The 2016 weekly LHU Football Game Notes are presented by Pizza City, located just a half mile from Hubert Jack Stadium at 270 Susquehanna, Avenue (Lock Haven, Pa.). Join the crew at Pizza City for pizza, wings and more!
The Lock Haven University football team is set to kick off the 2016 season on Thursday, September 1 on the road at Clarion University. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Clarion's Memorial Stadium.
It marks the second straight season where LHU and Clarion will open their respective seasons playing each other on a Thursday night. Last season in Lock Haven, Clarion won 40-13, spoiling Lock Haven head coach
Dave Taynor's Haven debut.
Thursday's game marks the 64
th all-time meeting between Lock Haven and Clarion in a series that dates back to 1928. Clarion leads the all-time series 46-16-1.
Despite a 2-9 (2-5 PSAC East) finish a year ago, there is plenty for Bald Eagle fans to be excited about in 2016. Taynor returns nine offensive starters from a year ago, all of whom played vital roles on an offensive unit that broke nearly every offensive school record.
Clarion opened the season on a seven-game win streak before stumbling down the stretch and dropping the final four games of the 2016 campaign. The Golden Eagles finished 2015 with a 7-4 (4-3 PSAC West) mark.
Lock Haven (0-0) at Clarion (0-0)
*marks the season opener for both teams
* marks a non-conference game
6 p.m. | Memorial Stadium | Clarion, Pa.
LHU Week 1 storylines:
- Thursday is the start of head coach Dave Taynor's second season at LHU
- LHU returns nine offensive starters including record-breaking QB Caleb Walton as well as returning All-Conference picks Del'Vaughn Dennis (TE) and Malyk Harris (RB).
- The offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters from last year, but also benefits from the addition of transfer Trent Fielding. The projected center played in 23 games while at Urbana.
- On defense, LHU will benefit from the addition of transfer Kevin Chapple. While at Urbana, the 2015 All-Mountain East Conference (MEC) selection recorded 23 sacks.
- Freshman Destyn Woody is projected to see significant time at linebacker. He's 1 of 37 true-freshmen on the 2016 roster (also six redshirt-freshmen).
Listen live:
Bald Eagle football cans can listen to Thursday's game along with every 2016 LHU Football game - both home and away - live and locally on Bear Country Radio – WQBR 99.9FM. All games will be streamed online as well at
www.Bear999.com.
Walton under center:
QB
Caleb Walton was nothing short of sensational during the 2015 season and looks to cap his record-breaking career in style. Last season, he threw for 2,541 yards, marking his second straight season over the 2,000-yard mark. It's the fourth-most ever for a single season and he's just the second player in school history pass for over 2,000 yards in two different seasons.
Walton finished the season with 23 passing TDs, a single-season school record. In all, Walton was responsible for 26 touchdowns last year (23 passing TDs, 3 rushing TDs), also a school record. Walton enters 2016 with 47 career passing TDs, the second-most in LHU history and 5,856 career passing yards, the second-most in school history. He now has 15 games with over 200 passing yards and four with over 300.
Offensive surge:
Offensively, the Bald Eagles will look to pick up right where they left off. Lock Haven's 2015 offense will go down as the one of the best in school history. LHU set a single-season record with 4,603 total yards of offense. Lock Haven's 277 points scored were the second-most ever for a single-season. The 2015 offense ranks sixth all-time in rushing yards with 1,839 yards and fourth in passing yards with 2,764. On paper the 2016 offense has all the right pieces and should bring another exciting season.
Defensive leadership:
Several of Lock Haven's top-10 leaders in tackles return from last season, including defensive back
Rahjeir Miles-Eubanks, who registered 93 total tackles last season (93 was 2
nd on team). Both Miles-Eubanks and
Daniel Strawbridge finished with 61 solo stops. The duo will look to lead a talented defensive unit that registered at least one takeaway in nine of 11 games last season. In all, LHU returns five defensive starters from last season.
Trio of All-Conference players back:
The Bald Eagles 2016 roster features three returning All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) players, including running back
Malyk Harris, tight end
Del'Vaughn Dennis and defensive standout
Daniel Strawbridge. Strawbrige was a 2016 All-PSAC East First Team defensive selection (DB), while both Harris (RB) and Dennis (TE) were Second Team offensive picks. Strawbridge finished with 82 tackles, including 61 solo stops, the fifth-most in the PSAC. He also had a team-best eight pass breakups. Strawbridge's 6.1 tackles per game ranked second in the league and 14th in all of Division II football. Harris, who didn't make his first start of the season until Week 8 in a thrilling comeback win at Millersville, finished with 929 rushing yards and five touchdowns. His 84.5 yards per game were the seventh-most in the PSAC and the second most of any player from the Eastern Division. Harris now owns two of Lock Haven's all-time top-10 single-game rushing performances, including the sixth-best mark in school history (224 yards vs. Kutztown). Dennis averaged 57.2 yards per game (21st PSAC). He had 38 catches and four TDs in nine games (7 starts). Dennis caught two TDs in the win over Millersville including the game-winner as time expired. In the double-OT thriller at Bloomsburg in Week 10, Dennis had nine catches for a career-high 140 yards. Dennis was also a 2015 All-Region selection and gives the Bald Eagles another dynamic offensive threat in the pass-game thanks to his speed and size.
Strawbridge is projected to miss Week 1 action with an injury.
Krupko scores big in classroom:
In April (2016), senior wide receiver
Dan Krupko was named a Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Collegiate Scholar-Athlete. Krupko enjoyed a stellar 2015 season for the Bald Eagles and also excelled in the classroom, achieving a 3.8 GPA. Krupko was the Bald Eagles main playmaker, finishing with 37 catches and a team-high eight touchdowns after staring all 11 games. He averaged 56 receiving yards per game and 16.65 yard per catch.
Walton named MTC Player of the Year:
In May (2016), quarterback
Caleb Walton was named the Manheim Touchdown Club's 2015 Small College Player of the Year. The Manheim, Pennsylvania native and Manheim Central High School graduate received the Dr. Gene Carpenter Award for the Small College Player of the Year and deservingly so after the LHU quarterback turned in a remarkable effort for the Bald Eagles during the 2015 season.
Over 200 not once, twice:
In Week 8 (Saturday, October 24, 2015) last season, running back
Malyk Harris made his first career start and rushed for 200 yards on 28 carries. Two of his 28 carries went for TDs. The very next week (Week 9, October 31, 2015) vs. Kutztown, Harris rushed for 224 yards on 24 carries.
Strength in the run-game:
Last season, the Bald Eagles ran for three of their greatest individual performances in school history.
Bald Eagles all-time single-game rushing leaders:
Three of LHU's top 13 single-game rushing performances came last season behind an experience offensive line. Four of five offensive line starters are set to return in 2016.
1. 318 Mike Kresovich 1981 vs. Indiana (PA)
2. 272 Joe Speese 1978 vs. Salisbury State
3. 238 Joe Speese 1978 vs. Shippensburg
4. 233 John Kaluzny 2005 vs Mansfield
5. 225 Steve Housler 1977 vs. Indiana (PA)
6. 224 Malyk Harris October 31, 2015 vs. Kutztown
7. 223 Jim Blacksmith 1966 vs. Shippensburg
8. 210 Justin Marshall 2000 vs. Cheyney
9. 201 Mike Kresovich 1981 vs. Shippensburg
10. 200 Malyk Harris October 24, 2015 vs. Millersville
11. 197 Sean Fisher 1997 vs. Clarion
12. 194 Maurice Walker 2001 vs. Cheyney
13. 193 Beau Swales September 26, 2015 vs. East Stroudsburg
Points on the board:
Lock Haven's 56 points scored in the Week 7 (October 17, 2015) win over Cheney last season marked Lock Haven's most points scored in game since LHU beat Edinboro, 56-21 in 1968.
- LHU scored 59 points in 1947 (Won, 59-0 vs. Alliance).
- LHU scored 65 points in 1931 (Won, 65-0 vs. Kutztown).
30 or more:
The 2015 season marks the first time LHU has scored 30+ points in four games during a season since the Bald Eagles did it in 1979. Lock Haven went 9-2 (6-0 PSAC West) in 1979 on the way to the PSAC title. LHU scored 30 or more points five times, all wins during that '79 season.
2015 30+ points scored -
Week 4 vs. ESU: L, 37-34
Week 6 at Shippensburg: L, 44-34
Week 7 vs. Cheyney: W, 56-20
Week 8 at Millersville: W, 36-28
1979 30+ points scored –
Week 3 vs. Bloomsburg: W, 31-21
Week 8 vs. Shippensburg: W, 35-27
Week 8 vs. California (Pa.): W, 40-0
Week 10 vs. Slippery Rock: W, 42-26
Week 11 vs. Cheyney (PSAC Championship): W, 48-14
Where the 2015 offense ranks:
Team Rushing
Rank Yr. Yards
1. 1985 2,394
2. 1979 2,213
3. 1986 2,124
4. 1981 2,046
5. 1978 2,019
6. 2015 1,839
Team Passing
Rank Yr. Yards
1. 1994 3,044
2. 1993 3,028
3. 1995 2,984
4. 2015 2,764
Total Offense
Rank Yr. Yards
1. 2015 4,603
2. 1994 4,423
3. 1993 4,186
4. 1979 4,020
5. 1995 3,885
Single-Season Points Scored
Rank Yr. Points
1. 1979 314
2. 2015 277
3. 1993 259
4. 1999 232
5. 2002 222
Up next:
The Bald Eagles 2016 home-opener is set for Saturday, September 10 vs. Edinboro University (12 p.m.). It's the first of two straight at home for LHU and the first of five home games during the 2016 campaign.
