MEADVILLE, Pa. - Allegheny will open up the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule this Saturday night, hosting the College of Wooster at 7 p.m. under the lights on Community Night at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

Admission is free to all fans, as both the Gators and Fighting Scots will look to bounce back after week one non-conference losses.  Allegheny was defeated 37-21 at Thiel, and Wooster fell 56-10 to #14 Washington & Jefferson.

GAME TWO - ALLEGHENY VS WOOSTER
Saturday, September 12th - 7 p.m.
Frank B. Fuhrer Field - Park Avenue Extension - Meadville, Pa.
Radio:  COOL 101.7 WMVL (6:30 p.m. pregame show)
Streaming video:  http://gatorstv.com
Live stats:  http://gatorstv.com
Streaming audio: http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wmvl-fm&

GAME NOTES (Click to view/download expanded version)

SMITH ARMY KNIFE: Versatile Allegheny senior Tyler Smith enjoyed a career game in the team's opener at Thiel.  The wide receiver caught four passes for 170 yards, including touchdowns of 44 and 58 yards, while also leading the team with 65 return yards and 26 rushing yards.  The 170 receiving yards are the sixth-highest in program history, and marked the most since Terry Hartford gained 185 in Oct. 2009 vs. Denison.  

FRESH FACES: The Gators boast one of their youngest teams in recent memory, as 60 of the team's 117 players are freshmen.  A number of these rookies saw extensive playing time in last week's season opener. Of the 16 freshmen who appeared in the game, five were starters, including Zach Claypool (LG) and Walker Gray (C) on offense, and Marcus Davenport (DE), Garrett Bever (NT), and Craye Nehler (CB) on defense.  In addition, Jonah Tanner returned two kickoffs for 39 yards, while Logan Lee completed two of four passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.  

MAKE HOME SWEET AGAIN:  Over the past 10 seasons, the Gators are 5-5 in home openers, but have dropped four straight.   Last season, Thiel topped Allegheny 28-14 under the Frank B. Fuhrer Field lights in week one.  The last time the Gators won their home opener came in the 2010 season, when they defeated Carnegie Mellon 34-27 in a game that lasted 3:36 and featured four touchdown passes by TJ Salopek.   The Gators have hosted Wooster just once in their home opener, dropping a 41-13 decision in the opening week of the 1955 campaign.  

BIG GAINS: In last week's loss at Thiel, the Gators' Tyler Smith hauled in touchdown passes of 58 and 44 yards. It marked the first time in which Allegheny scored at least two offensive touchdowns of at least 40 yards in the same game since Sept. 29, 2007, when TJ Salopek scored on a 55-yard run, and Jake Vite caught a 41-yard touchdown reception against Denison.   Smith's 58-yard second quarter touchdown was the longest reception of his career, and the longest touchdown pass in the career of juinor Allegheny quarterback Jon Nigro.

CAPTAIN GATORS: A group of experienced seniors comprise Allegheny's team captains for the 2015 season, including running back Nick Deichler, offensive lineman Zach Harvey, defensive end Chris Patrick, and wide receiver/return specialist Tyler Smith.  All three-year letterwinners, Deichler, Smith, and Harvey have been full-time starters for the Gators in each of the past two seasons, while Patrick began 2014 as a starter on the defensive line before missing the bulk of the season due to injury.  

VETERAN LEADER:  2015 marks the 14th season on the sidelines for Allegheny head coach Mark Matlak, which is tied with Sam Timer for the longest tenure of the 32 head coaches in team history. In addition, he is the second-longest serving head coach in the North Coast Athletic conference, behind only Wittenberg's Joe Fincham (19 seasons).  A 1978 Allegheny graduate, Matlak starred on the gridiron at running back under Timer between 1974-77, earning three All-Presidents' Athletic Conference selections and being named the 1977 PAC Offensive Player of the Year before beginning his coaching career as an assistant under Timer in 1978.  Matlak enters the 2015 campaign ranked second in program history with 62 victories, two ahead of Timer.  

FRESH FACES, PART II: In addition to the 60 members of the Gator football team who are in their first season at Allegheny, there are also a number of new arrivals on the Gator coaching staff.  Coaches in their first season at Allegheny include offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kyle Derickson, defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Richan Gaskins, tight ends coach Mike Deitrick, offensive line coach Kevin Waters, defensive line coach Cody Schultz, and running backs coach Zen Bliss.  

UP NEXT: Allegheny will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 19th, when they play host to Wabash in a 1 p.m. tilt at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.  The Gators will be looking for their first victory over the Little Giants, ranked ninth in the most recent D3football.com Top 25 Poll, since a 20-17 overtime thriller on Sept. 22, 2012 in Crawfordsville, Indiana.  Next Saturday's game marks the second of a rare three-game homestand for the Gators, who will face Kenyon on Sept. 26 in a 1 p.m. Homecoming battle.