Game Notes - pdf

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Carnegie Mellon University football team will look to right the ship when they face the Kenyon College Lords on Saturday at noon.

The Tartans, 1-2, lost in their Friday night contest against Catholic University in Washington D.C.  A 15 point lead late in the third quarter wasn't enough, as Catholic came roaring back with 16 unanswered points to win the nail biter.

Kenyon will have extra motivation for Carnegie Mellon's visit because it is homecoming weekend in Gambier, Ohio. The Lords are also coming off a heartbreaker of a game when they lost 16-13 to Hiram College last Saturday.  Kenyon was nearing the end zone for the go ahead touchdown, when its junior quarterback Dan Shannon was intercepted sealing the 0-2 start for Kenyon.

Both teams are riding two game losing streaks and Carnegie Mellon will look to the ground once again to get the victory over the Lords.  Kenyon will need a big day defensively to stop the balanced attack from the Tartans' runners.  The Lords are giving up an average of 174.5 yards per game on the ground while the Tartans are averaging 216.3.

The Kenyon offense has had trouble putting points on the board so far during its 2011 campaign.  The Lords were shutout in their first contest and only managed 13 points against Hiram.  These low scoring games favor Rich Lackner's Tartans, as they have won 22 straight games when they held the opponent under 14 points.

Kenyon's offense did click better in its second game, as the Lords allowed Shannon to pass the ball 49 times, completing 34, for 334 passing yards.  Carnegie Mellon's week two defensive star, junior cornerback Sam Thompson, will look to repeat his performance as University Athletic Association Defensive Athlete of the Week and lead the Cardinal and Gray defense trying to pick up its first road win of the season.

Lackner discussed the disappointing fourth quarter comeback at Catholic and what will need to be done to pick up the win over Kenyon on their homecoming weekend.

Listen to the full interview with Coach Lackner.