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Gators Look for Senior Day Victory
November 1, 2007
Football Game Notes (PDF)
MEADVILLE, Pa. – Twenty-eight football seniors will play their final home game at Allegheny College this week, and the Gator brass (5-3, 3-2 NCAC) will look to send them out with a win over visiting Wittenberg (6-2, 4-1 NCAC) on Saturday.
“This is our best senior class leadership-wise since the 2003 season,” noted Gator head coach Mark Matlak. “We have four great captains and all of our seniors are involved in some capacity – all of which do their jobs well.”
The Gators will need to rebound after a 17-10 loss at Ohio Wesleyan last week. The Gators fell behind 17-3 after one half of play and were never able to recover, generating only a single touchdown mid-way through the fourth quarter en route to the loss. T.J. Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) completed 23-of-35 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) moved into sole possession of second place all-time on the Allegheny receptions list after hauling in 11 passes for 68 yards. Rodney Still (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) rushed for 41 yards and a score while Craig Lawrence (Fairview, Pa./Fairview) totaled nine tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack for the Gator defense. Overall, Allegheny was -3 in the turnover battle, the team’s first negative turnover margin of the season, and the first since November 4, 2006.
“That game really hurt us,” said Matlak. “We had a chance to win but played sloppy. We have to rally back and not feel sorry for ourselves. We have to understand that there are two games left and we have to get back on the horse.”
Offensively Allegheny is led by Salopek, who has completed 106-of-169 passes for 1,119 yards and six touchdowns with seven interceptions in 2007 while also rushing for 130 yards and two scores. In the backfield, Still has been Allegheny’s top rusher, totaling 367 yards on 102 carries with five rushing touchdowns. Devin Raynor and Matt Cellini have also seen significant carries – the former with 168 yards and three touchdowns and the latter with 113 yards and a score. Lieb has been the Gators’ top receiver in 2007, hauling in 53 receptions for 526 yards and two touchdowns. He is now nine receptions short of the Allegheny all-time single season record.
“We have to get something going offensively this week,” said Matlak. “We’ve struggled most of the year and need to have something positive happen.”
Defensively the Gators have been stellar, allowing just 13.2 points per game and 282.8 yards per contest with a pair of shutouts. Linebacker Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) is the squad’s leading tackler with 78 hits while linebacker Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) has totaled 72. Safety Andy Toner (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) has done well in his first year as a full-time starter, totaling 69 tackles with two sacks and an interception. Safety Curt Anderson (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia Notre Dame) has been a consistent contributor all year with 51 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a team-high five pass break-ups. Lawrence has been the Gators’ top pass rusher, totaling five sacks to go along with 10.5 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. Nick Jones (Blairsville, Pa./Homer Center) has provided excellent coverage as the team’s shutdown corner and has also intercepted a team-best three passes this fall.
Wittenberg got back on track last week, defeating Oberlin 38-14 after falling to Wabash in their fifth game of the season and barely escaping victory over Ohio Wesleyan in their sixth contest. The Tigers scored 24 first-half points on their way to victory behind Aaron Huffman, who completed 14-of-24 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 50 yards on four carries. Andy Vanover rushed for a game-high 117 yards and three touchdowns while Patrick Williams totaled game-highs in catches (8) and receiving yards (97). On defense, Brad McKinley totaled 16 tackles while Matt Maidlow recorded two sacks. Tim Flammer and Ben Maxwell each intercepted a pass in the winning effort.
“Wittenberg is a hard-working effort football team,” said the head coach. “They are an outstanding team that really gets after it. We have to match their intensity level – if not, it will be a long day.”
Wittenberg is led by quarterback Aaron Huffman (116-of-195/1,657 yds/11 TDs/5 INT), running backs Corey Weber (63 att/380 yds/5 TDs) and Andy Vanover (92 att/366 yds/7 TDs), and wide receiver Patrick Williams 46 rec/708 yds/4 TDs).
“They (Wittenberg) throw a lot of formations and plays at you which gives you a lot of problems when preparing,” noted Matlak.
Defensively, the squad is paced by linebackers Brad McKinley (91 tkls/8.5 tfl/2 sacks), and Joe Swanson (52 tkls/2.5 sacks), defensive lineman Anthony Oliver (34 tkls/5.5 tfl/4.0 sacks), and defensive backs Tim Flammer (3 INT/4 PBU) and Brandyn Brown (3 INT/4 PBU).
“Wittenberg plays very aggressive up front and has some hard-hitters and guys who move around the field well,” said Matlak.
The series between Allegheny and Wittenberg is both young and even, as the squads have played 17 times dating back to the 1989 season - with Wittenberg holding a narrow 9-8 advantage. The Gators won five of the first six meetings from 1989 to 1994 before the Tigers started a streak of seven wins in eight games from 1995 to 2002. Since that point, the squads have alternated wins in each of the last four seasons including a 39-21 Wittenberg victory in Springfield, Ohio last season. The Tigers own the series’ longest win streak of six games from 1997 to 2002 and the biggest margin of victory with a 49-3 win in 2002.
Kickoff from Frank B. Fuhrer Field is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.