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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties Travel to Annapolis to Face Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium

MANSFIELD – It will be anchors away for the Mansfield University sprint football team when the Mountaineers travel to Annapolis this Friday night to face Navy at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with an audio stream by ESPN Radio Williamsport starting at 6:50 p.m. at GoMounties.com. Live video and stats will also be available for the game.

Mansfield brings a 1-1 record into the game after beating Princeton 24-14 in the season opener and falling to Penn 42-14 last week at historic Franklin Field. Navy is 1-0 with a season opening win over Post. The Midshipmen were off last week.

Last week's game at Penn was truly a tale of two halves with Mansfield holding 14-7 advantage after the first half and substantially outgaining the Quakers in total offense over the first 30 minutes. However, Penn used big-play aerial strikes in the second half to rally for a 42-14 win.

In the first half, Mansfield ran 35 plays for 152 yards compared to Penn's 26 plays for 85 yards. Junior running back Jeremy Estremera ran for 59 yards and two touchdown prior to halftime and sophomore quarterback Ben Pepper completed 5-of-8 passes for 68 yards.

Navy opened their season two weeks ago recording a 23-9 win over Post.

Navy ranks third in the CSFL in total offense, pounding out 315.0 yards per game while Mansfield is fourth in the eight-team conference averaging 270.5 yards over the first two games of the year.

The Mountaineers top the CSFL in rushing offense averaging 188.5 yards per game while Navy allowed just 24.0 rushing yards in its only game of the season.

Navy has the league's top rated defense allowing just 118.0 yards per contest in total offense while Mansfield is seventh overall giving up 331.5 yards per game – 266.5 of that through the air.

The Mountaineers have done well on special teams to start the season, ranking first in the conference in both punt returns (14.2 yards per return) and net punting (35.0 yards per punt). Mansfield ranks second as a team in kickoff coverage (42.2 net yards) and third in kickoff returns (18.2 yards per return).

Mansfield's revamped offensive line has allowed three sacks over the first two games while the Mountaineers have sacked the opposing quarterbacks four times.

Estremera has been the Mountaineer's most effective offensive weapon ranking second in the CSFL in rushing, averaging 93.0 yards per game.  His four touchdowns are the most scored by a player in the league this season.

Pepper has completed 15-of-30 passes over the first two games for 159-yards while being intercepted just once. He also ranks sixth in the CSFL in rushing, averaging 56.0 yards per game.

Sophomore receiver Joe Bucek has emerged as the team's top pass catcher early in the year with five catches for 45 yards.

Senior linebacker Jake Myers is one of the top tacklers in the CSFL with 15 stops, including nine solo, and a sack. Freshman J.M. Bazile, Jonathan Keller, Max Couloutte and Mike Bucek each have 11 stops on the year.

Junior kicker Kirk Haskill has emerged as the steadiest kicker in the conference hitting all four of his PAT's and going 2-2 in field goal attempts. Sean Green ranks third in punting averaging 34.9 yards per boot.

The Navy offense is led by sophomore running back Eric Wellmon who averages 89.0 yards per game which ranks third best in the league. Junior quarterback William Hampton connected on 10-of-24 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns in the opener while being intercepted twice.
Seniors Tracy Daniels and Daniel Meaney each had four catches in the opener.

The veteran defense is led by junior defensive lineman Chris Mershon and senior linebacker Matt Piotrowicz with 12 and 11 tackles respectively.
Mansfield returns home to the friendly confines of Karl Van Norman Field next Saturday to take on Post University for Homecoming.