Albright College (3-0/1-0 MAC) at King's College (1-1/1-0 MAC)

The Lions of Albright College travel for their first MAC conference road game of 2011 to play the King's College Monarchs. Each team has notched one MAC victory in as many games and will be looking to remain unbeaten. However, a win this week for the Monarchs would carry a heightened sense of importance on their homecoming weekend.

When: Saturday, Sept. 24
Where: McCarthy Stadium
Start time: 1 p.m.

LiveStats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/football/index.htm
Radio Streaming: http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=5466&eventcode=20

Albright Depth Chart
Albright Stats
King's Depth Chart
King's Stats

LIONS LAST WEEK:

A record-setting performance by the Lions last week led to an overwhelming 65-26 victory over the visiting Wilkes University Colonels. The offense set school marks for passing yards (545) and total offense (675) in the win.

ALBRIGHT ACCOLADES:

Outstanding performances by several Albright players paid off in the form of various weekly awards. Adam Galczynski received ECAC Player of the Week for his contributions, which included throwing for three touchdowns and 377 yards. Additionally, Galczynski and Matthew Hnatiuk were named to the MAC Team of the Week after Hnatiuk blocked two kicks and recovered one fumble. Wide receiver Scott Pillar was named a BSN Athlete of the Week for totaling 220 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns.

ALBRIGHT OFFENSE:

If the Lion ground game is the proverbial heart of the offense, then after last week's home win the air attack is nothing short of the shoulders and back. Galczynski challenged a weaker pass defense last week and took control of the game, completing 20 of 26 pass attempts. Scott Pillar and Caleb Shilko combined for 15 receptions and almost 300 yards receiving, and the emergence of senior wideout Josh Bakala as a red zone/deep threat has added a third dimension to the Lions' passing game.

ALBRIGHT DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:

Last week the Lions' defensive unit surrendered 26 points. Although nothing to exalt over, three forced fumbles (two inside the red zone), one interception and two blocked kicks exemplify how the Lions continue to use defense/special teams play to create scoring opportunities. Last week Albright scored 20 points off Wilkes turnovers, and they'll want to take advantage of mistakes again this Saturday. Junior defensive end Don Gould and senior defensive end Francis Hall, each with six tackles this season, continue to apply the pressure up front, combining for three and a half sacks and four and a half tackles for a loss.

SERIES HISTORY:

The King's College Monarchs and the Albright College Lions enter Saturday's conference match-up in a very different position from a year ago. When these two met in Reading, Pa., last season, both were looking for their first conference victory of the year. This season, each team enters with a MAC conference record of one win and no losses and will battle to remain atop the MAC standings.

Last 10 Meetings:
Alb – 38-14
Alb – 34-16
Alb – 16-0
Alb – 24-21
Kin – 38-14
Alb – 29-27
Kin – 35-7
Kin – 35-32 (4OT)
Kin – 34-14
Kin – 37-33

THE MONARCHS:

Red zone dominance and strong linebacker play have been the driving force behind the success of the Monarchs. But running the ball on offense and stopping the run on defense will be instrumental in dictating King's success against the Lions.

KICKING OFF WITH KING'S:

Last week the Monarchs traveled to Owings Mills, Md., to welcome the Stevenson University Mustangs into the MAC. In what was the third game of the Stevenson football program's inaugural season, King's left with a 51-26 victory. King's used the ground game to rack up 229 rushing yards and 39 minutes of possession, limiting the chances for Stevenson to score.

KING'S OFFENSE:

King's uses sophomore tailback Eric Ofcharsky and senior fullback Jordan Haddock as the feature backs of the offense. Ofcharsky leads the attack on the ground, while senior quarterback Joe Kirchon uses Haddock as a backfield outlet more often than most of his other receivers. Senior wide receiver Jay Torres leads the Monarchs with 10 receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns in as many games this season.

FEARSOME FOURSOME:

The Monarch defense uses a 3-4 scheme that has limited opponents to just 64 yards per game on the ground. Four junior linebackers (Ryan Kelly, Ryan Cordingly, Jake Ksiaziewicz and Matt Henry) lead the team in tackles and make up the foundation of a team that plays hard between the tackles. Combining for five tackles for a loss and two sacks thus far, the crew will look to limit the Lions' senior running back Josan Holmes.

KING'S SPECIAL TEAMS:

Sophomore kicker Mike Lloyd has helped springboard King's scoring by hitting five field goals in five attempts, including a 43-yarder. Second-year coach Jeff Knar was an offensive/special teams coach at Muhlenberg before coming to King's, and last week his expertise paid off as Ofcharsky returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score.

KING'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Dominate the red zone – On offense the Monarchs have scored eight times in eight attempts, while allowing opposing offenses one score in six attempts and zero touchdowns on defense.
2) Win Time of possession – In King's win last week over Stevenson, Ofcharsky and Haddock helped keep the ball in the hands of the offense for 39 minutes.
3) Run the ball effectively – Over 200 yards on the ground sealed the deal for King's last week. They'll need to show that kind of dominance between the tackles again this week in order to get past the stingy Lions defense.

ALBRIGHT'S KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Rush the passer – King's has allowed seven sacks in two games, which could be a testament to Kirchon's decision making, as he is taking the hit rather than forcing an errant pass attempt. But for Albright to achieve key three, they'll need to get him to make rushed throws and poor choices.
2) Air attack…again – With King's surrendering 376 passing yards last week and only allowing an average of 64 yards per game on the ground, Albright will look to throw again this week. It will be interesting to see which of the Lions' receivers have the largest impact.
3) Force turnovers – Albright forced two turnovers in the red zone while on defense last week and has at least one interception in each game this season. Rushing the passer and being aggressive early will provide openings for mistakes.