Reading, Pa. (Sept. 15, 2023) - Alvernia University Football will welcome Widener University to campus as the Golden Wolves host their home opener on Saturday with kickoff against the Pride slated for 1:00 PM.

The Pride are coming to Reading with a 2-0 record and looking to avenge a loss to the Golden Wolves last season in Chester. Alvernia is entering the game looking to pick up its first win of the 2023 season following a 30-23 loss to Eastern University last week on the road. 

The Pride finished the 2022 season with a 3-7 overall record and were 2-6 in MAC play. Alvernia also finished with a 2-6 record in conference play, but finished two spots ahead of the Pride in MAC standings following tie breakers. 

Widener is led by fifth year Head Coach Mike Barainyak, who has a 17-16 overall record with the Pride following the 2-0 start to the 2023 season. 

Inside the Series:
Alvernia was 1-3 against the Pride since the first meeting of the two teams back in 2018. Alvernia is averaging 9.75 points against the Pride through four contests. Widener is averaging 36.25 points per game against Alvernia  - a number that is bolstered by 51-0 and 41-13 wins through the first two matchups of the team back in 2018 and 2019. Alvernia defeated Widener 19-16 last season on a last minute goal line stand for Alvernia that was capped off by a takeaway for the Golden Wolves.

Scouting the Golden Wolves:
Alvernia is coming off a tough loss to first year program Eastern University last week. The Eagles put up 14 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Alvernia 30-23. Following a 90-minute weather delay, the game was back and forth all night before Alvernia took a 23-16 lead in the third quarter. The Eagles then took the lead with 2:17 to play and held off a late drive by Alvernia to come away with the win. 

Despite two losses early in the season, Alvernia has developed over the last two games. The Golden Wolves nearly doubled their offensive production from week one to week two, and the Alvernia defense found more success stopping the run game last week in comparison to week one. 

Through two weeks, the Golden Wolves are ranked eighth in the MAC in points per game (14.5) and total offensive yards per game (280.5). Alvernia's defense is also ranked eighth in yards per game allowed (411) and ninth in points per game allowed (34). 

Alvernia Keys to the Game;
Win the Turnover Battle: Alvernia has been on the positive side of the turnover battle the last two weeks. The Golden Wolves forced four turnovers by the Bears in week one while only losing the ball twice themselves. Alvernia then forced three takeaways against Eastern while losing the ball once. Alvernia will need to continue its positive takeaway trend again against the Pride as Alvernia will need to rely on its defense as the offense continues to develop. Widener has four total turnovers on the season - three of which came in week one against Lycoming - and its defense has six takeaways on the year - five of which came against Lycoming. The Golden Wolves have scored 15 points off of turnovers this season to the Pride's seven.

Limit the Penalties: Alvernia saw its offensive momentum stall a few times the last two weeks on holding or false start calls. Overall, Alvernia is averaging 72 penalty yards per game, while its opponents are averaging 49 yards per game in penalties. Alvernia improved on penalties last week compared to week one, and will need to continue that again this week. On paper, the Pride play a fairly clean game in terms of penalties, and Alvernia cannot afford to give away any free yards to the Pride.

Limit the Opponent Return Game: Despite solid kicking efforts by both Hunter Bojanic and Joe Fragale, opponents are starting drives with solid field position as teams are averaging nearly 21 yards per kick return and about 5.5 yards per punt return. The Pride are coming into Saturday averaging 16.6 yards per kick return, but have not returned a punt yet this year. 

Disrupt the Pass and Force the Run: The Pride have seen a lot of offensive success this year behind transfer quarterback Chase Diehl. Diehl and the Pride are averaging 282 yards in the air per game, and pass the ball nearly 30 times per game. Eight of their ten offensive touchdowns have come via pass, and they average nearly ten yards a completion. Alvernia cannot allow Diehl much time in the backfield to develop the deep ball and need to limit him to short passes or force the run.

Alvernia Players to Watch:
Colin Payne: Payne, who will be playing in his sixth career game on Saturday, is averaging 228 yards per game with a just under 50% completion rating this season. He aired out for 291 yards against Eastern as Alvernia was able to develop more of a passing game against the Eagles in comparison to the Bears in week one. Payne will again have to utilize his legs to bide some time against a Widener defensive front that is averaging 7.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and 4.5 QB hurries a game.

Dohnavin Laybourn-Boddie: Laybourn-Boddie had some positive touches for Alvernia last week against Eastern as Alvernia's running back corps took some hits in week one and during the game against the Eagles. Laybourn-Boddie is averaging 6.6 yards per touch and popped off for a 47 yard rush against Eastern last week. Look for Laybourn-Boddie to continue to develop this week as he gets more game reps and develops alongside the offense.

Dachan Thompson: The Payne-Thompson connection has really developed in Alvernia's first two games this season, with Thompson breaking Alvernia's single game receiving record last week with 139 yards on six receptions. Standing at 6-4 and 200 lbs, Thompson is a mismatch on paper for the secondary listed on the Widener depth chart this week. The same was true last week when Thompson broke the record. If Payne has time to seek out his main target, look for Thompson to again have another stand out game - and the duo may even connect for their first touchdown of the season.

Jamel Fleming: The junior safety is coming off a game where he had both a forced fumble and an interception. Fleming, alongside fellow safety Taron Gale, are responsible for two of Alvernia's three interceptions. Fleming also has ten tackles on the year and is averaging five per game. He also leads the team with three pass breakups. Look for his strong performance last week to fire him up this week.

Elijah Carr: Carr was a defensive force for Alvernia last week, posting a career-high 11 tackles against the Eagles. Carr has been, and will continue to be, one of the first to the ball on every play. His effort level has been a driving force behind Alvernia's defense, and look for that to continue again into this week.

Scouting the Pride:
Widener is coming into Alvernia undefeated. The Pride have defeated Lycoming 42-21 and FDU-Florham 30-20 so far this season. The Pride have yet to play on the road this season.

Widener's offense is off to a strong start behind its transfer quarterback. The Pride are averaging a MAC leading 36 points per game and their defense is second in the MAC in allowing just 20.5 point per game. Widener's offense is also posting a MAC leading 420.5 yards of total offense per game and has scored a MAC leading ten touchdowns. The Pride defense allows just over 300 yards per game and just under five yards per play.

Widener Players to Watch:
Chase Diehl: Diehl is a graduate transfer quarterback who was a member of the Division I Duquesne football team. Diehl played in one game for the Dukes, completing one pass for a 68 yard touchdown in collegiate debut. Diehl is leading MAC quarterbacks in yards per game (282), touchdowns (8), and quarterback efficiency (185.8). He has a 65.5 completion percentage, but has also thrown two interceptions on the year. Diehl does not appear to be much of a rushing threat, and has only run eight times - once for a short touchdown against Lycoming.

Shawn Thompson: Thompson is a graduate running back for the Pride who is averaging 70.5 yards per game this season. He is putting up similar yardage to his backup, Bryce Casey, but Thompson has carried the ball 20 more times this season than Casey. Thompson is averaging 4.3 yards per touch this season, and also has 26 yards receiving. When Alvernia faced Widener last year, Thompson was the leading rusher for the Pride with 121 yards on the day..

Isaac Hostetter: Hostetter is averaging a MAC leading 113 yards per game and averages 20.5 yards per catch. Diehl and Hostetter have connected for five touchdowns so far this season, and he appears to be Diehl's favorite target on downfield plays. His five receiving touchdowns has him ranked third in the nation through two weeks of action. Hostetter stands at 6-1, 180 and will be a top matchup for Alvernia.

Dom D'Alessio: The junior wreaked havoc on Alvernia's special teams last season. He blocked two kicks for the Pride against Alvernia and also recorded a sack in the game. D'Alessio, who will lineup at defensive end, has a team leading 4.5 tackles for a loss along with a sack. His 4.5 TFLs account for over 50% of his total tackles. Alvernia will need to slow him down to establish its offensive game.

Colin Murt: Murt is one of seven seniors or graduate students slated to lineup on defense for the Pride on Saturday. The linebacker is leading Widener with 22 tackles on the season and two interceptions. His 22 tackles are nearly two times as many as Widener's second leading tackler, and it ranks him as the top tackler amongst the MAC.

Game Information:
Kickoff for Saturday's contest is slated for 1:00 PM. Gates will open at 11:30 AM, and tickets will be available in between the Physical Education Center and Campus Commons for $5 each.

Live coverage will be available at auwolves.com/live. Alvernia will be broadcasting the game live to auwolves.com/watch with Dane Sabarese and Billy Fisher on the call.