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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Riding a three-game win streak, the Lycoming College football team will head to Maryland for the first time in 19 years to take on the Middle Atlantic Conference’s newest member, Stevenson, on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Warriors (5-1 overall, 3-1 MAC), which feature the league’s top overall defense (183.0 yards per game), have found their offense in the past pair of games, averaging 41.0 points per game in the last two contests, thanks to a burgeoning running game that has averaged 226.5 yards in the wins over King’s and Wilkes.

The Mustangs (1-5 overall, 1-4 MAC) is coming off a 54-19 loss to Widener. C.J. Hopson leads the team offensively, as the quarterback is third in the league with an average of 214.6 passing yards per game.

Warrior Notes
• This is the first time that the Warriors have played in Maryland since a 13-6 win at Frostburg State on Sept. 12, 1992. Lycoming is 5-8 all-time in the Old Line State.

• Lycoming leads the MAC in total defense, allowing just 183.0 yards per game. The team also leads the league in rushing defense (63.8) and passing defense (119.2).

• The Warriors lead the league in turnover margin at +1.83.

• Senior Anthony Marascio’s five tackles for a loss against Wilkes were the most in the MAC since James Woodley posted five for Lebanon Valley on Oct. 31, 2009.

• Marascio also became the 21st player in school history to reach 200 career tackles with his ninth of 10 against Wilkes.

• With 222 completions, junior Zach Klinger needs five completions to enter the top 10 in school history in a career.

Scouting Lycoming
Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style
With a brugeoning running game that has averaged 226.5 yards in the last two games, the Warrior offense has shown the ability to hang large numbers, averaging 41 points in the wins over WIlkes and King’s (Pa.).

Junior Parker Showers has been resurgent after struggling with an injury for much of the past four weeks, as the powerful running back rolled for 152 yards on 20 carries against Wilkes to earn MAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades.

The receiving corps has also played well the last two weeks, with junior Jarrin Campman starting to come to the forefront as a valuable playmaker. Campman has caught seven passes for 148 yards in the past two weeks and sophomore Warren Oliver also has seven receptions for 98 yards.

Defense: 4-3
The stone wall of Lycoming’s defense has allowed just nine touchdowns through the first six weeks of the season. The defense has been led by three burgeoning all-region candidates in senior safety Ray Bierbach, senior defensive end Anthony Marascio and sophomore linebacker Kabongo Bukasa.

Bierbach, although his tackles are down to an average of 4.0 per game, has been an important asset in the secondary, routinely shutting down the opponents’ best receiver as the strong safety. He still has two interceptions and four pass breakups this year. Marascio, a two-time All-MAC selection, leads the MAC in tackles for loss with 13 and he is third with six sacks through the first six games.

Bukasa, a middle linebacker, has moved into the top 10 in the league in tackles with 43, and the athletic defender also has a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown to his credit.

Scouting Stevenson
Offense: Multiple
For a first-year program, the Mustangs have piled on the offensive yards, sitting sixth in the league with an average of 27.0 points and 353.2 yards per contest.

The Mustangs are led by quarterback C.J. Hopson, who is third in the MAC in passing yardage, averaging 214.6 yards per game. The team also fields two of the top 10 receivers in the MAC, as sophomore Jeromie Miller averages 6.3 catches and 83.0 yards per game. He also has scored six times. Freshman Jae DeShields is sixth in the league with 4.3 catches per game and he averages 95.8 yards per game. He also leads the league with seven touchdown receptions.

Freshman Emmanual Paul is eighth in the league with an average of 50.0 yards rushing per game.

Defense: Multiple
While the offense has found its stride for the first-year program, the defense has struggled for the Mustangs, allowing 52.7 points per game and 512.5 yards per game, both last in the MAC.

Freshman linebacker Donnell Brown leads the Mustangs, averaging 12.2 tackles per game to top the league. Freshman Michael Higgins is also in the top 10 in the league in stops, sitting seventh with an average of 7.0 per game.

Freshman defensive lineman Chris Mason is tied for 23rd in the league in tackles at 5.5 per game.

Brown is also 10th in the league in tackles for loss at 6.5 and freshman Steve Clough is tied for 12th in the MAC in passes defended with five. Clough also averages 5.0 tackles per game.

Showers’ reigns over MAC
Thanks to a career-high 152 yards on the ground, junior Parker Showers has earned his first career Middle Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Week award. Showers posted the 26th 150-yard game in school history and only the third in the MAC this year, averaging 7.6 yards per carry on 20 opportunities, as he led the Warriors to a 40-7 win over Wilkes. He scored on runs of five yards and two yards for a career-high two scores to lead the team to its first win over the Colonels since 2007. In total, the Warriors rushed for 308 yards, the most for the team since the second week of 2010, and Showers ran for seven first downs alone. The junior tailback moved past his previous career highs in attempts and yards in a season with 99 and 449 and he raised his season rushing average by more than 15 yards per game.

Pick Me
Senior Ray Bierbach entered the school’s career top 10 in interceptions with his first pick of the season against Albright on Oct. 1. With his second pick, which included a 63-yard return, Bierbach moved into ninth in school history and is now one interception shy of tying Jesse Gambone (1997-2000) for eighth.

Klinging to the record book
Junior quarterback Zach Klinger is quietly moving into the top 10 in many career categories at Lycoming. He needs five completions to tie Ellio Domenick (1991-94) for 10th in school history with 227 completions and he needs 269 yards to become the 10th quarterback in school history to pass for 3,000 career yards.

The winning tradition is back
With one more win, the Warriors can guarantee their second straight winning campaign. Believe it or not, it would be the first time since 2002-03 that the Warriors pulled off such a feat. From 1975-2003, the Warriors posted 29 straight winning campaigns.

Loss leader
Senior Anthony Marascio had one of the finest games of his career against Wilkes, posting two sacks and a career-high five tackles for loss in the 40-7 win. A two-time All-MAC defensive end, the Father Judge graduate moved into the league lead with 13 tackles for loss this season. Marascio also became the 21st player in school history to reach 200 career tackles in the win.

Out the Gate
Mike Clark became the fastest football coach in school history to reach 20 wins with the win against King’s, reaching the mark in 35 games and in only four seasons. It took David Busey (1954-66) 37 games and six years to reach the mark and Frank Girardi (1972-07) 39 games and five years to get the mark. However, it took Girardi just 13 more games to reach 30 wins, which he reached during the school’s first MAC Championship year in 1978.