Widener, Ursinus With Critical Games on Small College Slate
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There are some great matchups this week for the local Division II and Division III squads, including critical conference games for Widener, Ursinus, and Rowan.
The Widener Pride will be on the road, visiting Albright College in Reading, Pa. Widener is 7-1 this season and 5-1 in the MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference). That has them just one game behind idle and undefeated Delaware Valley College in the standings.
Widener's success is largely attributable to an absurdly good offense. The Pride average nearly 48 points a game this season, and they've been held under 30 just once.
Widener head coach Isaac Collins says it all starts with the triggerman, junior quarterback Chris Haupt.
"Certainly this season he has exceeded our expectations," Coach Collins says, "because he has done a tremendous job of spreading the ball around, getting it to our skill guys, getting us into the right plays in our no-huddle offense."
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Haupt is completing 59.7 percent of his passes this season, averages 282 yards per game, and has 26 touchdown passes.
Albright is 5-3 this season.
Meanwhile, Ursinus will be on the road to visit Johns Hopkins in a game that will go a long way toward determining who wins the always-tough Centennial Conference. The Ursinus Bears have bounced back from an 0-2 start to win five straight, and they are 5-1 in the conference, just a game behind Johns Hopkins' frontrunning Blue Jays (7-0 overall, 6-0 in the conference).
Bears' head coach Peter Gallagher says his team made adjustments to keep their rough start from defining their season.
"We certainly got back to our aggressive style of defensive play," he notes. "Our defense is starting to step up and make some stops. Just some minor things from the first two weeks, to keep drives alive and converting on third down and actually getting the ball in the end zone has made our offense more explosive and been able to put some points on the board."
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The Bears are averaging more than 31 points a game this season, while holding opponents to just over 19 per contest.
But that Ursinus defense will be severely tested in this one, as Johns Hopkins is coming in off an historic performance. Last week the Blue Jays beat Gettysburg, 83-21, compiling a school record 731 yards of total offense. The 83 points set a Centennial Conference single-game mark.
Elsewhere on the small college slate this Saturday:
· Rowan will look for a fifth straight win as they host Kean. The Profs are 5-2 overall, and Rowan and Kean are tied for the NJAC lead along with Montclair State. All three schools sit at 5-1 in the conference.
· Cheyney will be home to host East Stroudsburg in PSAC action.
· Lincoln takes to the road to visit Virginia University of Lynchburg.
Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060
