MOUNTAINEER FOOTBALL

2005

Game 6

Cheyney

at

Mansfield

MOUNTIES HOST CHEYNEY IN 2005 HOMECOMING TILT – POOHBEAR McNEAL SECOND PLAYER IN SCHOOL HISTORY TO SURPASS 3,000 RUSHING YARD MILESTONE

 
The Game

The Mountaineers host the Wolves of Cheyney University in a PSAC East matchup Saturday afternoon as one of the highlights of Mansfield University’s 2005 Homecoming Weekend celebration. The kickoff is slated for 1:00 pm at Karl Van Norman Field in Mansfield.

The Broadcast

 The game will be broadcast live on the Mountaineer Sports Network by WNTE 89.5 FM. The broadcast will also be carried live on the internet on both the Mansfield University sports homepage (sports.mansfield.edu, or www.mansfield.edu and go to sports) and MSA Sports Network (www.msasportsnetwork.com). Pregame coverage will start at 12:45 pm with Toby Motyka providing the play-by-play and color by Justin Dildine.

Last Week

Mansfield is 0-5 overall on the season after suffering a 24-12 setback at Lock Haven last Saturday and is 0-1 in the PSAC East. Cheyney brings a 2-3 overall and 0-2 PSAC East mark into Karl Van Norman Field after a 31-7 loss at Millersville last weekend.

The Mountaineer offense had 346 yards in total offense including 262 passing yards by freshman quarterback John Hengehold and 98 yards rushing by Junior Poohbear McNeal, who became just the second player in school history to surpass the 3,000 yard milestone in career rushing yards while he came up just shy of recording his 17^th career 100 yard rushing game with 98 yards at Lock Haven. Tyrone Robinson had five catches for 82 yards with Ozzie Mathis also pulling in five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Rodney Davis and Jeff Tanner each had three catches for 39 and 34 yards respectively while McNeal caught two passes for 34 yards.

The Mountaineers were missing defensive starters Brian Smith, Rob Smiley and Ronnie Montgomery.

Senior Keith Slezak had an outstanding game, recording a game high 15 tackles while forcing and recovering a fumble. Junior linebacker Andre Turner had 11 tackles with Marc Hunsberger credited with 10 stops.

The Series

The Mountaineers and Wolves have met 48 times on the gridiron since 1958 with Mansfield holding a 34-13-1 advantage after posting a 26-19 victory at Cheyney last season. The Mounties have won the last six straight meetings and seven straight at Karl Van Norman Field. Cheyney’s last win in the series come in 1998.

The Coaches

Jim Shiffer is in his second season as head coach at his alma mater where he has posted a 1-14 record over that span. He is 1-0 against Cheyney. Shiffer was a standout lineman for the Mountaineers in the late 1980s where he was a recipient of the Frank Butsko Award. Tim Newsom is in his first season as head coach of the Wolves after serving as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Johnson C. Smith College.

 About the Mountaineers

Current PSAC Rankings   

Offense -- Scoring (9th, 17.4 ppg), Total Offense (6th, 366.0 ypg), Passing Offense (3rd, 235.6 ypg), Rushing Offense (8th, 130.4 ypg) 

 Defense -- Scoring (13th, 42.6 ppg), Total Defense (14th, 543.4 ypg), Passing Defense (14th, 241.0 ypg), Rushing Defense (14th, 302.4 ypg)

Despite their record, the Mountaineers have the sixth best offensive in the PSAC averaging 366.0 yards per game in total offense. Mansfield ranks third in the conference in passing yards per game (235.6) and eighth in rushing yards per game (130.4). However the Mounties have struggled defensively in four of the first five games, ranking 14^th in the PSAC in total defense allowing an average of 543.6 yards per game.

 McNeal’s former high school teammate John Hengehold has been a pleasant addition at quarterback this season for the Mountaineers. The freshman ranks second in the PSAC in total offense (218.6 ypg) and third in passing yards per game (204.4 ypg). He has completed 79 of 153 attempts for 1,093 yards and seven touchdowns while being intercepted six times.

Freshman Rodney Davis ranks third in the PSAC in receptions per game (5.0) and seventh in receiving yards per game (63.6). He has caught 25 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. Ozzie Mathis has 13 catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns while Tyrone Robinson has caught 12 passes for 220 yards and a TD.

 Linebacker Andre Turner leads the defense, ranking among the conference leaders in tackles with 43. Safety Ryan Kassak is second on the team in tackles with 37 while Marc Hunsberger is third with 36 stops. Senior linebacker Jason Zeigler (35), Senior defensive end Keith Slezak (34), and Senior defensive back Ronnie Montgomery (32) are also among the teams defensive leaders. C.J. Okogeri has 30 stops on the season

Records Watch

McNeal now has 3,032 yards in his career and needs only 247 more to surpass Lee Brannon (1996-99, 3268) as MU’s all-time rushing leader. He currently ranks fifth in the PSAC in rushing averaging 105.0 yards per game.

About the Wolves

Current PSAC Rankings   

Offense -- Scoring (13th, 11.3 ppg), Total Offense (13th, 179.8 ypg), Passing Offense (13th, 104.5 ypg), Rushing Offense (14th, 75.3 ypg) 

 Defense -- Scoring (11th, 30.5 ppg), Total Defense (4th, 289.2 ypg), Passing Defense (3rd, 137.0 ypg), Rushing Defense (6th, 161.3 ypg)

Cheyney has struggled offensively ranking 13^th in the PSAC in total offense (179.8 ypg) and last in rushing offense (75.3 ypg). The Wolves have depended on a strong defense that ranks fourth in the conference (298.3 ypg) including third in passing defense (137.0 ypg).

 Sophomore quarterback Derrick Murry is ninth in the PSAC in pass efficiency (98.7) and has completed 52-of-109 passes for 609 yards and five touchdowns. Freshman Dominique Curry has caught 16 passes for 296 yards and three TD’s. Billy Mitchell tops the team in rushing with 319 yards on the season. Linebackers Brandon Hawkins and Otis Everett both rank among the conference leaders with 60 and 53 tackles respectively.