DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE (6-0/3-0 MAC) AT ALBRIGHT COLLEGE (4-2/2-2 MAC)

It's that time of year again as the Albright College Lions and Gene Shirk Stadium will host the Delaware Valley College Aggies in the 61th annual Rajah Shriner Pretzel Bowl. The Aggies aim to stay atop the MAC with a victory over the Lions, who will need to regain their offensive identity to get back into the win column. The 10th-ranked Aggies boast an impressive six wins and zero losses this year and will look to remain unbeaten and continue climbing in the national polls with a victory in their visit to Reading.

WHERE: Shirk Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, October 15
KICKOFF: 1:00pm

GAMETIME FORECAST:
- Windy day with sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 60s.

TICKETS:
- General Admission/Staff: $5
- Children under six: FREE
- Albright Students: FREE (with ID)

GAMEDAY MEDIA:

Live stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/albright/football/
Live audio: http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=5466&eventcode=20

Albright Depth Chart
Albright Stats
DVC Depth Chart
DVC Stats

LIONS LAST WEEK:

The Lions suffered their second consecutive loss of the season last week as a fourth quarter comeback by the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College resulted in a 24-17 defeat for Albright. The loss marked the Lions' second in the MAC as well, dropping their conference record to two wins and two losses on the year. Netting just 95 yards on 25 attempts, the Lions failed to stay aggressive through the air on offense, but had success on the ground.  A total of 238 rushing yards was one of the few bright spots in the tough loss.

ALBRIGHT OFFENSE:

After back to back tough weeks for Lions' quarterback Adam Galczynski, the junior will need to regain control of his offensive unit and get back to posting the big numbers he did through the first four games of the season. Senior Josan Holmes and junior Zach Groff combined for 158 yards on the ground last week helping to keep the Lions in control, but the Lions' inability to move the ball through the air has allowed defenses to slow up their attack. Albright will need more significant contributions from Galczynski and senior wide receiver Scott Pillar to put up scores in bunches the way they did early in the season.

ALBRIGHT DEFENSE:

The defensive line for Albright has been arguably its biggest success story of the year thus far.  Matt Pattison, Francis Hall, and Don Gould have combined for eight and a half sacks and 15 tackles for a loss, helping to keep opponents to just over 100 yards per game on the ground and 150 yards per game through the air. It has been the big plays through the air that have given the Albright secondary some issues. Sophomore safety Drew Peterson has three interceptions this season to go along with eight pass deflections. The Lions' secondary must improve as a unit to keep the speedy Del Val receivers at bay.

SERIES HISTORY:

The Lions are 18-30 against the Aggies with the first matchup between the two teams having been played in 1963. Albright's last victory over DVC came in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Last ten meetings:
2010 DVC 42-17
2009 ALB 27-3 (NCAA Round of 16)
2009 DVC 45-16
2008 DVC 34-9
2007 DVC 21-14
2006 DVC 21-13
2005 DVC 35-34
2004 DVC 35-28
2003 DVC 45-30
2002 ALB 52-14

DELAWARE VALLEY AGGIES:

The undefeated Aggies are led by two-time MAC Coach of the Year Jim Clements, who still holds defensive coordinator duties as well. The Aggies are trying to become the first team to win four consecutive MAC titles. They will bring a style of play that is run-first on both sides of the football, averaging 208.2 rushing yards per game on offense while limiting opponents to 89.5 yards on the ground. Don't think for a second that they struggle against the pass however, as the defense has intercepted opposing quarterbacks 12 times already this year.

AGGIES OFFENSE:

Outscoring opponents 186-64 has been a testament to the outstanding play of the Aggie defensive unit, but someone has to put up the points to win. Led by freshman quarterback Aaron Wilmer, the Aggies have been able to do just that. Wilmer has thrown just three interceptions in the six games he's started this year while throwing for ten touchdowns and over 1200 yards. Sophomore tailback Kyle Schuberth is a big reason for Wilmer's success. On the ground Schuberth has averaged over six yards per carry and 102.8 yards per game, making it difficult for defenses to divert their attention elsewhere. Wilmer's favorite targets are Rodney Blango and Lewis Vincent, who have each hauled in three touchdown catches this season. Freshman tight end James Norton caught two touchdown passes against Stevenson when Vincent didn't play. Although Norton didn't play last week, it's possible he could be a key weapon should another option falter this week against Albright.

DEL VAL DEFENSE:

Delaware Valley's defense is arguably the best in the conference.  The unit is first in sacks (18), interceptions (12) and third-down conversions (19.5%) and second in all three yardage categories: rushing (89.5 avg), passing (135.5 avg) and total yardage (225.0 avg). With opponents averaging only 10.7 points allowed per game, it seems near impossible to score on this defense. Although he sits five tackles behind senior linebacker Ken Fowlkes as the team leader, senior defensive end Mike Jaskowski continues to wow as the leader of this stellar defensive unit. After missing the first game of the Aggies' season the 2010 All-American has accumulated 30 tackles, five and a half sacks and two forced fumbles on his way to being named last week's MAC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Wilkes. Helping to limit the success of opposing quarterbacks has been junior cornerback Terrance Osborne, who leads the MAC with five interceptions.

ALBRIGHT'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Back to basics – Although the Lions put together a premier performance on the ground last week, Del Val's run defense is near impenetrable. The Lions' success will need to be through the air this week which is how they were successful in the first four weeks of the season.
2) Throw the ball – The Lions have had the most success offensively when they've stretched out defenses through the air. If they can do this, Holmes will see open space to run, instead of the numbers on the back of Jake Bentson and Taylor Howes' jerseys.
3) Beginner's luck – The Aggies have been relying heavily on their running game for success. Games that have been close are the games where the Aggies have been unable to move the ball on the ground (77 yards rushing in 10-9 overtime win against Muhlenberg). Forcing the freshman to throw more than he would like could lead to some costly mistakes by the Aggies.

DELAWARE VALLEY'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Hold on to the football – Putting the ball on the ground has become an issue for the Aggies as they've fumbled 14 times so far this year. Last week they recovered from four turnovers by creating four of their own. This week they may not be so lucky.
2) First and second down – On defense the Aggies will look to limit the yards Albright can gain on first and second down to force as many third and longs as possible. They've allowed opponents to convert just 20% of the time on third down and, with Albright struggling through the air the last two weeks, that will be their best opportunity for success.
3) Rush/contain Galczynski – Galczynski was able to use his feet several times last week to avoid the pass rush and pick up positive yards, sometimes in large chunks. Jaskowski needs to get the pressure on him, and complete the sack to have success.