Thursday, September 10, 2015

Lycoming Football - Scouting the Stevenson Mustangs

Junior DL Jon Rummel
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - After falling in its season opener, the Lycoming College football team will try to get back on track with its Middle Atlantic Conference opener, as it travels to Stevenson University for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 12.


The Warriors (0-1 overall) are coming off a 28-13 loss to Susquehanna. Junior Blake Bowman led the team with 22 carries for 111 yards  and a touchdown and junior Jon Rummel paced the defense with seven tackles, three for a loss and two sacks.

The Mustangs (1-0 overall) posted a 20-9 win over North Carolina Wesleyan. Senior Brady Kempa was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week after posting two interceptions and nine tackles in the win.

Warrior Notes
• In the first four meetings between Lycoming and Stevenson, the Warriors have averaged 36.8 points and 371.5 yards of total offense.

• Senior Ryan Umpleby needs seven more pass receptions to tie Dave Bodmer (1988-91) for fifth in school history with 121 in a career.

• Umpleby used 132 all-purpose yards against Susquehanna to become the 11th player in school history to surpass 2,500 in a career.

• With his 111 rushing yards, junior Blake Bowman became the first Warrior running back to rush for 100 yards in his first career start since Jared Morris notched 110 yards in his first start against Susquehanna in 2002.

• Senior Pat Whalen had career highs of six catches for 49 yards at Susquehanna.

• Sophomore Mike Ward has two interceptions in his last three games.

Scouting Lycoming
Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style

Lycoming is seventh in the MAC in scoring offense (13.0) , third in total offense (362.0), third in rushing offense (206.0) and seventh in passing offense (156.0).

Junior Chase Whiteman has taken over as the team's primary signal caller, finishing 16-of-28 for 156 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his first start against Susquehanna. Junior Blake Bowman also had a fine debut as the starting tailback, posting 111 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.

Five Warriors also caught passes against the Crusaders, with senior Pat Whalen leading the way with six catches for 49 yards. Senior Ryan Umpleby added three catches for 37 yards and junior Keeghan Morrison posted two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Defense: 4-3
Lycoming is sixth in the MAC in scoring defense (28.0), fourth in total defense (347.0), first in rushing defense (88.0) and eighth in passing defense (259.0). The defense is a young unit, with seven freshmen and six sophomores listed in the two-deep.

Junior Jon Rummel paced the Warrior defense against Susquehanna, posting seven tackles, three for loss and two sacks. Senior Brian Campbell also posted four stops, two for loss, a sack, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

Sophomore Mike Ward paced the secondary with six tackles, an interception and a pass breakup and senior Matt Malecki added seven tackles and a pass breakup.

Scouting Stevenson
Offense: Multiple

Stevenson is fifth in the MAC in scoring offense (20.0) , ninth in total offense (245.0), fifth in rushing offense (95.0) and eighth in passing offense (150.0).

Sophomore Jeff Farrah began his second campaign with the Musatangs by going 11-for-27 for 150 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-9 win over North Carolina Wesleyan. Sophomore Naquan Watkins totaled 89 yards on 13 carries in his first career start after appearing in just one game a season ago.

Six receivers caught passes in the win, led by junior Seth Jordan, who posted three catches for 72 yards. Junior Cortez Taylor added two catches for 26 yards and a touchdown and senior Neil Harps also added a touchdown reception.

Defense: Multiple 8-man Front
Stevenson leads the MAC in scoring defense (9.0) and is second in total defense (316.0), third in rushing defense (116.0) and fifth in passing defense (200.0).

In his first career start, senior Brady Kempa finished with two interceptions and nine tackles, including five solo in the win over North Carolina Wesleyan. His two interceptions were returned for a combined 49 yards and were two of three turnovers the Stevenson defense forced.

The defense held the Bishops to 0-for-4 on fourth downs and 116 rushing yards on 47 carries. Stevenson would also total five sacks, including two by junior Cory Pietrzyk, who finished with a game-high 10 tackles, nine of which were solo.

Take a Bow
In his first career start, junior Blake Bowman ran for 111 yards and a score against Susquehanna. He is the first Warrior running back to rush for more than 100 yards in his first start since Jared Morris in 2002. Despite serving as a backup to the school's all-time leading rusher, Craig Needhammer, for the past two years, Bowman has rushed for 80 or more yards four times in his career.

The Umpleby Update
After a phenomenal junior season in which he earned D3football.com All-East Region honors, senior Ryan Umpleby  will have the opportunity to continue his rise in the school's career record books, where he sits just outside the top five in several categories. The Forest Hill, Md., native needs 132 more receiving yards to move past James O'Malley (1984-87, 1,810) and into the top five Lycoming's career record book and seven more receptions to move past Dave Bodmer (1988-91, 121) and into the top five. He is also four touchdowns away from the top five in receiving touchdowns, while his six 100-yard receiving games are already fifth in school history. With 2,412 all-purpose yards, he is just 88 shy of becoming the 11th player in school history and the fourth wide receiver to post 2,500 in a career.

A Big Day for Rummel
Junior Jon Rummel stepped up in a big way for the Warriors against Susquehanna, as the defensive tackle made seven tackles, with three coming for a loss. He also earned two sacks and assured himself a starting spot for the first time in his career when the Warriors face Stevenson.

Five in a Row
The Warriors have posted five straight winning seasons under head coach Mike Clark. The current streak is the second-longest in program history, as legendary former head coach Frank Girardi led the team to 29 consecutive winning seasons from 1975-2003.

An Experienced Staff
While the Lycoming football staff has always been long on experience, the 2015 coaching staff has plenty of long-time veterans, as a corps of four coaches have a combined 116 years of collegiate coaching experience. Head coach Mike Clark is entering his 22nd year on a college sideline and passing game coordinator Tim Landis is starting his 25th. Defensive coordinator Steve Wiser is beginning his 42nd season and linebackers coach Mike Weber is entering his 27th. Both Wiser and Weber have only coached with the Warriors.