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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - After running a gauntlet of tough opponents that have all received national attention this year, the Lycoming College football team will settle into the meat of its Middle Atlantic Conference schedule this week, facing off with King’s (Pa.) today at David Person Field.

The Warriors (3-1 overall, 3-0 MAC) overcame a 14-0 deficit at Albright on Saturday, Sept. 22, rolling off 29 straight points and forcing four Lion turnovers en route to a key 29-14 win, leaving Lycoming and Widener as the only two unbeaten teams left in the MAC.

King’s (1-3 overall, 1-2 MAC) won its first game of the year with a 55-17 triumph over Misericordia on Saturday, Sept. 22. Sophomore Kyle McGrath led the Monarchs, rolling for 226 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.

Warrior Notes
• Each of Lycoming’s first four opponents have received votes in the D3football.com poll this year.

• The Warriors are receiving votes in the D3football.com poll for the first time this year and the fifth time in the last five years.

• King’s last win against Lycoming in Williamsport came on Oct. 15, 1949, when the Monarchs posted a 6-0 win.

• Senior Jarrin Campman is second among all MAC wide receivers with five touchdowns.
• Junior Dwight Hentz needs nine more tackles to become the fifth active Warrior with 100 in his career. Senior Roger Jayne is also on pace for the mark, needing 11, and senior Nate Oropollo needs 13.

• Senior Parker Showers needs 85 more rushing yards to become the 12th back in school history to reach 1,500 in a career.

Scouting Lycoming
Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style
After scoring two points in the season opener, the Lycoming offense has been consistent, scoring 10 touchdowns in the past three games, all while playing three teams that were at least receiving votes in the national poll.

The team has been paced by its plodding running game, which is averaging a touch over 40 attempts per game. The team has split its rushes between senior Parker Showers and sophomore Craig Needhammer, both of whom have gone over the 200-yard mark on the season. Showers had the better numbers against Albright, rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, breaking four 10-yard runs along the way, but Needhammer had the better numbers against Lebanon Valley, rolling for 101 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown.

Sophomore Tyler Jenny has been consistent as the Warriors’ quarterback, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes and throwing for five touchdowns while turning the ball over just twice.

Defense: 4-3
The Lycoming defense starts just as the offense does, with the running game. The Warriors limited Albright and Lebanon Valley to 130 yards combined on the ground in 53 attempts.

The team’s success up front is the result of a ferocious defensive line, led by senior defensive end Nate Oropollo, who leads the league with nine tackles for a loss and five sacks. Junior defensive tackle Dwight Hentz has added four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks and sophomore defensive end Braden Zeiner has posted 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Senior Roger Jayne, a two-time All-MAC selection, also has 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.

In the secondary, sophomore Tanner Troutman has led the way, posting three interceptions, five breakups and 23 tackles.

Scouting King's
Offense: Pro-I
Much like Lycoming, King’s will be led by its running game. Sophomore Kyle McGrath led the Monarchs with 226 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries against Misericordia, as the Monarchs rolled up 341 yards in a 55-17 win. McGrath is second in the MAC with 118.8 yards per game.

Junior Judens Goimbert added 103 yards on 12 carries, as he also found the end zone once.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Hartranft has developed into the team’s top passing threat, as he has completed 47 percent of his passes and tossed two touchdowns. He has also been intercepted five times.

Sophomore Dan Kempa is the team’s top receiver, as he has caught eight passes for 179 yards and one score. Junior Jordan Buford has added six catches for 63 yards.

Defense: Multiple 3-4
King’s is currently sixth in the MAC, allowing 24.2 points per game and is an impressive fourth in total defense, allowing just 316.5 yards per game, which is about 40 yards less than Lycoming allows. The Monarchs have especially been tough on the run, allowing a league-best 107.8 rushing yards per game.

Sophomore defensive back Kris Matthews has led the Monarch defense this season, as his 7.5 tackles per game are tied for eighth in the league and his three passes defended is 10th. Junior linebacker Jake Ksiaziewicz is also in the top 10 in the league in tackles, averaging 7.3, while his 1.0 sack per game is fifth in the league. Ksiaziewicz also leads the league with two fumbles forced. Freshman Tyler Cruz is tied for fourth in the league with four passes defended.

Breaking Through
For the fifth straight year, the Lycoming College football team has received a vote in the D3football.com Top 25 poll, receiving one vote in the Week 4 poll. The 2011 Warriors picked up votes during three weeks and the 2010 team earned a vote after Week 7.  In 2009, the team picked up votes in the preseason poll and the 2008 squad also earned votes during three weeks of the season.

History Lesson
King’s will be trying to to win at Lycoming for the first time since the Monarch football program was reinstated in 1993. In fact, the last time King’s beat Lycoming in Williamsport was a 6-0 win on Oct. 15, 1949. Since then, both programs have been dropped and reinstated. The two programs played four times from 1947-50, with King’s winning three and tying once, the first tie for Lycoming College against a four-year college’s varsity squad. In the 1949 game, King’s used a fourth-quarter score to clinch the shutout win.

Jen-erating Numbers
Through four starts, sophomore quarterback Tyler Jenny has efficiently guided the Warriors, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes and posting a 119.9 passing efficiency rating (sixth in the MAC), while beating nationally-ranked Delaware Valley, as well as Lebanon Valley and Albright, who were both receiving votes in the national poll. In his last three starts, Jenny has completed 60 percent of his passes or better, marking the first time a Warrior had achieved that feat since senior Zach Klinger did it during a three-start stretch from Oct. 30-Nov. 13, 2010.
 
Breaking Up
After losing an All-American safety in Ray Bierbach and an all-conference one in senior Ryan Fenningham due to an injury, the Warriors have turned to a young secondary to step into an expanded role. They have, as sophomores Tanner Troutman and Kody Flail top the MAC in passes defended with Troutman first with eight (five breakups, three interceptions) and Flail second (five breakups). Troutman is also tied for first in the MAC with three picks.

Showers rolls up the charts
Senior Parker Showers, already the school’s career record holder for kickoff return yardage, continues to move up the record book in several career categories. He needs 85 yards to become the 12th running back in school history to reach 1,500 in a career and needs 186 more yards to become the eighth player at Lycoming to reach 3,000 career all-purpose yards.