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Friday, September 13, 2002

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Robert Morris has been weakened and Dayton strengthened for tomorrow's showdown between two of the country's premier Division I-AA mid-major programs.

Top-ranked Dayton (1-0) welcomes back quarterback Kelly Spiker, wideout Ben Winters and tailback Tony Hurps, all of whom missed a 39-0 victory at St. Francis last week. Spiker, a master at operating the option offense, was serving a one-game suspension, Hurps had a foot injury and Winters was recuperating from an appendectomy.

While Dayton is healing, Robert Morris is hurting.

No. 3 Robert Morris (1-0), winner of seven consecutive games, will be without All-American senior running back Sam Dorsett and strong safety Ed Herriott. Dorsett will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury that occurred in the third quarter of last week's 41-12 victory against Buffalo State. Herriott, from McKeesport, is out indefinitely after having a seizure against Buffalo State.

"You know these things are going to happen and you try to prepare your team to go on," Robert Morris Coach Joe Walton said. "Dayton will let us know how far along we are and where we have to get. Dayton doesn't lose too many at home."

The Flyers have won 18 of their past 19 at home, losing, 17-13, to Robert Morris in 2000.

Walton said he will move Dante Settles from wide receiver to running back to replace Dorsett, the school's second all-time rusher with 2,783 yards behind Tim Hall's 2,908. Settles, a 5-foot-7, 175-pound junior, played running back as a freshman and switched to wideout last season.

"We're not going to change anything. Just a new face at halfback," Walton said. "Settles is a little faster, but he's not as big or strong as Dorsett."

The strength of Dayton's offense is Spiker, a junior who is a two-year starter. He completed 50 percent of his passes for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 649 yards last season.

"They want to run first," Walton said. "Our defense will be tested. We've got some team speed, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary."

Walton is talking about sophomore linebackers James Noel and Jonathan LeDonne (Aliquippa) and sophomore defensive back Phil Marino.

"They all move around pretty well," Walton said. "They'll have to against Dayton's option."

W&J (1-0) at Allegheny (0-1), 1:30 p.m. -- Washington and Jefferson has won seven consecutive games against the Gators, with 14 points the largest margin of victory. ... Mark Matlak, an assistant the past 18 seasons at New Hampshire, is looking for his first win as head coach at Allegheny. ... W&J quarterback Brian Dawson needs 13 more pass attempts to become the school's all-time leader and three more touchdown passes to break Jason Baer's school-record of 87. ... W&J senior Roger Snyder, who rushed for a school record 307 yards on 24 carries two years ago in a 54-41 victory against Allegheny, starts at linebacker and returns punts and kickoffs.

Catawba (1-0) at IUP (1-1), 7 p.m. -- A matchup of nationally ranked Division II teams that promises to produce a high-scoring game. No. 18 IUP features quarterback Brian Eyerman, running back Elice Parker and wide receiver Carmelo Ocasio. Dave Davis, a transfer from Stanford, will be in uniform after missing last week's 37-18 victory against Bloomsburg because of a one-game suspension for breaking team rules. ... No. 8 Catawba returned 15 starters from a team that reached the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs last season.

Duquesne (1-0) at Siena (0-1), 1:30 p.m. -- League opener for the Dukes, who have won three consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships and are 49-7 against league opponents since the conference was formed in 1994. Duquesne has won 16 consecutive MAAC games by an average score of 43-12. ... Dukes have won seven in a row against Siena, which is coming off a 14-7 loss against Iona. ... Duquesne sophomore quarterback Niel Loebig threw four touchdown passes in the 35-14 victory against Bucknell and has 26 in 11 games. ... Siena's 29-year-old Jason Bateman, in his third season, is the youngest college football coach in the country.