READING, Pa. -- Albright head football coach John Marzka has instructed his players from the very first day they set foot on campus to win every day. Every week the goal for the Lions is to go 1-0 and not be concerned with what happened the week prior or who is on the schedule the following week. That buildup plays out perfectly this week as Albright will seek to go 1-0 as it hosts Norwich in the school's first-ever home NCAA playoff game at 12 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 21) at Shirk Stadium.

Last week's convincing victory over Lebanon Valley to clinch the Middle Atlantic Conference title won't help the team at all on Saturday. And looking ahead to a potential game next week against Mount Union or St. Lawrence is pointless because there is no guarantee there will be a next week. Therefore, it was business as usual for the Lions as they prepared to face the Cadets.

Albright secured the Middle Atlantic Conference title last week with a 38-13 victory over Lebanon Valley behind the play of junior Malik Gilmore. Gilmore threw a touchdown pass, caught a touchdown pass, blocked a field goal attempt and blocked an extra point attempt in the Lions victory.

Albright also received outstanding efforts from freshman quarterback Mike Knight and sophomore running back Chris Dawson in the win.

Knight, who was named the MAC Rookie of the Year, was 16-of-20 for 198 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 29 yards and another score. Dawson rushed for a season-high 111 yards and added a touchdown.

Senior Jamal Hayden, who was named Second Team All-MAC, led another outstanding defensive effort by recording a season-high 11 tackles and posting 2.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss.

The Lions will need efforts like that in order to post their first NCAA playoff victory since defeating Alfred in 2009.

Albright, which finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record and an 8-1 record in the MAC, enters the contest having won three consecutive games.

Led by Knight, the Albright offense finished the regular season as the top-scoring team in the conference averaging 36.6 points per game. The Lions scored at least 30 points in seven games during the season and exploded for a season-high 62 points in the victory over Wilkes.

Knight leads the conference completing 63.4 of his passes and has thrown for 1,677 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 324 yards and three touchdowns.

Dawson leads the Albright ground attack with 450 yards on the season and has rushed for a team-best seven scores.

The Lions feature five players who have reached double figures in receptions led by sophomore Malik Jackson who has 45 grabs for 443 yards and two touchdowns. Gilmore leads the team with 452 receiving yards, while Khari Jefferson tops the team with five receiving touchdowns.

The Albright offensive line is led by all-conference selections Jonni Cassano and John McKeever. They are joined by Nick Glass, Jimmy Cessna and Kensey Davis and they have paved the way for the Lions to average 148.4 yards per game on the ground and 198.7 yards per game in the air.

The Lions defense has been outstanding all season as well as they rank 29th in the nation allowing jut 16.6 points per game and lead the nation in defensive touchdowns with six.

Steve Barroso, Hayden, Rich Kuhn, JaVaughn Patterson and Colton Ryan were all named to the all-conference team and has helped Albright hold six opponents to 13 points, or less, in a game.

Barroso has had an outstanding season and is the only player in Division III with 63 tackles, five interceptions, four fumble recoveries and six tackles for loss.

Hayden leads the Lions with 14.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, while Kuhn has 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks on the season.

Patterson, Donte Thomas and Will Harrison lead the secondary with three interceptions each.

Albright will be facing Norwich for the first time in school history and will be meeting a team that reeled off six consecutive wins following an 0-3 start to the season. The six straight wins secured the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference title for Norwich.

Norwich, which is making its seventh consecutive postseason appearance, is averaging 23.9 points per game on the season.

Quarterback Philippe Bazinet has thrown for 1,737 yards and eight touchdowns and also rushed for 481 yards and two scores to pace the Cadets offense. Quincy Williams leads the Norwich ground game with 868 yards rushing and eight scores.

Pierre Noel has caught 53 passes this season for 673 yards and four touchdowns, and Zach Allen has 27 catches for three scores.

The Norwich defense has allowed 20.9 points per game, but allowed just 12.0 points per contest during its six-game winning streak.

The game can be viewed live on the Albright Sports Network.

Albright Game Notes
Norwich Game Notes