Duo-powered Pride all in against Del Val
CHESTER » Football players being what they are, several Widener players could not help but poke a little fun at Casey Kerschner and Vince Char as the two defensive linemen talked about Saturday’s showdown with nationally ranked Delaware Valley.
“The Duo’s getting one player said.
“Look at The
Kerschner and Char just smiled and shrugged their shoulders.
“Everybody on the team calls us that,” Kerschner said.
It’s an appropriate handle for the 6-foot-2, 255-pound Kerschner and 6-3, 275-pound Char. They’re more than just teammates. They’re friends and fellow engineering majors who will graduate together in May, Kerschner with a degree in civil engineering and Char with his sheepskin in mechanical engineering.
On top of that, they’re two of the best defensive linemen in Division III, which is why their teammates dubbed them, “The Duo.” You can’t talk about one without speaking of the other.
Char, who has another year of Duo,” some ink,” added another. eligibilty remaining, is third in Division III in sacks (12.5) and tackles for loss (22). Kerschner is fifth and tied for sixth in both categories, respectively, with 12 sacks and 18 TFLs, which makes for a rather interesting personal rivalry.
“We definitely feed off each other,” Char said. “When he’s playing well it makes me play better and when I’m playing well it makes him play better.”
“It’s kind of like a good cop, bad cop type of thing,” Kerschner said.
They have a running battle as to who is the better defensive lineman. While that question may never be answered, one fact is abundantly clear. The Pride (7-2 overall, 7-1 MAC) would not in the position they’re in without “The Duo.”
Widener carries a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s showdown with the Aggies. More than the Keystone Cup is at stake. The Pride can grab a share of the conference title and claim the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs with a win over the Aggies (9-0, 8-0), who are No. 5 in the coaches poll, No. 7 in the d3football.com top 25 and No. 1 in the regional rankings.
“We’re right where we want to be,” Kerschner said. “We’d rather be 9-0 at this stage, but we’re going in with all hands on deck, ready to play.”
If that means playing with a nagging injury, common this time of year, then so be it. A sore knee kept Char out of practice Wednesday, but he will be ready to go against the Aggies, who have already clinched at least a share of the league title. Kerschner had his left wrist and the two middle fingers on his right hand taped by trainer A.J. Duffy before practice.
“They both have motors that just never (quit), the tank is never empty,” Widener coach Mike Kelly said. “After the game they have fingers that are going in different directions and knees out like this.”
Beating Del Val, though, will take some doing. The Aggies are first in the conference and 23rd in Division III in scoring offense (39.4 ppg.). They also lead the MAC in rushing (243.1 ypg.) and total offense (431.6 ypg.).
The defense is stout, too. The Aggies are third nationally in scoring defense (8.6), eighth in total defense (226.4) and 11th in rushing defense (74.9).
“We’re going into an absolute buzz saw on Saturday,” Kelly said. “Del Val is really good. They have an offensive line that looks like a snow plow. They just grade you right down.”
The Aggies load up and come right at you behind the running of Devauntay Ellis and the allaround play of quarterback Deshawn Darden out of Cardinal O’Hara. Ellis leads the MAC in rushing (118.4 ypg.) and scoring (10.2 ppg.). Darden is fifth in total offense (223.4 ypg.) and second in touchdown passes (19).
“We have to stop the run, make them one dimensional so basically they have to pass,” Char said. “We know from years past that they’re not going to look to pass the ball because they don’t want me and Casey to get after them. They’re going to look to run the ball for the majority of the game so if we can shut down (Ellis), take him out of the game, make them one-dimensional, then we can pin our ears back and do what we do.” In other action this weekend: Together, of course, which is why they’re called “The Duo” by their teammates.
In other games on tap: VILLANOVA AT RHODE ISLAND » The Wildcats (4-5, 2-4 CAA) are looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they take on the Rams (2-7, 1-5) Saturday at Meade Stadium (12:30). It’s the longest losing streak since Villanova row in 2011.
There are a lot ties between the teams. Rhode Island coach Jim Fleming was the defensive coordinator at Villanova in 1998-99. ’Nova defensive coordinator Joe Trainer was the head coach at URI from 2009-13.
Three of the Rams’ losses have been by three points or less. They fell to Elon, 35-34. The Phoenix beat Villanova, 19-14. URI also defeated Albany, 31-14, which beat the Wildcats in overtime, 19-10.
The offense is the key for the Wildcats. Villanova has scored just 22 points and put up a mere 586 yards in its last three games. The Wildcats were shut out by Richmond for the second year in a row. Those are the only times the ’Cats have been blanked in the last 164 games. EDINBORO AT CHEYNEY » The Wolves (1-9) close out the season at home (12 noon) against a Fighting Scots team that is 6-4 and saw its three-game winning streak end in a 30-13 loss to California (Pa.) last week.
The Wolves have been overmatched since beating Lincoln in their opener, 56-28. Cheyney has averaged 8.3 points and 207.8 yards per game in the last nine outings while allowing 55.2 points and 458.7 yards in that stretch. dropped five in a