QUICK HITTERS
BLOOMSBURG: Jerry Griffen-Batchler was named PSAC East Co-Offensive Player of the Week.
KUTZTOWN: Defensively, Brandon Hile and Jalen Hill led the way with six tackles each. Eden Johnson recorded three tackles and had the lone interception of the game. Kyree Butler, CJ Brown and Jalen DeVose all ended with five tackles.
SHIPPENSBURG: Sophomore wide receiver Karim Brice had a solid day with five catches for 46 yards. Ten different Raiders caught at least one pass.
WEST CHESTER: D’Shaun Seals caught a career-best 10 passes for 70 yards and a score. Connor Noble led West Chester with seven tackles.
LOCK HAVEN: Through four games, Lock Haven ranks No. 1 in the PSAC in passing offense and No. 4 in total offense.
SHEPHERD: Shepherd had 310 yards of total offense while limiting Shippensburg to 177 total yards, with just 21 yards coming on the ground.
EAST STROUDSBURG: ESU is one of the most statistically balanced teams in the PSAC, ranking fourth in scoring offense (27.5) and fifth in scoring defense (13.0). ESU, Kutztown and IUP are the only teams in the PSAC rank in the top five in both categories. ESU is also the only team in the conference that ranks in the top five in both total offense (391.0) and total defense (260.5).
MILLERSVILLE: Nick Romano recorded his second interception of the season last week at Lock Haven, making him one of eight players in the PSAC with two or more interceptions. He’s also just one shy of the PSAC lead.
SETON HILL: Seton Hill’s passing attack has been effective, as well, gaining 206.3 yards per game (the fifth-best total in the PSAC.) Quarterback Jake Cruz is 59-of-109 on the year with 803 yards and four touchdown passes.
GANNON: Jayden Whitaker has accounted for five of Gannon’s six touchdowns this season after scoring Gannon’s touchdown against California (Pa.) on a two-yard run. The redshirt freshman has passed for three touchdowns and run for two more.
SLIPPERY ROCK: Slippery Rock has allowed just 47 total points this year with opponents averaging 11.8 points and 221.2 total yards per game.
IUP: IUP averages 28.0 points and 330.5 yards of total offense per game with 137.5 rushing yards and 193.0 passing yards per game.
CALIFORNIA: Sophomore defensive back Khalil Taylor paced the team with six tackles (four solo), along with 1.0 TFL and one forced fumble. Junior linebacker Grant Hopple recorded an eight-yard interception return for a touchdown.
CLARION: Clarion faces California on Saturday, with the all-time series standing at 30-30 with one tie. The Golden Eagles have lost 17 straight games in the head-to-head, though, with the last win coming on Sept. 25, 2004, when Clarion bested California by a single point, 35-34.
GAME PREIEWS:
Bloomsburg (3-1) at Kutztown (4-0)
October 5 • 12 PM Kutztown, Pa.
Last Meeting (2023) Kutztown 24, Bloomsburg 3
BLOOMSBURG
Game Notes: – Last Saturday, the Huskies beat West Chester with 36 seconds to go in regulation time. – Defensively, the Huskies were led by D’Ambra with eight total tackles, a sack for eight yards, and his first interception of the season. Nate Capers had nine total tackles, a nine-yard sack, and a broken-up pass. John Aston continues to be a terror behind opponents’ line of scrimmage as he collected five tackles, 0.5 for a loss of 2 yards and two quarterback hurries. – Jerry Griffen-Batchler finished the day with a career-best 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Huskies have had back-to-back 100+ receiving yards games with two different players this season. The junior returned two kicks for 49 yards as well. – Jerry Griffen-Batchler was named PSAC East Co-Offensive Player of the Week.
KUTZTOWN
Game Notes: – Kutztown is 4-0 so far this season and looks to continue this record. – They defeated East Stroudsburg last Saturday. – Defensively, Brandon Hile and Jalen Hill led the way with six tackles each. Eden Johnson recorded three tackles and had the lone interception of the game. Kyree Butler, CJ Brown and Jalen DeVose all ended with five tackles. – Steven Burkhardt finished with 96 yards on the ground in 22 attempts and two touchdowns, while adding the six-yard score through the air. Judd Novak went 9-of-14 for 139 yards and two TDs, also rushing for 55 yards. Mekhi Gibson had two catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, while Kurtis Ravenel Jr. caught three passes for 42 yards.
Shippensburg (1-3) at West Chester (0-4)
October 5 • 12 PM West Chester, Pa.
Last Meeting (2023) West Chester 38, Shippensburg 28
SHIPPENSBURG
Game Notes: – Raider quarterbacks Sam Stoner and Vincent Micucci combined to complete 20-of-24 passes for 156 yards. Stoner was 10-of-11 for 83 yards, while Micucci was 10-of-13 for 73 yards and an interception. – Sophomore wide receiver Karim Brice had a solid day with five catches for 46 yards. Ten different Raiders caught at least one pass. – The loss marked the first time that Shippensburg has been shutout since the 2013 season opener, when the Rams won 33-0 in Shepherdstown. Saturday’s setback was the first time that Shippensburg has been shutout at home since Oct. 25, 2008 (21-0 to No. 4 Bloomsburg).
WEST CHESTER
Game Notes: – West Chester fell to Bloomsburg last Saturday after a tough fight. – West Chester (0-4, 0-1 PSAC) had taken its first lead of the contest on a 43-yard touchdown run by Cooper Jordan with 1:10 to play. – The Golden Rams fought back by scoring all 21 points in the fourth quarter of the conference opener for both schools. – Cooper Jordan finished the day 29-for-39 for 287 yards, all career highs, and one TD. He rushed the ball 15 times for 81 yards and a pair of scores. – D’Shaun Seals caught a career-best 10 passes for 70 yards and a score. Connor Noble led West Chester with seven tackles.
Lock Haven (2-2) at Shepherd (3-1)
October 5 • 12 PM Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Last Meeting (2023) Shepherd 27, Lock Haven 10
LOCK HAVEN
Game Notes: – For just the second time this season, and the first time since Week-1 – Lock Haven will hit the road for a game after three straight home games. The Bald Eagles (2-2, 1-0 PSAC East) will head to Shepherd (3-1, 1-0 PSAC East) for PSAC East action. The Bald Eagles will be in search of their first-ever meeting over the Rams. Dating back to just 2019, Shepherd leads the series 4-0. – For Lock Haven, the journey to Shepherdstown, West Virginia Saturday (Oct. 5) will mark the Bald Eagles second trip to the Mountain State this season. The Bald Eagles opened the 2024 season with a lopsided 31-9 victory over Glenville State in Glenville, W.Va. – Through four games, Lock Haven ranks No. 1 in the PSAC in passing offense and No. 4 in total offense. – The Bald Eagles rank No. 3 in the PSAC in pass defense and No. 7 of 15 teams in total defense. – Quarterback Jackson Ostrowsky leads the PSAC with 263.25 passing yards per game (No. 16 DII). He also leads the PSAC with 1,053 total passing yards (No. 20 DII) through four games. Ostrowsky’s eight passing touchdowns are tied for the No. 1 spot in the PSAC. – Wide Receiver T’iar Young leads the PSAC (No. 11 DII) with 100.25 receiving yards per game. In four games, he has 401 total receiving yards and four TDs (T-No. 1 PSAC).
SHEPHERD
Game Notes: – After a shutout win against Shippensburg, the Golden Rams look to their game against Lock Haven. – Redshirt junior quarterback Lek Powell completed 16- of-22 passes for 184 yards and two scores and redshirt senior running back Malakai Brown rushed eight times for 82 yards and two touchdowns to lead Shepherd (3-1, 1-0 PSAC East) to a 38-0 win over Shippensburg (1-3, 0-1 PSAC East) in PSAC East football action at Shippensburg on Saturday. – Shepherd had 310 yards of total offense while limiting Shippensburg to 177 total yards, with just 21 yards coming on the ground. – Redshirt senior punter Ryan Barrick punted six times for a 37.3 average. He placed three punts inside the 20- yard line and had a long punt of 45 yards.
East Stroudsburg (3-1) at Millersville (0-4)
October 5 • 12 PM Millersville, Pa.
Last Meeting (2023) E. Stroudsburg 38, Millersville 17
EAST STROUDSBURG
Game Notes: – Despite holding a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and a late rally in the fourth, the East Stroudsburg University football team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 27-21 to No. 8/8 Kutztown to snap a seven-game home winning streak. East Stroudsburg built a 14-0 lead through the first quarter, but Kutztown responded with 27 unanswered points. – ESU is one of the most statistically balanced teams in the PSAC, ranking fourth in scoring offense (27.5) and fifth in scoring defense (13.0). ESU, Kutztown and IUP are the only teams in the PSAC rank in the top five in both categories. ESU is also the only team in the conference that ranks in the top five in both total offense (391.0) and total defense (260.5). – East Stroudsburg relies on an ultra-productive rushing attack that leads the PSAC with 201.5 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry. Tyriq Lewis is third in the PSAC and Tahir Mills is fifth in rushing average. ESU has rushed for at least 157 yards in each game. The 216 yards passing last week was a season-high. – Quarterback Sean McTaggart completed 9 of 16 passes for 216 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception late in the first half against Kutztown. It could be tough for Millersville to get on him this Saturday: ESU has surrendered just three sacks all season while Millersville ranks 14th in the 15-team PSAC in sacks with three in four in games
MILLERSVILLE
Game Notes: – Millersville and East Stroudsburg are both seeking PSAC East win No. 1 after suffering narrow road losses last week. Both teams built early leads before surrendering rallies. Millersville and ESU have split their last six meetings, and Millersville has won two in a row at home over the Warriors. – After scoring two touchdowns on their first 34 offensive possessions of the season, Millersville may have found a spark with quarterback Ryan Zeltt, who led Millersville on two TD drives in the second half against IUP and piloted four consecutive scoring drives to start last week’s game against Lock Haven. Zeltt made his first start of the season last week, and in six quarters of play, he’s completed 26-of39 passes for 282 yards with three TD passes and two interceptions. Millersville totaled a season-high 403 yards of offense against Lock Haven, and Zeltt quarterbacked the Marauders to 202 yards on four drives against IUP. – Millersville has also untracked its running game the last two weeks, totaling 163 yards against IUP and 249 against Lock Haven. Jaiden Abrams has been the breakout performer, recording 60 yards on 12 carries against IUP before rumbling for a career-high 172 yards on 24 carries at Lock Haven. Abrams totaled career highs in both carries and yards in the game. – Nick Romano recorded his second interception of the season last week at Lock Haven, making him one of eight players in the PSAC with two or more interceptions. He’s also just one shy of the PSAC lead.
Seton Hill (2-2) at Gannon (0-4)
October 5 • 1 PM Erie, Pa.
Last Meeting (2023) Gannon 23, Seton Hill 6
SETON HILL
Game Notes: – The Griffins are coming off a bye and will face a winless Gannon team on Saturday. Seton Hill has defeated Gannon only once in the all-time history (10 meetings) between the two teams – back on Oct. 12, 2019, by a score of 25-21. – Running back Ky’Ron Craggette leads the PSAC in rushing, with 97 attempts and 446 yards for an average of 4.6. His five rushing touchdowns trail only Clarion’s Anthony Guercio for the conference lead, and he was named the PSAC Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week two weeks ago. – Seton Hill’s passing attack has been effective, as well, gaining 206.3 yards per game (the fifth-best total in the PSAC.) Quarterback Jake Cruz is 59- of-109 on the year with 803 yards and four touchdown passes.
GANNON
Game Notes: – Jayden Whitaker has accounted for five of Gannon’s six touchdowns this season after scoring Gannon’s touchdown against California (Pa.) on a two-yard run. The redshirt freshman has passed for three touchdowns and run for two more. – The 0-4 Golden Knights have faced a brutal schedule to begin the season, one that has included two NCAA playoff teams in Kutztown and East Stroudsburg and one of the favorites in the PSAC West in California, which picked up the 49-7 victory over Gannon last weekend. An impressive drive midway through the second quarter pulled Gannon to within 14-7 but the Vulcans scored twice late in the half and went on to score the final 35 points of the game. – Jayden Whitaker has accounted for five of Gannon’s six touchdowns this season after scoring Gannon’s touchdown against California (Pa.) on a two-yard run. The redshirt freshman has passed for three touchdowns and run for two more. – Donell “Tank” Mason paced the receiving corps with three catches for 27 yards. Mason moved into a tie for 12th in career receptions with 86, and he now has 1,251 career yards receiving. That moves him into 11th all-time.
Slippery Rock (4-0) at IUP (4-0)
October 5 • 2 PM Indiana, Pa.
Last Meeting (2023) Slippery Rock 42, IUP 21
SLIPPERY ROCK
Game Notes: – Slippery Rock is ranked No. 9 in AFCA and No. 10 in D2football.com. – Slippery Rock has allowed just 47 total points this year with opponents averaging 11.8 points and 221.2 total yards per game. – Slippery Rock enters this week ranked No. 1 in Division II in third down defense with opponents converting just 17.0 percent of their third down attempts. The Rock rank in the top 20 nationally in total defense (eighth at 221.3 yards per game), scoring defense (13th at 11.8 points per game), rushing defense (15th at 73.8 yards per game), passing defense (18th at 147.5 yards per game), turnovers gained (12th at 10), passes intercepted (15th at six) and passing efficiency defense (16th at 100.42). – Sophomore LB Jacob Snow made his fourth career start last week and had the best game of his young career, leading SRU’s defense with career-highs of eight tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss while also breaking up one pass and recording his first career interception.
IUP
Game Notes: – The Crimson Hawks are No. 21 in the AFCA poll and No. 24 in the D2football.com poll entering this week. – IUP averages 28.0 points and 330.5 yards of total offense per game with 137.5 rushing yards and 193.0 passing yards per game. – Transfer receiver Maurice Massey started his career at Missouri in 2019 before making his way to IUP five years later. Massey has pulled in 16 passes for 196 yards and a team-high four TD. – QB Karst Hunter is a dual-threat QB that missed one game this fall with an injury. He is completing a PSAC-leading 69.7% of his passes for 528 yards with five TD and one INT while also rushing for 131 yards and one TD. – Millersville transfer linebacker Garrett Cox, a first team All-American last year, leads the defense with 31 tackles along with Chuck Ingram, who has 34 stops. DL Maurice Feazell paces the line with 6.0 TFL and 4.5 sacks.
California (Pa.) (3-1) at Clarion (2-3)
October 5 • 2 PM Clarion, Pa.
Last Meeting (2023) California 37, Clarion 7
CALIFORNIA
Game Notes: – In last weekend’s 49-7 win over Gannon, Vulcans quarterback Davis Black finished with season highs of 297 passing yards and four touchdowns on 23-of31 attempts with no interceptions. He also totaled a team-leading 50 rushing yards on six attempts in the win and was named PSAC Western Division Offensive Athlete of the Week. – Sophomore D’Avay Johnson led all players with 103 receiving yards and one touchdown on six catches. Junior wide receiver Eric Willis III finished with 87 yards and a team-best seven receptions with one touchdown, while senior Omari Hopkins totaled 45 receiving yards and one touchdown on three catches. – Sophomore defensive back Khalil Taylor paced the team with six tackles (four solo), along with 1.0 TFL and one forced fumble. Junior linebacker Grant Hopple recorded an eight-yard interception return for a touchdown. – The Vulcans held Gannon to 203 total yards of offense and just nine first downs. Cal has won 13 of the 15 all-time meetings against Gannon while posting its first home win in the series since 2016.
CLARION
Game Notes: – Clarion faces California on Saturday, with the all-time series standing at 30-30 with one tie. The Golden Eagles have lost 17 straight games in the head-to-head, though, with the last win coming on Sept. 25, 2004, when Clarion bested California by a single point, 35-34. – The Clarion defense had a lot of work to do last weekend, with Griffin Buzzell making 16 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss while freshman defensive lineman Jack Capotosto finished with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Ryan Stahl continued what has been a solid campaign as well, recording nine tackles and falling on the fumble forced by Capotosto for a turnover in IUP territory. – Clarion’s loss against IUP last weekend was the end of a three-game road swing for the Golden Eagles, who will play five of their final six games at home.
