Reading, Pa. (Oct. 18, 2024) - Alvernia University Football is set to host Eastern University on Saturday afternoon as the Golden Wolves take on the Eagles at 1:00 PM during Homecoming and Family Weekend.

Alvernia is coming off a 37-26 loss to undefeated FDU-Florham last weekend. The Golden Wolves led at the half, 20-16, and held a 26-23 lead late in the third quarter before the Devils scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter to take the 37-26 win over Alvernia.

Eastern University enters Saturday with a 1-4 record following a 35-23 loss to King's College last week. Eastern's lone win of the season came in Reading when the Eagles defeated Albright College, 41-20, in week four.

Eastern University is in its second season overall and is under the direction of Head Coach Billy Crocker. The Eagles went 2-8 in their first season in 2023.

Inside the Series
The Golden Wolves and Eagles met at Franklin Field in 2023 for the inaugural matchup of two of the newest teams in Division III football. The 2023 matchup was closely contested through the first three quarters, and Alvernia led, 23-16. entering the fourth quarter. Eastern tied the game at 23-23 on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Sabor Stevens to Justin Nikolopoulas with 6:12 to play in the game, and Eastern then took the 30-23 lead on a 74-yard touchdown drive with 2:10 remaining. Alvernia was driving to retake the lead, but the Eagles intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal their first win in program history.

Scouting the Golden Wolves
Despite the loss, Alvernia's performance against FDU on Saturday was one of its most well-rounded efforts over the last two seasons. Alvernia put up its highest point total (26 points) since game seven against Lebanon Valley last year. It was also Alvernia's second consecutive game with at least 20 points since weeks one and two of 2022.

Alvernia got the running game involved early and ran a well-balanced offense with 24 rushing plays and 35 passing attempts against FDU. The Golden Wolves averaged 12.2 yards per completion. Alvernia had three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Alvernia also held FDU Florham to its lowest offensive output this season. The Golden Wolves held FDU to under eight yards per pass for the first time this season as well.

Alvernia is averaging 15.4 points per game going into Saturday's game against Eastern. The Golden Wolves average 54.6 rushing yards per game and 175.6 passing yards per game for an average of 230.2 yards of total offense per game. Alvernia's defense is allowing 38.6 points per game and 425 yards per game. The Golden Wolves are also allowing 201.4 rushing yards per game, but held FDU to just 108 yards per game - by far the fewest rushing yards Alvernia has allowed this year.

Keys to the Game
Get Out to a Quick Start: This was a key part of Alvernia's early success against FDU last week that allowed the Golden Wolves to threaten the undefeated Devils. Prior to last week, Alvernia was outscored 101-10 in the first half through its first four games. Last week, Alvernia put up 20 first half points to double its first half output on the season. Eastern has scored just 40 first half points this season, so Alvernia will have an opportunity to get on the Eagles early if Alvernia performs the way it did in the first half last week.

Limit the Turnovers: Alvernia did a fantastic job with this through the first three quarters last week. But, an interception thrown by Alvernia in the fourth quarter setup FDU's game-winning drive in the fourth quarter against the Devils. Eastern is a team that can take the ball away - the Eagles have five interceptions and four fumble recoveries coming into Saturday. The Golden Wolves will need to keep the ball secure and not allow any additional opportunities for Eastern.

Win on 3rd Down: Alvernia had its highest third down conversion rate of the season last week with a 40% success rate on third down. But, moving the chains on third down is still something the Golden Wolves struggle with, with an overall conversion rate of just under 21% this season. Alvernia also struggles to stop its opponents on third down. Alvernia's opponents are moving the chains at a 50% success rate heading into Saturday. 3rd down conversions are also a weak point for Eastern. The Eagles have a 33% conversion rate this season and are allowing a near 50% conversion rate for their opponents as well. 

Homecoming Success: Alvernia has just three wins at home in program history, and just one win at home since the season-long break for Covid. Alvernia has had success on homecoming weekend though in the past. The Golden Wolves defeated Lycoming on October 12, 2019, 29-24 for its first MAC win in program history. Alvernia will look for some more of that Homecoming luck on Saturday. Alvernia will also look to have some of the success that its other fall programs have had rub off on the football program this week in front of the Homecoming crowd. Alvernia's fall teams are 19-9-1 this season at home. So, football has a chance to pick-up Alvernia's 20th home victory of the year. 

Alvernia Players to Watch
Zach Ayers - Zach Ayers has been a dynamic and explosive player for Alvernia on both offense and special teams this season. Ayers is averaging 21.7 yards per kick return this season and has set Alvernia up well to open drives. A few times he has been just one block or cut away from taking a return all the way. Offensively, Ayers is second on the team with 15 receptions for 126 yards, and he is averaging 25.20 yards per game.

Colin Payne - Payne is averaging 175.2 yards per game this season with a 62.04% completion rating. The bye week two weeks ago did Payne well. Coming out of it, Payne threw for 268 yards with three touchdowns and 22 completions.

Andrew Simmons - After having just three touches going into the FDU game, Simmons - a first-year - had a breakout game against the Devils. He rushed for nearly 70 yards with one touchdown and one 11-yard reception. He did well breaking through the Devil defensive front and breaking around the edge. Eastern allows nearly 160 rushing yards per game, so look for Simmons to help Alvernia establish the run game early and often.

Delva Jean-Baptiste - Jean-Baptiste made his presence known last week against FDU-Florham. The graduate student defensive tackle had six tackles and 2.5 sacks. Eastern has only allowed two sacks so far this year, but Jean-Baptiste will be crucial in plugging up the offensive front on a run-heavy team. 

Khysir Young - Khysir Young has been great in pass defense for Alvernia the last two games. Young had two pass break-ups against FDU last week and is one of the first to the ball on an opponent reception. While Eastern runs the ball more than they throw it, look for Young to be a crucial piece of Alvernia's defense this week. 

Scouting the Eagles
The Eagles are averaging 22.6 points per game, but they give up 31.2 points per game. Eastern is a run-heavy team with a dual threat quarterback in Brett Nabb. Eastern has rushed the ball 172 times this year in comparison to 114 pass attempts. The Eagles average 159.6 rushing yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. 10 of Eatern's 15 touchdowns have also come on the ground. In the air, Eastern averages 155.8 of passing per game, and has thrown nine interceptions. As an offensive unit, the Eagles average 315.4 yards per game and 5.5 yards per play. 

Eastern has turned the ball over 14 times and has taken it away from opponents nine times. Eastern has a 33.33% third down conversion rate, but has over a 45% conversion rate on 4th down (5-for-11). Eastern is also 14-for-18 in red zone scoring and has 11 touchdowns in the red zone. 

Eagles to Watch
Brett Nabb (QB): While Sabor Stevens made the start against Alvernia last season and he and Nabb split time throughout 2023, Nabb is pulling away as QB1 for the Eagles this year. The graduate student from Avalon, NJ is 50-for-80 this season with 603 passing yards. He also has seven interceptions on the year. Nabb is also the primary rusher for Eastern with 75 rushing attempts for 343 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Jeremiah Avrilien (RB): When Nabb isn't rushing for the Eagles, Avrilien is the ball carrier for Eastern. He has 63 rushing attempts for 358 yards and averages 5.5 yards a touch. He averages 69.2 yards per game on the ground. He isn't much of a receiving target for Eastern, but he does have six receptions for 37 yards. 

Andrew Campbell (LB): The junior linebacker is leading Eastern with 3.5 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Campbell also has a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry on the year. 

Gashawn Moody (S): The 2023 All-Region linebacker is off to another fantastic start to his senior season. Moody is leading the Eagles with 52 tackles. He also has three tackles for a loss, three pass break-ups, and one fumble recovery.

Game Information
Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM at Alvernia University. The stadium opens at 11:30 AM on Saturday morning, and tickets will be available for purchase between the PEC and the Campus Commons beginning at 11:30 AM. All tickets are $5. 

Live options for Saturday are available at auwolves.com. The game will be broadcast to MACtv, and Billy Fisher and Dane Sabarese will be on the call for Alvernia.