THIS WEEK: Coming off of their bye week, the Gators are looking to carry the momentum from their 26-21 Homecoming victory over Oberlin on Oct. 1.  The Gators jumped out to a 20-0 lead midway through the first quarter, and then used a pair of second half field goals from Ben Ziolkowski to hold off an Oberlin comeback attempt.  Offensively, the Gators gained 327 total yards, including 200 on the ground, while Allegheny's defense surrendered a season-low 227 yards and forced four Yeomen turnovers.  This week, the Gators are searching for their first win over DePauw since a 22-20 win in 2012.

DePauw was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten last week after suffering a 21-10 loss to Wittenberg, a game in which DePauw gave up a pair of touchdowns within a three-minute span in the closing minutes of the first half.  DePauw owns one of the most prolific offenses in the NCAC, as they have averaged 40.6 points and 502.8 yards of total offense through their first four games.  Quarterback Matt Hunt ranks second in the NCAC in both rushing (507) and passing (1,471) yards, while defensively, the Tigers have picked off a conference-high eight interceptions, led by three from Brooks Hepp. 

GAME SIX - DEPAUW AT ALLEGHENY
Saturday, October 15 - 1:00 p.m.
Frank B. Fuhrer Field - Meadville, Pa.
Radio: COOL 101.7 WMVL (12:30 p.m. pre-game)
Streaming Audio: http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wmvl-fm
Live Stats and Streaming Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/allegheny

GAME NOTES (click for complete PDF version)

PICK IT    
In the Gators' 26-21 Homecoming win over Oberlin on Oct. 1, junior Travis Thomas returned a 51-yard pick six to give the Gators a 13-0 lead midway through the first quarter.  It was Allegheny's first defensive touchdown in over five years, since Colin Hartford's 34-yard interception return vs. DePauw on Sept. 17, 2011.  It was also Thomas' third career interception, which leads all active Gators.   

ON THE CLOCK                           
The Gators possessed the ball for 38:33 in the week five win over Oberlin, marking the third time in five games in which Allegheny out-possessed its opponents.  It was also the highest time of possession for the Gators since week five of the 2013 season, when they had the ball for 39:43 at Ohio Wesleyan.

LOTS OF TURNOVER                                                          
The Gators forced a season-high four turnovers (1 INT, 3 fumbles) in the Oct. 1 win over Oberlin, marking the seventh time since the start of the 2014 campaign in which Allegheny opponents committed two or more turnovers.  The four forced turnovers were the most for the Gator defense since they also gained four in the 2012 season finale at Hiram, a 13-0 win. 

MAKING A RUN FOR IT                                                          
Allegheny gained an even 200 rushing yards in the week five win over Oberlin.  marking the second time this season that they ran for 200 in a game (also week two at Wooster - 206 yds).  Prior to this season, Allegheny hadn't gained 200 rushing yards in a game since Nov. 5, 2011 when they posted 239 in a win over Hiram.  The last time the Gators ran for 200 yards in a game more than once in a season was 2006, when they did so four times, including a 300-yard performance in a win over Hiram in week three.  

THE RETURN OF WILSON                                                    
Allegheny junior Jake Wilson enters the week ranked second in the North Coast Athletic Conference in both kick return average (26.0 yds/ret) and all-purpose yards (162.8 yds/gm).  Wilson has had six kick returns longer than 30 yards, including a 76-yarder in the season-opener vs. Thiel, the third-longest recorded by an NCAC player this season.  In four games played, Wilson has amassed 651 kick return yards, already the second most in a single season in program history, 35 yards off of the school record of 685 set last season by current sophomore Tyler Balla.

CAPTAIN GATORS                                                                        
Allegheny's co-captains for the 2016 season are senior tight end John McFarland (Whittier, Calif./La Serna) and sophomore defensive lineman Marcus Davenport (New Kensington, Pa./Valley), and both players have performed admirably this season.  McFarland is the team's leading receiver, entering this week with 21 receptions for 199 yards, while Davenport has made 32 tackles, and leads the team with seven tackles for loss. 

GLOBAL GATORS                                                     
Fourteen different states are represented on the Gators' 2016 roster, which is comprised of players from Pennsylvania (40), New York (19), Florida (13), Ohio (9), Maryland (7), New Jersey (8), California (3), Arizona (2), West Vrginia (3), Georgia (2), Maine (1), Tennessee (1), Massachusetts (1), and Michigan (1).

UP NEXT    
Allegheny will play the first of two consecutive road games next Saturday, as they travel to Granville, Ohio to take on Denison University at 2 p.m.  After traveling to Hiram on Oct. 29, the Gators will close the season with back-to-back home contests, hosting Ohio Wesleyan on Nov. 5, and Wittenberg Nov. 12.

ALLEGHENY VS. DEPAUW
THE SERIES:  This week marks the sixth all-time meeting between the Gators and Depauw, with the Tigers holding a slim 3-2 edge in the series.  After the Gators defeated DePauw in the first two meetings (2011, 2012), the Tigers have since won three straight, and have out-scored the Gators 109-7 over the past two seasons.  The two teams have played just twice at Frank B. Fuhrer Field, with Allegheny holding on for a 22-20 win in 2012, before Depauw won 59-7 two seasons later. 

LAST MEETING: On October 17 of last season, DePauw used a 21-point second quarter to break open a tight ballgame and cruise to a 50-0 victory.  The Tigers amassed 633 yards of total offense and 33 first downs, led by 117 yards on the ground by Jason Kirchhoff, and 244 yards and three touchdown passes from quarterback Matt Hunt.  Hunt also added a six-yard touchdown run, while his brother Andy made seven catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns.  DePauw's defense racked up six quarterback sacks, and limited Allegheny to just 12 net yards of rushing.  The Gators' Logan Lee completed 10 passes for 108 yards, while Jon Nigro went 8-for-18 for 66 yards.  Lucas Morton hauled in seven catches for 67 yards, and John McFarland four for 37.  Tristan Rhoades and Will Aeschbacher each made six tackles, with Aeschbacher posting a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage.