WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 3, 2018) – The King's College football team will look to keep the momentum rolling Saturday afternoon after last week's 29-14 win over Lycoming College, hosting perennial Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) power Widener University in conference play from McCarthy Stadium. The Monarchs (2-2, 1-1 MAC) are 1-1 at home this season, defeating Hartwick College 65-48 in the home opener before falling to Stevenson University 38-17 two weeks ago.

Event Details
Opponent: vs. Widener University (2-3, 2-1 MAC)
Date: Saturday, October 6, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA – McCarthy Stadium (Directions)
Tickets: Adults - $5, Seniors - $2, Non-King's Students - $2, King's Students & Children 6 and under - Free
Radio: 88.5 FM, WRKC - Listen
Live Coverage: (Live Video) (Live Stats)

Things To Know:
Widener vs. King's Flip Card (PDF)
Game Program (PDF)

That's What He Said: "Seeing these kids improve each week, they want to get better, they're talking to the coaches…now they have four games under their belt in a college atmosphere, they understand what to expect, they understand the speed of the game…and now we have a better grasp of what they can and can't do and we can game plan for that to put them in positions and spots they can succeed." – Jeff Knarr on his young defense gelling midway through the season.



Last Time Out For King's: Sophomore linebacker Charles McCall posted 14 tackles and four sacks, helping the King's College defense lead the way in a 29-14 victory over Lycoming College in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) action from David Person Field.
The four sacks for McCall was the second-most in a game for the Monarchs, bested only by the five sacks by Steven Wilson against Delaware Valley in 2001. The nine sacks by the defense as a whole was the most for King's squad since the 2002 season, when King's posted nine against Widener October 19, 2002.

King's gained 363 yards of total offense on Saturday, as Klock threw for a season-high 259 yards and four touchdowns. Downes finished with 65 yards on the ground and 68 receiving on four receptions, and Costantino added three catches for 85 yards and a score.

Defensively, sophomore Yusef Wheeler added nine tackles, including one for loss, while Mando Sallavanti finished with six tackles, two sacks and a pass break-up. Senior Devrin Baynard chalked up six stops, with Rogers adding four tackles and a sack. Sophomore Myles Shelton and Dylan Leone each had quarterback sacks.

The Book on the Monarchs (2-2, 1-1 MAC):

• The Monarchs come into the contest Saturday ranking fifth in total offense in the MAC with 370 total yards per game. The run game has fared well though, ranking third in the conference with 180.0 yards per contest.
• A big part of that comes due to the standout play from Jordan Downes, who leads the MAC in total purpose yards with 169.3 per game. He is also 19^th in Division III football in that category.
• The Monarchs have held onto the ball well this season, committing only five turnovers in four games, ranking 42^nd nationally.
• In contrast, King's has taken the ball away 11 times on the year, which is the second-most in the MAC and 40^th most in Division III.
• Place kicker Jack Barreras has been stellar this season, ranking 17^th in the country in field goal percentage at 85.7, while making 1.50 field goals per game which is sixth-best in Division III.
• The Monarchs offensive unit has looked to key in on big chunk plays through the air this season, averaging 15.0 yards per catch. That's the 30^th best number in the country. In fact, King's has had seven passing plays of 35 yards of longer.
• Sophomore linebacker Mando Sallavanti ranks second in the nation in forced fumbles this season, forcing nearly one a game thus far.
• Sophomore Charles McCall earned D3football.com Team of the Week this Tuesday. McCall's honor was the 11th time a Monarch player or unit has earned D3football Team of the Week, as he became the first King's player honored since Brice Damon in 2016. He was also just the fourth defensive player that earned the nod ever, joining Damon, Tore Alaimo and Steven Wilson.
• McCall currently ranks second in the MAC in tackles with 11.0 per game, while ranking 31^st nationally.
• King's kick return defense this season has been stellar thanks to great directional kicks, as teams are averaging only 9.94 yards a return, second-best in the NCAA Division III.
• In wins this season, King's turnover ratio is 9-2 but in losses it has been a 3-3 split.
• After leading the conference after three weeks in third-down conversion, King's went 2-for-15 last week and dropped to third with just under a 43 percent success rate.
• The Monarchs have average seven yards per play in victories this season, but in losses the number has dropped to 4.56.
• KC has held opposing rushing attacks under 100 yards in all four games this season.

Last Time Out For Widener: After giving up a fourth quarter lead, the Widener University football team scored with just more than five minutes left in the game as the Pride won its second straight, downing Lebanon Valley in a Middle Atlantic Conference contest 27-21 September 29.

After a turnover on Widener's first possession, Lebanon Valley drove down the field, coming up with a 30-yard field goal to open the scoring. Widener responded, needing just three plays, the last of which was a 73-yard pass from Sean McGaughey to Ryan Gallagher to take the lead. Widener finished the half strong, scoring on Donte' Harrell run before holding on a goal line stand to keep the Dutchmen to a second field goal as WU took a 14-6 lead into halftime.

Both teams turned the ball over on their first possession of the second half before Widener scored on a pass from McGaughey to Downey, putting the Pride up 21-6. The fourth quarter wasn't as kind to Widener as LVC stormed back, scoring twice, once on a run and once on a pick six to knot the score.
 
Undaunted, WU handed the ball to Mitchell Vierling who engineered a 13 play, 75-yard drive that took 5:16 off the clock, culminating with a 14-yard pass to Harrell for the game-winning strike. Widener was then able to hold on and force a misfire on fourth down to hold on for the win.

The Book on the Pride (2-3, 2-1 MAC):

• The Pride started the season with three straight losses, but have rebounded with two conference wins over Albright (69-0) and Lebanon Valley (27-21).
• Widener leads the MAC in points per game with 36.8 a contest, tying for the MAC lead in total touchdowns with 26.
• WU is averaging 396 yards per game, the third-most of any squad in the conference. Widener is fourth in rushing and fifth in passing, but the balanced attack has worked well for the Pride.
• Chris Randle is fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game with 74, scoring four times on the year, with teammate Donte Harrell ranking sixth in the league in rushing yards per contest with 73.0.
• James Gillespie leads a deep and talented wide receiver corps for the Pride, as he ranks fifth in the league in yards per game with 74.8. Widener has lost just three fumbles all season but has thrown six interceptions on the year.
• Widener is allowing 26.2 points per game and 331 yards per game, both fourth-best in the MAC, but the Pride has stiffened inside the 20 allowing just 68.2 percent of drives that reach the red zone to end in points.
• That number is tops in the MAC, while its pass defense has surrendered only 130 yards a game, 14th best in NCAA Division III. Brian Armstrong leads a strong linebacker crew with 36 tackles this season, while Mike Pawlowski has added 34 stops and three sacks in 2018.
• The Pride have allowed a lot of yards on the ground this season, surrendering 201.0 yards per game, the third most in the conference,
• During Widener's three-game losing skid, there were a total of four turnovers combined over the three games. Since then, Widener has turned the ball over six times and forced eight giveaways in two games.
• Widener has forced teams into 2.95 yards per play during their two-game win streak.

All-Time With Widener: King's and Widener have played each other every season since 1993, as the Pride have controlled the all-time series with a 22-3 mark all-time. Widener has won the last eight meetings with the two squads, with King's last win coming in 2009 with a 35-24 victory. Last season, Widener earned a 27-6 win in Chester, PA.

Next Week: King's is back out on the road for the first of back-to-back trips to Reading, PA, heading to Alvernia University for a noon kick-off for the first meeting with the first-year program Golden Wolves October 13.