GAME NOTES 

Ursinus (8-2) at King's (8-2)  
When: Saturday, November 19th
Where: Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Stadium: McCarthy Stadium (3,000)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.
Live Video: VIDEO
Live Stats: STATS
 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: King's Leads 1-0
First Meeting: `2000 – King's won 45-20
Last Meeting: Nov. 18, 2000 @ King's – King's won 45-20
Streak: King's +1
 

The Ursinus Bears Football Team will travel to face King's in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series on Saturday afternoon.
 
Last week, the Bears defeated Dickinson in their regular season home finale, 38-14. Ursinus marched down the field to take the early 7-0 lead and stopped the Red Devils on the goal line in the ensuing drive. The Bears bounced back after Dickinson knotted the game at seven with back-to-back touchdowns and went up 21-7 in the second quarter. No play loomed larger, however, then a Bears blocked punt that was returned five yards for a touchdown to end the first half by Harry Thomas. Ursinus added one last touchdown in the final two minutes of regulation to cap off the win, exacting revenge from an overtime loss in 2021.
 
 
Meanwhile, the Monarchs saw their seven-game winning streak end at the hands of their crosstown rival Wilkes this past Saturday, 58-42. King's was unable to overcome a monstrous first half from the Colonels that saw them amass a 38-14 lead at the half. Wilkes built their lead by as many as 37 points before the Monarchs closed the game by scoring the final three touchdowns.
 

LAST MEETING: The Bears and Monarchs have squared off before in a postseason meeting back in 2000 when King's defeated Ursinus 45-20 in the ECAC South Region Championship. This was the one and only meeting between the two teams in their respective program histories.
 
 

ALL-CENTENNIAL: The Bears matched their school record with 15 All-Centennial Selections that was announced by the Centennial on Wednesday afternoon. Four defenders highlighted the first team selections for the Bears in defensive lineman Ethan Belville and Ryan Bodolus, linebacker Brett Gross, along with safety Ryan DiVergilis. Four Ursinus offensive lineman: senior Brandon Derby, Matthew Bevan, Trey Williams, and Jake Ahmad along with running back Tony Holden, senior wide receiver Octavious Carter, kicker Dakota Wherrity, and wide receiver/kick returner Nick Schnaars took home second team honors. Quarterback Jack Psenicska, wide receiver Justin Collier, and cornerback Anthony Esposito rounded out the selections in the honorable mention team.
 
 

GOING BOWLING: This will be the third time in the last four seasons that the Bears have qualified for the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. Ursinus was downed 31-23 by Lycoming in last year's bowl series game which leveled the Bears all-time record in the bowl series to 1-1. The Bears romped Misericordia in their first bowl series game 70-14 in 2018 which saw the team smash single-game program records with 70 points scored and 703 total offensive yards.
 
 

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE: Sophomore linebacker Marc Clayton was an unsung hero for the Bears on special teams in their 38-14 win over Dickinson. Clayton provided the play of the day when he blocked a punt that led to an Ursinus touchdown as time expired in the first half. With the Red Devils backed up inside their own 10-yard line, Clayton forced himself into the path of the Dickinson punter to get the block. The ball was then scooped out of the air by senior Harry Thomas and he raced a short five yards into the end zone for the touchdown. It was the first punt block for the Bears since Brandon Dowd had one in 2016 which also came against Dickinson. The blocked punt return for a touchdown was the first by an Ursinus player since Joel Haddock had one against Muhlenberg in 2006. Clayton was named Centennial Conference special teams player of the week and earned a spot on the D3football.com team of the week for his efforts..
 
 
RETURN TO FORM: Sophomore running back Tony Holden picked up right where he left off before his midseason injury this past Saturday at Dickinson. Holden recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing yard game of the season with 143 and two touchdowns. He has recorded over 100 rushing yards in all three home games he has played in this season and is up 686 yards on the season with seven touchdowns.
 

BEDEVILED: Senior defensive lineman Ethan Belville had a career day against Dickinson last Saturday by setting new single-game highs with three sacks and four tackles for loss. Belville also forced a fumble off his final sack of the game late in the third quarter. He continues to lead the Centennial Conference and is tied for fourth in NCAA Division III with four forced fumbles, ranks second in the Centennial with 20 tackles for loss, and ranks third in the conference with nine sacks.
 

HEART OF THE DEFENSE: Senior linebacker Brett Gross once again put on display why he is one of the top linebackers in the Centennial Conference against Dickinson last Saturday. Gross totaled 11 tackles, had one interception, and forced a fumble in the Bears win. Gross has now posted four double-digit tackle performances this season in addition to locking up All-Centennial first team honors. He now has two interceptions to his name, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
 

SCOUTING THE MONARCHS: Despite the setback, King's still features a potent offense led by fifth-year senior, Tyler Moore. Moore finished the regular season as the top quarterback in the conference, averaging 236.8 yards per game with 174 completions on 301 attempts for 19 touchdowns and a 57.8 completion percentage. His favorite target is junior wide receiver Tyler Carey, who also earned second team honors behind ranking second in the MAC with 76.3 receiving yards per game on 35 catches for 763 yards and eight touchdowns.                      
 
On defense, the Monarchs have a veteran group that ranks fifth in the MAC in points allowed at 20.6. Five of their eight All-MAC selections come from the defensive side of the ball that is headlined by senior defensive back Teone Sherrod. Sherrod paced the MAC with nine break ups and seven interceptions and has intercepted a pass in six-straight contests. His fellow defensive back, Joseph Carchio, also earned a spot on the All-MAC second team after a strong season that saw him break up four passes, pick off two passes, and force two fumbles. Senior linebacker Brendan Mozeleski anchors the Monarchs defense as the team's second leading tackler at 60 while tallying six tackles for loss and three sacks.