Stevenson, Md. (Sept. 16, 2022) - Alvernia University is set to open its MAC schedule this weekend on the road at Stevenson University.

The1-1 Golden Wolves are coming off a 38-35 road win over Oberlin University on Saturday.  The 2-0 Mustangs are coming off a 35-21 win over #21 Salisbury University. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM at Stevenson's Mustang Stadium.

Inside the Series:
This will be the second official meeting between the Mustangs and Golden Wolves. Alvernia hosted Stevenson University last season where the Mustangs came to Alvernia and handed the Golden Wolves a 35-6 loss. Alvernia's only points came on a 60 yard touchdown pass to Neeko Scurlock via Kevin Washington. 

Alvernia also traveled to Stevenson for an exhibition game in the Spring of 2021 during the COVID-19 altered schedule.

Scouting the Golden Wolves
Alvernia is coming off its first win since 2019 with its 38-35 win over the Yeomen. Alvernia led by as much as 31-14 with 14:11 left to play in the fourth quarter before Oberlin came storming back. The Golden Wolves were able to hold Oberlin off to come away with the win. 

The Golden Wolves also had a more balanced production on offense against the Yeomen compared to Alvernia's heavy passing presence in week one. The Golden Wolves threw the ball 29 times and ran it 31 times in week two. 

Alvernia Keys to the Game
Win The Turnover Battle: While Alvernia struggled with ball security in week one, the Golden Wolves did not turn it over once in their win over Oberlin on Saturday. The Golden Wolves also had two interceptions - both by Taron Gale - against the Yeomen. That will be key this week as the Mustangs forced three fumbles in their win over Salisbury on Saturday. However, Mustang QB Ryan Sedgwick also threw two interceptions against Salisbury in the win. 

Play a Complete Game: After two weeks, Alvernia has not yet had a strong performance in all four quarters. The Golden Wolves fell behind early in the first quarter in game one against Ursinus - allowing the Bears to jump out a 21-0 lead. Alvernia had a fantastic second quarter, outsourcing Ursinus 20-10, but again fell behind in the third quarter. In week two against Oberlin, the Golden Wolves had three fantastic quarters, but allowed the Yeomen to get back into it in the third quarter. Alvernia's defense allowed Oberlin to pick up 178 yards of offense in the fourth quarter, while Alvernia produced just 56 yards of offense.

Win on Special Teams: Alvernia's special teams were much improved in week two from week one, and Alvernia will need to maintain and improve on that against the Mustangs. Alvernia will need to play a clean game on kickoff and punt coverage, not allowing the Mustangs to take over and work on a short field. The Mustangs are averaging over 30 yards a return to Alvernia's 16.46 yards a return. Alvernia has given up an average of nearly 26 yards a kickoff return.

Golden Wolves to Watch
Colin Payne - Quarterback: Payne has had a great start to his collegiate career. The first year is averaging 7.3 yards a completion and 280.5 yards a game. He has thrown for a total of  561 yards and five touchdowns this season, and has turned the ball over twice - both against Ursinus.

EJ Lee - Running Back: After Lee was held to just 24 yards on the ground against Ursinus, the graduate student running back found his rhythm against the Yeomen. Lee rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns against Oberlin - both of which were for over 30 yards. Lee's explosiveness and ability to make the first man miss will be essential against the Mustangs. 

Taron Gale - Defensive Back: Gale had a standout performance against Oberlin last week and will look to ride that momentum into Saturday. Gale had two interceptions for the Golden Wolves against the Yeomen and added five tackles.

Pasquale Savarese - Defensive End: Savarese was a force in the backfield for Alvernia against Oberlin. He had 2.5 tackles for total loss of 11 yards, and also had a half a sack. He worked his way into the backfield on a majority of plays against the Yeomen to consistently disrupt their offense. 

Scouting the Mustangs
Stevenson is coming off a 35-21 win over #21 Salisbury University to improve to 2-0. The Mustangs forced late turnovers and scored 14 unanswered to top Salibury. Stevenson allowed just 38 yards rushing in the second half after giving up over 200 yards on the ground in the first half. Stevenson also defeated St. Vincent 25-21 in game one of the season. 

The Mustangs are averaging  276.5 yards per game and 4.7 yards per play. They have held their opponents to an average of 286.5 yards per game and 4.8 yards per play. Stevenson has averaged 170.5 yards in the air per game and 106 yards per game on the ground.

Mustangs to Watch
Ryan Sedgwick - Quarterback: Sedgwick broke Stevenson's all-time passing touchdown career record last week with his 63rd of his career against Salisburg. Sedgwick is also just four completions shy of the 500 marker. Sedgwick is 29-for-45 with two interceptions and three touchdowns. Sedgwick has thrown for 337 yards so far this season, and averages 11.6 yards a completion.

Brandon Walker - Running Back: Stevenson has split time at the running back position fairly evenly, with Walker taking slightly more reps for the Mustangs than Maurice Hammond. Walker has run the ball 26 times for 83 yards and three touchdowns. 

Steven Smothers - Wide Receiver: Smothers is Sedgwick's favorite target so far this season. He has 16 receptions to lead the wide receivers - 12 more than any other target for the Mustangs. Smothers averages 10.9 yards a reception, and has two touchdowns on the year. 

Tom Zatalava - Linebacker: Zatalava is the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week and was named to the D3Football.com National Team of the Week after posting nine tackles, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble in Stevenson's win over Salisbury. Zatalava has 17 total tackles on the season to lead the Mustangs into week three.

Demetrius Salley - Linebacker: Salley is the only member of the Stevenson defense to record at least one sack on the season. Salley has been credited with 1.5 sacks on the year and has two tackles for a loss and ten total tackles.

Game Information
Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills, Maryland. Live options are available at auwolves.com/live.