BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team hosts Juniata College in a Centennial Conference game to finish off the first half of the 2022 season on Saturday, October 1. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. at Rocco Calvo Field in Bethlehem.
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 278 games for Moravian since 1994 with a 131-147-1 record.
Juniata coach Josh Carter (Muhlenberg '02) is in his third year with the Eagles.
THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the 67th in the series with Moravian holding a 35-29-2 lead. The Eagles earned a 24-17 victory in Huntingdon while the Greyhounds recorded a 32-28 win in Huntingdon in 2019, rallying from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit for the Hounds' sixth straight win in the series. Juniata's last win was a 27-14 victory in Bethlehem in 2013. The series has had a history of close games with a streak of five straight years in which the game ended in a regulation tie from 1995 until 1999. Four of those games went to overtime with three won by Moravian.
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. Juniata was picked tenth in the poll. Moravian and Juniata are playing their 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 junior offensive lineman Javal Reyes and graduate student defensive back Jalen Richardson serving as captains for this weekend's game versus Juniata College.
THE QUARTERBACKS: Sophomore Jared Jenkins has completed 41-of-73 passes for 614 yards to go with five touchdown and three interceptions in 2022. He has also carried the ball 42 times for 36 yards and a score while being sacked 15 times. Sophomore Carter Hallgren is 12-for-30 for 39 yards with three interceptions after making the start against No. 9 Johns Hopkins University. Senior Nick Reardon is 1-for-2 for seven yards.
IN THE BACKFIELD: Junior Nate Boyle leads the Moravian rushing attack with 354 yards and a touchdown on 94 carries this season while senior Angelo Macera has contributed 97 yards on 17 rushing attempts. Freshman Camron Tinajero has run the ball three times for one yard.
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, and he started at Johns Hopkins University while sophomore Jai Fentress and freshman Danny Smith have seen reserve action this season.
THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have had nine different players catch a pass this year led by junior wide receiver Tim Garlick has 16 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Brad Bryan has 12 catches for 229 yards with a long of 77 yards and two touchdowns in his first year at the position while sophomore wide receiver Jordan Lewis has 11 receptions for 123 yards and a score. Junior running back Nate Boyle has caught five passes for 81 yards while sophomore wide receiver Brandon Grace has four receptions for 24 yards. Senior tight end Chris Carpini has three catches for 15 yards and a touchdown while sophomore wide receiver Bryan Monge has added one reception for 14 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Nick Weston has one reception for nine yards, and senior running back Angelo Macera also has one reception.
DEFENSIVE FRONT: Senior Javi Espinal-Katz leads the Moravian defensive front with 15 tackles, one tackle for loss and half a sack while freshman Drew Bailey has contributed 12 tackles with a half a quarterback sack and tackle for loss. Sophomore Prince Sokpo has added 10 tackles, a half tackle for loss and a pass break-up while sophomore Jeremy McGuigan has nine stops with a quarterback sack and a forced fumble. Senior Jack Gawlik has six tackles with a sack after missing the season opener while freshman EJ Harvey has six tackles. Senior Bryan Bendig has added a pair of tackles while sophomore Mason Zimmerman has one stop.
THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Junior Nick Levinski leads the linebackers and the entire Moravian defense with 36 tackles, a forced fumble, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry while junior Colin Conway has added 18 stops with a tackle for loss, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Freshman Clay Basille has 16 tackles and a pass break-up while sophomore Jeremiah Espinosa has 11 tackles with one tackle for loss and a pass break-up. Freshman Jashon Teller has 10 stops and one and a half a tackles for loss while junior Chris Ortalano has contributed nine tackles with a half a tackle for loss. Freshman Joshua Ruela has four tackles while junior Anthony Mosley has made four stops.
THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Graduate student Romello Walters leads the defensive backs with 28 tackles including a half a tackle for loss to go along with a pass break-up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Sophomore Chad Newhard has also contributed 27 tackles with a half a tackle for loss while sophomore Isaiah Johnson has 13 stops and two pass break-ups. Junior Zach Scillia has 10 tackles and two interceptions including a 47-yard return versus Gettysburg College this season while graduate student Jalen Richardson has seven tackles after missing the first two games of the year. Junior Matt Blazofsky has added six tackles while graduate student Carrington Smith has made five stops after missing the first two contests. Freshman Joe DeRossi has two tackles and blocked a punt versus Gettysburg while senior Stefan Lorick has contributed two stops this year.
KICKING GAME: Sophomore Sam Bingaman is 4-for-4 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 24 times with an average of 38.5 yards to go with a long of 50 yards, three inside the 20-yard line and five fair catches. Senior Trevor Yacuboski has kicked off 14 times for an average of 51.4 yards with one touchback while sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins has punted once for 30 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore wide receiver Will Castel has returned six kickoffs for 71 yards while freshman wide receiver Tre Crenshaw has returned four kickoffs for 54 yards. Graduate student defensive back Jalen Richardson also has four kickoff returns for 55 yards while junior wide receiver Brad Bryan has two kickoff returns for 35 yards. Castel has three punt returns for 18 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, sophomore wide receiver Nick Weston and freshman running back Tyler Rohn all have added a pair of tackles on special teams while Bryan each have one tackle.
MILESTONE WATCH: The Greyhounds have two players closing in on milestones for his careers. Junior running bac Nate Boyle is just 46 yards shy of becoming the 26th player in school history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards. 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 JUNIATA COLLEGE: The Eagles enter the game at 0-4 overall and 0-3 in Centennial Conference action after falling to Gettysburg College, 40-14, last Saturday. Senior quarterback Noah Wright leads Juniata on the field, and he has completed 54-of-114 passes for 543 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions while sophomore Calvin German is 5-for-17 for 83 yards with one interception. The top targets have been senior wide receiver Julian Jackson, who has 16 catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns, sophomore wide receiver Sean Hakanson, who has 14 receptions for 103 yards, senior wide receiver Chris Mignanelli, who has nine catches for 107 yards, senior tight end Dylan Sweger, who has nine receptions for 93 yards and a score, and junior wide receiver Austin Nash, who has caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Hunter Wolfley leads the Eagles' rushing attack with 281 yards and a touchdown on 57 carries while freshman running back Cameron Fabian has 24 yards on 12 attempts. Nash has returned 14 kickoffs for 168 yards while junior defensive back Nigel Robertson has two kickoff returns for 33 yards and one punt return for three yards. Freshman kicker Alex Mullin is 3-for-5 on extra points while freshman punter Wyatt Buell is averaging 38.0 yards per punt on 23 punts with a long of 53 yards, seven fair caught and two inside the 20-yard line. Senior defensive back Jake Matchock leads the Juniata defense with 34 tackles to go with a half a tackle for loss, two interceptions, four passes defended and two forced fumbles while senior linebacker Seth Bernstein has made 30 stops with three and a half for loss, one and a half sacks and a pass break-up. Robertson has contributed 26 tackles with two and a half for loss, one sack, three pass break-ups and a forced fumble while junior linebacker Dontey Rogan has made 25 tackles to go along with three and a half tackles for loss, a pass break-up and a fumble recovery with a 10-yard return.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: In Huntingdon in last fall, Moravian had a 17-14 lead heading into the final quarter before host Juniata scored the final 10 points to earn a 24-17 win over the Greyhounds in Centennial Conference action. The Greyhounds opened the scoring with a 78-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Christopher Mills to wide receiver Trevor Cunningham with 8:22 left in the first quarter to cap a three-play, 99-yard drive. Trevor Yacuboski made the extra-point for a 7-0 lead. Juniata needed just 14 seconds to tie the contest as the Eagles returned the kickoff 99 yards for the game-tying score. Moravian moved back in front with 9:43 left in the second quarter when Yacuboski connected on a 30-yard field goal. The Eagles added a touchdown pass just two plays after blocking a Greyhounds' punt with 3:43 before the intermission to head to the locker room with a 14-10 advantage. The Blue and Grey jumped right back ahead on the first play of the third quarter when senior defensive back Romello Walters intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards for Moravian's first defensive touchdown of the season. Yacuboski would split the uprights for a 17-14 Greyhounds' edge with 14:45 to go in the third quarter. Juniata tied the game at 17-17 with a 37-yard field goal with 11:35 to go in the fourth quarter. The Eagles scored the winning touchdown on a 57-yard run with 6:03 remaining. Moravian had a 304 to 182 advantage in total yards in the game while holding onto the ball for 33:00 minutes. Mills completed 18-of-38 passes for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception as he became the seventh quarterback in school history to reach 4,000 career passing yards while going 330-for-591 in his career with 28 touchdowns. Cunningham caught six passes for 163 yards and the touchdown while wide receiver Nick Petros caught nine passes for 52 yards as he became the second player in school history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards. Wide receiver Cory Little caught one pass for three yards, had four yards on two rushing attempts and returned three kickoffs for 80 yards as he became the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career kickoff return yards, now with 1,064 yards on 44 returns. Running back Carrington Smith led the Moravian rushing attack with 79 yards on 13 carries while running back Nate Boyle added 32 yards on 10 attempts and wide receiver Jordan Lewis had one catch for eight yards. Walters' interception return for a touchdown was the second of his career, and he added one kickoff return for 50 yards, two tackles, a forced fumble and two passes defended. Defensive lineman Brady Hornbaker led the Greyhounds with eight tackles including two and a half for loss and half a sack while linebacker Noah Breidinger, defensive back Jackson Buskirk, linebacker Nick Levinski and defensive lineman Javi Espinal-Katz all made six tackles with Espinal-Katz adding one and a half tackles for loss. Defensive back Justin McRae had three tackles with one pass break-up while defensive back Connor Lyon had three stops and an interception, he returned 22 yards out of the end zone in the third quarter. Linebacker Nicholas Azpeitia added three stops as well.
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 ninth in the Centennial Conference in total offense at 275.3 yards per game, and Moravian is ninth in scoring at 14.8 points per contest. The Hounds are fourth in the conference in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 30:33 per game. Defensively, Moravian is eighth in the conference in yards per game, allowing 450.8, and the Blue and Grey are ninth in points allowed at 37.5 per outing. Individually, sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins is fifth in the conference at 197.3 yards per game, tied for fifth in touchdown passes with four and fourth in pass efficiency with a 138.7 rating. Junior running back Nate Boyle is third in the Centennial Conference at 87.3 rushing yards per contest while junior wide receiver Brad Bryan ranks seventh in the conference at 57.3 yards per game. Sophomore wide receiver Tim Garlick is tied for eighth in receptions per game at 4.0 catches per outing. Sophomore punter/kicker Sam Bingaman is fourth in the Centennial Conference at 38.4 yards per punt, and he is seventh in kick scoring with 15 points while being tied for the conference lead with four made field goals. Junior linebacker Nick Levinski is third in the conference with 9.0 tackles per game while sophomore defensive back Chad Newhard and graduate student defensive back Romello Walters are both tied for 18th at 6.8 tackles per outing.
NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS: Sophomore kicker Sam Bingaman is tied for first in the nation in field goal percentage at 100 % (4-for-4), and he is tied for 21st in field goals per game at 1.00 and 42nd in punting with an average of 38.4 yards per punt. Junior running back Nate Boyle is 38th in rushing yards with 349 and 66th in rushing yards per game with an average of 87.3 yards per outing. Junior wide receiver Brad Bryan is 94th in yards per reception at 19.1. Sophomore quarterback Jared Jenkins is 33rd in yards per completion at 14.80, and he is 55th nationally in yards per pass attempt at 8.22, 95th in passing touchdowns with five, 86th in passing efficiency at 139.2 and 90th in passing yards per game at 197.3. Junior linebacker Nick Levinski is 68th with an average of 9.0 tackles per game while junior Zach Scillia is tied for 65th in interceptions per game at 0.5.
BALANCED & EXPERIENCED 'HOUNDS: Of the 85 players on the Moravian roster, 34 are freshmen, 24 are sophomores and 15 are juniors. There are nine seniors and three fifth-year players on this season's squad, and the Greyhounds return 39 letterwinners and five starters from 2021.
