***GAME DAY PARKING ADVISORY***
Announced Tuesday, September 3
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University football team is set to open the 2019 season at home on Thursday (September 5) night vs. Lincoln. The Week 1 non-conference game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
2019 Community Day:
The Bald Eagles are set to open the 2019 season at home on Thursday, September 5 at 6 p.m. The game marks LHU's 2019 Community Night, presented by Murray Motors. Admission will be free to all on Thursday night. LHU is excited to welcome surrounding community members to Hubert Jack Stadium for the game. The Bald Eagles are also proud to welcome members of the Keystone Central School District, Sugar Valley Charter School and the Lock Haven Catholic School.
Fans attending the game are encouraged to park for free in the Zimmerli Gymnasium Lot, located directly off of Susquehanna Avenue. From there a free shuttle will be provided to transport fans to-and-from Hubert Jack Stadium.
Important Notes:
3 p.m. parking lot, tailgating opens
4 p.m. ticket gates open
*Free transportation will run from the Thomas Fieldhouse circle, the Zimmerli Gymnasium Lot and to Hubert Jack Stadium 1 hour before the game and 1 hour after.
A quick look at the matchup:
The Bald Eagles are looking to improve on last season's 2-9 performance. After opening Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East play with a win over East Stroudsburg on the road in Week 4, LHU rounded out its 2-9 season with a thrilling 50-48 victory over Gannon in the final game of the 2018 season.
Lincoln went 1-9 last season with the Lions lone victory of 2018 coming over Elizabeth City State, 21-20. Since Lincoln went 3-7 in 2015, the Lions have gone 2-28 over the last three seasons.
Lock Haven and Lincoln have only met twice and the Bald Eagles came away a winner on both occasions back in 1947 and 1948. LHU won 19-0 in 1947 and 20-0 in 1948.
Game Day Coverage:
Visit www.GoLHU.com on game day for live coverage links. The LHU Athletic Communication & Marketing office will provide and produce a live stats and a live video stream as part of the PSAC Network. Fans can also listen to the game live and locally on the Bear Country Sports Network. Bear Country Radio, WQBR (99.9FM) is the flagship radio station of LHU Athletics.
A look at LHU's recent season-opening outings:
In each of the last two seasons, the Bald Eagles opened the season vs. NCAA Division I FCS opponents. Last season (2018), Lock Haven opened the year vs. Duquesne and in 2017, the Bald Eagles played at Saint Francis (Pa.). The last time LHU won a season-opening game was in 2013 (Sept. 7), as the Bald Eagles topped West Virginia State, 31-13 at home. That season-opening victory in 2013 marked LHU's first season-opening win since Lock Haven opened the 2005 season on the road at Cheyney with a win.
2019 LHU Coaching Staff:
Dave Taynor // Head Coach (Quarterbacks, Tight Ends)
- 5th season at LHU (2019): 10-34 (9-18 PSAC East)
- 12th season overall (47-74)
Bill Nickell // Offensive Coordinator (Offensive Line, Tight Ends)
Marshall Hall // Defensive Coordinator (Linebackers)
Chris Sprague // Defensive Line
Cameron Tobias // Running Backs/Quarterbacks Assistant
Joseph Webb // Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coordinator
Joshua Radford // Defensive Backs
Bald Eagles picked eighth:
In early August, the PSAC released its preseason coaches' poll and LHU was picked to finish eighth in the Eastern Division. West Chester grabbed six of eight first-place votes and sat atop the preseason poll in the East. PSAC-newcomer Shepherd received a pair of first-place votes and was ranked second in the preseason coaches' poll. Kutztown rounded out the top-three. Shippensburg checked in at No. 4 and was followed by No. 5 Bloomsburg, No. 6. East Stroudsburg, No. 7 Millersville, before the Bald Eagles at No. 8.
In the Western Division, Slippery Rock was picked as the preseason-favorite. The Rock received six of eight first-place votes. Cal U checked in at No. 2 and IUP rounded out the top-three. Mercyhurst was voted in at No. 4 and the Lakers were followed by No. 5 Edinboro, No. 6 Gannon, No. 7 Clarion and No. 8 Seton Hill.
A look back at last year:
Last season, Lock Haven was 2-9 overall and 1-5 in PSAC East action. The Bald Eagles' PSAC East win came in their divisional opener (Week 4, Sept. 22) at East Stroudsburg, as they knocked off the hosts, 44-41, in a thriller. LHU closed the 2018 season with another thrilling road victory. Playing in blizzard-like conditions at Gannon, Lock Haven came away with a 50-48 win at Gannon in last year's season-finale. The win over Gannon marked head coach
Dave Taynor's first against a PSAC West opponent and Lock Haven's first win against a Western-Division team since the 2007 season-finale at Clarion.
Jackson, an All-American at tight end, returns:
All-American tight end
Jalen Jackson returns to lead the way for the Bald Eagle offense. Following a remarkable sophomore season in 2018, Jackson was named to three different All-American Teams after earning First Team All-Region and All-PSAC East honors. Jackson, one of the premier tight ends in all of Division II football and one of the most dynamic offense threats in the PSAC, led all players at the position in the PSAC with seven receiving touchdowns last season. Jackson hauled in 44 catches for 537 yards. Jackson averaged 48.8 receiving yards per game. He capped the season with a three-touchdown game in the thrilling win over Gannon in the season-finale on the road. Back in 2017 as a true-freshman, Jackson hauled in 26 catches for 332 yards.
Knight back under center:
Dual-threat quarterback
Kyle Knight returns to the field for Lock Haven. Knight, who will be a redshirt-sophomore, suffered a season-ending injury during Week 1 of the last season, but he will look to build off a remarkable true-freshman season in 2017. During his true-freshman season in 2017, he took over the play calling in Week 2 vs. perennial DII power Slippery Rock, went on to rush for 104 yards and the rest is history as he then rattled off a remarkable "run" over the next seven games. In all, the two-time PSAC Offensive Player of the Week made six starts (10GP) and finished with 760 rushing yards (76/game), 655 passing yards (65.5/game), 10 total touchdowns (8 rush, 2 pass) and he threw for just two interceptions in 114 attempts. Knight recorded four games of 100-plus rushing yards including 174 in the comeback-win at Bloomsburg. He rushed for a season-high 181 yards and four TDs in the win over Cheyney. He threw for 264 yards in a narrow-loss to ESU in Week 10.
Pair of additional offensive standouts return:
Running back
Chantz Swartz and wide receiver
Bryan Greene return to help round out an impressive group of offensive returners who stood out a year ago for the Bald Eagles. Swartz and Green, both of whom were All-PSAC East Offensive Second Team selections last season, are two of six total offensive starters returning for head coach
Dave Taynor. Last season, Greene did it all for Lock Haven. The hard-nosed wide receiver hauled in 41 catches for 578 yards and three TDs. He also added another speedy-threat to the run game and provided outstanding downfield-blocking. In 2018, Swartz carried the ball 126 times for 759 yards. He averaged 69 rushing yards per game and scored five rushing TDs on the season. Swartz also had four touchdown catches and led the Bald Eagles in scoring with 48 points.
Returning defensive stat leaders come in youthful form:
Alex Welch is LHU's top returning defensive player. Last season he made 69 tackles (30 solo, 5.5 TFL, 1 sack, 3 brup, 3 ff). Welch, a redshirt-junior headlines a trio of extremely talented returners.
Shane Scott and
Austin Barber, are both rising sophomores who started last season as true-freshmen. Scott registered 49 tackles and Barber made 32 stops. They combined for 5.5 tackles-for-loss,
An anniversary year:
For the LHU football program, the 2019 marks the Bald Eagles 40th anniversary of their 1979 PSAC Championship. Overall, LHU went 9-2 overall during the '79 season. Lock Haven was a perfect 6-0 in PSAC West play that season on the way to the regular season divisional title. In the title game that season, the Bald Eagles rolled by Cheyney, 48-14. To date, the '79 championship marks LHU's last PSAC title in football. It was the Bald Eagles eighth overall. The "Saylor System" awarded Lock Haven the 1958 co-conference title after an 8-0 season (5-0 PSAC). The "Sportswriters" also crowned the Bald Eagles conference champs in 1942, 1937, 1936, 1933, 1931 and 1930.
Lock Haven Returning Stat Leaders:
Passing
Ethan Persa (34-81, 495 YDS, 2 TD)
Rushing
Chantz Swartz (126 CAR, 759 YDS, 5 TD)
Receiving
Jalen Jackson (44 REC, 537 YDS, 7 TD, 48.8 YDS/G)
Bryan Greene (41 REC, 578 YDS, 3 TD, 57.8 YDS/G)
Defensive
Alex Welch (69 TOT, 30 SOLO, 5.5 TFL)
Shane Scott (49 TOT, 27 SOLO, 2 TFL)
Austin Barber (32 TOT, 23 SOLO, 3.5 TFL)
LHU well represented on PSAC's 150 Contributors:
In early August, as part of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's annual football media day, the league was honored to recognize a group of individuals who have been distinguished as the PSAC's 150 Contributors as part of celebrating 150 years of college football.
In all, eight former Bald Eagle players and coaches were named to the PSAC's 150 Contributors: Rob Carey, Fran Cornelius, George Dintiman, Hubert Jack, Bill McCollum, Bob Peck, Joe Speese and Caleb Walton.
The 2019 schedule
In all, the 2019 schedule features an 11-game slate, which includes six home games. Of those six home games, two will come on Thursday night. Homecoming comes early for the Bald Eagles in 2019, as they host PSAC East rival East Stroudsburg on Saturday, September 28 at 3 p.m. The game also marks LHU's 2019 PSAC East opener. For the first time, Lock Haven will host PSAC-newcomer Shepherd in PSAC East play. The Week 5 contest will be played on Thursday, October 3 at 6 p.m. The Bald Eagles will also host Kutztown, West Chester and Gannon during the season. Lock Haven's road games will come at Clarion, IUP, Millersville, Bloomsburg and Shippensburg.
*The full 2019 schedule is available at GoLHU.com.
Up next:
The Bald Eagles will travel to Clarion for Week 2 action on Saturday, September 14. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
