Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Lycoming Football - Warriors face third straight undefeated foe on Homecoming

2013 Photo - WR Ryan Umpleby pulls down pass from QB Tyler Jenny (Image: John Green)
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - For the third straight game, the Lycoming College football team will be facing an undefeated opponent, as it takes on No. 13 Widener today at David Person Field in one of the most anticipated Homecoming match-ups in school history.

The Warriors (5-1 overall, 4-1 MAC) fell in their last outing, 52-42, to No. 24 Delaware Valley, despite a great offensive performance that saw the team post 461 yards of total offense.



The 13th-ranked Pride (6-0 overall, 5-0 MAC) are coming off a 59-12 win over Wilkes. Sophomore Seth Klein led the team, as he threw a school-record tying six touchdowns and tossed for 273 yards in the win.

Warrior Notes

• The Warriors have faced Widener four times when the Pride were ranked. Lycoming is 1-3 in those matchups, winning, 19-16, over a 16th-ranked Widener squad in 2013.

• This is the ninth time the Warriors have faced Widener on Homecoming. The two teams have split the first eight meetings.

• Senior Craig Needhammer needs 92 more all-purpose yards to join Brian Thompson (1995-98) as the only players in school history to notch three 1,000-yard seasons.

• Needhammer is also 142 yards shy of the school record of 4,474 career all-purpose yards set by Josh Kleinfelter from 2007-10.

• Senior Tyler Jenny needs two more touchdown passes to become the fourth player in school history to toss 50 in a career.

Scouting Lycoming

Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style

The Warriors enter the week third in the Middle Atlantic Conference with a scoring average of 32.7 points per game, while the team's 391.2 yards of total offense also ranks third.

Senior Craig Needhammer is one of the most versatile players in the MAC, as he is fourth in the league in rushing yards (99.0) and second in kickoff return yardage (29.5), leaving him with a hefty average of 151.3 all-purpose yards per game.

Senior Tyler Jenny is enjoying a fine season at quarterback, as he leads the MAC and is 12th in Division III with a 67.9 completion percentage. He is third in the MAC in passing efficiency (168.3) and second in passing yards per game (245.0). He has one of the best receiving tandems in the MAC to throw to, as junior Ryan Umpleby is fourth in the MAC in touchdowns (5) and sixth in receiving yards (464), while senior John Sibel is sixth in touchdowns (3) and eighth in receiving yards (355).

Defense: 4-3

The Warriors lead the MAC in sacks (4.0) and feature one of the top defenses in the league, entering the week second in total defense (275.2), second in scoring defense (17.0), second in rushing defense (108.8) and third in passing efficiency defense (106.17).

The Warriors have been able to consistently pressure behind the line of scrimmage, as the team has notched 49.0 tackles for loss this year. Junior Cole Welham is third in the league with 1.7 tackles for loss per game and he leads the conference in sacks with six on the season.

Junior safety Mike Gentile has been a welcome addition to the backfield, as he is second in the MAC in interceptions, having notched three this year.

Scouting Widener

Offense: Multiple

Widener enters the game ranked second in the MAC in scoring offense (39.7), second in total offense (452.5), third in rushing offense (180.8), and second in passing offense (271.5).

The team is led by sophomore quarterback Seth Klein, who leads the MAC in touchdown passes (20). He is also second in passing efficiency (187.5) and third in passing yards (1,444). Most impressively, he has not been picked off yet this season.

His favorite target is senior Anthony Davis, a returning two-time All-American that is second in the MAC in receiving yards (86.7) and fourth in receptions (5.3). Senior running back Terrant Morrison is sixth in the league in rushing yards (74.2).

Defense: 4-3

The Pride lead the MAC in scoring defense (7.5, seventh in Division III), total defense (224.2, sixth in Division III), rushing defense (46.2, second in Division III), and pass efficiency defense (92.85).

The team is also skilled in the turnover, forcing 10 interceptions and seven fumbles while the offense has yet to allow one, leading to a MAC-leading plus-2.67 turnover margin.

Senior middle linebacker Kevin Burns leads the MAC with 1.8 tackles for loss per game, while senior defensive end Stacey Sunnerville and senior linebacker Brandon Harper are both tied for ninth in the league with 0.5 sacks per game. Sophomore safety Sean Titus is tied for second in the league with three interceptions.

A Monster Effort

Senior Tyler Jenny's effort in the 52-42 loss to Delaware Valley was certainly one for the record books. Jenny, who is 20-6 as a signal caller for the Warriors, completed 28-of-37 passing for career highs of 376 yards and five touchdowns. Along the way, Jenny became the seventh player in school history to toss five touchdowns in a game and his 376 yards are seventh most in school history. His 28 completions in the game are also tied for third most in program history. The five-touchdown game leaves him two shy of becoming the fourth quarterback in school history to throw 50 in a career.

The Hammer watch

Senior Craig Needhammer, who holds the school's career rushing touchdowns (35), total touchdowns (38) and points scored (228) records, has his eyes on a few more standards as the second half of his senior year is nearing a close. Needhammer's 14 100-yard rushing games is one shy of the record of 15 set by Brian Thompson (1995-98). He is also 142 all-purpose yards shy of the school record of 4,474 set by Josh Kleinfelter from 2007-10 and 600 rushing yards shy of Kleinfelter's mark of 3,665 yards.

1,000 reached

Senior John Sibel and junior Ryan Umpleby both reached the 1,000-receiving yard milestone against Delaware Valley. Sibel hit the mark first to become the 21st player in school history to post 1,000 in a career while Umpleby reached the mark in the second half of the game. The pair are each in the top 10 in the MAC in receiving yards per game, with Umpleby sixth with 474 yards and Sibel eighth with 355.

Ranking Killers

Mike Clark's Warriors have gained a reputation as ranking killers, as they have knocked six teams from the national rankings in his seven years as head coach. In his first year at the helm in 2008, the Warriors downed No. 22 Delaware Valley, 10-7, knocking the Aggies from the national polls. In 2010, the team did it again, shocking No. 13 Ithaca, 26-24. In 2011, the Warriors picked off their third ranked opponent in Clark's tenure, knocking No. 22 Rowan from the polls with an 8-6 win. The Warriors knocked No. 22 Delaware Valley from the rankings again in 2012, beating the Aggies, 24-14. In 2013, the Warriors did it twice, beating 24th-ranked Widener, 16-14, and 16th-ranked Delaware Valley, 19-16.

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