THIS WEEK: Allegheny closes out a three-game road swing with an NCAC matchup at Kenyon College. The Gators will be looking to bounce back from a 59-7 loss at defending conference champ Wabash. The Little Giants, ranked 13th in the most recent D3Football.com national poll, limited the Gators to just 107 yards of total offense. In his first extensive action of the season, sophomore
Brandon Sellers ran for 78 yards on 16 carries, all in the second half. The Gators will be seeking their first win over Kenyon since the 2011 campaign, as the Lords most recently spoiled Allegheny's 2015 Homecoming with a 32-17 victory on Sept. 26 of last season.
After starting 2-0, Kenyon was upended 45-7 at Hiram a week ago. Tied at 7-all after the first quarter, Hiram scored 31 unanswered points over the final three quarter to roll to the win. Five of Hiram's six touchdowns came through the air, while the Lords were limited to just 10 rushing yards. Through their first three games, Kenyon's Brian Hunca has been the NCAC's top receiver, with 29 receptions for 453 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Thomas Merkle has thrown for over 250 yards in all three games, and ranks second in the NCAC with 811 passing yards.
GAME FOUR - ALLEGHENY AT KENYON
Saturday, September 24 - 1:00 p.m.
McBride Field - Gambier, Ohio
Radio: COOL 101.7 FM WMVL
Streaming Audio: http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wmvl-fm
Streaming Video/Live Stats:
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/kenyon
GAME NOTES (click for complete PDF version)
GO FOURTH, GATORS
Through the first three games of the 2016 campaign, Allegheny has been successful on five of seven fourth down conversions, ranking first in the North Coast Athletic Conference in attempts and conversions, and second in percentage. The five successful conversions are tied for fifth most in NCAA Division III, while the 71.4 conversion percentage is tied for seventh best in the country.
WEALTHY RETURNS
Allegheny junior
Jake Wilson currently leads all players in kick return yards with 568, 200 more yards than the second closest total (Kiontai Button of LaGrange College). In the first three games of the 2016 season, Wilson has totaled three of the top four single-game return performances in program history. In week one, Wilson set a new program mark with 223 return yards, before tallying 209 seven days later at Wooster. Last week at Wabash, Wilson amassed 136 return yards, the fourth-highest total in a game in team history. His 568 kick return yards on the season are already good for the second-highest single-season amount in program history, trailing only current sophomore
Tyler Balla, who totaled 685 a season ago.
FABULOUS FROSH
Freshman
Alex Victor enters week four tied for second in the NCAC in scoring, as he has totaled four touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing). Victor also ranks among the top-eight in the NCAC in both receptions (16 - seventh) and receiving yards (157 - eighth), while his 39-yard punt return in week two at Wooster is the longest of the season in the NCAC, and was the best for a Gator since 2008.
A PERFECT BEN
Senior
Ben Ziolkowski enters this week as one of just four kickers in the NCAC to be perfect on both extra point and field goal attempts. Ziolkowski has connected on both of his field goal attempts this year, with a long of 28, while he's hit all seven extra point efforts.
ON THE CLOCK
Through three games, Allegheny is one of just four teams in the NCAC with an average time of possession over 30 minutes per game, as their 31:49 minutes per game is fourth best in the conference.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
The two Allegheny team captains for the 2016 season are senior tight end
John McFarland and sophomore defensive lineman
Marcus Davenport, and both have performed well through the Gators' first four games. McFarland ranks second on the team with 11 receptions, while Davenport is second on the team in both tackles (19) and tackles for loss (4.0).
RUIZ WREAKS HAVOC
In the Gators' week three loss at Wabash, junior linebacker
Freddy Ruiz talled 2.5 tackles for loss, and now ranks second in the NCAC with 5.0 TFL's for the season.
GLOBAL GATORS
Fourteen different states are represented on the Gators' 2016 roster, which is comprised of players from Pennsylvania (40), New York (20), Florida (13), Ohio (9), Maryland (8), New Jersey (8), California (3), Arizona (4), West Vrginia (3), Georgia (2), Maine (1), Tennesse (1), Massachusetts (1), and Michigan (1).
UP NEXT
On Homecoming Day at Allegheny College, the Gators will play host to Oberlin College for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. After the Gators' Oct. 8 bye, the squad will return home to take on DePauw beginning at 1 p.m.
THE SERIES
This week marks the 34th meeting on the gridiron between the Gators and the Lords in a series that stretches back to 1910. Allegheny is 23-10 all-time against Kenyon, but the Lords have owned play as of late, defeating the Gators in each of the past four seasons. Prior to the current run by Kenyon, Allegheny had defeated Kenyon in six straight meetings, and 19 of 20.
LAST MEETING
Visiting Kenyon spoiled Homecoming Day at Allegheny, as the Lords dispatched Allegheny 32-17. After Kenyon's Blake Calcei and Allegheny's
Tyler Smith each scored a pair of first half touchdowns, a field goal by the Gators'
Ben Ziolkowski pulled the Gators to within 19-17 in the waning minutes of the second quarter. However, a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jake Bates to Ian Bell in the final minute gave the Lords an eight-point lead, before they closed out the scoring midway through the third quarter on a nine-yard touchdown catch by Brian Hunca.
Bates spearhaded a strong Kenyon passing attack, as he completed 21 of 25 for 276 yards and a pair of scores, with Hunca posting game-highs of seven catches and 122 yards.
Smith had a big day in the loss for the Gators, making seven catches for 110 yards and two scores, while also posting a team-best 62 rushing yards on five carries.
Tristan Rhoades and
Marcus Davenport each had seven tackles, with the former adding a pass break-up, and the latter 1.5 tackles for loss.
