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Game #7 Preview - Bears Visit Worcester State |
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 Cale Cooper caught the game winnning touchdown, an 80-yarder with 5:30 left to beat Worcester State last season. (photo by Paul Duddy)
SATURDAY, OCT. 24TH, JOHN COUGHLIN MEMORIAL FIELD, 1 P.M.
ON THE AIR: There is a video stream at www.PennAtlantic.com. There is also the regular Coast Guard audio broadcast at www.sportsjuice.com.
THE SERIES: Coast Guard leads 4-0.
LAST YEAR: Senior quarterback Niles Pierson threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to junior Cale Cooper with 5:30 left as Coast Guard scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to beat Worcester State 17-14 in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division game.
Worcester State domininated the first half and led 14-0 at halftime. The Lancers had 232 yards of total offense in the first half (120 passing) while holding Coast Guard to just 77 yards on 20 snaps. The Lancers also dominated time of possession in the first half (20:14 to 9:46).
Coast Guard junior running back Steve Arguelles, who missed the last two games with an injury, had 80 of his career-high 139 rushing yards in the first half.
The Bears (3-4, 3-2), which punted on all four possesions in the first half, totally turned things around in the second half putting up 273 yards of total offense (152 rushing) to finish with 350 while holding Worcester State to 117 yards in the second (60 passing).
Coast Guard got on the scoreboard on its first possession of the second half when freshman kicker Jacob Shackleford connected on a 21-yard field goal, making the score 14-3 with 11:51 left in the quarter.
Coast Guard got back in the game with a 10 play, 92-yard drive, which took just two minutes and 12 seconds when Arguelles scored on a 2-yard run with 7:13 left in the quarter to make the score 14-10.
Worcester State turned the ball over on its next possession as Pat Bennett intercepted his second pass of the game and then junior Patrick Skelton missed a 33-yard field goal with 12:49 left in the game on the Lancers following possession.
Coast Guard moved the ball 38 yards to the Lancer 24-yard line, but Pierson (10 of 17, 140 yards) was intercepted on the 10-yard line by junior Tom Szalno, who returned it to midfield with 8:20 left in the game.
The Coast Guard defense forced a three-and-out and the Bears took over at their own 20-yard line with 6:10 left.
On third-and-10, Pierson hit Cooper (3 catches, 93 yards) in stride down the the middle for the 80-yard touchdown and the 17-14 lead.
The Bears defense forced a punt and the Coast Guard offense took over with 3:41 and was able to run the clock out, which included converting on 4th-and-1 from the Lancer 32 with 2:11 left.
LAST WEEK: Sophomore quarterback Tony Tokarz amassed 253 yards of total offense with a pair of touchdowns to help lead Worcester State to a 20-10 triumph over Fitchburg State in NEFC Bogan Division action. The Lancers snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season with the win. Tokarz finished the contest with 87 yards on the ground and 166 in the air as he passed and ran for a score. Sophomores David Bougan and Marcus Price along with junior Nate Starling combined for 27 rushes for 156 yards as Price led the way with 73 yards rushing.
Junior running back Justin Fuller ran for 156 yards and a score while senior quarterback Steven Clark ran for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns leading Bridgewater State to a 27-6 win over Coast Guard in a NEFC Bogan Division game. Coast Guard junior Jesse Karr was 20 of 46 for 185 yards with an interception while also running for 33 yards. Senior Steve Arguelles led the Bears with nine receptions for 51 yards while also having a team-high 44 yards on 11 carries. Coast Guard had 311 total yards, 126 rushing. Bridgewater State finished with 421 yards, 317 of those on the ground. Each team turned the ball over just once. Junior safety Chris Costello led Coast Guard with nine tackles.
KARR MAKES HISTORY IN LOSS: Jesse Karr, who had not taken a collegiate snap before this season, threw for 335 yards in the loss to Fitchburg on Oct. 10th to become the first Coast Guard quarterback to ever throw for over 300 yards twice in his career. Karr threw for 338 yards in his first collegiate appearance, the season opener this year. Only eight quarterbacks have thrown for over 300 yards in the 86-year history of the Coast Guard football program.
ENGLAND IS SECOND TO ONE: Senior wide receiver Sam England is in second place on the Bears’ all-time list for receptions and receiving yards. England has 143 receptions for 1,839 yards. Christian Lee (1993-’96) is the Bears all-time leader with 149 receptions and 2,356 yards.
IT’S NOT HOW YOU START THE FOURTH, IT’S HOW YOU FINISH: Coast Guard has kept fans on the edge of their seats this season as five of their six games have been decided in the fourth quarter and overtime. In fact the eight of their last games, including the final three of 2008, have featured lead changes in the fourth quarter. The details are below.
10/25/08 vs. Worcester State
Worcester State led 14-10 entering the 4th, Coast Guard scored a TD with 5:30 left to win 17-14.
11/1/08 @ Maine Maritime
CGA led 31-26 entering the 4th quarter, Maine scored at TD with 1:32 left to win 42-34.
11/8/08 vs. Framingham State
CGA led 23-13 entering the 4th, Framingham scored with 10 seconds left to win 25-23.
9/12/09 @ Merchant Marine
Merchant Marine led 17-16 entering the fourth, the Bears lost 33-27 in overtime.
9/19/09 @ Plymouth State
CGA led 17-14 with 9:47 left, but lost 28-17.
9/26/09 vs. Westfield State
Westfield State led 5-0 until Coast Guard scored with 32.9 seconds left to win 8-5.
10/3/09 @ Mass. Maritime
Mass. Maritime led 22-21 before Coast Guard scored with 6:14 left to win 29-22.
10/10/09 vs. Fitchburg State
CGA led 24-16 until Fitchburg scored with 28 seconds left. The Falcons won 37-34 in double overtime.
BEARS LOOK FOR #300: Coast Guard will be trying to win the 300th game in program history on Saturday. The Bears are 299-401-19 all-time.
NO PASSING ZONE: Worcester State and Coast Guard are the top two pass defenses in the NEFC. The Lancers are allowing a league-low 104.4 passing yards per game while Coast Guard is second with 133.2 passing yards allowed. The Lancers and Bears have the bottom two rush defenses in the Bogan Division. Worcester State is allowing 230.9 rushing yards per game while the Bears are last with 231.7 rushing yards per game allowed.
SCOUTING COAST GUARD: The Bears feature the top passing offense in the Bogan Division led by junior quarterback Jesse Karr, who leads the NEFC with 240.8 passing yards per game.
Coast Guard also features the second best passing defense in the NEFC allowing 133.2 passing yards per game. The defense is allowing 364.8 yards per game. The Bears defense is also leading the league with a NEFC low 99 first downs allowed, but are allowing a division high 231.7 rushing yards per game.
Junior linebacker Ben Barrett leads the team with 45 tackles, 35 solo and a team-high four for loss while junior defensive lineman Ryan Schmid is second with 35 stops, 28 solo and three for loss. Sophomore Chris Izurieta, who will miss his third game of the season on Saturday, and junior Chris Costello lead the team with two interceptions each.
Karr is second in total offense per game (275.5). He is 122 of 236 for 1,445 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Senior running back Steve Arguelles leads the Bears with 458 rushing yards on 108 carries and he has a team-high 31 receptions for 216 yards. Senior wide receiver Sam England is second on the team with 24 receptions while leading the team with 386 receiving yards.
Coast Guard is averaging 20.2 points and 370.8 yards per game (240.8 passing).
SCOUTING WORCESTER STATE: The Lancers look to win back-to-back games for the first time since September of 2007 and beat the Bears for the first time in the series.
Worcester State has the NEFC’s top pass defense allowing just 104.4 yards per game against Coast Guard’s Bogan Division best pass offense.
The Lancers are allowing 27.7 points and 335.3 yards per game, 230.9 on the ground.
Junior linebacker Tyler Russell leads the Lancers with 73 tackles, 41 solo and four for loss. He is third in the NEFC with 10.4 tackles per game.
The Worcester State offense is led by sophomore quarterback Tony Tokarz, who is 77 of 154 for 856 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. He is also a threat on the ground as he is second on the team with 77 carries for 297 yards and a team-high three rushing touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Jake Macleay leads the team with 23 catches and 317 yards, but no touchdowns.
Sophomore running back Marcus Price leads the Lancers on the ground with 123 carries for 400 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Senior Dave Salvi, who is second with 19 receptions and 231 yards, leads the team with five touchdown receptions.
NEXT WEEK: The Bears host Maine Maritime on Halloween at 1 p.m. in the final home game of the season. |
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