C.J. Arhontakis
Senior C.J. Arhontakis and the Warriors face off with Misericordia on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Football

Warriors host new MAC rival Misericordia for the first time

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Through Lycoming College's 57 years as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference, the football team has hosted just 17 conference opponents. Today, the Warriors will host the 18th different conference opponent in Misericordia, which began its football program in 2012, as part of its Family Weekend festivities.

The Warriors (1-1 overall, 1-0 MAC) rolled up 459 yards of total offense in a 34-18 win over Wilkes in the conference opener on Sept. 14. Junior quarterback Tyler Jenny led the attack, hitting 20-of-21 passing for 305 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cougars (0-2 overall, 0-1 MAC) are likewise led by their quarterback, dynamic sophomore Jeff Puckett, who has run for 460 yards and six touchdowns in just two games.

Warrior Notes

• The Warriors are 36-21 (.632) all-time in Family Weekend games.

• Junior Braden Zeiner notched career-highs of two sacks and three tackles for loss at Wilkes.

• Senior C.J. Arhontakis' 91-yard interception return against Wilkes was the third-longest in school history.

• Junior Tyler Jenny needs 10 more pass completions to become the 13th player in school history to reach 200 in a career.

• Junior Craig Needhammer became the 13th player in school history to reach 1,500 career rushing yards with his 130-yard effort against Wilkes.

• Senior Matt Atkinson is second in the MAC with 7.5 receptions per game. He is  tied for fifth with 85.0 receiving yards per game.

• Sophomore Ryan Umpleby needs just seven more yards to tie his freshman output of 137 receiving yards.

Scouting Lycoming
Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style
While rolling up 459 yards of total offense against Wilkes, the Warriors used a balanced offense to help the team to the 34-18 win.

The Warriors ran the ball 41 times during the contest, reeling in 154 rushing yards, led by 130 on 27 carries from junior Craig Needhammer. The 5-7 back is second in the MAC with 108.0 rushing yards per game.

Junior Tyler Jenny also had a standout day, passing for 305 yards and moving amongst the league leaders at quarterback. He is second in the conference with a 140.72 pass efficiency rating and a 65.5 percent completion percentage.

Two receivers are in the top 10 in the league in yards per game, as senior Matt Atkinson is tied for fifth at 85.0 and sophomore Ryan Umpleby is eighth at 65.0.

Defense: 4-3
The Warrior defense had a strong outing against the Colonels, allowing 259 yards. Just three of the Colonels' drives lasted for more than six plays. The Warriors also scored their first defensive touchdown since 2011 when senior C.J. Arhontakis ran an interception back 91 yards for a score in the third quarter.

Junior Braden Zeiner had a breakthrough day, notching three tackles for loss and two sacks.

The team also got a boost with the return of senior middle linebacker Kabongo Bukasa, who made five stops and had a half-sack with junior Jimmy Nottingham. Nottingham also added four tackles in the game.

Senior Tyler Denike has led the team in tackles in each of the first two games, averaging 9.0 per contest.

Scouting Misericordia
Offense: Multiple

Through the season's first two weeks, Misericordia has shown off one of the most powerful running games in the MAC, led by sophomore quarterback Jeff Puckett.

In the first week of the season, the Cougars set a MAC record by rolling up 587 rushing yards in a 62-40 loss to Gettysburg. Puckett's five rushing touchdowns tied the MAC single-game record and his 301 yards tied the sixth-highest single-game total ever.

He continued to prove a tricky person to defend against 25th-ranked Delaware Valley, as he notched 159 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Robin Custodio added 26 carries for 96 yards in the 42-17 loss, as the Cougars lead the conference with 478.5 rushing yards per game.

Puckett is a dual threat, as he has completed 11-of-19 passing for 119 yards and a touchdown.

Defense: Multiple
The Cougars have allowed 52.0 points per game through the first two games. The team has allowed 650 rushing yards and 533 passing yards and are last in the conference in scoring defense and total defense. However, the Cougars are tied for sixth in the league with one interception and eighth in sacks with two.

The defense has been led by sophomore safety Ben Camacho, who has posted 19 tackles and an interception. Fellow sophomore safety Brandon Salazar has added 12 stops and one tackle for loss.

The team's linebacking corps of sophomore Hunter Pates and freshman Rob Hart have combined for 28 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Bringing the Hammer
Junior Craig Needhammer, despite not moving into the starting lineup for the Warriors until this year, has quietly begun to leave his mark on the program's career record book. He became the 13th player in school history to reach 1,500 career yards with his final rush against Wilkes and needs just 76 yards to pass Mike Santoleri (1979-82) for 12th. He also moved into the top 10 in school history in career touchdowns with 16 with his score against the Colonels. He is tied with Jared Morris (1999-02) and Kevin 'Flea' McVey (1976-78) in the category.

A Special Performance
The stat line for junior Tyler Jenny from Sept. 14 against Wilkes sounds like it was made up. He completed 20-of-21 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns in the 34-18 win. To put that into perspective, Boise State's Joe Southwick completed 27-of-29 for 287 yards against Air Force on Sept. 13 in the most accurate game in that program's history. Jenny, who has a program-record 60.8 career completion percentage, was the first Warrior quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a game since Colin Dwyer threw for 304 against King's in 2009. He also completed his last 14 passes, which spanned the final 45 minutes of the game.

Welcome Back, Bukasa
After missing the first game of the season with an injury, senior middle linebacker Kabongo Bukasa returned with a five-tackle effort in the win against Wilkes. Bukasa, the 2012 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, was placed on three Preseason All-American squads. The linebacker made his presence immediately felt, as he helped make a tackle on Wilkes' first offensive play and another tackle on Wilkes' first possession.

MAC Coaches Pick Warriors first
Three Preseason All-Americans and seven returning all-conference players helped the Warriors top the 2013 MAC Preseason Football Coaches' Poll with 76 points.
 
Wise's time
After assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Steve Wiser '74 became just the second football coach in MAC history to reach 200 career conference wins, he is closing in on another milestone. Since Wiser joined the program in 1970 as a linebacker, he has helped the Warriors win 296 games. As a player, he helped the team win nine games from 1970-73 and since 1974, he has helped win 287 as an assistant coach.

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