarter. Widener's offense flexed some muscle early in the second quarter when the unit drove 58 yards to paydirt in just 1:57, culminating with a Montrell Taylor-Hicks two-yard touchdown run that doubled the Pride advantage with 14:33 remaining in the first half. Insult was added to injury when Cottle was strip sacked and knocked from the game by Casey Kerschner midway through the second quarter. Widener made the Dutchmen pay on the team's ensuing possession, converting the turnover into points when Chris Randle finished off a seven-play, 62-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run. LVC's best drive of the day came early in the third quarter when the offense marched to the Widener 34-yard line. Unfortunately, the momentum was halted when Justin Hardy picked off Tim Pirrone's third-down pass at the 14-yard line. The Pride put the finishing touches on the scoring by adding a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns before LVC avoided being shut out for the second week in a row when Pirrone connected with a leaping Travis Saylor in the back corner of the end zone with 34 seconds remaining.

Repeat Pirr-formance?
Quarterback Tim Pirrone is hoping to repeat his five-touchdown performance that he turned in during LVC's victory over Lycoming last season. He made his first career start under center for Lebanon Valley and went 17-for-29 through the air for career-highs of 206 yards and four touchdowns with a player efficiency rating of 156.9. He added 15 carries for 39 yards, including the game-winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak from one yard out in overtime. Pirrone showed off his clutch gene when he completed a fourth-and-18 pass for 38 yards with the Dutchmen trailing 35-28 with less than a minute remaining in the game before throwing the game-tying touchdown pass two plays later. Pirrone was named the ECAC South and MAC Player of the Week for his efforts against the Warriors.

Off the Bye
Lebanon Valley got an extra week of rest to prepare for the Warriors as last weekend served as the team's bye week. The Dutchmen have been strong coming out of the bye in recent years, having won five games in a row off the bye dating back to 2011, and seven of 10 dating back to the 2006 campaign.

Running Down History
Thanks to back-to-back seasons racking up more than 1,000 rushing yards as a sophomore and junior, tailback Brendon Irving joined former running back and current assistant coach Ben Guiles as the only LVC players to scamper for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. If Irving becomes the first player in program history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark three seasons in a row, he'll also overtake Guiles as LVC's all-time leading rusher. The senior currently ranks third all-time with 3,501 rushing yards and needs 424 more to set the program's career record.

Gaval's Purpose
Through six games, LVC's Michael Gaval ranks fourth in the MAC in all-purpose yards with 582 total and 97 per contest. The senior wide receiver has proved a major threat on special teams, as he is averaging more than 21 yards per kick return, good enough to rank him fourth in the conference.

Noting LVC's Offense
The Lebanon Valley offense has struggled to put up points as of late after being shut out by Delaware Valley on Oct. 1 and managing just six points against Widener two weeks ago. LVC's scoring offense ranks last in the MAC at just 13.3 points per game, while the Dutchmen rank ninth of the league's 10 teams in total offense with a 297.7 yards per game average. LVC makes its living on the ground and ranks second in the conference in rushing offense with a 197.8 yards per game average. Brendon Irving is fifth among MAC running backs with 438 yards rushing on the year, and the offense should get a boost with the return of fellow tailback Jon Jones from injury this week. Tim Pirrone will be back starting under center after taking over for Tyler Cottle against Widener two weeks ago. The junior has thrown for 485 yards and three touchdowns this fall, while also rushing for 243 yards and four scores. Travis Saylor is the team's leading receiver with 14 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown. Michael Gaval is the team's second 100-yard receiver. He's made 14 catches for 143 yards. Dylan Berberick is the team's top tight end as he's pulled in four receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. LVC will look to cut down on the turnovers as well. The Dutchmen have thrown nine interceptions and lost seven fumbles on the season.

Noting LVC's Defense
The Dutchmen defense is surrendering nearly 30 points per game; an average that needs to quickly improve if the team is to end its recent four-game losing streak. LVC is allowing 397.7 yards of total offense per contest and has forced just six turnovers through the season's midway point. The unit has struggled stopping the run as opposing teams are averaging 207.7 rushing yards per game. Cornerback Spencer Moser is the team's leading tackler with 44 stops. He's also added one tackle for loss, an interception, and six pass breakups. Strong safety Kyle Murray has recorded 39 stops to rank second on the team. He's also added five breakups. Tommy Garner leads all Dutchmen linebackers with 31 tackles and he also has one interception and one pass breakup on the year. Defensive end Guy Zimmerman leads the team with three tackles for loss. Linebackers Tom Gallagher and Dylan Lobach have each forced a fumble this season, with defensive lineman Adam Wagaman making the lone recovery.

Noting LVC's Special Teams
LVC's most potent special teams' weapon through the first six games has proven to be return man Michael Gaval. He is averaging 21.3 yards per kick return and has racked up 448 total return yards on 21 attempts. Kicker Marcus Brown has seen limited action but is perfect on his two field goal attempts from 25 and 22 yards out, respectively. Punter Spencer Moser has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line on six occasions and forced five fair catches on the season. Kickoff specialists Nick Bentz and Nick Newton are both averaging more than 50 yards per attempt, with Bentz adding a pair of touchbacks. The Dutchmen have also blocked two extra-point attempts this fall, with Dylan Lobach and Anthony Jenkins registering one block apiece.

Scouting Lycoming
Lycoming is a pair of late-game field goals away from being 4-2 on the year. The Warrior offense is led by the MAC's leading rusher in Blake Bowman (581 yards, nine touchdowns). Lyco is averaging 142.5 yards on the ground per game but is also allowing 150.8 per contest to opposing offenses. Quarterback Chase Whiteman has thrown for 1,155 yards and seven touchdowns this season, while completing more than 50 percent of his attempts. Wide receivers Nick Costello and Kyle Slivka-Fralin have combined for 51 catches, six touchdown receptions, and more than 700 yards receving this fall. Defensive back Khamari Williams is the team's leading tackler with 53 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss. He's also added a pair of interceptions, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. Fellow secondary member Mike Ward has recorded 41 tackles and two picks to go along with a forced fumble and one tackle for loss.  

Bowman Leads MAC Rushers
Lycoming senior running back Blake Bowman currently leads the MAC in rushing with 581 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns on the ground. He is averaging 96.8 rushing yards per outing, also good enough to put him atop the conference's statistical rankings.

Close Ones
Lycoming is coming off a pair of heartbreaking 24-21 losses to Widener and FDU-Florham. Both contests were decided in the closing moments as the Pride and Devils converted field goals on the final play of each game to escape with valuable conference victories.

Who's Next?
The Dutchmen return to Arnold Field for the first time in three weeks to host Misericordia for the team's annual Pink Game on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 29.