FULL GAME NOTES
 
Ursinus (0-0) at Alvernia (0-0)
When: Friday, September 5th
Where: Reading, Pa.
Stadium: Alvernia Turf Field (1,200)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Live Video: VIDEO
Live Stats: STATS
 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Ursinus leads 4-0
First Meeting: 2021 – Ursinus won 42-6
Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 2024 @ Ursinus – Ursinus won 45-14
Streak: Ursinus +4
 
 
The Ursinus Bears Football Team will open its 2025 season by taking on the Alvernia Golden Wolves.
 

These teams are no strangers to each other in opening seasons up as they have opened the last four seasons by facing off with three of them coming at Patterson Field. The Bears continued their dominant run in the series by defeating the Golden Wolves 45-14.  
 

GUESS WHO'S BACK: Senior defensive back Anthony Esposito returns to the Bears starting lineup after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. Prior to his injury, Esposito established himself as one of the best defensive backs in the Centennial Conference and has earned a pair of All-Centennial honors in his career. He earned All-Centennial first team honors in 2023 behind leading the team with two interceptions and tying for the Centennial lead with 12 pass break-ups. Esposito set a career-high with 35 tackles (27 solo) and helped anchor a Bears pass defense that season which yielded the second-fewest yards among Centennial Conference teams at 198.8 yards per game. He will seek to lead a Bears secondary that will have a completely new set of starters from 2024.
 
 
LINE DUO: Seniors Sean Spinosa and Aaron Rios will provide strength and experience to the Bears defense on the defensive line. Both earned All-Centennial honors last season and anchored a line that allowed the fewest rushing yards per game as a team at 64.3 yards per game and ranked 12th in all of NCAA Division III. Rios had a breakout season as a full time starter by pacing the Centennial Conference with 20 tackles for loss that ranked third in NCAA Division III. Rios ranked behind only former Bear Connor Carter in sacks with 11. Spinosa tallied 31 total tackles (10 solo), 4.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
 
 
 
NEW MAN UNDER CENTER: With the graduation of All-Centennial quarterback Jalen Bradford, the Bears will hand the reins to junior quarterback Tristan Machado to start the 2025 season. Machado appeared in five games as a reserve quarterback in 2024 and went 12-of-23 for 97 yards and two touchdown passes. Machado had a season-high 46 passing yards against Alvernia last season after taking over duties late in the third quarter. He threw touchdown passes against both William Paterson and McDaniel last season.
 
 
GOT NEXT: Junior running back Jason Bernard takes over lead back duties after serving as a backup to Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Tony Holden. Bernard flashed potential with 462 yards on the ground and scoring a pair of touchdowns. Bernard tallied a pair of 100+ yard rushing games in November and scored his first collegiate touchdown against Alvernia last season. Classmate Brooklyn Jones will also gain some carries after succeeding in limited carries last season and scored his first collegiate touchdown as well.
 
 
IN THE TRENCHES: The Bears have to replace a pair of All-Centennial offensive tackles but have all three interior lineman returning. Senior center Deane Leader added a second All-Centennial honor last season and elevated his honorable mention nod in 2023 to second team in 2024. Senior guard Neil O'Donnell is back as well and Ursinus will return senior Dylan McHugh back into the starting lineup after his season-ending injury in early October last season. The Bears offensive line last season helped the Bears  lead the Centennial in total yards and had the second highest scoring.
 
 
SILVER YEAR: Ursinus Head Coach Pete Gallagher is entering his 25th season leading the Bears football program. Since taking over the program in 2001, Gallagher has become the program's all-time leader in coaching wins, guided the Bears to the Centennial Conference title in 2010, three Centennial–MAC Bowl Series Championships in 2018, 2022, 2023 and an at-large bid to the NCAA DIII national playoffs this past fall. The longest tenured coach in program history and the current sixth-longest tenured football head coach in Division II, Gallagher leads all active Centennial Conference coaches with 131 wins. His staff earned Centennial Conference Coaching Staff of the Year for the 2024 season that saw them return to the NCAA Tournament.
 
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN WOLVES: With three-year starting quarterback Colin Payne transferring to Washington & Jefferson, junior JJ Gonzalez will take over under center duties for the Golden Wolves. Gonzalez saw limited action last season and notably helped the Golden Wolves win their only game of the season in their regular season finale. Gonzalez tossed a pair of touchdown passes, including the overtime game winner. Sophomore Andrew Simmons took over primary running back duties and led the team with 457 yards and four touchdowns. Junior tight end Michael Williams leads all returners in receiving yards from a season ago with 142 yards on 15 catches and one touchdown.
             
 
On defense, senior linebacker McCabe Piavis led the team with 75 tackles (35 solo) and tied for the team lead with two interceptions while adding 1.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Anthony Hugee ranked second on the team with 58 tackles (32 solo) with one interception and 1.5 tackles for loss. Junior defensive back Kashantis Anderson tied for the team lead with two interceptions and made 35 tackles (17 solo) and senior defensive back Ta'Jier Burrus returns with 32 tackles (16 solo) last season and one interception.