Hounds Set to Host Keystone in First-Ever Landmark Conference Game on Coach to Cure MD Day Saturday

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team plays its first-ever Landmark Conference contest as the Greyhounds host Keystone College on Saturday, September 30. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Rocco Calvo Field in Bethlehem. The game will be the fourth straight that the Hounds will be playing the opponent for the first time in program history, and it will also mark the Hounds' participation in the annual Coach to Cure MD game. 

THE COACHES: Jeff Long (Muhlenberg '14) is in his first season as Moravian's head coach with a 1-3 record, and he is just the fifth head coach for the Hounds' program since 1955 when Rocco Calvo began his legendary career guiding the Greyhounds. The Blue and Grey have played 830 games over 96 seasons, and Long is the 13th coach since the program resumed action in 1930 after a 25-year break. Moravian's first football game was played in 1898. Long has spent the last six seasons with the Blue Streaks including the last three years as defensive coordinator. He began his time at John Carroll as the defensive line coach and has also been a secondary coach and linebackers coach. Prior to coaching at John Carroll, Long spent two seasons as a defensive line coach at Wilkes University, and he also worked as a scouting intern for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015.
     Keystone coach Justin Higgins (Ithaca, 2000) is in his third year as head coach with a record of 4-20. 

THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting will be the first contest between the schools.

COACH TO CURE MD: For the 16th year, college football coaches nationwide including the Moravian University staff will join in support of the Coach To Cure MD program, held during games this weekend. The annual effort has raised more than a $2.1 million to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). On the weekend of Sept. 30, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) members will once again wear the traditional Coach To Cure MD logo patch on the sidelines, and college football fans will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest, most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne. Many of those games will recognize a local Duchenne family on the field before or during the game. Coach To Cure MD began in 2008 with more than 200 schools and 2,675 coaches involved. Sixteen years later, that effort has expanded to 620 different schools and more than 11,350 coaches wearing the logo patch on the sidelines and participating in Coach To Cure MD events – a growth of more than 325 percent. Football fans can help support the fight to end Duchenne by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 501501 to make a $25 donation on your next mobile phone bill. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood, primarily affecting boys of all races and cultures. People with Duchenne develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency, and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne. But thanks to Coach To Cure MD and the work of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, there is hope. 

BALANCED & EXPERIENCED 'HOUNDS: Of the 75 players on the Moravian roster, 23 are freshmen, 23 are sophomores and 18 are juniors. There are 11 seniors on this season's squad, and the Greyhounds return 47 letterwinners and 14 starters from 2022.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE LANDMARK CONFERENCE: After 15 seasons as an associate member of the Centennial Conference, the Greyhounds are moving to the Landmark Conference this fall with all of Moravian's other sports with the Landmark Conference hosting its inaugural season in 2023 after adding Lycoming College and Wilkes University as full members and Keystone College as an associate member. The Hounds were selected fifth in the preseason coaches poll while the Giants were picked sixth.

LANDMARK CONFERENCE HONORS: Senior punter/defensive back Colin Conway was named the Landmark Conference Football Special Teams Athlete of the Week for his performance last week. Conway punted three times in the Greyhounds' 20-19 loss to SUNY Morrisville for an average of 53.3 yards with all three punts ending up inside the 20-yard line, and the 53.3 average is the best in school history for a punter with three or more kicks in a game. Conway also gained 19 yards and a first down while taking a bad snap on a punt attempt and running off the left side. 

THE QUARTERBACKS: Junior Jared Jenkins has completed 92-of-142 passes for 1,060 yards to go with eight touchdowns and three interceptions this season. Jenkins has been sacked seven times. Junior Carter Hallgren has attempted one pass this fall.

THE BACKFIELD: Senior running back Nate Boyle leads the Moravian rushing attack with 245 yards and four touchdowns on 82 carries. Sophomore running back Camron Tinajero has 13 carries for 29 yards while freshman quarterback Avery Koser has run for 18 yards on three attempts. Freshman running back LJ Cooper has gained 14 yards on six attempts and freshman running back Mike Willis has 13 yards on four attempts.

THE OFFENSIVE LINE: Moravian has three returning starters in juniors left tackle Reins Leedy, center Brandon Guffy and right guard Paul DeFalco. Junior Dalton Kucher has earned the starting left guard spot while freshman Eli Thompson will start at right tackle. The Hounds' line averages 6-2, 277, and the quintet has allowed just four sacks this season. Senior Riley Craft and freshman Mason Ludlow saw action on the line in the game at Utica with Ludlow also starting against The Apprentice School and SUNY Morrisville.

THE WIDE RECEIVERS: The Greyhounds have had nine different players catch a pass in 2023 led by senior Jordan Bingham, who has grabbed 24 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns in his first season at Moravian after transferring from Valparaiso University. Senior wide receiver Brad Bryan has 17 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns while junior wide receiver Bryan Monge has added 15 receptions for 106 yards. Junior wide receiver Jordan Lewis has caught 10 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. while senior wide receiver Tim Garlick has nine catches for 69 yards. Senior running back Nate Boyle has caught eight passes for 93 yards while sophomore running back Camron Tinajero has six catches for 24 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Tre Crenshaw has grabbed two passes for 14 yards while junior wide receiver Nick Weston has one reception for 11 yards. Bingham has one two-point conversion catch on a pass from Boyle to win the game versus Apprentice in the final 20 seconds. 

DEFENSIVE FRONT: Junior nose guard Jeremy McGuigan leads the Moravian defensive lineman with 14 tackles with a sack, a tackle for loss and a blocked kick while sophomore defensive tackle Nathan Carr has also made 13 stops. Sophomore defensive end EJ Harvey has 10 tackles with two and a half sacks and two and a half tackles for loss while sophomore defensive end Drew Bailey has contributed nine tackles with one for loss. Freshman defensive lineman Logan Arteaga and junior defensive tackle Prince Sokpo both have three tackles while freshman defensive end EJ Boney has made two stops.

THE LINEBACKER CORPS: Sophomore Clay Basile leads linebackers and the team with 28 tackles to go with three tackles for loss, two and a half sacks and two pass breakups while senior Chris Ortalano has contributed 24 tackles, two ad a half tackles for loss, a sack and a pair of pass breakups. Sophomore Ethan O'Neill has added 20 stops, with a sack, a tackle for loss, an interception, two passes defended and a fumble recovery while freshman Jackson Lake has 12 tackles and a pass breakup. Sophomore Jashon Teller has made nine stops and added a pass break-up and one and a half tackles for loss while sophomore Damere Rooker has eight tackles with a sack and a tackle for loss. Sophomore Josh Ruela has contributed seven tackles while sophomore Cael Markle has four stops and junior Jeremiah Espinosa has recorded three tackles.

THE DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: Senior safety Zach Scillia leads the Moravian defensive backs with 16 stops, an interception and two passes defended while junior safety Isaiah Johnson has 14 tackles and three pass breakups. Senior safety Colin Conway has added 13 tackles to go with one pass breakup while sophomore cornerback Shea Endean has contributed eight tackles, an interception and four passes defended. Sophomore cornerback Matt Capobianco has four tackles and four pass breakups while freshman defensive back Anderson Louis Jeune has a trio of tackles and a fumble recovery.

KICKING GAME: Senior Colin Conway has punted 21 times for an average of 41.5 yards per punt with three fair caught, 10 inside the 20-yard line and a long of 59 yards while junior quarterback Jared Jenkins has punted once for 22 yards. Senior running back Nate Boyle is 4-for-5 on extra-points this fall while sophomore wide receiver Sean Murphy has attempted on PAT this season. Freshman Anderson Louis Jeune has kicked off 11 times for an average of 48.5 yards while freshman Jackson Lake has kicked off three times for an average of 44.0 yards. Boyle has one kickoff for 39 yards Jenkins has a free kick for 35 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Freshman wide receiver Nick Coffaro has returned six kickoffs for 131 yards with a long of 50 yards, and he has also made a pair of tackles on special teams and returned two punts. Senior wide receiver Jordan Bingham has added three kickoff returns for 63 yards and a special teams tackle while freshman defensive back Anderson Louis Jeune has returned two kickoffs for nine yards. Junior wide receiver Bryan Monge has one kickoff return for 18 yards while sophomore running back Camron Tinajero has two kickoff returns for 19 yards. Junior wide receiver Nick Weston has one tackle on special teams. Junior wide receiver Will Castel has three punt returns for 33 yards.

MILESTONE WATCH: The Greyhounds have five players closing in on milestones for his career. Senior running back Nate Boyle became the 26th player in school history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards when he reached the milestone versus Juniata College, and Boyle has 1,665 yards on 427 career carries to sit in 13th all-time in yards and tenth in rushing attempts. Boyle, who has 15 career touchdowns (14 rushing, one receiving) to sit 15th in touchdown scoring, needs 335 yards to become the 12th Greyhound to reach 2,000 career yards. Junior quarterback Jared Jenkins has reached 1,000 career passing yards with 1,652 yards on 133-of-215 to go with 13 career touchdown passes. Jenkins needs 348 yards to become the 16th quarterback in program history to throw for 2,000 yards. Senior wide receivers Brad Bryan and Tim Garlick are both closing in on 1,000 career receiving yards with Bryan needing 336 yards and Garlick needing 349 yards. Senior punter/defensive back Colin Conway set the school record for punt average in a single game with three or more punt attempts when he averaged 53.3 yards per punt on three kicks in the Hounds' game with SUNY Morrisville.

SCOUTING KEYSTONE COLLEGE: The Giants are 1-3 on the season after a 43-10 loss at Hobart College last Saturday. Freshman quarterback Demiko Suggs leads the Keystone offense on the field having completed 42-of-65 passes for 449 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, and he has run for 105 yards on 37 attempts. Junior quarterback Donald Leach III is 12-for-21 for 175 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to go with 51 yards on six attempts while freshman quarterback Paul Drummond has completed 2-of-7 passes for six yards to go with 17 yards and three rushing attempts. Senior Jorden Cook leads the receivers with nine catches for 133 yards and a touchdown while junior wide receiver Jayson Nami has eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Michael Bond has seven receptions for 94 yards and two scores, and junior tight end Reese Karp also has seven catches for 77 yards and senior Da'Jaun Vales has seven receptions for 77 yards. Junior wide receiver Richie Crews has five receptions for 76 yards and a score while junior wide receiver Chanz Stevens has five catches for 61 yards. Junior Mujaheed Muhammad leads the Keystone rushing attack with 283 yards and four touchdowns on 68 carries while senior running back Damir Green has added 100 yards and two scores on 33 attempts. Bond has returned four punts for 20 yards while Nami as 15 kickoff returns for 290 yards. Sophomore kicker Jeremiah Ortiz has made 9-of-10 extra-points and his only field goal attempt of 25 yards, and Ortiz is averaging 42.5 yards per kickoff on 14 attempts. Senior punter/linebacker Zac Cost is averaging 36.8 yards per punt with a long of 58 yards, six inside the 20-yard line, two touchbacks and one fair caught. Senior safety CJ Riccobono leads the Giants' defense with 25 tackles to go with two pass breakups and a forced fumble while sophomore linebacker Benjamin Pfitzinger has 20 tackles. Senior defensive back Sean Pettway has made 18 tackles with four passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while junior linebacker Quentin Tibbs has also contributed 18 stops with two tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive lineman Elijah Washington has made 16 tackles with two for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while freshman linebacker Joshua Orozco has 15 stops with one and a half for loss. 

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Moravian and Keystone have not met on the gridiron before.

OVERTIME 'HOUNDS: Moravian has played a total of 12 overtime games since the NCAA instituted the rule for the 1996 season and is 9-3 all-time in the extra-session including a pair of overtimes wins in 2021. Five of those 12 overtime games have been against Juniata College with the Greyhounds going 4-1 in those games. Moravian's contest in Huntingdon in 2008 marked the first time in the Greyhounds' have needed more than one overtime session in a game. The 2021 season marked the fourth year that Moravian has played at least two overtimes games in one season, the other years were 2008 when the Hounds played two overtime contests, 1999 when the Greyhounds played three overtime games and 1997 when Moravian played two overtime contests.

THE LANDMARK CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS: The Greyhounds rank third in the Landmark Conference in total offense at 345.0 yards per game after four weeks, and the Hounds are second in passing offense at 265.0 yards per contest. The Blue & Grey are second the Landmark Conference in time of possession at 31:51 per outing. Junior quarterback Jared Jenkins is second in the Landmark Conference in passing yards per game at 265.0, and he is third in passing efficiency with a 140.5 rating. Senior running back Nate Boyle is fifth in the conference in rushing yards at 61.3 per outing and he is third in the Landmark in scoring at 7.0 points per contest while senior wide receiver Jordan Bingham is fourth in receiving yards at 72.3 per outing, and he is fourth in scoring at 6.5 points per game. Senior wide receiver Brad Bryan ranks third in the conference in receiving yards at 79.0 per contest while junior wide receiver Bryan Monge is ninth at 35.3 yards per game and junior wide receiver Jordan Lewis ranks tenth at 34.5 yards per outing. Freshman wide receiver Nick Coffaro is fourth in the Landmark Conference in kickoff return average at 21.8 yards per return on three attempts. Senior defensive back/punter Colin Conway leads the conference in punting with an average of 41.5 yards per punt. Sophomore linebacker Clay Basile is tied for sixth in the Landmark at 7.0 tackles per game. Sophomore defensive lineman EJ Harvey is tied for the conference lead in sacks with 0.83 per contest while junior defensive back Isaiah Johnson and sophomore defensive backs Shea Endean and Matt Capobianco are all tied for second with 1.00 passes defended a game.