By William Bowman
The Daily Item
Just a week after nearly upsetting FBS school Maryland, William & Mary lost its home opener on Saturday thanks to Danville grad Andrew Shoop, who was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
Shoop completed 18-of-33 passes for 189 yards and a third-quarter touchdown to Mike Duncan that gave the Leopards a 14-7 advantage. The 18-yard TD pass came on 3rd-and-15.
Shoop, who earned the honor for the third time in his career, also picked up two first downs on a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in a field goal to put Lafayette up 17-7. He completed passes to eight different receivers, and ran for 25 yards. Shoop led Lafayette to its first win over a CAA opponent since 2005 (Richmond).
MORE RECORDS: Bloomsburg placekicker Dan Fisher was named the Beyond Sports Network Division II Kicker of the Week on Monday after booting three field goals, including a school-record 52-yarder, in a win over Edinboro on Saturday.
The junior entered the game with career-long of 43 yards, knocked home a 45-yarder in the early minutes of the second quarter, and followed that up with a school-record 52-yarder two drives later. It broke a previous record of 50 yards set twice, with the last coming in 2009 by Joe Koenig.
Fisher's kick tied for the fifth-longest in PSAC history. With six field goals through two games this season, he has moved into sixth place on the conference's all-time list with 43.
MOVIN' ON UP: Thanks to Fisher's right foot -- and another 300 yard rushing game -- the Huskies continue to move up the national rankings. With its 2-0 start, the Huskies are now up to No. 12 in this week's AFCA Top 25 poll.
Bloomsburg moved up seven spots from its No. 19 ranking last week and was 25th in the preseason. It is one of four PSAC schools ranked in the Top 25. California (Pa.) jumped up to sixth after a thrilling, 48-45 victory over Kutztown last weekend. Indiana (Pa.) moved up to 17th after a 56-point shutout over Cheyney, and Kutztown slid down to 21st after it entered its matchup with Cal ranked 11th.
This weekend marks the PSAC Eastern Division opener for the Huskies. They will host Kutztown at Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium on Saturday.
QB QUANDRY: Sophomore George Pachucy is listed as the No. 1 quarterback on Susquehanna's depth chart entering Saturday's first road game at Dickinson.
Pachucy entered the game in the second quarter after starter Mark Rosenbaum injured his hand after hitting on a helmet attempting a pass. His backup, sophomore Casey Crotty, injured his leg in the the third quarter after scrambling for some yardage.
Pachucy completed 6-of-11 passes for 37 yards and a 9-yard TD pass to Casey Tosches.
CLUTCH KICKER: Bucknell coach Joe Susan said the offensive lineman in him wanted to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Marist 20 with less and five minutes to play in Saturday's opener at Marist.
The head coach in him said kick it, which would make it a two-score game. Newcomer Sean Cobelli, making his first appearance in a college game, drilled the 36-yard field goal to give the Bison what turned out to be the winning points in a 19-17 victory.
Cobelli said he was nervous before the game, but "it was neat to hear how silent everything got after we made that kick."
LYCO MOURNS LOSS: Long-time Lycoming men's basketball coach Clarence "Dutch" Burch passed away Saturday morning at the age of 80.
Burch coached the Warriors for 32 seasons, from 1962 to 1994, winning a school-record 312 games. He led Lyco to its first Middle Atlantic Conference title in 1965-66 and also won titles in 1983-84 and 1984-85. The 1984-85 team reached the NCAA Division III tournament, winning a then school-record 19 games.
