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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - After a heartbreaking loss to Widener University on Oct. 20, the Lycoming College football team will head to Wilkes looking for its first win at the Ralston Athletic Complex since 2003, needing a victory to stay in the chase for the school’s 15th Middle Atlantic Conference title on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m.

The Warriors (5-2 overall, 5-1 MAC) forced seven turnovers in the game against Widener, led by junior Kabongo Bukasa, who notched two interceptions and added a fumble recovery, and sophomore Tanner Troutman also added two interceptions.

The Colonels (4-3 overall, 3-3 MAC) notched a 38-35 win over Stevenson on Oct. 20, with junior Jordan Fredo kicking a 20-yard field goal with 11 seconds left to seal the win.

Warrior Notes
• Lycoming’s five interceptions against Widener were the most for the Warriors since a five-pick game against Susquehanna in 2003.

• With eight receiving touchdowns, senior Jarrin Campman is tied for 10th in the school’s single-season record book.

• Senior Parker Showers needs 16 more rushing yards to reach the top 10 in school history, where he would tie John Grier (1955-58) with 1,658 yards.

• Sophomore Tyler Jenny has completed 60 percent of his passes in a school-record six straight games.

• Senior Nate Oropollo leads the MAC with 8.5 sacks and junior Dwight Hentz is tied for second with 5.0 sacks.

• Sophomore Craig Needhammer needs 13 more rushing yards to reach 1,000 in his career.

• Forcing seven turnovers against No. 14 Widener on Oct. 20, the Warriors leapt from 56th in Division III in turnover margin to 12th at +1.43.

Scouting Lycoming
Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style
Averaging more than 300 yards per game, the Warriors are seventh in the MAC in total offense and fifth in scoring offense at 24.86 points per game.

Senior Parker Showers leads the Warrior ground game, averaging 61.4 yards per game, which is sixth in the league, while sophomore Craig Needhammer is ninth at 52.0 yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Jenny is third in the MAC in total offense (177.29) and sixth in passing efficiency (134.62). Jenny’s favorite target has been senior Jarrin Campman, who is  in the league with 4.1 receptions, ninth with 58.1 yards and fifth in scoring at 7.7 points per game. Sophomore John Sibel is ninth in the league at 3.9 receptions per game.

Defense: 4-3
With the league’s top rushing defense and third-rated pass efficiency defense, the Warriors once again have one of the top defensive units in the MAC.

The Warriors, who allow just 96.71 rushing yards per game, are paced by its athletic line, which features one of the best pass rushers in the nation in senior Nate Oropollo, who is tied for eighth with 1.21 sacks per game and tied for 21st with 1.8 tackles for loss. Junior Dwight Hentz is tied for second in the league with 0.71 sacks per contest.

The team also has three players in the top 10 in the MAC in interceptions in sophomore Tanner Troutman, who leads the league with five, junior Kabongo Bukasa, who is tied for fifth with 0.43 and senior Matt Talerico, who is tied for ninth with two. Bukasa is also third in the league in tackles, averaging 8.43 per game.

Trout catching
Sophomore Tanner Troutman is making his case as one of the best defensive backs in the MAC. After posting two interceptions against Widener, the safety moved into first in the league and 17th in Division III with five interceptions. He also leads the MAC with 11 passes defended. In 2011, senior Ryan Fenningham and Ray Bierbach ’12 tied for the league lead with five picks and Bierbach led the league in 2010 with six interceptions.

Reaching 20
The Warriors have scored more than 20 points in each of the last six games, the longest stretch for a Lycoming team since the 2003 team did it in nine straight games. During the stretch, the Warriors are averaging 28.7 points per game and have outscored opponents in each quarter during the stretch, including a 76-24 advantage in the second quarter.

Kabongo’s big day
Junior Kabongo Bukasa earned his second career Middle Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award for his effort against Widener. The Warriors middle linebacker led the Lycoming defense in its narrow 28-23 loss to No. 14 Widener, holding the No. 1-rated offense in the nation to just 28 points. Bukasa posted nine tackles, forced a fumble and recovered it and also had two interceptions on All-American quarterback Chris Haupt to round out his day. Bukasa leads the team with 59 tackles on the season, while also posting 4.0 tackls for loss. His three interceptions are second on the team and his seven passes defended are third.

Still in it
While the 28-23 loss to No. 14 Widener on Oct. 20, the Warriors moved one game behind the Pride into a tie with Delaware Valley for second place in the conference. However, the Warriors last three games (Wilkes, Stevenson, Misericordia) all come against teams with .500 or below records in the conference while two of Widener’s last three games (Albright, FDU-Florham, Delaware Valley) are against teams with conference records better than 66 percent. Delaware Valley’s last three games (Lebanon Valley, Wilkes, Widener) are all against teams with conference marks currently at .500 or above.

The winning tradition is back
With a win against Wilkes, the Warriors can guarantee their third straight winning campaign. Believe it or not, it would be the first time since 2001-03 that the Warriors pulled off such a feat. From 1975-2003, the Warriors posted 29 straight winning campaigns. Lycoming also won five straight games (Sept. 8-Oct. 6) for the third straight year, which hasn’t happended since the 1999-01 seasons.