LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE (3-1/1-1 MAC) AT ALBRIGHT COLLEGE (4-1/2-1 MAC)

The Albright College Lions return to Shirk Stadium for the first time in two weeks this Saturday, October 8 to face the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley. Each team enters the contest with an offense that ranks in the top-35 among NCAA Division III football programs. Even after Albright's poor offensive showing in their 35-13 loss at Lycoming last week, the Lions still rank 19th in the nation for passing offense. Their opponents Lebanon Valley remain in the top-25 in scoring. This one has all the makings of an old fashioned shoot-out.

WHERE: Shirk Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, September 17
KICKOFF: 1:00pm
GAMETIME FORECAST: Sunshine all afternoon with highs in the mid 70s

TICKETS:

Reserved Seating: $7
General Admission: $5
Seniors and Children under six: $3
Albright Students/Staff: 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
Lebanon Valley Depth Chart
Lebanon Valley Stats

LIONS LAST WEEK:

The Lions offense had been the catalyst of the team's success thus far, but last week on a cold and mud-soaked Saturday afternoon the Lions couldn't continue the offensive intensity that had been intricate in their aggressive 4-0 start. Albright committed five turnovers and threw for just 123 yards through the air against a Lycoming defense that was, and currently remains, number one in total defense among NCAA Division III programs. The combination of five turnovers and a stalled offensive attack left the Lions with a long ride home and their first loss of the 2011 season.

ALBRIGHT OFFENSE:

The Lions' offensive success has depended on the arm of quarterback Adam Galczynski through the first four games of the season, but the magic seemed to fade last week as Galczynski threw for 71 yards and completed just 27.3% of his passes, in addition to throwing three interceptions. It was also the first game this season where he failed to reach the end zone through the air.This comes in strong contrast to the numbers he had posted through week four, as he led the nation with a 223.04 passer rating entering the Lycoming game.  To make matters worse Albright rushed for just 84 yards as they failed to eclipse the 100 yard mark on the ground for the first time this season. Senior tailback Josan Holmes had limited touches, which likely played a role in the poor marks on the ground for the Lions as he has led the team in rushing with 52.6 yards per game and four touchdowns.

ALBRIGHT DEFENSE:

Defensively the Lions slipped a bit last week as they failed to force a turnover for the first time this season.  Although the Lions were unable to force mistakes by the Lycoming offense, they did hold them to just 61 yards through the air. However, the Lions surrendered 150 yards on the ground,their second highest total allowed thus far. Junior defensive linemen Matt Pattison and Don Gould each recorded one sack and at least one tackle for a loss to help keep the pressure on last week. This week the defense will need more run support to defend against the highest scoring running back in NCAA Division III football this season, Lebanon Valley's senior Ben Guiles.

SERIES HISTORY:

The meeting between Lebanon Valley College and Albright College will be the 91st in what has become a conference rivalry, with the two teams having met every year since 1924. This game is sure to be a high scoring, emotional affair with the two teams combining to average about 80 points per game. For some students at Lebanon Valley this game will hold even more significance as traditionally, a Lebanon Valley defeat of Albright results in students receiving the day before Thanksgiving off from school. Albright leads the series 56-31-3 and the Dutchmen have won just two out of the last 15 meetings (1994/2010). Lebanon Valley has not won back to back games against Albright since 1994.

LEBANON VALLEY DUTCHMEN:

While their only loss came in week three to the now 5-0 Delaware Valley Aggies, the Dutchmen have yet to face a true test other than that game. The combined record of their other three opponents is 4 – 10, and it's fair to say that they haven't been challenged by a defense as strong as Albright's yet this season.

THE DUTCHMEN OFFENSE:

The Lebanon Valley Dutchmen, coming off a bye last week, bring a high-powered, versatile, and dynamic offense into Shirk Stadium this weekend. Led by tailback Ben Guiles the Dutchmen have four running backs averaging 30 or more yards per game, providing several sets of fresh legs to wear down defenses. Guiles averages almost seven yards per carry with 10 total touchdowns this year and is likely to pose the biggest threat to the Lions. Senior quarterback Colt Zarilla has had an outstanding year so far as well. The Dutchmen's signal caller has completed 62 percent of his passes on the way to eight touchdowns and three interceptions, while averaging about 220 yards per game in the air. Zarilla's top end zone target Joey Miller was out last week, but will likely return for the match-up against Albright after hauling in three scores in as many games this season.

DUTCH D:

Lebanon Valley's defensive unit is led by senior defensive end Cory Homer. Homer leads the team in tackles (38), tackles for a loss (7.5), sacks (2), fumbles forced (1) and quarterback hits (3) and will most assuredly be the driving force of this defense against Albright. In the secondary, junior free safety Nate Kauffman has stepped up to make an impact for Lebanon Valley. Kauffman is third on the team with 24 tackles and three tackles for a loss while leading the team with four pass break-ups. The Dutchmen have allowed at least 34 points in three of their four games this season which is a mark Albright will likely be attempting to reach.

LEBANON VALLEY'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Running the football – Lebanon Valley has a slew of good running backs, none better than Ben Guiles. His ability to reach the end zone will determine the success of their offensive strategy as he has been, and will likely continue to be, the leading threat to take the offense down the field for six.
2) Stop the run on defense – In their only loss this season Albright was held just 84 yards on the ground with the majority of those coming from quarterback Adam Galczynski. Not allowing the Lions to run the football and to control the pace of the game will force them to become one-dimensional- something the Lions saw last week they don't want to do.
3) Red zone defense – The Dutchmen have struggled with giving up points in bunches, especially inside their own 20 yard line. In 15 defensive red zone stands they've allowed 13 scores, all touchdowns. Albright has had a lot of success inside the opponent's 20 yard line, scoring in 90 percent of their trips.

ALBRIGHT'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Turnovers – Last week was the first game where Albright failed to force a turnover and it showed. Part of Albright's early success has been timely support from the defense. If they are unable to force turnovers OR if they turn the ball over too much, Albright may be headed back to the locker room sooner than they thought.
2) Three and out – The Lions' defense has allowed opponents to convert just 38 percent of their third down attempts. Getting to third down will help limit the touches of Guiles but stopping them will help to keep the ball in the Lions' hands, even if they are unable to force turnovers to the extent that they did in the first four games of the year.
3) Finish four – Albright has outscored opponents 74-20 in the fourth quarter this season while Lebanon Valley has been outscored 35-19. If the Lions do find themselves down going into the fourth there will be hope, but if they're up heading into the final period it's imperative that they take control and finish off the Dutchmen well before the clock strikes 0:00 to lock up a “W”.