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No. 9 Football to Host No. 11 Salisbury in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament

(bracket)

Ninth-ranked Widener is back at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium for yet another home game as it battles No. 11 Salisbury in the second round of the Division III NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
 
Game time is noon.  Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $4 for seniors and students.  No complimentary tickets are available and all need to pay admission to gain entrance.
 
Widener (10-0, 8-0 MAC) is making its 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament and its first since 2007, when it last won the Middle Atlantic Conference prior to this season.  The Pride are 16-10 in the tournament with two national championships (1977, 1981).
 
The Pride also are on a 13-game winning streak at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium, one shy of the stadium record from 2000-02.  This mark the third consecutive week the squad has a home contest.
 
Widener is 8-1 in home NCAA Tournament contests with a five-game winning streak and is 4-0 in such contests at Quick Stadium.
 
The Pride advanced thanks to Saturday's 44-14 victory over Bridgewater State in the first round.  Widener put up 37 second-half points and ended with a 463-195 edge in total offense.  Senior Chris Haupt (Bloomsburg, PA) completed 22-of-32 passes for 317 yards, sophomore Anthony Davis (Upland, PA) closed with 121 return yards, junior Dylan Ditmer (Exton, PA) had 10 tackles with senior Chad Gravinese (Mullica Hill, NJ) getting nine.
 
Widener, second in the NCAA East Region rankings, is at its highest national ranking during the campaign.  It was ranked sixth according to Lindy's Sports Magazine Preseason Poll and Haupt was picked its Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Haupt last season was a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy as the nation's most outstanding Division III football player and is this year's MAC Offensive Player of the Year.  As of last week, he was 10th in the country with 315.67 passing yards per game, eighth with 333.0 yards of total offense per contest and third with 33 touchdown passes.
 
Earlier this season he broke Widener's career marks for passing yards and touchdown passes.  He sits at 9,238 passing yards and 84 touchdown passes.
 
Davis, a dynamic player all season at wide receiver and returner, was named first team All-MAC a second straight year.  He was 23rd in the nation this year as of last week with 100.12 receiving yards per game, tied for 14th with 13.58 punt return yards per return, 10th with 183.75 all purpose yards per game, tied for 13th with 10.5 points per contest, 44th with 24.62 kickoff return yards per return and tied for first in the MAC with 14 touchdowns.
 
Widener's offense as of last week was second in the nation with 0.33 sacks allowed per contest, second with 51.22 points per game, ninth with 336.33 passing yards per contest and 13th with 490.33 yards of total offense per game.
 
Ditmer, picked second team All-MAC, has been a strong player at outside linebacker.  He was fourth in the league as of last week with 8.4 tackles per game, tied for third with two forced fumbles and tied for third with two fumble recoveries.
 
Gravinese has been a force at defensive end and was tabbed first team All-MAC.  He was tied for 74th in the country as of last week with 0.67 sacks per game (six total), tied for third in the MAC with two forced fumbles and tied for 13th with 8.5 tackles for a loss.
 
The defense should not be overshadowed by the offense's numbers as it posted huge efforts against Lebanon Valley and Lycoming as well as getting a big goal-line stand October 27 against Albright to remain unbeaten.  The unit as of last week was seventh in the country with 3.44 sacks per game and 10th with 8.78 tackles for a loss per contest.
 
The teams are 2-2 against each other and it is their first meeting in six years.  The most memorable encounter took place in 2005, when Widener notched a 31-28 victory at then 29th-ranked Salisbury on a 29-yard field goal from Frank Vinci as time expired.  The Sea Gulls then posted a 17-14 victory the following year at Quick Stadium.
 
The winner of this game faces either No. 1 Mount Union or No. 15 Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals on Saturday, December 1.
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