Media Coverage:
Saturday’s game is being broadcast by ESPN Radio WLYC 1050 AM and 104.1 FM. There will also be a live Internet feed at www.espnwilliamsport.com.
Bridgewater’s sports information department will be running a live statistical feed at the following link: http://www.bridgewater.edu/Sports/features/stats/fb/xsummary.htm.
Meet the Clarks:
Mike Clark is in his second season as Lycoming’s head football coach. During his rookie campaign, he led the Warriors to a 7-4 overall record, 5-2 mark in the Middle Atlantic Conference and a birth in the 2008 NCAA Division III playoffs. His overall record stands at 8-5. This is his second game against Bridgewater. Clark is a 1993 graduate of Lycoming, where he played and coached under former coach Frank Girardi.
Michael Clark enters his 15th as the head coach of the Eagles. He carries a 95-59-1 overall record. Under his direction, the Eagles have claimed five Old Dominion championships and one trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 2001.
The Series:
Saturday’s game will be the third time these teams have met. The series is even at one game apiece. Bridgewater claimed the first victory of the series following a tragic event in the Lycoming program. Twenty-four hours prior to their playoff game in 2003, Ricky Lanetti, Lycoming’s top wide receiver, lost his life to an unexpected illness. Bridgewater rallied from a 9-7 halftime deficit to win the game 13-9.
Last season, the Warriors defeated Bridgewater 34-17 in Williamsport. Lycoming jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and continued to dominate in the second quarter, going to the locker rooms with a 34-0 lead. The Eagles scored seven points in the third quarter and an additional 10 in the fourth.
Quarterback Tim Hook was Lycoming’s leading rusher, picking up 103 of the Warriors’ 177 yards on the ground. He also had one touchdown. Josh Kleinfelter ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Hook also threw for 162 yards.
Non-Conference Finale:
The Bridgewater game marks the final non-conference contest of the season. Under Clark, the Warriors are 3-2 in regular-season non-conference games, and have outscored their opponents 122-102.
Check the odometer:
After traveling 90 round-trip miles to Susquehanna last weekend, the Warriors will tack on another 548 total miles to face Bridgewater. Lycoming’s Oct. 3 contest at King’s College will be the Warriors’ third straight road game and will have pushed the total mileage to 812.
Kleinfelter earns honors:
Following last week’s 37-23 victory over Susquehanna, junior running back Josh Kleinfelter earned Offensive Player of the Week accolades from the Middle Atlantic Conference. Kleinfelter (Bellwood, Pa./Bellwood-Antis) was key to the Warrior win as he rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for almost half of Lycoming’s 392 total yards of offense in the win over their local rival. His touchdown runs covered 53 and 25 yards. Kleinfelter carried the ball 29 times, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Lycoming’s Last Game:
Last weekend, Lycoming defeated local rival Susquehanna University 37-23. The Warriors successfully defended the Amos Alonso Stagg Felt Hat Trophy on Saturday, Sept. 19. Lycoming amassed nearly 400 yards of total offense, 265 of which were on the ground.
Wide receiver Ryan Wagaman hauled in four catches, accounting for 51 of Lycoming’s 127 passing yards. Sophomore Josh Dixon caught Lycoming’s lone passing touchdown of the day.
The Warrior defense played well, forcing four turnovers and four passes defended. Senior defensive end Kyle Murren led the game in tackles for a loss with two, including one sack. Lycoming’s defensive line held Susquehanna to just 43 rushing yards and no touchdowns and an average of just 1.6 yards per carry. Sophomore defensive back Ray Bierbach took one fumble return 34 yards for a touchdown.
Freshman Dre Purdy proved to be a weapon on kick returns, taking the ball back 76 yards on kickoffs. His longest return of the day was 38 yards, forcing Susquehanna to kick the ball out of the back of Lycoming’s end zone to hold Purdy from making another long return. Sophomore kickoff returner Brady Sandercock took five kickoffs, covering 282 yards, averaging 56.4 yards a kick.
A Brief on Bridgewater:
Last time out, Bridgewater fell to Ferrum College in a close 37-34 overtime battle, which was their first loss of the season.
The two opposing offenses took different strategies into the game, with Ferrum gashing the Bridgewater defense for 313 yards on the ground, while the Eagles picked apart the Ferrum secondary, gaining 287 yards in the air. On defense, Bridgewater held Ferrum to 94 passing yards.
Bridgewater utilized four different rushers in the game, none of whom gained more than 50 yards. Nathan Jackson rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries while Thomas Tate picked up 29 yards on 10 attempts, finding the end zone once.
Quarterback Hagan Driskell threw the ball 29 times, completing 19 of his passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. His longest pass of the day was 70 yards. He was picked off twice on the day. His offensive line kept his jersey clean, not allowing a sack on the day.
On defense, TJ Montague had seven tackles, three solo and four assisted. Aubrey Dicks had an interception and made six tackles. Brand Mitchell had the biggest tackle for a loss last week, dropping Ferrum for 12 yards while Joel Francis had one sack for a loss of seven yards.
