Albright College Lions (0-0) at Kean University Cougars (0-0)

The Albright College football team enters 2012 with high hopes after a successful training camp. The Lions will be put to the test right away however, opening the season with a night game at #14 Kean University, a 10-win team last fall.

When: Saturday, September 1
Where: Kean Alumni Stadium
Start Time: 7 p.m.

Gameday Media:
Live Video: http://www.keanathletics.com/general_news/012309live
Live Audio: http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=5466&eventcode=20
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/kean/football/scoreboard.aspx

2011 Albright Stats
Albright Roster
Albright Depth Chart
2011 Kean Stats
Kean Roster
Kean Depth Chart

ALBRIGHT WEBCASTS:

Bob McCool returns as Albright football's play-by-play man, and will again handle the audio webcasts for away games, including this week. Beginning with next week's home game at Stevenson however, the Lions will be offering live video streaming of all home football games, with McCool still providing the call. Check albrightathletics.com in the coming week for more information and links to the video webcast page.

MAC-NJAC CHALLENGE:

Saturday will mark Albright's lone non-conference game of the 2012 campaign, and will be part of the MAC-NJAC challenge, as the Middle Atlantic Conference teams face off with the traditionally strong New Jersey Athletic Conference. Squads from the two leagues have met 10 times in postseason play since 2003; while the MAC has won four of six ECAC bowls, the NJAC has taken the last four NCAA tournament clashes.

LIONS LAST WEEK:

Official scores weren't kept as Albright scrimmaged Lackawanna College at Shirk Stadium last Friday, but Albright would have recorded one of the biggest offensive out-bursts in school history if they had. Quarterbacks TJ Luddy and Adam Galczynski each looked excellent, and multiple wide receivers caught deep balls, including Scott Pillar, Mark Krisak and Daniel McNair. Senior running back Ty Hughes also looked strong after missing 2011 due to injury.

ALBRIGHT OFFENSE:

The Lion offensive line loses two All-Conference starters, but is still returning a lot of experience across the board. Senior captain Jake Bentsen is a four-year starter, and the USA Football News Honorable Mention Preseason All-American anchors the line at left guard. Josh Barndt has seen time at multiple positions and is expected to slide into the center spot this fall. Dan Wenclewicz and Matt DiGiacomo split time at right guard last year, and tackle options include returning starter John Reimer and Shane Catts.

All-MAC tight end Eric Wade will return as a junior, and contributes further to the Lions' strong blocking schemes. Fifth-year senior Marty Reinhardt is a returning all-ECAC selection, and adds even more size and strength to this offense from the backfield.

For the third consecutive season, junior Luddy and senior Galczynski will battle for the quarterback position. Luddy (1328 yards, 12 TDs) goes into the season as the starter, but Galczynski (1193 yards, 8 TDs) started seven games in 2011 and will again push Luddy every step of the way. Returning All-American and fifth-year senior Scott Pillar leads a deep receiver crew.

ALBRIGHT DEFENSE:

Albright's other honorable mention Preseason All-American selection went to starting DT Matt Pattison (4.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles). He will serve as a team captain, along with fellow defensive tackle JT Harding. Another fifth-year senior, Ryan Ott, returns to anchor the linebackers after being named team MVP in 2011.

The secondary, the youngest unit on the roster, is led by junior Drew Peterson (45 tackles, 4 INTs), who returned a pair of picks for touchdowns in 2011.

ALBRIGHT SPECIAL TEAMS:

Albright's special teams were outstanding last year, producing two D3football.com All-Region selections. While punter Brooks Mitzkewich is gone, Luddy is ready to step in despite his QB responsibilities and sophomore kicker Jordan Loiodice had an excellent rookie campaign (5-of-7 FGs, 39-of-41 PATs).

The Lions' special teams strength goes beyond the glamour positions as well. Harding has earned a reputation as one of the best long-snappers in the nation, and the Lions did not have a single kick blocked in 2011. Junior Matthew Hnatiuk was exceptional in the gunner position, taking home second team All-Region honors.

KEAN OFFENSE:

Kean has an impact redshirt-senior of their own in wide receiver T.J. Denehy, a third-team Preseason All-American. Deheny led the Cougars in receptions (60) and receiving yards (793), while scoring five touchdowns. Junior Christian Bailoni is a new starter at quarterback, while Darius Kinney will start at running back after being the second option in 2011.

KEAN DEFENSE:

Middle linebacker Brad Higgins, a D3 Senior Classic and USA College Football Preseason All-American, anchors the defense in his senior season. He was second on the Cougar team with 89 tackles last season. Senior safety Brett Yajcaji (58 tackles) leads the secondary.