Saturday’s Game: Allegheny Gators (7-1, 4-1 NCAC) at Wittenberg (8-0, 5-0 NCAC)
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Opening Kickoff:
Saturday’s North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) game marks the 20th time Allegheny and Wittenberg have met on the gridiron. The Tigers hold a slight 10-9 lead in the all-time series that dates back to1989. The Gators snapped a two-game Wittenberg winning streak with a 30-27overtime victory at home last season. The Tigers are the only undefeated team left in the NCAC, while Allegheny’s only loss was to No. 18 Wabash on Oct. 3.
First meeting: 1989 (Allegheny 24, Wittenberg 7)
Last meeting: 2008 (Allegheny 30, Wittenberg 27)
Most points by one team: 2002 (Wittenberg 49, Allegheny 3)
Largest margin of victory: 2002 (Wittenberg 49, Allegheny 3)
Smallest margin of victory: 1999 (Wittenberg 20, Allegheny 17)
Shutouts in the series – 2 total (1990 – Allegheny 39, Wittenberg 0) | 1998 (Wittenberg 25, Allegheny 0)
*The home team has won 14 out of the 19 contests.
Something’s Gotta Give:
Allegheny enters Saturday’s game on a four game winning streak. Wittenberg has not lost a contest yet this season.
Playoff Picture:
The winner of Saturday’s game will go a long way toward determining the NCAC Champion. The Gators need to win the next two games to be crowned the conference champion, while a Wittenberg win would help the Tigers get one game closer to an undefeated season and claim the NCAC title.
Last Week:
T. J. Salopek rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 312 yards to help Allegheny erase a 14-point deficit for a 24-21 comeback victory over Wooster in the home finale for the Gators on Saturday. The Fighting Scots scored 21 unanswered points all in the second quarter, but Allegheny shut them down in the second half and rallied back for the victory. The win marks the second straight three-point victory by the Gators.
First Timer:
Doug Williams picked the right time to collect his first collegiate forced fumble on Saturday. With 7:21 left in the fourth quarter, Williams forced a Fighting Scots fumble and Drew Perry fell on top of it at midfield, setting up the game-winning drive for Allegheny. After going five plays for 47 yards, Salopek kept the ball and made his way into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown scamper to give the Gators the lead for good.
Third Time Is A Charm:
Wide receiver Jake Vite made nine catches for a career-high 168 yards including a three-yard pass for his third touchdown of the season on Saturday. It marked the third time this season he has recorded over 100 receiving yards in a game. He leads the team with 49 receptions for 649 yards and is averaging 81.0 yards per game.
Player Of The Week:
T. J. Salopek has been named the NCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. The junior quarterback earned the honor for recording two rushing touchdowns, including the game-winning score in the fourth quarter. Salopek finished the day 27-for-43 in passing to break the program record for career completions with 481, topping Bubba Smith’s (2000-03) mark of 478. He also threw for 312 yards, putting him 214 yards away from second place on the all-time passing yards chart and needs three more pass attempts to take over second place in the record books.
On the season, Salopek has amassed 2,070 yards on 180 completions while throwing 12 touchdowns and only being picked off four times. He currently ranks second in the NCAC in passing average per game with 258.8 yards.
With Honors:
Ryan Zipf has been honored with the The Fred Mitchell Award for the month of October. The award recognizes 12 Division II and Division III place-kickers for their excellence on the football field and in the community. Zipf is 8-for-9 in field goals and 20-for-22 on PAT attempts this season. In the month of October, he has not missed one extra point, going 5-for-5 against Carnegie Mellon and Denison, before going 3-for-3 vs. Kenyon and Wooster to help the Gators win four straight. His longest field goal was a 40 yarder against Wabash on Oct. 3 and he recently made the difference in a 24-21 win over Wooster this Saturday with a 39-yard field goal.
The Last Meeting:
Ryan Zipf nailed a 37-yard field goal in overtime as the Gators defeated Wittenberg University, 30-27, to complete the come-from-behind victory in front of 454 fans at Frank B. Fuhrer Field. The win was Allegheny's first overtime victory since 2004 when the Gators posted a 16-10 win at Wabash. With Wittenberg facing a second-and-eight from the 12-yardline in the first possession of overtime, Tigers quarterback Andrew Durbin's pass into the endzone was intercepted by C.J. Bell to set the stage for Zipf's heroics.
Wittenberg Last Week:
The Wittenberg Tigers shut out their eighth straight opponent, posting a 41-7 victory against Denison on Saturday. Wittenberg got off to a slow start, but the defense held the line until a couple of big plays gave the Tigers a 17-0 halftime advantage.
Did You Know:
For the seventh time in eight outings in 2009, the Tigers held an opponent below 200 yards of total offense on Saturday. It was the eighth straight time that a Wittenberg foe was held without a point in the first half and limited to single digits for the entire game. Unbeaten through the first eight games for the first time since 2000, the Tigers are hoping for their first outright conference crown since 2001.