MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Gators will look to snap their five-game losing skid this Saturday, as they travel to Gambier, Ohio to take on North Coast Athletic Conference rival Kenyon College at 12 p.m.
It marks the first of two straight road trips to central Ohio for the Gators, as after the Kenyon meeting, they will take to the road to Denison University on Nov. 19th.
Like the Gators, Kenyon is also looking to end a lengthy losing skid, as they enter the week winless in its first seven games of the season. This week marks the 32nd all-time meeting on the gridiron between the Gators and the Lords in a series that stretches back to 1911. Allegheny is 23-8 all-time against Kenyon, but has dropped its last two meetings in the set, most recently a 37-7 setback the 2013 season opener.
NOTES (Click for expanded PDF version)MURGO CONTINUES TO SHINE In the Gators' week seven loss to DePauw, freshman middle linebacker
Nick Murgo (Warren, R.I./Hope) tallied 11 tackles, marking the sixth time in seven games in which the rookie reached double-figures. On the season, he has made 76 stops, good for second in the conference and 27th in NCAA Division III. The 76 tackles are already the most for a Gator freshman since current assistant coach J.P. McFeeley racked up 78 during his rookie campaign of 1999.
MR. VERSATILE Allegheny junior
Tyler Smith (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) enters the week ranked third in the NCAC in all-purpose yards, with 907. Smith has seen extensive time at both receiver and running back, while also serving as the team's main return man. He also ranks third in the conference in kick return average at 20.2 yards, while he has made 26 catches for 302 yards, and gained 84 yards on 14 carries on the ground.
NIKLAUS CATCHING UP Last week against DePauw, senior receiver
Andrew Niklaus (Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth) made five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. This lifted his career total to 123 receptions, fourth most in program history. He now sits two behind Jake Vite, who caught 125 career passes between 2006-09 to rank third all-time.
SERIES STREAKS The Gators hold a 23-8 all-time advantage in their series with Kenyon, which spans back to 1911. Kenyon has defeated the Gators in each of the past two seasons, however, with a 37-7 decision in last year's season-opener, and a 20-7 win in 2012. It marked the first time that Kenyon has topped the Gators in consecutive seasons since doing so in the 1984 and '85 campaigns. Allegheny is 18-3 against Kenyon dating back to the 1990 campaign, and 9-1 in games hosted by the Lords.
UP NEXT Allegheny will return to action on Nov. 8th, when they travel to NCAC foe Denison University for a 1 p.m. contest, the final road game of the season for the Gators. They will close out the regular season on Sat., Nov. 15th, hosting Wittenberg at Frank B. Fuhrer Field for a 1 p.m. Senior Day contest.
