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District Preview: W&J looks like a sure bet against St. Vincent
Saturday, October 18, 2008

This is one of those games that looks like a monumental mismatch on paper.

On one sideline is Washington & Jefferson, which is 5-0, ranked eighth in Division III and a longtime bully of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

On the other is Saint Vincent, 1-5 in its second year of operation after a 45-year hiatus from football.

Saint Vincent is the perfect opponent for W&J's homecoming at 2 p.m. today at Cameron Stadium.

Because Saint Vincent is a provisional member of the PAC, the Bearcats aren't eligible to compete for the conference championship this season, so the game doesn't count in the standings. W&J has won 19 consecutive games against PAC teams and 49 of the past 51.

The Presidents set a school record with 893 yards of offense in a 64-6 victory against Saint Vincent last season.

W&J is one of the highest-scoring teams in the country with 44.8 points per game and has scored 30 or more points in eight consecutive games. The catalyst for the high-powered offense is quarterback Bobby Swallow (1,528 yards passing, 14 touchdowns), who has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 26 consecutive games.

Swallow's favorite receivers are David Ravida (37 catches, 305 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Craig Besong (33 catches, 595 yards, 6 touchdowns). Curt Jones is the leading rusher with 347 yards (4.9 average) and 10 touchdowns.

Other games

Robert Morris (2-4) at Bryant (3-3), 1 p.m. -- Robert Morris ended a four-game losing streak with a 34-27 victory against Duquesne as sophomore running back Myles Russ carried a school-record 37 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He has 870 yards rushing (7.0 average per carry) and four touchdowns for the season. ... Erik Cwalinski has completed 52.7 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns and Sherrod Evers (18 catches, 284 yards, 2 touchdowns) remains the leading receiver despite missing the past three games and most of a fourth with an ankle injury. ... Robert Morris leads the Northeast Conference in total offense with 403.5 yards per game. ... Bryant, located in Smithfield, R.I., moved up the FCS (Div. I-AA) this season after being successful in Division II. ... The Bulldogs are led by Jay Graber (56.9 percent completion, 956 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Jerel Smith (710 yards rushing, 5.6 average, 3 touchdowns). ... Bryant is a provisional member of the NEC, and its games don't count in the standings. ... This is the first meeting between the schools.

• Seton Hill (7-0, 4-0) at Charleston, W.Va. (5-2, 4-1), 1 p.m. -- Seton Hill is in first place in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and ranked 18th in the AFCA Division II poll. The Griffins, coming off a 35-28 victory against West Virginia State, features running back Antwarn Jones (850 yards rushing, 10 touchdowns), David Wess (66.5 completion percentage, 1,399 yards passing, 13 touchdowns) and Sammy Tranks (35 catches, 499 yards, 7 touchdowns). Seton Hill lineman Matt Galadyk is WVIAC defensive player of the week. ... Charleston, second in the WVIAC, is coming off a 21-7 victory against Fairmont State for its third consecutive win. The Golden Eagles have seven players who have rushed for 109 or more yards, led by Aaron Higdon (331 yards, 9.7 average, 1 touchdown) and DaRante Hunter (271 yards, 7 touchdowns). Hunter also has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 872 yards and five touchdowns.

• Duquesne (2-3, 1-2) at Central Connecticut St. (4-2, 2-1), 1 p.m. -- Duquesne's young defense, with five freshmen in the starting lineup, will be hard-pressed to stop Central Connecticut's running attack that ranks 10th nationally with 225 yards per game. James Mallory (848 yards, 5.3 average) is sixth with 141.3 yards per game. ... In NEC losses the past two weeks, the Dukes gave up 230 yards rushing to Albany's David McCarty and 246 to Robert Morris' Myles Russ. The 34-27 loss against Robert Morris was the Dukes' second in a row. ... Duquesne sophomore linebacker Nathan Totino (Seton-LaSalle) is second in the country with 14.8 tackles per game. ... The Dukes' Connor Dixon has thrown for 1,338 yards and 13 touchdowns.

California (6-1, 4-0) at Gannon (3-4, 1-3), 7 p.m. -- California, ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Div. II poll, won its fifth consecutive game with a 56-3 victory against Lock Haven. Quarterback Kevin McCabe, who threw for 310 yards and five touchdowns against Lock Haven, is the co-offensive player of the week in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West. ... Gannon's offense revolves around running back Jon Richardson (676 yards rushing, 5.7 average, 6 touchdowns).

First published on October 18, 2008 at 12:00 am