EDINBORO Fighting Scots (1-0, 0-0 PSAC West) at LOCK HAVEN Bald Eagles (0-1, 0-0 PSAC East)
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2016
Site: Lock Haven, Pa.
Stadium: Hubert Jack Stadium (3,500)
Kickoff: 12 p.m. EDT
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lhup/football/
Radio: WFSE 88.9 (Streamed on www.edinboronow.com)
TV: none

Lock Haven Depth Chart
 
The Game Story
Edinboro opened the 2016 season, the first under head coach Justin Lustig, with a 31-30 win at Saint Joseph's(In.). Lock Haven also opened on the road, suffering a 41-24 loss at Clarion. The Fighting Scots snapped an eight-game road losing streak dating back to 2014 with the victory. Edinboro holds a 41-14-1 advantage in the all-time series, with 13 straight wins. The two teams last met in 2013, with the Fighting Scots celebrating Homecoming with a 31-6 win at Sox harrison Stadium. Oddly enough, that day's starting quarterback, Jon Girvin, now starts at defensive end for the Fighting Scots. Edinboro will have to slow down record-setting quarterback Caleb Walton, who threw for 2,541 yards and 23 TDs last year and began the year with 392 yards and 3 TDs. 

The Justin Lustig Era began last week at Edinboro with a 31-30 win at Saint Joseph's(In.).  The former Ball State assistant coach returned to the state of Indiana and led the Fighting Scots to their first-ever win in the Hoosier state. It was familiar territory for Lustig, as his recruiting territory inclded northwestern Indiana. 

The win at Saint Joseph's snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Fighting Scots after Edinboro suffered its first winless season since 1951 and the seventh in school history. The Fighting Scots finished 0-11 a year ago, the most losses in school history. The win also snapped a string of eight straight setbacks on the road dating back to October 2014.

The Fighting Scots face a Lock Haven team that was 2-9 a year ago, and opened the 2016 campaign with a 41-24 loss at Clarion. Head coach Dave Taynor is in his second season in charge of the Bald Eagles. 

Edinboro owns a 41-14-1 record in the all-time series with Lock Haven. Former PSAC?West rivals before Lock Haven was shifted to the Eastern Division, the two teams last met in 2013. Edinboro has won 13 straight games in the series, and 31 of the last 32 meetings. Lock Haven was a 20-16 winner in 2000 at Hubert Jack Stadium.

The season-opening win ended a two-year drought in season openers. The Fighting Scots had lost their last two season openers -- a 38-24 loss at Carson-Newman in 2014 and a 30-10 loss to Saint Joseph's in 2015.

Edinboro was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll after being picked to finish seventh a year ago.  Lock Haven was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC?East.

The Fighting Scots returned a total of 15 starters from 2015 -- seven on offense, six on defense, and two specialists. However, the offense will be without leading rusher Cory Bell, who is out indefinitely with injuries.

Youth is featured on the 2016 roster, along with a touch of seniority. After having just five seniors in 2015, this year's roster has six redshirt seniors and nine seniors. However, 50 of the 83 players on the opening day roster have a year experience or less. That breaks down to 24 freshman, nine redshirt freshmen, and 17 sophomores. The youth was evident in the season opener, with two redshirt freshmen starting and a total of three true freshmen and six redshirt freshmen playing.

Edinboro's season-opening win came thanks to a strong performance in the trenches. the Fighting Scots ran for a deceiving 143 yards on 34 carries, with redshirt freshman Walter Fletcher piling up 180 yards and 2 TDs on 24 carries. In his first career game, he scored on runs of 50 and 57 yards. The team rushing total would have been much larger if not for two plays -- a 23-yard loss on a bad punt snap that resulted in a safety, and a 30-yard loss on the final play of the game as Jake Sisson ran around in the backfield. That play was credited as a sack, the only one allowed all day. The Edinboro defense, meanwhile, recorded 6 sacks and held the Pumas to 80 yards rushing on the ground while holding Central Michigan transfer Martez Walker to 38 yards on 20 totes.

Edinboro will have its hands full with Lock Haven quarterback Caleb Walton. Walton opened his senior season completing 29 of 50 passes for 392 yards with 3 TDs at Clarion. A year ago, he threw for 2,541 yards, marking his second straight season over the 2,000-yard mark. It represented the fourth-highest season total as Walton became just the second LHU player to pass for over 2,000 yards in two different seasons. He finished the year with 23 passing TDs, a single-season record, along with 3 TDs rushing, with the 26 TDs in total offense a school record.
 
On TV/Radio
The Edinboro-Lock Haven game can be heard live on WFSE FM?88.9, with Drew Patrick providing the play-by-play and George Schmidt the commentary. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com. In addition, all Edinboro radio broadcasts will be aired by the Keystone Sports Network. The games will be broadcast on WWCB 1370 AM in Corry, Pa. and WLOA 1470 AM in Greenville, Pa. The Keystone Sports Network streams live at www.keystonesports.net.
 
The All-Time Series
Edinboro leads 41-14-1
Edinboro has won the last 13 meetings in the series, and 31 of the last 32. Lock Haven claimed a 20-16 win at Hubert Jack Stadium in 2000.
 
The Last Meeting
2013 -- Edinboro 31, Lock Haven 6
Edinboro celebrated Homecoming with a win over Lock Haven thanks to a strong performance on the ground.  The Fighting Scots ran for 226 yards as Jeremy Donaldson finished with a career-high 144 yards on 16 carries. It was capped by a 62-yard run for a touchdown in the third quarter. Jon Girvin opened the scoring on a four-yard touchdown run on Edinboro's first possession. The Bald Eagles answered with a 41-yard TD pass from Dillon Mazzoni to James Wilbern. The extra point failed, leaving the Scots ahead 7-6. The Fighting Scots would score ten more points in the second quarter to take a 17-6 lead at the half. The first score came on a 30-yard field goal by Mike Simons following an interception. Edinboro turned another Lock Haven miscue into a touchdown later in the second quarter.  Freshman quarterback Cameron Sheppard scored on a two-yard run on his first collegiate play after Lock Haven muffed a punt. Donaldson's 62-yard TD run to start the second half gave the Scots a 24-6 lead.
Another interception set up Edinboro's final score, as Johnny Washington scored on a 10-yard run with 8:29 remaining for the game's final points. Girvin made his second career start and completed 10 of 20 passes for 91 yards. Brandon Brader led Lock Haven with 97 yards rushing on 20 carries. Mazzoni completed 9 of 22 passes for 121 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
 
Last Week
Edinboro 31, Saint Joseph's(In.) 30
A pair of long touchdown runs by Walter Fletcher led Edinboro to the road win in Justin Lustig's first game as head coach. Fletcher scored the Fighting Scots' first touchdown on a 50-yard run, then posted the game-winning score on a 57-yard run with 5:43 remaining in the game. He would end the day with 180 yards on 24 carries. The back-and-forth contest featured six lead changes, with neither team leading by more than a touchdown. Saint Joseph's would score twice in the second quarter before Jake Sisson threw the first of his two touchdown passes, this one covering four yards to freshman Ta'Nauz Gregory, to knot the score at 14-14 at the half. Edinboro took the second half kickoff and scored on a spectacular nine-yard reception by Jordan Williams for a 21-14 lead. The Pumas would score the next eight points for a 22-21 lead, but Austin Reese's 22-yard field goal gave the lead back to the Scots at 24-22 early in the fourth quarter. Saint Joseph's would take a 30-24 lead with 9:09 remaining following a 75-yard drive and a two-point conversion, setting up Fletcher's winning score. Saint Joseph's ended the day with 446 yards compared to 377 for Edinboro, but the Fighting Scots' defense harassed quarterback Phillip Kimble as the game went on, sacking him six times. The Pumas were held to 80 yards on the ground on 45 rushes. Edinboro ran for 143 yards, while Sisson posted career highs for completions (30) and attempts (48) while throwing for 234 yards.      
 
Clarion 41, Lock Haven 24
The Bald Eagles fell at Clarion in a shootout, as the two teams combined for over 1,000 yards. Lock Haven actually outgained Clarion, 526 yards to 497, but were unable to overcome a 24-3 halftime deficit. Ethan Harro booted a 24-yard field goal. Caleb Walton threw for three touchdowns in the second half while ending the game with 29 completions in 50 attempts for 392 yards. In addition to Walton's big game, Malyk Harris ran for 110 yards on 24 carries and Shawn Seif caught 9 passes for 170 yards, including a 28-yard TD catch.
 
The Coaches
Justin Lustig (Bucknell '00) took over as Edinboro's 14th head coach on January 11, 2016. This marks Lustig's first head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach at Ball State since 2011. A native of western Pennsylvania who played his high school football at nearby Cathedral prep, Lustig also has served as an assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Eastern Illinois, Christopher Newport, and Villanova.  Lustig has been a part of four teams that earned bowl eligibility in eight years at the FBS level. He was an assistant on five teams that won conference championships in 14 years in the profession, including six NCAA playoff appearances and two bowl games. Five of the teams he has been associated with have been ranked in the top 25. Finally, he has helped develop 37 all-conference performers, including 12 at Ball State. Most recently, Lustig was the special teams coordinator/ running backs coach at Ball State since 2011, along with earning the title of assistant head coach prior to the 2015 season. The Cardinals played in two bowl games during Lustig's tenure. They faced UCF in the Beef O'Brady's Bowl in 2012, then earned a spot in the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl against Arkansas State. Ball State finished with a 10-3 record in 2013 and 9-4 in 2012. In addition, Ball State posted wins over four BCS conference teams -- Indiana twice, South Florida, and Virginia.     
 
Dave Taynor (Urbana '99) is in his second season as Lock Haven's head coach after being named the 24th head coach on April 12, 2015. He owns a 2-10 record during that period at Lock Haven after a 2-9 finish a year ago. He previously was the head coach at Urbana for seven seasons, where he posted a 39-49 record. He has a career record of 39-50. Despite last year's 2-9 finish, the Lock Haven offense enjoyed one of its best seasons in school history. The Bald Eagles set a single-season record with 4,603 yards of total offense. Lock Haven scored 277 points, the second-highest single-season total. In addition, the team posted the sixth-highest single-season rushing total with 1,839 yards. At Urbana, Taynor led the Blue Knights from NAIA to NCAA?Division II status.  He led Urbana to Great Lakes Football Conference championships in 2010 and 2011.  Recognized for his offensive prowess, his Urbana teams set over 50 team offensive records. 
 
Lustig Comments ... on the Fighting Scots
"We told our players good teams make big strides from week one to week two. We certainly had our share of mistakes vs. St. Joe's last week and we hope to correct those errors this week in practice."
 
Lustig Comments ... on the Bald Eagles
"Lock Haven has a very high-powered offense led by a quarterback who has been a starter for four years. In order for us to have success, we will have to minimize the big plays."
 
"In order for us to be successful on Saturday we must do a better job of minimizing the "don't beat yourselves". We cannot afford to hurt ourselves by turning the ball over, getting penalized, or making mental errors."