FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties looking for redemption in season finale at Cornell Friday – Mansfield hopes to avenge season opening loss to Big Red

MANSFIELD – Fresh off an impressive 34-0 win over Post University, the Mansfield University sprint football team will be out for a measure of revenge when the Mountaineers travel to Ithaca, NY this Friday evening to face the Big Red of Cornell University in the season finale for both teams.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN Williamsport radio at www.GoMounties.com along with live stats.

For the Mountaineers, Friday's season-ender presents the opportunity to avenge a season opening 37-23 setback to Cornell at Karl Van Norman Field back on Sept. 17.

Both teams enter the game with identical 2-4 overall and CSFL marks after Mansfield shutout Post last week and Cornell suffered a 42-21 setback to Navy.

In their first meeting, Cornell scored 17 unanswered points—including 14 over the final four minutes – to overcome a 23-20 deficit for the win.  A 50-yard touchdown by senior quarterback Brendon Miller to senior wide out Abe Mellinger and two Mansfield turnovers that led directly to Cornell scores.

Mansfield freshman quarterback Mike Maniscalco completed 7-of-19 passes for 80 yards including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Pat Mackewicz, but was intercepted three times in his collegiate debut. He also rushed for 59 yards and a score. The Mountaineer defense line had four sacks in the game while Troy Taylor recorded an interception.

The Mountaineers are a more experienced team than they were in the season opener as evident in last week's surprising shutout over Post, who entered the game with one of the CSFL's most explosive offenses.

In that win, freshman running back Josh Harrison ran for a season-high 124 yards and three touchdowns as Mansfield ground out 194-rushing yards on a muddy turf played during a snowstorm. Freshman quarterbacks Mike Doyle and Maniscalco completed 4-of-13 passes for just 47 yards but one of them going 24-yards for a touchdown to freshman Sean Green.

While the offense played well in adverse conditions, it was the defense that dominated the game recording a school record 10 sacks and forcing four turnovers while limiting Post to negative 29 yards rushing and just four first downs.

Senior defensive tackle Cody Croasdale, who was named CSFL Defensive Player of the Week, led the effort with 10 tackles, seven of them for a loss, and school-record 4.5 sacks. Senior defensive end Glen Jenkins had 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks while fellow senior defensive tackle Paul Houseknecht was credited with seven stops including 3.0 sacks for minus 15 yards. Senior Cedric Ingram picked off his first pass of the season, returning it for 16 yards.

Mansfield ranks sixth in the CSFL in total offense averaging 268.5 yards per game and third in the league in team defense giving up an average of 311.5 yards per outing with 192.2 of those yards coming through the air.

Mansfield has used a two quarterback set over the past two games with freshmen Maniscalco and Doyle each taking snaps. Doyle, who was sidelined for the first three games with a preseason injury, has completed 14-of-20 of his passes over the last two games for 170 yards with two touchdowns. He has been intercepted twice while also rushing for 66 yards on 16 carries.

Maniscalco has appeared in all six games completing 49-of-91 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns. He has been intercepted 11 times while picking up 176 yards on the ground on 66 carries.

Sophomore Pat Mackewicz and freshman Sean Green each has a team-high 15 catches on the season with both averaging 15 yards per catch. Each has three touchdown grabs on the year.

Harrison has proven himself to be a durable running back picking up 328 yards on 74 carries and scoring a team-best seven touchdowns. Fellow freshman Dylan Flynn has picked up 116 yards on 39 carries. He ranks fourth in the league in rushing yards.

The offensive line of senior center Jordan Clark, juniors Matt Mackewicz and Tony Rubino and sophomores Josh Stone and Blaine Wainwright have allowed just four sacks on the season, the lowest in the CSFL.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Jake Myers ranks second in the CSFL in tackles with 61 on the season while the senior defensive line of Paul Houseknecht, Cody Croasdale, Glen Jenkins and Justin DiMatteo have combined for 167 tackles and a CSFL-best 20 sacks.

Junior defensive back Troy Taylor has a CSFL-best four interceptions on the season.

Cornell ranks fifth in the CSFL in total offense averaging 284.7 yards per game with 228.0 of those yards coming through the air. The Big Red is fifth in team defense giving up an average of 317 yards per game.

Cornell is particularly tough in the red-zone scoring 81% of the time when within the opponents 25-yard line.
Miller ranks third in the CSFL in passing connecting on 93-of-168 passes for 1229 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has thrown a league low two interceptions on the season.

Mellinger has 28 catches for 503 yards and seven touchdowns while Gruenenfelder has 27 receptions for 413 yards and five scores.

Seniors Timothy Dooley and Colin Lounsberry top the team in tackles with 42 and 38 tackles respectively.