PSAC Football Coaches Predict Last Place for LHU

LOCK HAVEN – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) held its 2019 football media day on the campus of Lock Haven University on Monday and as part of the event the preseason polls – voted on by league’s head coaches – were released. LHU was picked to finish eighth in the 8-team PSAC Eastern Division.

West Chester grabbed six of eight first-place votes and sits atop the preseason poll in the East. PSAC-newcomer Shepherd received a pair of first-place votes and is ranked second in the preseason coaches’ poll. Kutztown rounded out the top-three. Shippensburg checked in at No. 4 and was followed by No. 5 Bloomsburg, No. 6. East Stroudsburg, No. 7 Millersville, before the Bald Eagles at No. 8.

Last season, Lock Haven was 2-9 overall and 1-5 in PSAC East action. The Bald Eagles’ PSAC East win came in their divisional opener (Week 4, Sept. 22) at East Stroudsburg, as they knocked off the hosts, 44-41, in a thriller. LHU closed the 2018 season with another thrilling road victory. Playing in blizzard-like conditions at Gannon, Lock Haven came away with a 50-48 win at Gannon in last year’s season-finale. The win over Gannon marked head coach Dave Taynor’s first against a PSAC West opponent and Lock Haven’s first win against a Western-Division team since the 2007 season-finale at Clarion.

In the Western Division, Slippery Rock was picked as the preseason-favorite. The Rock received six of eight first-place votes. Cal U checked in at No. 2 and IUP rounded out the top-three. Mercyhurst was voted in at No. 4 and the Lakers were followed by No. 5 Edinboro, No. 6 Gannon, No. 7 Clarion and No. 8 Seton Hill.

The Bald Eagles, who report to campus Sunday, Aug. 11 for preseason camp, open the season a month from Monday, Aug. 5 at home. LHU will kick off the 2019 season at Hubert Jack Stadium on Thursday, September 5 vs. Lincoln at 6 p.m.

2019 PSAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll Results:
(*first-place votes)

EASTERN DIVISION
1) West Chester (6)
2) Shepherd (2)
3) Kutztown
4) Shippensburg
5) Bloomsburg
6) East Stroudsburg
7) MIllersville
8) Lock Haven

WESTERN DIVISION
1) Slippery Rock (6)
2) Cal U (1)
3) IUP (1)
4) Mercyhurst
5) Edinboro
6) Gannon
7) Clarion
8) Seton Hill

2019 LHU Football Preseason Headlines:

Jackson, an All-American at tight end, returns

All-American tight end Jalen Jackson returns to lead the way for the Bald Eagle offense. Following a remarkable sophomore season in 2018, Jackson was named to three different All-American Teams after earning First Team All-Region and All-PSAC East honors. Jackson, one of the premier tight ends in all of Division II football and one of the most dynamic offense threats in the PSAC, led all players at the position in the PSAC with seven receiving touchdowns last season. Jackson hauled in 44 catches for 537 yards. Jackson averaged 48.8 receiving yards per game. He capped the season with a three-touchdown game in the thrilling win over Gannon in the season-finale on the road. Back in 2017 as a true-freshman, Jackson hauled in 26 catches for 332 yards.

Knight back under center
Dual-threat quarterback Kyle Knight returns to the field for Lock Haven. Knight, who will be a redshirt-sophomore, suffered a season-ending injury during Week 1 of the last season, but he will look to build off a remarkable true-freshman season in 2017. During his true-freshman season in 2017, he took over the play calling in Week 2 vs. perennial DII power Slippery Rock, went on to rush for 104 yards and the rest is history as he then rattled off a remarkable “run” over the next seven games. In all, the two-time PSAC Offensive Player of the Week made six starts (10GP) and finished with 760 rushing yards (76/game), 655 passing yards (65.5/game), 10 total touchdowns (8 rush, 2 pass) and he threw for just two interceptions in 114 attempts. Knight recorded four games of 100-plus rushing yards including 174 in the comeback-win at Bloomsburg. He rushed for a season-high 181 and four TDs in the win over Cheyney. He threw for 264 yards in a narrow-loss to ESU in Week 10.

Pair of additional offensive standouts return
Running back Chantz Swartz and wide receiver Bryan Greene return to help round out an impressive group of offensive returners who stood out a year ago for the Bald Eagles. Swartz and Green, both of whom were All-PSAC East Offensive Second Team selections last season, are two of six total offensive starters returning for head coach Dave Taynor. Last season, Greene did it all for Lock Haven. The hard-nosed wide receiver hauled in 41 catches for 578 yards and three TDs. He also added another speedy-threat to the run game and provided outstanding downfield-blocking. In 2018, Swartz carried the ball 126 times for 759 yards. He averaged 69 rushing yards per game and scored five rushing TDs on the season. Swartz also had four touchdown catches and led the Bald Eagles in scoring with 48 points.

Returning defensive stat leaders come in youthful form
Linebacker Alex Welch is LHU’s top returning defensive player. Last season he made 69 tackles (30 solo, 5.5 TFL, 1 sack, 3 brup, 3 ff). Welch, a redshirt-junior headlines a trio of extremely talented returning linebackers. Shane Scott and Austin Barber, are both rising sophomores who started last season as true-freshmen. Scott registered 49 tackles and Barber made 32 stops. They combined for 5.5 tackles-for-loss,

An anniversary year
For the LHU football program, the 2019 marks the Bald Eagles 40th anniversary of their 1979 PSAC Championship. Overall, LHU went 9-2 overall during the ’79 season. Lock Haven was a perfect 6-0 in PSAC West play that season on the way to the regular season divisional title. In the title game that season, the Bald Eagles rolled by Cheyney, 48-14. To date, the ’79 championship marks LHU’s last PSAC title in football. It was the Bald Eagles eighth overall. The “Saylor System” awarded Lock Haven the 1958 co-conference title after an 8-0 season (5-0 PSAC). The “Sportswriters” also crowned the Bald Eagles conference champs in 1942, 1937, 1936, 1933, 1931 and 1930.

The 2019 schedule
The 2019 schedule features an 11-game slate, which includes six home games. Of those six home games, two will come on Thursday night. The Bald Eagles will open the 2019 season at home vs. Division II Lincoln on Thursday, September 5. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Hubert Jack Stadium. Homecoming comes early for the Bald Eagles in 2019, as they host PSAC East rival East Stroudsburg on Saturday, September 28 at 3 p.m. The game also marks LHU’s 2019 PSAC East opener. For the first time, Lock Haven will host PSAC-newcomer Shepherd in PSAC East play. The Week 5 contest will be played on Thursday, October 3 at 6 p.m. The Bald Eagles will also host Kutztown, West Chester and Gannon during the season. Lock Haven’s road games will come at Clarion, IUP, Millersville, Bloomsburg and Shippensburg. The full 2019 schedule is available at GoLHU.com.