DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE 49-PAGE GAME NOTES HERE (PDF)

Complete game notes for the Lycoming-Albright football game are now available for download. The 49-page notes can be downloaded by clicking the link at the top of this page.

Included in the notes are game information, head-to-head stats, national and conference rankings, rosters, depth charts, game info, school info, Lycoming records and year-by-year results, Lycoming coach Mike Clark and Lycoming captains bios and complete 2008 statistics and ranking summaries for both teams.

Broadcast Information

Saturday’s game is being broadcast by ESPN Radio (WLYC). The game can be heard on 104.1 FM and 1050 AM in Lycoming County and can be heard online via a free Web stream at: www.espnwilliamsport.com.

The Coaches

Warrior first-year head coach Mike Clark (Lycoming ’93) carries a three game winning streak into today’s game and has opened his head coaching career with a 3-1 record. Clark, who also handles the offensive coordinator duties, has the Warriors averaging 347.5 yards of total offense per game.

Albright is coached by John Marzka (Allegheny ’91), who is four games into his second season at the helm of the Lion program. Last season, he led the team to a 7-4 overall record with a 5-2 mark in the conference. Albright finished second in the league standings. Marzka came to Albright after serving six seasons as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Thiel College.

The Series

Today’s game is the 49th meeting between these two teams in a series that dates back to 1957. The Warriors hold a 30-16-2 all-time advantage, including a 7-3 edge in the last 10 meetings. The Lions have won three of the last four meetings, including a 40-7 win last season in Reading, Pa.

2007 - Albright 40, Lycoming 7                 2002 - Lycoming 35, Albright 12
2006 - Albright 42, Lycoming 35               2001 - Lycoming 21, Albright 10
2005 - Lycoming 14, Albright 13               2000 - Lycoming 39, Albright 3
2004 - Albright 49, Lycoming 32               1999 - Lycoming 43, Albright 9
2003 - Lycoming 38, Albright 21               1996 - Lycoming 31, Albright 13

The Last Time They Met

The last meeting between the two teams was played on Oct. 6, 2007, at Albright. The Lions scored 27 points in the second quarter and ran away with a 40-7 victory to drop Lycoming to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in MAC play. Despite the score, Albright outgained the Warriors by just six yards, 251-245. Special teams proved to be the deciding factor, with the Lions returning a kickoff 97 yards and a punt 78 yards for touchdowns. Albright also returned an interception 37 yards for a score.

                        1    2      3    4      Score
Lycoming          0    7      0    0      7
Albright             3    27   10   0      40

Last Time Out

Lycoming opened MAC play with a 21-17 win against Widener on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Chester, Pa. The Warriors scored 21 first half points and held on to improve to 3-1 overall.

Trailing by four points, Widener got the ball back with 3:39 to play in the game. The Warrior defense flexed its muscle, not giving up a single yard and forcing the Pride to punt the ball away with 2:24 left in the game.

For the first time this season, Lycoming was held under 300 yards of total offense, finishing the game with 297. The defense continued to hold opponents under the 300 yard mark as Widener finished the game with 244 yards.

Colin Dwyer, returning to his starting role at quarterback after sitting out against Bridgewater, completed 25-of-42 pass attempts for 236 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Lycoming offense.

Brad Shellenberger caught seven passes for 85 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown reception. Josh Kleinfelter caught five passes for 58 yards and also had 41 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Ben Rosa led the defensive effort with 11 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss. Ted Geurds was second on the team in total tackles with seven, including 2.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for a loss. Nick Reese had four solo tackles to go along with a forced fumble and recovery.

                         1    2     3    4     Final
Lycoming           7    14   0    0     21
Widener             7    7     0    3     17

Scouting the Warriors

Lycoming enters today’s game with impressive numbers on both sides of the ball. The Warrior offense has managed 347.5 yards per game while the defense has held opponents to 224.8 yards per game.

The offense has put up 209.2 passing yards per game and 138.2 rushing yards per game.

Quarterback Colin Dwyer leads the passing game, completing 58-of-94 attempts for 608 yards and five touchdowns. Each of the team’s top two receivers, Brad Shellenberger and Mark Ryan, have caught two touchdown passes for the season. Ryan leads the team with 18 catches for 162 yards while Shellenberger leads the team in yardage, pulling in 17 passes for 296 yards, an average of 17.4 yards per catch.

Josh Kleinfelter tops the team in scoring and all-purpose yardage while leading the rushing attack. He has carried the ball 93 times for 443 yards and six touchdowns this season, boasting an average of 110.8 yards per game. He also has 11 receptions for 120 yards, putting his all-purpose average up to 140.8 yards per game.

Scott Erikson leads the MAC in points scored for kickers, connecting on 3-of-4 field goal attempts and hitting on 12-of-13 extra points for an average of 5.2 points per game.

All four members of the defensive line rank in the top-five in the MAC in sacks, led by Ted Geurds at the top of the list. Geurds has posted 5.5 sacks this season and averages 1.5 per game. Chris Tribanas ranks fourth at 1.0 sack per game with Kyle Murren and Matt Licci tied for fifth at .75 per game. Chuck Bellitto leads the team in tackles with 26.5, including 20 solo stops. He also has the only interception for the team.

Albright's Last Time Out

Albright scored 17 unanswered points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to defeat FDU-Florham 24-17 in its MAC opener last Saturday, Oct. 4, in Reading, Pa. The Lions needed 14 points off special teams to seal the win.

FDU-Florham scored first with a 41-yard field goal but the Lions would strike back less than 15 seconds later when William Alston returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.

The Devils scored midway through the second quarter on a one-yard quarterback keeper but had the extra point blocked to lead 9-7. With three seconds left in the half, Albright kicker John Whelan hit a 33-yard field goal to send the game to halftime with Albright leading 10-9.

Much like the Lycoming-Widener game last week, no scoring took place in the third quarter.

The Lions opened the fourth quarter with another return touchdown, this time with Alston bringing a punt back 52 yards for the score. They would add an insurance touchdown with less than three minutes remaining on a 41-yard Josan Holmes run.

The Devils marched down the field and scored with 1:01 remaining in the game, but could not recover the onside kick attempt.

FDU-Florham outgained Albright 409-294 in total offense and ran 82 plays to the Lions’ 57, but turned the ball over five times.

                             1    2    3    4      Final
FDU-Florham          3    6    0    8      17
Albright                  7    3    0    14     24

Scouting the Lions

The Lions offense relies heavily on the arm and legs of the 2007 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, Tanner Kelly. He has the team averaging 195.0 yards per game through the air while the ground game adds 102.5 yards per game for a total offensive output of 297.5 yards per game.

The defense has struggled, particularly against the rush. Albright gives up 365.0 yards of total offense per game, including 192.5 on the ground.

Special teams is a strong point for the Lions and arguably won them their conference opener last weekend. The team averages 23.1 yards per kickoff return and 17.9 yards per punt return.

Kelly has completed 60-of-100 pass attempts for 674 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted three times. He also has carried the ball more than anyone on the team, 44 times, for 160 yards.

His favorite target has been Nate Romig, who leads the team in receptions with 23 for 326 yards and five touchdowns. The only other receiver with double-digit catches is A.J. Hill, with 11 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

The rushing attack is led by Josan Holmes, who has carried the ball 35 times for 213 yards and has all four of the team’s rushing touchdowns.

The defense is led by David Harig, with 31 total tackles and one interception. Matt Christ has two interceptions and two blocked kicks to go along with his 23 total tackles. Jonathan Linn ranks second on the team in total tackles with 27 and leads the squad in tackles for a loss with 5.0.

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