Football Preparing for 75th Annual Rajah Shrine Pretzel Bowl against Eastern

The Lions are back at Shirk Stadium for a pair of games following a road game against Stevenson.

READING, Pa. – Football is scheduled to return for their last two home games of the regular season coming in back-to-back weeks beginning with Eastern. The Lions will be looking to halt a two-game losing skid and capture their second Pretzel Bowl win in as many seasons.

TALE OF THE TAPE
Matchup: Albright (3-4, 2-4 MAC) vs Eastern (5-2, 5-1 MAC)
Where: Gene L. Shirk Stadium // Reading, Pa.
When: Saturday, October 31^st
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m.

TWO DEEPS:
Albright
Eastern

75 YEARS OF PRETZEL BOWLS

Saturday's game will mark the 75^th game dedicated to the Rajah Shriners, and organization working to treat children dealing with health issues ranging from orthopedic problems, burns and spinal cord injuries. Both teams will have a Pretzel Bowl MVP announced after the game's conclusion.

ABOUT ALBRIGHT

The Lions are coming off a 34-7 loss at the hands of Stevenson which was Albright's first loss of the season that was decided by more than six points.

Despite struggles against Stevenson, the Lions' offense remains a force to be reckoned with and ranks second among all MAC teams averaging just under 400 yards per game (391) on the season. Logan Rothberg continues to be one of the conference's top playmakers and leads all receivers with 646 yards while Shayde Shultz ranks fifth with 446 yards of his own. Kadan Smith ranks fifth among all MAC players with 716 all purpose yards.

The Lions' defense continues to be a well-rounded machine that makes their opponents fight and struggle for every yard and point. Among MAC teams, The Lions rank in the top three for sacks (23), points (17.7), and yards (296.9) allowed per game. Jaylan Atkinson and Nasir Ward are tied for the team lead in sacks with four apiece while Daunte Morrison's 9.5 tackles for loss rank's third in the conference.

ABOUT EASTERN

The Eagles are led by Head Coach Billy Crocker who has been at the help of the program since its first days in 2021. The 2025 season saw the Eagles finish with a 9-1 regular season to capture their first MAC title in addition to winning a NCAA tournament game against Franklin and Marshall. Eastern is coming off their first conference loss of the season at the hands of Alvernia by a score of 22-21.

Eastern's offense is built heavily around their ability to run the football and are the only team to be averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground (252.4). Jeremiah Avrilien and Brett Nabb currently sit at the one and two spot among MAC rushers with Avrilien averaging seven yards per carry with 10 scores on the season. Quarterback Brett Nabb has only thrown the ball 81 times this season, but still has seven touchdown passes in addition to 703 yards on the ground.

Through seven games, Eastern's defense remains the only defense among all MAC teams to have allowed less than 2,000 (1632) yards on the season including a conference fewest 600 rushing yards. DonJuan Clark III commands the Eagles' defense with 40 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception, all of which lead or are tied for the team lead. Chris Forte and Saadiq Simpkins also play a big role in the passing defense and have each recorded interceptions of their own from their linebacker positions.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Jaylan Atkinson: LB; 5' 11"; Junior

#0 Daunte Morrison: DL; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#9 Logan Rothberg: WR; 6' 2"; Senior

#7 Shayde Shultz: WR; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#4 Kadan Smith: RB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#40 Nasir Ward: DB; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#5 Jaylan Atkinson
: 5' 11"; Junior
: LB

#0 Daunte Morrison
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: DL

#9 Logan Rothberg
: 6' 2"; Senior
: WR

#7 Shayde Shultz
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: WR

#4 Kadan Smith
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: RB

#40 Nasir Ward
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: DB