Louisville Leopards at Alliance Aviators Week 9 Football Preview

Louisville Leopards Alliance Aviators 2011 Football Preview

Louisville Leopards (8-0, 5-0) at Alliance Aviators (6-2, 4-1)

Alliance Aviators HelmetLouisville Leopards Helmet

SPREAD: Louisville By 10 (According to Stark County Pick’em), Louisville By 10 (According to Drew Pasteur’s Fantastic 50)

WHEN: Friday, October 25 at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Mount Union Stadium | Click Here for Directions

RADIO: 1480-AM WHBC

TV: None

HIGHLIGHTS: Will be available following the game late Friday night or early Saturday morning right here on louisvilleleopards.org

SERIES

ALL-TIME SERIES: Louisville holds an 11-4-1 all-time record over Alliance including a 6-2 record on the road. VIEW FULL ALL-TIME SERIES

LAST MEETING: Louisville defeated Alliance 13-8 on September 28, 2012 at Louisville Leopards Stadium.

LAST MEETING AT ALLIANCE: Louisville defeated Alliance 43-14 on September 30, 2011.

LAST ALLIANCE VICTORY: The Aviators last defeated the Leopards 13-7 on September 15, 2006.

LAST AVIATOR VICTORY AT ALLIANCE: The Aviators last defeated the Leopards at Alliance 28-7 on September 11, 1987.

Schedules:

Alliance Schedule Louisville Schedule
WK Opponent Result Opponent Result
1 Southeast W 49-22 Canfield W 13-10
2 at Canfield W 41-38 North Canton W 14-13
3 Akron Ellet L 6-41 at Ravenna W 36-22
4 Minerva L 19-21 Salem W 41-28
5 Salem W 60-41 Carrollton W 20-0
6 at Carrollton W 47-13 at West Branch W 48-0
7 at Canton South W 35-21 at Minerva W 31-7
8 West Branch W 55-20 Marlington W 41-20
9 Louisville at Alliance
10 at Marlington at Canton South

PREVIEW

There is a lot on the line Friday Night. Both teams are still in the hunt for an NBC Championship and both teams are looking for a playoff spot in DIII, Region 7. A win by the Leopards would give them at least a share of the league title and would almost guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Aviators also control their destiny in terms of winning at least a share of the NBC and a win would go a long way in putting them into the playoffs for the first time since 2006, which was also the last year they defeated Louisville. A loss for them would devastate their playoff chances and eliminate their NBC Title hopes. There is no love in this NBC matchup and its a clash you’ll not want to miss come Friday Night on the Purple Raider turf.

LEOPARDS

OFFENSE: Louisville is averaging 329 yards (193 Rushing, 136 Passing) and 31 points per contest this year. Their offense is led by Quarterback Connor Zwick who leads the team in passing in completing 74 of 109 (68%) for 1,040 yards and 11 Touchdowns against 5 interceptions. Zwick also leads the team in rushing with 665 yards on 146 carries (4.6 avg.) and 7 touchdowns. Both Walter Schrock (117 carries, 568 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Dakota James (34 carries, 143 yards, 4 touchdowns) have been an effective pair in the backfield. Zwick has a variety of weapons in the passing game that include Andy Minster (28 catches, 344 yards, 4 touchdowns), Alex Hollifield (16 catches, 251 yards, 4 touchdowns), Kyle Bast (14 catches, 260 yards, 2 touchdowns), and Bryce Mathie (13 catches, 162 yards, 2 touchdowns). The Leopards showed they have the ability for both quick strikes and long drives last week against Marlington. They may need both Friday at Alliance.

DEFENSE: The Leopards defense is surrendering 211 yards (113 Rushing, 98 Passing) and 13 points per game this season. At Defensive Back Garrett Yoder leads the team in tackles with 44.5, in forced fumbles with 3, and has also recovered a fumble. Also in the secondary AJ Minster also leads the team with 2 interceptions & 3 fumble recoveries, Stephen Kerzan has made 25 tackles, and Lewis Adkins has recorded 23.5 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 tackles for a loss. Up front, Dylan Kline (38 tackles, 11 sacks, 6 tackles for loss), Cory Neff (35 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss), and Cole McElroy (14 tackles, 1 sack, 5.5 tackles for loss) have all recovered one fumble each, combined for 37 tackles for negative yardage, and will look to cause havoc in the Aviator backfield come Friday. At linebacker, Zach Shea has made 39.5 tackles, made 6 tackles for a loss, recorded 3 sacks, recovered a fumble, and taken an interception to the house. Josh Brown (37.5 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss) and Frankie Falcone (14 tackles, 1 sack, 5.5 tackles for loss) have also made an impact in the Louisville linebacking core this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Jordan Hughes has converted on 9 of 13 field goals and 27 of 30 extra point attempts. His 26 yard field goal in the fourth quarter last week against Marlington set the known school record for most Field Goals in a single season (Jaron Lohmeyer had 8 in 2009). Look for his leg to make a big difference in a tight contest. Connor Zwick has averaged 36.6 yards on 26 punts this season and has pinned opponents inside the 20 six times. Since he also plays Quarterback the threat of an option on 4th-and-Short is always there. In the return game, Andy Minster and Garrett Yoder have assumed most of the duties. Minster has averaged 31.2 yards per kickoff return with a long of 69 and 9.1 yards per punt return with a long of 23. Yoder has averaged 24.2 yards per kick return with a long of 41 and 8.5 yards per punt return with a long of 34. Kyle Woost has also averaged 13.0 yards on 5 kick returns this year.

AVIATORS

OFFENSE: Alliance is averaging 417 yards (164 rushing, 253 passing) and 39 points per game this season. The Aviators are led by Quarterback Kordelle Phillips who is 108 of 152 passing this season for Beatty's Sports White Hat Ad1,827 yards and 22 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. Phillips is also a threat on the ground and leads the team with 451 yards on 57 carries (7.91 avg.). His favorite receivers included JJ Kukura (41 catches, 597 yards, 9 touchdowns) and Ryan Bevington (32 catches, 602 yards, 7 touchdowns). Parrish Martin is Alliance’s game-breaker as he is a tri-threat in running (76 carries, 435 yards, 14 touchdowns), receiving (27 catches, 433 yards, 4 touchdowns), and passing (21 of 35 for 213 yards, 1 touchdown). Runningback Demitri Lott (58 carries, 270 yards, 1 touchdown) and wide recievier Josh Hammerton (17 catches, 275 yards, 3 touchdowns) have also made an impact in the Aviators explosive offense. Alliance has had 6 different plays gain 50+ yards on a single play this season. The Leopards defense will need to limit the big play if they are going to stop the potent Aviator attack.

DEFENSE: The Aviators defense is allowing 27 points per contest this year. Linebacker Eric Stahler leads the team in tackles with 49, solo tackles with 43, is tied for the team lead with 2 tackles for a loss, and has also recovered a fumble this season. Also at linebacker Will Oesch has also recorded 16 tackles and 1 sack at linebacker. The Alliance ball-hawking secondary has been a turnover machine this season in recording 10 of the team’s 13 turnovers this season. These defensive backs include Demitri Lott (44 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery), Kofi Amponsah (40 tackles, 1 sack), Parrish Martin (32 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery), Kordelle Phillips (30 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries), Dale Dickson (29 tackles), Kristian Jackson (26 tackles, 1 sack), and Ryan Bevington (22 tackles, 1 interception). The Aviators defensive line consists of Michael Williams (32 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), Shawn Barnes (19 tackles, 1 sack), Zach Blume (17 tackles), Danny Davis (17 tackles, 2 sacks), Adontis Watson (12 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), and Eric Kline (12 tackles, 1 sack).

SPECIAL TEAMS: Alliance has only attempted and missed a single field goal this season, but has two kickers that have seen plenty of action on extra points. Bryce Hood is 24 of 32 on PAT attempts and Jared Watson has converted 10 of 12 extra point attempts. Hood has averaged 37.6 yards on 53 kickoffs this season and has put 3 in the endzone. Punter Ryan Bevington has averaged 34.9 yards on 25 punts this season with a long of 51. In the return game, Parrish Martin has averaged 17.2 yards on 9 punt returns and took a punt 64 yards to the house last week against West Branch. Demitri Lott has averaged 17.7 yards on 12 kick returns this season with a long of 78. Also sharing kick return duties are Bevington (26.5 avg. on 4 returns with a long of 86), Martin (32.0 avg. on 4 returns with a long of 62), Kofi Amponsah (9.5 avg. on 4 returns), and JJ Kukura (37.5 avg. on 2 returns, and 65 yard touchdown).

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