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Team - Slippery Rock
Mike Gallagher

Football Bob Shreve, Sports Information Director

Fighting Scots Hit the Highways Seeking Third Straight Win at Seton Hill

EDINBORO Fighting Scots (5-3, 3-2 PSAC West) at SETON HILL Griffins (0-8, 0-5 PSAC West) 

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2017
Site: Greensburg, Pa.
Stadium: Offutt Field (5,000)
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m.
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Video:  Click Here 
Radio: WFSE 88.9 Click Here 

Edinboro Game Notes

Scouting the Teams On Radio and TV
The Edinboro-Seton Hill can be heard live on WFSE FM 88.9, with George Schmidt and Mike Lantinen handling the call of all the action. The WFSE stream can be heard at www.edinboronow.com.

The All-Time Series
Edinboro leads 3-1
Edinboro won the first two meetings with Seton hill, both at Sox Harrison Stadium, before the Griffins picked up their first win in the series in 2015 in Edinboro's first trip to Offutt Field. The Fighting Scots rallied for a 42-34 win at Sox Harrison Stadium last year. The series has featured the winning team scoring at least 40 points in three of the four meetings.
 

The Last Meeting 
2016 -- Edinboro 42, Seton Hill 34
Trailing 34-21 midway through the third quarter, Edinboro turned up the defense and scored the final 21 points to hand Seton Hill a 42-34 defeat.  Edinboro trailed 21-7 with 6:42 left in the first quarter after Seton Hill scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions. The Griffins totaled 241 yards after one quarter and 377 at the half, as they led 28-21 at intermission. Seton Hill boosted the lead to 34-21 with 7:46 left in the third quarter. Those would be the last points of the game for Seton Hill, as the Edinboro defense rose up and held the Griffins on their final six possessions. In fact, Seton Hill was held without a first down in the fourth quarter while managing just 15 yards. Walter Fletcher made it 34-28 on a one-yard touchdown run with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter. The first of two Zuril Hendrick interceptions led to a 19-yard scoring pass from Jake Sisson to James Clark on the second play of the fourth quarter. Austin Reese's extra point gave Edinboro their first lead at 35-34. Hendrick's second pickoff on the next series set up the final score, a two-yard pass to Jordan Williams from Sisson. Sisson ended the day with five touchdowns while completing 38-of-62 passes for 463 yards. For the second time in three weeks, three receivers caught 100 yards in passes, with James Clark showing 10 receptions for 141 yards, Ta'Nauz Gregory 8 for 113, and Alex Caratelli 7 for 119. Christian Strong completed 24-of-43 for 326 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs for Seton Hill. Michael Elardo had 6 catches for 121 yards.

The Coaches
Wayne Bradford (Salisbury St. '90) was named Edinboro's 15th head coach on March 29, 2017. Bradford worked under four different head coaches and was an assistant at Edinboro for 18 years before taking over as the interim head coach. He has spent a majority of his time as the Fighting Scots' defensive coordinator. Bradford has master-minded some brilliant defensive performances over the years in a day and age when offense has taken over. For instance, in 2011 the Fighting Scots ranked eighth in Division II in scoring defense (17.0 ppg.), 11th in pass efficiency defense, and 18th in total defense (292.6 ypg.). Edinboro gave up fewer than 20 points in seven of its 11 games. A year ago, his Edinboro defense finished first in the PSAC and fourth in Division II in tackles for losses, and second in the PSAC and sixth in the country in sacks. Edinboro finished the 2016 campaign with a 9-2 record, marking the fifth time an Edinboro team with Bradford on the staff tied the school record for victories (9). Three of Edinboro's teams during his tenure have reached the NCAA playoffs, including the 2009 team, which finished at 9-4 and reached the Super Region One semifinals. All told, he has been a part of 114 wins.     
 
Isaac Collins (Rochester '94) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Seton Hill.  He took over the Griffins' program after serving as the head coach at Widener the previous three years. He has a 12-40 record at Seton Hill and is 37-48 in his eighth year as a head coach.  Collins led Widener to the 2012 Mid-American Conference championship with an 11-1 record.  The Pride won the ECAC?Atlantic South Bowl Championship.  He was recognized as the 2012 MAC?Coach of the Year.  He compiled a 25-8 record during his three seasons, including a No. 8 ranking in the AFCA Division III?Top 25.  From 2006-09, he served as the defensive coordinator for The Citadel.  His 2007 defense led the Southern Conference in total defense.  He has also served as an assistant coach at Delaware, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Columbia and Hobart.     
   
Last Week
Edinboro 49, No. 17 Slippery Rock 39 
The Fighting Scots surprised 17th-ranked Slippery Rock behind a balanced offensive effort spearheaded by Walter Fletcher. The redshirt sophomore ran for 241 yards, the sixth-highest single- game total on 25 carries with 4 TDs. Along the way he became the first Edinboro rusher to top the 1,000-yard mark in a season since 2004. The Fighting Scots jumped out to a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game on a 39-yard TD pass from Jake Sisson and Fletcher 32-yard TD run. Fletcher added a nine-yard scoring run in the second quarter, and Edinboro snapped a 21-21 tie with five seconds left in the half on the second hookup between Gregory and Sisson, this one covering 12 yards following an interception return of 39 yards by Aaron Rogers. SRU closed to 28-24 early in the third quarter, but Edinboro answered with a pair of Fletcher touchdown runs, the first covering seven yards, and the second one a scintillating 98-yarder. That gave the Scots a 42-24 lead with 5:44 left in the third period. Slippery Rock answered with a pair of scores, one late in the third quarter and the other early in the fourth, to pull to within 42-39. The Scots responded following the second score with an eight-play, 78-yard march that ended with James Clark catching a 42-yard touchdown pass from Sisson while lying flat on his back in the end zone with 7:25 to play. Edinboro ended the day with 254 yards rushing and 284 yards passing, as Sisson returned after a one-game absence to complete 24-of-35 passes with 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Clark and Gregory both finished with 100-yards receiving, with Clark showing 9 catches for 128 yards and Gregory 8 for 104. SRU was held to 98 yards rushing, but Tanner Garry completed 41-of-61 passes for 488 yards with 3 TDs and an INT. Marcus Johnson caught 14 passes for 192 yards and two scores.        
Mercyhurst 35, Seton Hill 16 
Despite outgaining Mercyhurst and finishing with nine more first downs, Seton Hill remained winless with the loss at Mercyhurst. The Griffins gained 505 yards compared to 423 for the Lakers, but Seton Hill was guilty of three turnovers and were stopped three times on fourth down. SHU fell behind 21-0 with under five minutes to play in the second quarter, but closed to 21-9 on Christian Strong's 52-yard touchdown pass to Michael Elardo, and a 22-yard field goal by Santiago Henao with three seconds remaining. Mercyhurst would score twice in the third quarter for a 35-9 advantage. Jarvis McClam's three-yard TD?run capped an 83-yard drive late in the third period, but the Griffins would not score again. Strong completed 26-of-40 passes for 292 yards with a TD and an INT, with Elardo catching 6 passes for 104 yards. McClam ran for 129 yards on 21 carries. Mercyhurst ended the day with 292 yards rushing.  
 
The Game Stories
  • For the first time in five weeks, Edinboro will play a game outside of Erie County. The last four weeks featured three home games and a road contest at Gannon. The stretch was capped by a 49-39 upset of 17th-ranked Slippery Rock last Saturday. That boosted the Fighting Scots to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the PSAC?West and gave them a two-game winning streak.
  • The win over Slippery Rock kept Edinboro undefeated at home at 5-0 with one game remaining against California(Pa.) on November 4. However, the Fighting Scots have yet to pick up a road win, losing at West Chester, Indiana(Pa.), and Gannon. The Fighting Scots have outscored their opponents at home 169-80. The story has been a bit different on the road, with Edinboro  being outscored 147-60.
  • The Fighting Scots were picked to finish fourth in the PSAC?West. Edinboro opened the season with back-to-back wins at Sox Harrison Stadium, defeating Lake Erie (30-3) and Lock Haven (20-3). Their next two games came on the road against the two preseason favorites in the PSAC. Edinboro suffered a 62-28 loss at West Chester, the Eastern Division favorite, followed by a 38-7 setback at then sixth-ranked and PSAC?West preseason favorite Indiana(Pa.) in the PSAC West opener. They snapped their two-game losing skid with a 45-10 win over Clarion to end September, but began October with a 47-25 loss at Gannon. Edinboro celebrated Homecoming with a 28-25 win over Mercyhurst on October 14. 
  • Seton Hill was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC Western Division after finishing at 5-6 in 2016. The Griffins have struggled in 2017, currently sitting at 0-8. However, Seton Hill has always given Edinboro trouble with its outstanding passing game.  Senior QB Christian Strong ranks second in the PSAC and seventh in Division II in passing yards with 2,347.
  • Turnovers and struggles on the defensive side of the ball have been the nemesis of the Griffins. Seton Hill ranks last in Division II in total defense, allowing 550.8 yards per game, and are 15th in the PSAC?and 165th (out of 168 teams) in scoring defense (50.0 ppg.). The Griffins are also last in the country in turnover margin at -2.75. Seton Hill has turned the ball over 26 times while forcing just four turnovers.
  • The Edinboro-Seton Hill game features two of the top active passers in Division II. Seton Hill's Christian Strong ranks seventh among active Division II?passers with 8,678 yards, with 59 TDs.  Jake Sisson of Edinboro has 7,529 career yards and 73 TDs. He ranks 11th among active Division II passers.
  • Wayne Bradford is in his first season as Edinboro's interim head coach. He was on the Edinboro staff for 18 years, most of that as the defensive coordinator, before assuming the head coach responsibilities.
  • Bradford took over for Justin Lustig, who was Edinboro's head coach for just a year. Lustig moved on to an assistant coaching position at Syracuse. He enjoyed a monumental one season as head coach, as Edinboro recorded the largest turnaround in NCAA?Division II history. The Fighting Scots went 9-2 in 2016, tying the school record for wins in a season, after finishing 0-11 in 2015. 
  • A year ago Edinboro showcased a high-flying passing attack. This year, while the Fighting Scots are still averaging close to 40 passes per game, it is the play of running back Walter Fletcher that has sparked the offense. The redshirt sophomore ranks second in the PSAC and in Division II in rushing yards (1,199) and has accounted for 15 touchdowns, 12 rushing and three receiving.    
  • After finishing 9-2 finish in 2016, Edinboro was ranked in several preseason polls. The summer began with the Fighting Scots picked 16th in the Street and Smith's Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll. Next came a ranking of 30th in the College Football America 2017 Yearbook Division II Preseason Top 30. The AFCA released its 2017 AFCA Division II Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll on August 14, with defending national champion Northwest Missouri State ranked number one. While failing to land a spot in the top 25, Edinboro was one of the top teams among "others receiving votes". The Fighting Scots received 57 votes after ending the 2016 season among "others receiving votes", as well. 




 
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Players Mentioned

Alex Caratelli

#9 Alex Caratelli

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Austin Reese

#23 Austin Reese

PK/P
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Jordan Williams

#83 Jordan Williams

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
James Clark

#1 James Clark

WR
6' 1"
Junior
Walter Fletcher

#5 Walter Fletcher

RB
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Ta

#2 Ta'Nauz Gregory

WR
5' 9"
Sophomore
Zuril Hendrick

#21 Zuril Hendrick

CB
6' 0"
Junior
Aaron Rogers

#14 Aaron Rogers

CB
6' 2"
Junior
Jake Sisson

#10 Jake Sisson

QB
6' 0"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Alex Caratelli

#9 Alex Caratelli

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Austin Reese

#23 Austin Reese

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
PK/P
Jordan Williams

#83 Jordan Williams

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
WR
James Clark

#1 James Clark

6' 1"
Junior
WR
Walter Fletcher

#5 Walter Fletcher

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
RB
Ta

#2 Ta'Nauz Gregory

5' 9"
Sophomore
WR
Zuril Hendrick

#21 Zuril Hendrick

6' 0"
Junior
CB
Aaron Rogers

#14 Aaron Rogers

6' 2"
Junior
CB
Jake Sisson

#10 Jake Sisson

6' 0"
Senior
QB