BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team heads to No. 23 Susquehanna University on Saturday, September 17 for a Centennial Conference game. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field at Doug Arthur Stadium in Selinsgrove.
THE COACHES: Jeff Pukszyn (Moravian '98) is entering his 12th season as Moravian's head coach after ten years as an assistant coach with the program. Pukszyn joined the Moravian staff as a part-time coach in 1997 after a three-year playing career that saw him named to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team in 1994 and 1996. He was inducted into Moravian's Hall of Fame in 2019. He was also a two-time captain. Pukszyn became part of the coaching staff full-time in 1999 as defensive coordinator and added the titles of assistant head coach in 2001 and special teams coordinator in 2007. In 2015, Pukszyn led the Greyhounds to an 8-3 record and a berth in the inaugural Centennial-MAC Bowl Series while being named both the Centennial Conference and American Football Coaches Association Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year. He has been a part of 277 games for Moravian since 1994 with a 131-145-1 record.
Susquehanna coach Tom Perkovich (Canisius '03) is in his eighth year with the River Hawks.
THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the 98th in the series with Susquehanna leading the series 24-23-1 after a 44-0 win at Rocco Calvo Field last fall. The River Hawks also earned a 31-7 victory in Bethlehem in 2019 while the Greyhounds' last win in the series was a 21-18 triumph in Selinsgrove in 2018.
GREYHOUNDS IN THE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE: Moravian joined the Centennial Conference as an associate member in the sport of football in 2007. The Greyhounds were selected seventh in the Centennial Conference preseason coaches poll. Susquehanna was picked third in the poll. Moravian is playing its final season in the Centennial Conference in 2022 with the Landmark Conference scheduled to begin football in the fall of 2023 as Lycoming College and Wilkes University become full Landmark Conference members.
WEEKLY GAME CAPTAINS: The Hounds will be selecting captains on a weekly basis in 2022 with senior defensive lineman Jack Gawlik, sophomore offensive lineman Brandon Guffy, sophomore wide receiver Jordan Lewis and graduate student defensive back Romello Walters serving as captains for this weekend's game at Susquehanna University.
CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE WEEKLY HONORS: Sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins has been named the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Greyhounds' 43-28 victory over Gettysburg College Saturday afternoon. Jenkins made his home debut as a Greyhound a memorable one with touchdown passes on the Hounds' first four drives as well as a touchdown run as the Blue and Grey jumped out to a 34-7 halftime lead on the way to the win over Gettysburg at Rocco Calvo Field. Jenkins completed 18-of-24 passes for 321 yards to go with his four touchdowns that covered 21, 40, 77 and 7 yards, and he also ran for 43 yards and a score on 16 rushing attempts.
D3FOOTBALL.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK: Moravian's starting offensive line of sophomore Riley Craft, sophomore Brandon Guffy, freshman Tyler Herring, sophomore Reins Leedy and junior Javal Reyes has been named to the D3football.com Team of the Week, presented by Scoutware for their performance last Saturday. The quintet, along with sophomore Paul DeFalco who saw time as a reserve, helped the Greyhounds rack up 618 yards of total offense and control the clock for 38:24 in the Hounds' 43-28 Centennial Conference victory versus Gettysburg College at Rocco Calvo Field. It was just the second start for each player, and they improved from 44 to 297 rushing yards, 254 to 618 total yards and seven sacks allowed down to three from the season opener at TCNJ.
THE QUARTERBACKS: Sophomore Jared Jenkins has completed 33-of-53 passes for 531 yards to go with 5 touchdown and an interception in 2022. He has also carried the ball 33 times for 26 yards and a score while being sacked 10 times.
IN THE BACKFIELD: Junior Nate Boyle leads the Moravian rushing attack with 234 yards and a touchdown on 58 carries this season while senior Angelo Macera has contributed 86 yards on 10 rushing attempts.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE: Moravian has one returner with game experience on the offensive line in junior Javal Reyes at right guard. The Greyhounds add four other new starters to the starting offensive line sophomore Reins Leedy at left tackle, sophomore Riley Craft at left guard, sophomore Brandon Guffy at center and freshman Tyler Herring at right tackle. The Greyhounds' front five has an average size of 6-2, 287. Sophomore Paul DeFalco has also seen time as a reserve at several positions on the offensive line this season.
THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have had eight different players catch a pass this year led by junior wide receiver Brad Bryan, who has nine catches for 195 yards with a long of 77 yards and two touchdowns in his first year at the position. Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Lewis also has nine receptions for 113 yards and a score while junior wide receiver Tim Garlick has eight catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Nate Boyle has caught three passes for 68 yards while sophomore wide receiver Bryan Monge has added one reception for 14 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Nick Weston has one reception for nine yards while senior tight end Chris Carpini has one catch for seven yards and a touchdown and sophomore wide receiver Brandon Grace has one reception.
DEFENSIVE FRONT: Sophomore Prince Sokpo leads the Moravian defensive front with seven tackles, a half tackle for loss and a pass break-up while senior Javi Espinal-Katz has also made seven tackles, one tackle for loss and half a sack. Sophomore Jeremy McGuigan has six stops with a quarterback sack and a forced fumble while freshman Drew Bailey has contributed five tackles with a half a quarterback sack and tackle for loss. Senior Jack Gawlik has three tackles with a sack after missing the season opener while freshman EJ Harvey has a pair of tackles.
THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Junior Nick Levinski leads the linebackers with 17 tackles while junior Colin Conway has added 12 stops with a tackle for loss, a pass break-up and a forced fumble. Freshman Clay Basille has nine tackles and a pass break-up while sophomore Jeremiah Espinosa has four tackles with one tackle for loss. Junior Chris Ortalano and freshman Joshua Ruela both have two tackles while freshman Jashon Teller has one stop and a half a tackle for loss.
THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Graduate student Romello Walters leads the defensive backs with 14 tackles including a half a tackle for loss to go along with forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Sophomore Chad Newhard has contributed 13 tackles with a half a tackle for loss while sophomore Isaiah Johnson has nine stops and two pass break-ups. Freshman Zach Scillia has four tackles and an interception returned 47 yards versus Gettysburg College this season while junior Matt Blazofsky has added four tackles. Freshman Joe DeRossi has two tackles and blocked a punt versus Gettysburg while senior Stefan Lorick has contributed one tackle this year
KICKING GAME: Sophomore Sam Bingaman is 3-for-3 on field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards at TCNJ on his first attempt as a Greyhound, and he is also 5-for-6 on extra points. Bingaman has punted 10 times with an average of 41.0 yards to go with a long of 50 yards and two inside the 20-yard line. Senior Trevor Yacuboski has kicked off 11 times for an average of 55.9 yards with one touchback.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore wide receiver Will Castel has returned three kickoffs for 16 yards while junior wide receiver Brad Bryan has two kickoff returns for 35 yards. Freshman wide receiver Tre Crenshaw has also returned two kickoffs for 35 yards. Castel has one punt return for two yards while sophomore defensive back Joe DeRossi was credited with a punt return for 13 yards on his blocked punt versus Gettysburg and junior linebacker Chris Ortalano has a two-yard return after recovering the blocked punt. Senior running back Angelo Macera and freshman running back Tyler Rohn have both added a pair of tackles on special teams while sophomore wide receiver Nick Weston and Bryan each have one tackle.
MILESTONE WATCH: The Greyhounds have one player closing in on milestones for his careers. Senior kicker Trevor Yacuboski is tied for seventh with 10 career field goals made, and he is 13th in total kicking points with 53.
SCOUTING NO. 23 SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY: The River Hawks enter the game at 2-0 overall and 1-0 in Centennial Conference action after defeating Franklin & Marshall College, 39-36, last Saturday. Graduate student quarterback Michael Ruisch leads the Susquehanna offense and has completed 41-of-63 passes for 587 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 17 rushing yards on eight attempts and has caught a pass for four yards and a touchdown. Ruisch's top targets have been graduate student tight end Michael Lefever, who has nine catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns, sophomore wide receiver Kyle Howes, who has eight receptions for 122 yards, junior wide receiver Jacob Erb, who has caught seven passes for 130 yards and a score, and junior wide receiver Bryce Ellinger, who has seven receptions for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Frank Negrini leads the River Hawks rushing attack with 111 yards and a touchdown on 31 attempts while sophomore running back Gavin Coles has 49 yards on 12 carries. Howes has returned five kickoffs for 211 yards and two touchdowns while junior Warren Griffith has three punt returns for 19 yards. Graduate student Elijah Hoffman is 2-for-2 on field goal attempts with a long of 35 yards, and he is 10-for-10 on extra points and averaging 57.5 yards per kickoff. Junior Aaron Kahn has punted four times for an average of 32.0 yards per punt. Junior linebacker John Nicosia leads the Susquehanna defense with 19 tackles, one and a half tackles for loss and a sack while senior defensive lineman Cameron Noble has 13 tackles with a half a tackle for loss, a half a sack, a quarterback hurry and a blocked kick. Sophomore linebacker Garrett Carter has contributed 11 tackles with one and a half for loss and one and a half sacks while junior linebacker Drew Robinson and junior defensive lineman Jake Schultes both have 10 stops and a pass break-up with Schultes adding three and a half tackles for loss and a half a sack. Junior defensive back Keith Green and sophomore defensive back Naphtali Stine both have one interception to lead the River Hawks.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: In Bethlehem in last fall, Susquehanna posted a 44-0 win at Rocco Calvo Field as the Greyhounds played their first home game in 660 days due to the pandemic. The River Hawks took the opening kickoff and drove down the field to take a 7-0 lead with 10:31 on the clock. The Greyhounds punted after three plays on their first possession, and Susquehanna turned a short field into another touchdown to double the lead to 14-0 with 5:40 left in the opening quarter. Moravian would punt again, and the River Hawks added another touchdown for a 21-0 edge with 1:38 still to go in the first quarter. A fumble on the Hounds next possession set the River Hawks up for a field goal, and Susquehanna added another field goal and touchdown in the first half to head to the locker room with a 34-0 lead. Susquehanna added a touchdown in the third quarter and another field goal in the fourth quarter after a mishandled punt by the Greyhounds to finish the scoring. Susquehanna had a 349 to 154 advantage in total yards, and the River Hawks also had the ball for nearly 38 minutes of the game while forcing Moravian into four turnovers including three fumbles. Quarterback Christopher Mills was 5-for-11 for 33 yards, connecting with five different receivers. Wideout Cory Little had the longest reception of 15 yards. Running back Nate Boyle led the Greyhounds' rushing attack with 63 yards in 12 carries while running back Angelo Macera added 35 yards on the first seven rushing attempts of his career and running back Isaac Cherry added 16 yards on his first four career attempts. Mills had eight rushing yards in the contest while quarterback Brad Bryan threw the first pass of his Moravian career. Defensive back Jackson Buskirk led the Greyhounds' defense with 10 tackles including one for loss while defensive back Chad Newhard had eight tackles with half a sack. Defensive backs Romello Walters and Justin McRae both had six tackles with Walters adding one pass break-up and McRae making a tackle for loss. Walter also recorded a reception for four yards on offense. Linebacker Noah Breidinger had five stops while linebacker Nick Levinski and linebacker Jeremiah Espinosa both made four tackles with Levinski recording half a sack. Defensive back Jalen Richardson had two pass break-ups to go with two tackles, and he also returned two kickoffs for 32 yards and played some at wide receiver while defensive lineman Javi Espinal-Katz had one and a half tackles for loss.
OVERTIME 'HOUNDS: Moravian has played a total of 12 overtime games since the NCAA instituted the rule for the 1996 season and is 9-3 all-time in the extra-session including a pair of overtimes wins in 2021. Five of those 12 overtime games have been against Juniata College with the Greyhounds going 4-1 in those games. Moravian's contest in Huntingdon in 2008 marked the first time in the Greyhounds' have needed more than one overtime session in a game. The 2021 season marked the fourth year that Moravian has played at least two overtimes games in one season, the other years were 2008 when the Hounds played two overtime contests, 1999 when the Greyhounds played three overtime games and 1997 when Moravian played two overtime contests.
THE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds are fourth in the Centennial Conference in total offense at 436.0 yards per game, and Moravian is sixth in scoring at 28.0 points per contest. The Hounds lead the conference in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 36:19 per game. Defensively, Moravian is fifth in the conference in yards per game, allowing 362.5, and the Blue and Grey are sixth in points allowed at 29.5 per outing. Individually, sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins is third in the conference at 265.5 yards per game, fourth in touchdown passes with four and first in pass efficiency with a 173.8 rating. Junior running back Nate Boyle is second in the Centennial Conference at 117.0 rushing yards per contest while senior running back Angelo Macera is tenth at 43.0 yards per outing. Junior wide receiver Brad Bryan ranks third in the conference at 97.5 yards per game while junior wide receiver Tim Garlick is tenth at 62.5 receiving yards per contest. Bryan and sophomore wide receiver Jordan Lewis are tied for sixth in receptions per game at 4.5 catches per outing. Sophomore punter/kicker Sam Bingaman is second in the Centennial Conference at 41.0 yards per punt, and he is tied for third in kick scoring and tied for eighth in overall scoring with 14 points while being tied for the conference lead with three made field goals. Junior linebacker Nick Levinski is tied for fifth in the conference with 8.5 tackles per game while graduate student defensive back Romello Walters is tied for 12th at 7.0 tackles per contest. Sophomore defensive back Chad Newhard is tied for 14th at 6.5 tackles per outing while junior linebacker Colin Conway is tied for 18th at 6.0 stops per game.
NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds rank tenth of 229 NCAA Division III schools that have played a game in time of possession with an average of 36:19 per game. Moravian is also tied for 20th in blocked kicks with one, 23rd in passing yards per completion at 16.59 and 29th in passing efficiency at 175.20. Sophomore kicker Sam Bingaman is tied for first in the nation in field goal percentage at 100 % (3-for-3), and he is tied for tenth in field goals per game at 1.5 and 18th in punting with an average of 41.0 yards per punt. Junior running back Nate Boyle is 21st in rushing yards with 234, 23rd in rushing yards per game with an average of 117.0 yards per outing and 47th in all-purpose yards per outing with 151.0. Junior wide receiver Brad Bryan is 39th in receiving yards at 195. Sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins is 15th nationally in yards per pass attempt at 10.21, and he is 19th in yards per completion at 16.59, 26th in passing efficiency at 175.2, 31st in passing touchdowns with five, 35th in points responsible for at 36, 36th in passing yards with 531 and 46th in passing yards per game at 265.5. Graduate student defensive back Romello Walters, junior linebacker Colin Conway and sophomore defensive lineman Jeremy McGuigan are all tied for 22nd in forced fumbles per game at 0.50.
BALANCED & EXPERIENCED 'HOUNDS: Of the 84 players on the Moravian roster, 34 are freshmen, 24 are sophomores and 15 are juniors. There are eight seniors and three fifth-year players on this season's squad, and the Greyhounds return 39 letterwinners and five starters from 2021.
