MEADVILLE, Pa. - Allegheny will look to snap its two game losing skid this Saturday, as the Gators travel to North Coast Athletic Conference foe Wooster for a week five matchup.
Last week against Ohio Wesleyan, the Gators amassed over 400 yards of total offense for the second time in three games, and jumped out to a 19-16 halftime lead. However, the Battling Bishops took advantage of a pair of Gator second half turnovers to score 20 unanswered points and win, 36-19.
This week's meeting is the 36th all-time between Allegheny and Wooster on the gridiron, with the Gators holding a 20-15 edge in the series. Allegheny has won three of the past five matchups against the Fighting Scots, but Wooster rallied for a 33-16 win in last season's meeting.
GAME FIVE - ALLEGHENY AT WOOSTERSaturday, October 11 - 1:00 p.m.
John P. Papp Stadium - Wooster, Ohio
LOCAL RADIO: COOL 101.7 FM WMVL with Chuck Stopp and Dave Hanahan (Pregame at 12:30 p.m.)
STREAMING AUDIO:
http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wmvl-fm&STREAMING VIDEO: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/wooster/LIVE STATS:
http://woosterathletics.com/sports/fball/2014-15/boxscores/20141011_55ai.xmlGAME NOTES (click to view/download expanded PDF version)PASSING FANCY In the Gators' 36-19 loss to Ohio Wesleyan, sophomore quarterback
Jon Nigro completed 17 of 25 passes for 313 yards. It marked the ninth most passing yards in a single game in program history, and was the first time a Gator eclipsed the 300-yard mark since Jordan Fowler threw for 312 on Oct. 15, 2011 vs. Denison. Through Allegheny's first four games, Nigro has thrown for 868 yards, good for fourth in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while his 62.3 competion percentage is third best in the league.
MR. VERSATILITY In last week's loss to Ohio Wesleyan, junior
Tyler Smith picked up his first career 100-yard receiving game, as he made four catches for an even 100 yards. He also added nine yards rushing and an 18-yard kickoff return. This season, he is the Gators' second leading receiver (16 rec/235 yds) and third leading rusher (9 att/83 yds/1 TD), while he's also amassed 131 yards on eight kick returns, good for a total of 463 all-purpose yards. Averaging 115.8 per game, he ranks seventh in the NCAC.
KICKIN' IT In the Gators' contest with Ohio Wesleyan, sophomore kicker
Ben Ziolkowski was a perfect 2-for-2 in field goal opportunities, as he hit a career-long 38-yarder in the first quarter, and a 24-yarder in the second quarter. The 38-yard field goal was the longest for the Gators since the 2011 season final at Oberlin, when Ryan Zipf made a 44-yard attempt. Ziolkowski's performance last week was also the first multi-field goal effort by a Gator kicker since
Ryan Mong hit a pair in the 2012 season-finale at Hiram.
ON THE OFFENSIVE Against Ohio Wesleyan, the Gators amassed 427 yards of total offense for the afternoon, marking the second time in three games in which they eclipsed the 400-yard mark (449 yards week two at Hiram). This is the first time in a single season in which Allegheny put up over 400 yards of offense in two different games since the 2011 club did so twice. The Gators have amassed 1,296 yards of total offense so far on the season, the most through the first four weeks of a season since the 2006 squad totaled 1,630.
HOME SWEET HOMEAfter opening the season by playing three of its first four games on the road, last week's meeting with Ohio Wesleyan kicked off a stretch in which the Gators will play three of four in the friendly confines of Frank B. Fuhrer Field. After this week's game at Wooster, the Gators will play host to Oberlin on Oct. 18, and DePauw on Oct. 25.
