Saturday’s Game
The Crusaders will try and win their first home game after three losses as King’s visits Lopardo Stadium for a Family Weekend matchup. Susquehanna has never lost to the Monarchs, but the last two games have been decided by a combined four points — including an overtime game in the last matchup in Selinsgrove in 1999. The Crusaders have not started 0-4 at home since the 1985 season.
The Last Meeting
Mark Bartosiccaught one touchdown pass and ran for another as the Crusaders scored on four straight first-half possessions to build a 19-0 lead. Bartosic carried eight times for 42 yards, including an 11-yard reverse for a score midway through the second quarter. Earlier, Bartosic had hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mike Bowman while Andy Nadler booted field goals of 30 and 26 yards. Damon Saxon scored on runs of 4 and 61 yards for King’s.
Uphill Climb
With a 2-5 record, the Crusaders have their work cut out for them if they want to extend their streak of non-losing seasons. Susquehanna has finished at .500 or better in each of the last 15 seasons since the Crusaders finished 3-7 in 1985. Working against them is the fact that Susquehanna has finished at or above .500 just once when starting 0-3, as they did this season. That came in 1928 when the Crusaders opened 0-3 but won their final four games.
Ground Game Grounded
Through seven games, the Crusaders have mustered just 698 net yards rushing, an average of 99.7 yards per contest. Susquehanna has averaged at least 100 yards per game on the ground every season since 1979, when the Crusaders managed just 74.1 yards per contest.
Catch Us If You Can
Last season, just eight different players caught a pass for the Crusaders. This season has been a different story as 13 different receivers have hauled in at least one reception. Furthermore, nine different players have made their first career catch while five different players have caught a touchdown pass.
No Passing Fancy
Junior quarterback Mike Bowman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) is well on his way to owning the Crusader record book. Last season, he set single-season records for completions (184), attempts (354), yards (2,563) and touchdowns (20) and career marks for completions (now at 395) and attempts (now at 787). This season, Bowman broke two more records set from 1987 to 1990 by David Battisti. Bowman shattered the mark for career passing yards of 4,087 against Lycoming and moved past Battisti’s mark of 38 passing touchdowns against Albright. Bowman, the first junior to serve as a team captain in the Briggs era, has thrown for 5,221 yards and 42 touchdowns in just 26 career games.
Worth Watching
Sophomore split end Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) made an immediate impact in his first season at Susquehanna in 2000 after transferring from Division I-AA Bucknell, setting a Crusader single-season record for receiving yards (1,028) and the NCAA Division III record for touchdown catches by a freshman (15). Bartosic, who has 101 catches for 1,860 yards in 17 career games, has 2 1/2 seasons remaining to break Al Bucci’s career marks for receptions (121) and yards (1,944). Bartosic, who set a career and Lopardo Stadium record with 10 catches against Widener and tied Bucci’s 1987 mark of 12 catches against Juniata, has 11 career 100-yard games and has caught at least one touchdown pass in 16 of his 17 games. Incidentally, no Division III player has ever posted four straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards.
A “Golden” Performance
Sophomore SE Mark Bartosic is this week’s Gus Weber Crusader Player of the Week Award, sponsored by the Golden Corral Family Steak House of Hummels Wharf, after tying a school record with 12 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Crusaders’ 46-20 loss at Juniata. Bartosic will be honored at Friday’s Quarterback Club luncheon at the Degenstein Campus Center as the Golden Corral will donate $100 to the charity of his choice. Since agreeing to sponsor the Player of the Week program, Golden Corral has donated $4,400 to charity. The Player of the Week Award is named after former University President Gustave Weber. Weber was president at Susquehanna for more than 18 years (1959-1977) and was a former standout player at Wagner College. He was an avid booster of Crusader athletics, particularly the football team — serving as head coach for the last two games of 1965.
Scouting Susquehanna
THE CRUSADER OFFENSE (DELAWARE WING-T): While the Crusaders rolled up 340 yards through the air at Juniata, they could manage just 76 yards on the ground against the lowest-ranked defense in the MAC. Freshman FB Jason Eck (Williamsport, PA/Loyalsock H.S.) led the Crusaders with 34 yards on 15 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Eck continues to lead the Crusaders in rushing with 406 yards on 109 carries (3.7 average) with three touchdowns. His average of 58.0 yards per game is ninth in the MAC. Junior QB Mike Bowman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) returned to the starting lineup against Juniata and connected on 23-of-41 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, and his 104.5 quarterback rating is tied for seventh in the MAC this season. Bowman also ranks sixth in both passing yards per game (210.7) and total offense per game (203.3). Junior Tim Ronchi (Factoryville, PA/Lackawanna Trail H.S.) returned to split end after his successful stint at quarterback at FDU-Madison, hauling in three passes for 31 yards. He did take several snaps under center after Bowman left the game briefly in the fourth quarter and misfired on his only pass attempt. Freshman QB Tim Larson (Lanesboro, MA/Mount Greylock H.S.) saw action for the second time this season in the fourth quarter and hit 4-of-9 passes for 59 yards while driving the team to a late 1-yard touchdown run by freshman FB Bryan Strohl (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata H.S.). Sophomore SE Mark Bartosic (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.) is now just one catch behind Delaware Valley’s Rich Gear for the lead in receptions in the MAC. Bartosic has made 50 catches for 832 yards (third in the MAC) and nine touchdowns (tied for the MAC lead).
THE CRUSADER DEFENSE (4-3): Playing exclusively with six defensive backs for the entire game, the Crusaders allowed 313 yards through the air and 565 total yards to Juniata.. Junior CB Antonio Nash (Washington, DC/Springbrook, MD H.S.) led the Crusaders with 10 tackles at Juniata and is tied for sixth in the MAC with three interceptions in seven games (0.43 average). Senior LB Troy Sosnovik (Belvidere, NJ/Belvidere H.S.) chipped in with eight solo tackles at Juniata and retains third place in the MAC with 73 total tackles (60 solo). He also blocked his second extra point of the season in the second quarter. Junior FS Nick Chesney (Kulpmont, PA/Mount Carmel H.S.) tallied nine tackles against Juniata and is fifth on the Crusaders with 37 stops (27 solo) this season. Freshman CB Kyle Sanders (Danville, PA/Danville H.S.), a part of the dime package in the Susquehanna secondary, made eight tackles and broke up two passes in his most extensive action of the season to date. Junior LB Bill Heinzelmann (Allentown, PA/Parkland H.S.) continues to play though chronic back problems and is fourth on the team with 41 tackles (29 solo) after making seven stops against Juniata. With the six defensive backs in the lineup, the Crusaders needed just two members of their battered defensive line on the field. After losing two starters to injury for the season, the unit is without senior Dominick DeSteno (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Bergen Catholic H.S.) for at least another week after a knee injury at FDU-Madison. DeSteno owns four of the Crusaders’ 16 sacks this season.
Scouting King’s
LAST WEEK: The Monarchs rolled up 401 yards of total offense while holding FDU-Madison to just 164 yards in a 45-7 home rout on Saturday. Senior QB Tom Pierantozzi ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 164 yards and another score as the Monarchs rolled to a 28-7 halftime lead en route to their highest point total of the year.
THE MONARCH OFFENSE (I-FORMATION): King’s is traditionally one of the top running teams in the MAC, and the Monarch ground game has again been the strength of the offense thanks to senior TB Chris Shivery. He leads the Monarchs and is third in the MAC with 137.7 yards per game on the strength of 964 yards on 219 carries. Pierantozzi has added 298 yards on the ground and four touchdowns while freshman TB Silas Moore has contributed 110 yards and two scores. Shivery was held to just 75 yards against FDU-Madison but the running of Pierantozzi (77 yards) and Moore (67 yards) helped the Monarchs tally 238 yards rushing. Through the air, Pierantozzi has passed for 1013 yards by completing 71-of-154 passes for seven touchdowns. His passer rating of 104.7 is sixth in the MAC. Pierantozzi’s favorite target has been senior WR Jim Pio, whose 31 catches are ninth in the MAC and whose 605 yards (19.5 per catch) rank him seventh in the MAC with 86.4 yards per game. Senior TE Merritt Carr has added 17 catches for 161 yards while the remainder of the squad has combined for 24 receptions. The offensive line, normally one of the largest in the conference, averages 258 pounds and features a pair of seniors in LG Mike Lupo (6-2, 270) and C Joe Corbett (6-1, 250). Four of the Monarch reserves on the line tip the scales at 260 pounds or more.
THE MONARCH DEFENSE (MULTIPLE): All analysis of the King’s defensive unit begins with dynamic junior DE Steven Wilson. The 6-2, 230-pound All-America candidate earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season after posting a team-high nine tackles (five for losses of 50 yards) and 2 1/2 sacks against FDU-Madison. Wilson leads the MAC with a school single-season record-tying 15 1/2 sacks and leads the team with 50 tackles (29 for losses of 212 yards). Fellow lineman Rubin Doster has chipped in with 9 1/2 sacks while junior LB Chris Keene has made 6 1/2 sacks and sophomore DL Craig Humble has tacked on 4 1/2 quarterback takedowns as the Monarchs have rolled up a MAC-best 34 sacks. In the secondary, junior DB Sean Frasier and freshman DB Derek Zambino have each broken up 12 passes, while Frasier and sophomore DB Matt VonTanhausen have made two interceptions apiece to lead the team. Von Tanhausen, who doubles as one of the team’s placekickers, returned a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown against FDU-Madison. King’s held FDU-Madison to just four completions in 20 attempts for 112 yards while limiting the Devil ground game to 52 net yards.
