Full Notes:

The Game:
The Bald Eagles open the 2011 season on Saturday (September 10) at 7:30 p.m. against visiting Millersville University. The game marks a new era of LHU football as it's the first game under John Allen. Hubert Jack Stadium should be rocking come kickoff Saturday night as The Haven plays host to “Community Day 2011” with free admission to all.

Setting the stage:
For the Bald Eagles, there is nowhere to go, but up as LHU looks to snap a 32-game winless streak. Lock Haven's last win came in the 2007 season finale, a 17-14 OT win at Clarion. Millersville is 0-1 and coming off a 55-3 setback against West Virginia Wesleyan. LHU was 0-11 last year and Millersville was 2-9, including a win over LHU.

Broadcast Information:
The game can be heard locally on AM 1230 WBPZ (play-by-play John Lipez, color commentary Tom Elling). The game can be viewed live via a HAVENc@st online video webcast the following link (play-by-play John Vitale, color commentary Andre Brown). Link available at www.GoLHU.com.

The Series:
Even with last season's loss, the Bald Eagles control the series with Millersville. The two teams have met 25 times throughout the years with Lock Haven leading 16-8-1. The first matchup which was in 1928 ended in the only tie, 6-6. Millersville has won five straight over LHU.

New head coach:
The sky is bright for Lock Haven in 2011. The Bald Eagles welcome new head coach John Allen (James Madison University '96) to lead the team. Allen is in his first stint as a head coach at the collegiate level, but by no means is new to the game. Coach Allen was an assistant coach at LHU from 1996-2003, the head coach of NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder in 2007, and most recently the coordinator of player development at Penn State University where he served from 2008-2011, under the legendary Joe Paterno. His strong background along with his familiarity of the Bald Eagle community will be crucial in bringing the Bald Eagles back to prominence.

Offensive Breakdown:
Lock Haven will be looking to rebound from a winless 2010 campaign. The Bald Eagles will bring back six starters on offense including senior quarterback Jarryd Burkett, who threw for 733 yards and four touchdowns last year. Burkett will also have four of his main targets back from a year ago. Sophomores Jesse Hoover and Eddie Celkos are back from solid freshmen campaigns as they were second and fourth on the team in catches last year. The receiving corps will be led by junior Ian Smith and senior Jay Hartman. Hartman eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for his career last season. Devin Sims is also expected to see playing time at wide out. The 6”1' senior is expected to provide a big target for Burkett.

Burkett the start under center:
Jarryd Burkett (Altoona, Pa./Altoona)was named the starter for Millersville earlier this week by Allen.
Last year Burkett made three starts and threw for four touchdowns. He averaged 104.7 yards/game in seven appearances and passed for a total of 733 yards. Redshirt-junior Jarrett Kratzer was right there with Burkett all preseason in the quarterback battle. Kratzer made four starts last year and saw time under center in all 11 games. He passed for a team-high 821 yards and seven touchdowns.

Running duo:
Two experienced members of the backfield also return for LHU from a year ago. Junior Jeremiah Dunchack and sophomore Brandon Brader will look to build on last year's success as they were second and third in yards last year respectively.

Anchor in the line:
The Bald Eagles return one offensive lineman from 2010. Kurt Ledebur will look to lead the team in the trenches.

D-FENCE:
On defense, the Bald Eagles return four starters and will be led by junior linebacker Ryan Good. Good was tied for the team lead in sacks a year ago and was third on the team with 51 tackles. Joining Good will be junior linebacker James Goins, junior defensive end Skylar Wool and sophomore defensive back Ray Mosby. Goins was fifth on the team in tackles last season with 35.

Experienced special teams:
Special teams is an area where the Bald Eagles are very experienced. Senior kicker Noah Heimer will be back as the place kicker. Heimer was 1-3 on field goals and 14-16 on extra points last season. Junior Jarrett Kratzer will continue his role as the punter and Jay Hartman will be the return man. Hartman tallied 886 kick return yards last season.

How the team's matchup:
The Bald Eagles will be opening up the season at home for the first time since 2009. Millersville will be entering the game with a record of 0-1 after falling to West Virginia Weslyan 55-3 last week. The Marauders were doomed by a slow start as they trailed 43-3 at halftime. The lone score for Millersville came off of a 22 yard field goal by Anthony Kassab. The Marauders have now dropped seven straight road games dating back to last season. Lock Haven opened up week one with a bye.

Millersville in 2010:
Millersville is coming off of a 2-9 2010 campaign, including a 35-21 win over Lock Haven. The Marauders finished 0-7 in PSAC East placing them eighth in the standings last year.

Last time vs. Millersville:
Last year's deficit of 14 points was the closet final score for the Bald Eagles all season. In the game, the Bald Eagles put up 357 yards of offense, but turned the ball over five times including four interceptions. The 357 total yards was the second most that the Bald Eagles produced all season. Jarryd Burkett threw for 141 yards and a touchdown and Jay Hartman had six catches for 69 yards and a touchdown to lead Lock Haven offensively. Defensively, Ryan Good led the team with eight tackles and an interception. The 35 points that the Bald Eagles allowed was also their second best effort of the season.

Bald Eagles looking to end streaks:
The Bald Eagles finished 2010, 0-10, and eighth in the PSAC West division standings. Lock Haven has now lost 32 straight games with their last win coming in the final game of the 2007 season. The PSAC record for consecutive losses is 39 by Cheyney (1994-98) and the Division II record is 46 by Minnesota-Morris (1998-2003).