Gators Look to End 2007 on High Note

Nov 8, 2007

Football Game Notes (PDF)

MEADVILLE, Pa. – The 2007 Allegheny football season comes to an end on Saturday and the Gators (5-4, 3-3 NCAC) will look to go out on a high note with a 15th consecutive series win against Oberlin (4-5, 4-2 NCAC).

“Our motivation is a chance for a winning season,” said Gator head coach Mark Matlak. “My expectation is that we put forth our best effort, and I have no doubt in my mind we will do that. We know we are playing a good team and we have to get after it.”

Last week Allegheny lost a second straight game for the first time since the 2005 season, as the squad dropped a 17-6 decision to visiting Wittenberg. The Gators got on the board first with a 45-yard field goal from Josh Whiteside (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair), but quickly saw their lead disappear when Wittenberg returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a score. The Tigers added another touchdown late in the first quarter and held Allegheny to a lone field goal the rest of the way en route to the 17-6 victory.

T.J. Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) completed 26-of-43 passes for 255 yards while Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) inched closer to the Allegheny single-season reception record, hauling in five passes for 51 yards. Nick Jones (Blairsville, Pa./Homer Center) led the Gator defense with the first two-interception game of his career.

At Oberlin, the Gator offense will be led by Salopek (132-of-212 passing/1,374 yards/6 touchdowns/9 interceptions), who will start his eighth game of the 2007 campaign after entering the season as the team's backup. Allegheny’s ground game will feature Rodney Still (Hummelstown, Pa./Dauphin), who has rushed for a team-high 389 yards with five touchdowns, Devin Raynor (Bemus Point, N.Y./Maple Grove), who has 176 yards and three scores, and freshman Matt Deivert (Russell, Pa./Eisenhower), who has 145 yards rushing on only 19 carries during four games played this year. Lieb leads the air attack with 58 receptions for 577 yards and two scores, needing only five receptions to break the school’s single-season mark and 81 yards to move into sole possession of third place on the all-time receiving yards list.

“Our concern this week will be creating a balanced attack on offense,” said Matlak. “We also have to protect the ball – when we do those things, we are usually pretty successful.”

Defensively, Allegheny is paced by senior middle linebackers Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) and Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) with 87 and 81 tackles respectively. Senior safeties Andy Toner (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and Curt Anderson (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia Notre Dame) have also been consistent performers this year – Toner with 75 tackles and two sacks, Anderson with 55 stops, two interceptions, and five pass breakups. Cornerback Nick Jones leads the team with five interceptions while linebacker Craig Lawrence has a team-best 5.5 sacks.

“Facing Oberlin’s offense will be a test,” noted Matlak. “They are an explosive team and have good players like we have faced all year. It will be a lot of give and take and we will need to create some turnovers. We know we have our hands full this week.”

Oberlin won a shootout with Kenyon by a score of 63-33 after scoring 28 points in the first quarter. R.V. Carroll rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns while Greg Mangan completed 16-of-21 passes for 224 yards and two scores, both of which went to Cassius Harris. Nick Bartlett and Geoff Sirockman each recorded 13 tackles for the defense.

Offensively, the Yeomen are led by quarterback Greg Mangan (178-of-282 passing/2000 yards/12 touchdowns/13 interceptions); running backs R.V. Carroll (190 attempts/961 yards/16 touchdowns) and Wayne Mundekis (56 attempts/341 yards/2 touchdowns); and wide out Chris Schubert (55 receptions/671 yards/6 touchdowns). Carroll comes into the game leading the NCAC in rushing, marking the second straight year he will play the Gators as the league’s top rusher. Last season, he came off a 336-yard effort against Kenyon and was held to just 18 yards on 13 carries against the Gator defense in game #10, dropping him to second overall in the conference.

The Yeomen defense is paced by Chase Palmer (89 tackles/10.5 tackles for loss/3.5 sacks/2 interceptions), Cody Hartley (59 tackles/3 interceptions), Kris DeVant (54 tackles/8.5 tackles
for loss/4.0 sacks), and Chris Pisani (40 tackles/12.0 tackles for loss/3.0 sacks).

The history of Allegheny versus Oberlin can be best described as a tale of two series. The teams first met in 1907 when Oberlin defeated Allegheny 25-0, and would not meet again until the 1932 season when the Yeomen won the first of nine consecutive games, stretching their series lead to 10-0 during the 1947 season. Things evened out throughout the 50’s and 60’s before the series took a 13-year break from the early 70’s to mid 80’s.

The series picked up again during the first year of the NCAC in 1984 and has since seen Allegheny win 14 straight games from the 1986 season until the current day. The teams did not play from 1999-2005, but rekindled their rivalry with the league’s unbalanced schedule in 2006 when the Gators won 35-14 in Meadville. Allegheny holds the largest margin of victory in the series, an 83-0 win at home during the 1994 season.

“It’s a new year and I feel both teams are improved from last season,” said Matlak. It will be a good test for us.”

Kickoff from Dill Field in Oberlin, Ohio is set for 1:00 p.m on Saturday.

Printable Version