Reading, Pa. (Oct. 28, 2022) - After two weeks on the road, Alvernia returns home on Saturday to host King's College in a MAC Football matchup at Alvernia University on Saturday at 12:00 PM.

The 2-5 Golden Wolves are coming off a 42-10 loss to Lycoming College on Saturday, while the 6-1 Monarchs are coming off a 34-24 win over Lebanon Valley College to mark their fifth straight win.

Alvernia is 1-4 in MAC play and looking to pick up their first home win of the season. King's is 5-1 in MAC play and has yet to lose on the road this season. Their only loss of the 2022 campaign was against Delaware Valley University back in week three. The Aggies were ranked #15 in the nation at the time of the contest, and have since moved up to #9 in the nation.

Inside the Series
Alvernia is 0-3 against the Monarchs, with the last match seeing the Monarchs edge the Golden Wolves 10-7 at King's. The Monarchs scored a touchdown with 29 seconds remaining for the go-ahead score. The last time King's came to Alvernia was in Alvernia's first year. The Golden Wolves fell to the Monarchs 51-7 in that contest, with King's throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for four more. 

The last two matchups between Alvernia and King's have been decided by one score or less. Alvernia nearly completed a second-half comeback in 2019 after trailing the Monarchs 28-7 at the half. The Golden Wolves lost the contest 35-28 as they came up short on the final drive of the game.

Scouting the Golden Wolves
Alvernia is averaging 18.9 points per game and sits in 9th in the MAC in average scoring. The Alvernia offense is 7th overall in the MAC with an average of 307.4 yards per game, but Alvernia is coming off its least productive offensive outing of the season after producing just 190 yards of offense last week against Lycoming. It was the first time Alvernia was held to under 200 yards of total offense this season. Alvernia is averaging 5.1 yards per play. The Golden Wolves rush for an average of 118.7 yards per game, and pass for an average of 188.7 yards per game.

Alvernia's defense is allowing 37 points per game and is giving up an average of 398.4 yards per game. The Golden Wolves defense allows an average of 176.4 yards on the ground and 222 yards in the air. Opponents are 30-37 when making a trip to the red zone this season against Alvernia. They have scored 25 touchdowns and five field goals. Alvernia has also forced two turnovers on downs in the red zone and three turnovers. 


Alvernia Players to Watch
EJ Lee - Running Back: King's defense gives up just 108 yards of offense on the ground. Lee will need to establish his game early to help the rest of the Alvernia offense develop throughout the game. Lee was held to his lowest totals of the season last week against Lycoming. Look for the graduate student to come out and get back on track this week.

Neeko Scurlock - Wide Receiver: Scurlock is the most targeted receiver for the Golden Wolves. He has 25 receptions on the year and averages just under 40 yards a game with three touchdowns on the year. The fifth year receiver has been with Alvernia since the beginning of the program. Look for him to feed off the energy of playing in his penultimate game in front of a home crowd.

Jamel Fleming - Defensive Back: Fleming has played in four games this season and has amassed 25 tackles on the year, including 1.5 tackles for a loss. He also has a forced fumble on the year and was a major part of the defensive stand that sealed a win over Widener two weeks ago. The sophomore was also the leading tackler for Alvernia last week against Lycoming with nine takedowns.

Taron Gale - Defensive Back: Gale and Fleming have been a dynamic duo in the secondary for Alvernia. Gale is leading the Golden Wolves with three interceptions. He and teammate Marc Kauffman each have 35 tackles on the year to sit second overall for Alvernia. The Monarchs find a lot of success in the passing game compared to the ground game. So both Fleming, Gale and the entire Alvernia secondary will be busy on Saturday.

Luke Ammarell - Defensive Tackle: Ammarell and the rest of the defensive line will need to pressure the Monarch's quarterback and force him to make mistakes and limit time for deep ball opportunities. King's averages just 2.3 yards a carry, so Ammarell and the line will need to make first contact quickly on the run game to keep that number low.

Alvernia Keys to the Game
Protect the Ball: Alvernia had four turnovers last week against the Warriors. Lycoming was able to score points off of each turnover, allowing the Warriors to get out of reach. Alvernia will need to hang onto the ball and to keep the explosive King's offense from gaining any extra touches.

Force Turnovers: King's has six interceptions and 10 fumbles on the year, including eight lost fumbles. In both Alvernia's wins, the Golden Wolves have forced an average of four turnovers. In all of Alvernia's losses, they have averaged 0.8 takeaways. Alvernia will need to get at least one takeaway from the Monarchs to limit their scoring opportunities. 

Disrupt the Pass: While King's has more rushing attempts than passing, the Monarchs find significantly more success in the air. They average 8.2 yards per passing attempt and just 2.3 yards per rushing attempt. Alvernia will need to pressure King's QB Tyler Moore and force him into check downs and mistakes while limiting the deep ball.

Scouting the Monarchs
King's is one of the most improved teams in the MAC from 2021 to 2022. The Monarchs are red hot and have won five straight games. Their offense is averaging 22.7 points per game with 21 touchdowns and five field goals on the year.

The Monarchs average just under 320 yards of total offense a game, and pick up an average of five yards a play. They average a MAC low 2.2 yards per carry, but lead the MAC in passing with 238 yards a game and 8.2 yards an attempt. 

The Monarch defense allows 19.1 points per game. The Monarchs allow just under 300 yards of total offense a game, and allow 4.4 yards per play. They allow just 108 yards of rushing a game and allow 190.6 yards of passing a game.

Monarchs to Watch
Tyler Moore - Quarterback: Moore has played in every game between the Golden Wolves and Monarchs. The graduate student has thrown for three touchdowns against Alvernia with one interception. He has 28 completions on 44 attempts for 333 yards. This year, Moore is leading the MAC with 1,666 total passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and an average of 238 yards per game.

Shemar Ellis - Running Back: Ellis is a 5-10, 250 lb sophomore running back for the Monarchs. Ellis has 247 total yards this season on 82 touches. He has 13 more touches on the season than first-year Jayon Hailey, but Hailey is averaging 4.7 yards a touch to Ellis' 3.0 yards.

Brendan Mozeleski - Linebacker: Mozeleski has 46 tackles on the year - 23 solo and 23 assisted - with five tackles for a loss for 24 yards. He has two quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, and a team-high three forced fumbles.

Joseph Carchio - Defensive Back: Carchio is the Monarchs leading tackler with 54 takedowns on the season. He has two interceptions and three pass break-ups with one forced fumble. 

Other Notables
King's College made history last year when kickers Delaney Hilferty and Alyssa Accordino both scored points on extra point attempts in a 51-12 win over Albright last season. It marked the first time in history that two female placekickers scored points in an NCAA game. Both are returning to the Monarchs this year as sophomore kickers, and Hilferty is listed as the back-up kicker on this week's depth chart.

Game Information: 
Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM on Alvernia's Turf Field. Tickets will be available for purchase in between the Physical Education Center and Campus Commons. Students are $4 and adults are $6. Live options are available at auwolves.com/live. The game marks one of five home events on Saturday. Following football, men's and women's soccer will host Stevenson University in the regular season finale. Men's and Women's Ice Hockey are also in action at Body Zone on Saturday. The women host SUNY Canton at 12:30 PM, and the men host Rivier at 4:30 PM.