BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team travels to rival Muhlenberg College to kickoff the 2023 season with a non-conference game on Friday, September 1. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Frank Marino Field at Scotty Wood Stadium in Allentown.
THE COACHES: Jeff Long (Muhlenberg '14) is entering his first season as Moravian's head coach and is just the fifth head coach for the Hounds' program since 1955 when Rocco Calvo began his legendary career guiding the Greyhounds. The Blue and Grey have played 830 games over 96 seasons, and Long is the 13th coach since the program resumed action in 1930 after a 25-year break. Moravian's first football game was played in 1898. Long has spent the last six seasons with the Blue Streaks including the last three years as defensive coordinator. He began his time at John Carroll as the defensive line coach and has also been a secondary coach and linebackers coach. Prior to coaching at John Carroll, Long spent two seasons as a defensive line coach at Wilkes University, and he also worked as a scouting intern for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.
Muhlenberg coach Nate Milne (Hobart '03) is in his sixth year as head coach with of 42-9 mark.
THE SERIES: Friday's meeting will be the 71st between the schools with Muhlenberg leading 35-33-2. The Mules posted a 37-10 win in Bethlehem last November to close out the 2022 regular season as the Mules earned their 11th straight win in the series, Muhlenberg's longest winning streak between the schools. The Greyhounds' last win in the series a 14-13 triumph in 2010 in Bethlehem. The squads are meeting in September for the first time since September 25, 1942, which was also a Friday night game, and with the Greyhounds switching conferences, the contest will likely become the season opener every year.
GREYHOUNDS IN THE LANDMARK CONFERENCE: After 15 seasons as an associate member of the Centennial Conference, the Greyhounds are moving to the Landmark Conference this fall with all of Moravian's other sports with the Landmark Conference hosting its inaugural season in 2023 after adding Lycoming College and Wilkes University as full members and Keystone College as an associate member. The Hounds were selected fifth in the preseason coaches poll.
2023 CAPTAINS: The Hounds has named senior running back Nate Boyle, junior quarterback Jared Jenkins, junior defensive back Chad Newhard and sophomore linebacker Clay Basile as captains for the 2023 season. The quartet are set to lead the Greyhounds during their inaugural Landmark Conference campaign this fall under the leadership of first-year Head Coach Jeff Long. Boyle became the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards last fall, and he enters his senior season 16th all-time at Moravian with 1,420 yards on 345 attempts to go with 10 touchdowns. In 2022, Boyle rushed for 813 yards and seven touchdowns on 216 carries to be named to the All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention squad, and he also had 15 receptions for 175 yards and another touchdown. Jenkins started three games in his Moravian debut last season before an injury ended his campaign. In those three games, Jenkins was 41-of-73 for 592 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, and he also ran for 36 yards and a touchdown. Newhard also had his 2022 season come to an early end with an injury after six games. He made 41 tackles with two for loss and a pass break-up last fall, and Newhard has 103 tackles with two and a half sacks, six and a half tackles for loss, three passes defended and a pair of interceptions in his first two seasons with the Hounds. Basile recorded 59 tackles with three for loss and a pass break-up in his debut season in 2022.
BALANCED & EXPERIENCED 'HOUNDS: Of the 78 players on the Moravian roster, 23 are freshmen, 23 are sophomores and 20 are juniors. There are 12 seniors on this season's squad, and the Greyhounds return 50 letterwinners and 15 starters from 2022.
THE QUARTERBACKS: Junior Jared Jenkins started the 2022 season and completed 41-of-73 passes for 592 yards to go with five touchdown and three interceptions before an injury. He also carried the ball 42 times for 36 yards and a score missing the final seven games. Junior Carter Hallgren was 47-for-90 for 372 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions after making three starts before an injury also ended his season. Senior wide receiver Brad Bryan started the last four games and was 36-for-82 for 202 yards with three interceptions. Sophomore Sean Murphy was 7-for-14 for 70 yards and an interception to go with 15 rushing yards on six carries while junior wide receiver Jordan Lewis was 1-for-1 with a 17-yard touchdown pass at Ursinus College.
THE BACKFIELD: Senior Nate Boyle led the Moravian rushing attack with 813 yards and seven touchdowns on 216 carries last season as he became the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards last fall, and he enters his senior season 16th all-time at Moravian with 1,420 yards on 345 attempts to go with 10 touchdowns. Sophomore Camron Tinajero had six carries for 80 yards while senior wide receiver Brad Bryan added 70 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE: Moravian has three returning starters on the offensive line in juniors Reins Leedy, Brandon Guffy and Paul DeFalco.
THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have 12 returning players that caught a pass in 2022 led by senior wide receiver Tim Garlick, who had 42 catches for 367 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Brad Bryan had 24 catches for 327 yards with a long of 77 yards and two touchdowns while junior wide receiver Jordan Lewis had 19 receptions for 218 yards and two scores. Senior running back Nate Boyle caught 15 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown while junior wide receiver Bryan Monge added 11 receptions for 85 yards. Junior wide receiver Brandon Grace had nine receptions for 49 yards while sophomore wide receiver Landon Rutley has caught five passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Nick Weston had four receptions for 83 yards and a score while junior wide receiver Will Castel had four catches for 11 yards. Senior tight end Sean Foley had one catch for four yards while junior wide receiver James Bensen had one reception for five yards and sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Quick had one catch for three yards. Garlick contributed seven yards rushing last fall.
DEFENSIVE FRONT: Sophomore Drew Bailey leads the returning defensive linemen after contributing 38 tackles with one and a half sacks and three tackles for loss last fall. Junior Jeremy McGuigan had 25 stops with four tackles for loss, three sacks, two quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and a pass break-up while junior Prince Sokpo added 12 tackles, a half tackle for loss and a pass break-up. Sophomore EJ Harvey had 10 tackles while sophomore Drew Brizan added one tackle.
THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Sophomore Clay Basile leads the returning linebackers after making 59 tackles, three tackles for loss and a pass break-up last season. Junior Jeremiah Espinosa had 39 tackles with two and a half tackles for loss and a pass break-up while senior Chris Ortalano contributed 39 tackles with a half a tackle for loss. Senior Colin Conway added 36 stops with three tackles for loss, a sack, five pass break-ups and a forced fumble while sophomore Jashon Teller had 14 stops and one and a half a tackles for loss. Sophomore Josh Ruela had 10 tackles while sophomore James Wells had eight tackles and sophomore Damere Rooker added two stops.
THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Junior Chad Newhard leads the returning defensive backs despite missing four games last fall after making 41 tackles with two tackles for loss and a pass break-up. Junior Isaiah Johnson had 36 stops, one tackle for loss, four passes defended and an interception while senior Zach Scillia made 28 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, one and a half sacks, a forced fumble and three interceptions including a 47-yard return versus Gettysburg College last season. Sophomore Matt Capobianco had 11 tackles with an interception, two passes defended, a half a tackle for loss and a blocked kick.
KICKING GAME: Junior Sam Bingaman was 6-for-6 on field goal attempts with a long of 41 yards at TCNJ on his first attempt as a Greyhound, and he was 18-for-19 on extra points. Bingaman punted 47 times with an average of 40.5 yards to go with a long and school record of 75 yards, seven inside the 20-yard line, 11 fair catches and four touchbacks, and he kicked off 16 times for an average of 54.7 yards with three touchbacks. Junior quarterback Jared Jenkins punted once for 30 yards while junior quarterback Carter Hallgren punted once for 45 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore running back Camron Tinajero had 10 kickoff returns for 155 yards while junior wide receiver Will Castel returned six kickoffs for 71 yards and 14 punts for 69 yards last season. Sophomore wide receiver Tre Crenshaw returned six kickoffs for 75 yards while senior wide receiver Brad Bryan had two kickoff returns for 35 yards. Senior linebacker Chris Ortalano had a two-yard return after recovering the blocked punt.
MILESTONE WATCH: The Greyhounds have one player closing in on milestones for his career. Junior running back Nate Boyle became the 26th player in school history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards when he reached the milestone versus Juniata College, and Boyle has 1,420 yards on 345 career carries to sit in 16th all-time. Boyle needs 80 yards to become the 15th Greyhound to reach 1,500 career yards.
SCOUTING MUHLENBERG COLLEGE: The Mules are coming off of a 7-4 season that saw the squad defeat Lebanon Valley College, 48-21, in the MAC/Centennial Bowl Series. Muhlenberg has been selected second in the 2023 Centennial Conference Preseason Poll. Muhlenberg has posted 12 straight winning seasons, compiling a sparkling 106-32 (.768) record during that span. Two of the Mules' 2023 opponents are ranked in the preseason top 25: Johns Hopkins at No. 18 and Salisbury at No. 25. Muhlenberg is scheduled to face both of those teams at home. Susquehanna, the defending CC champion but no longer a CC member, is ranked 22nd.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: In Bethlehem last fall, Moravian fell to rival Muhlenberg College, 37-10, on Senior Day and in the Greyhounds' final contest as an associate member of the Centennial Conference at Rocco Calvo Field to end the 2022 season. The Greyhounds had the first possession of the game but would punt while the Mules put together a 12-play, 67-yard drive to find the end zone. Moravian would keep it a 6-0 contest as defensive back Matt Capobianco came off the end and got a hand on the extra-point attempt to force it wide left. The Hounds were forced to punt again after a first down, and Muhlenberg would find the end zone again after a nine-play, 66-yard drive to make it 13-0 with 2:01 to play in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Moravian punted away the ball but would retain possession after linebacker Chris Ortalano forced a fumble on the return that linebacker Joshua Ruela received at the Muhlenberg 15-yard line. However, quarterback Brad Bryan was intercepted in the end zone on the next play. Moravian's defense forced the Mules to punt for the first time in the contest but two plays into the drive, quarterback Sean Murphy was intercepted. The squads traded punts until the Mules put together a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard field goal to make it a 16-0 advantage with 2:02 left in the first half. The Hounds drove down the field on their next possession before facing a fourth-and-seven at the Muhlenberg 28-yard line. Moravian brought on kicker Sam Bingaman, who connected on a career-long field goal of 45 yards, to make it 16-3 with just 14 seconds left until halftime. Bingaman's kick is the third longest in Greyhound history. Both teams punted on their first possession of the second half, although the Blue & Grey punted twice with Bingaman's first attempt hitting a Muhlenberg player downfield and wide receiver Nick Weston recovered the ball to keep the drive alive. The Mules eventually found the end zone again after an 11-play, 80-yard drive to make it 23-3 after three quarters of action. Muhlenberg added a pair of touchdowns in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter to push the advantage to 37-3. The Greyhounds finished off the scoring with 6:36 to play after back-to-back runs from running back Angelo Macera as he ran for 47 yards and followed it up with a 22-yard touchdown run. Bingaman connected on the extra-point to set the final score at 37-10. After the contest, defensive lineman Javi Espinal-Katz was selected as the Sean Keville Moravian Most Valuable Player of the Game as he recorded 11 tackles with one for loss on the afternoon. Moravian had 173 yards on 54 plays while the Mules picked up 396 yards on 77 plays. Bryan completed 8-of-24 passes for 23 yards, and he ran for 32 yards on eight attempts while Reardon completed his only pass attempt for 15 yards. Weston threw a wide receiver option pass back to Bryan for 21 yards in the contest. Macera led the Moravian rushing attack with 60 yards and a touchdown on four carries while running back Nate Boyle had 21 yards on 12 attempts, and he caught four passes for 25 yards. Wide receiver Tim Garlick had four receptions for seven yards while Weston caught one pass for six yards. Bingaman punted seven times on the afternoon for an average of 38.4 yards. Wide receiver Will Castel returned three punts for 22 yards while wide receiver Tre Crenshaw had a pair of kickoff returns for 21 yards and freshman running back Camron Tinajero added two kickoff returns for 24 yards. Linebacker Clay Basile led the Moravian defense with 13 tackles while linebacker Nick Levinski had 10 stops with two for loss. Ortalano and defensive back Romello Walters both had six stops with Ortalano forcing a fumble and Walters adding a pass break-up while defensive lineman Drew Bailey and defensive back Zach Scillia both made five tackles. Defensive back Jalen Richardson and Gawlik both had four tackles with Gawlik contributing a tackle for loss, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry.
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 LANDMARK CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Landmark Conference statistics will begin next week.
