SELINSGROVE, PA - After three straight on the road to start the year, the Susquehanna football team can finally sleep in their own beds Friday evening and ascend to Stagg Field at Doug Arthur Stadium for their home opener against Western New England in their final non-conference game. The River Hawks got a boost this week from many Division III football pundits following last weekend's 38-35 thriller at #10 SUNY Cortland that jumped Susquehanna to #15 in the D3football.com Top 25 and #16 in the AFCA Poll. With one more test before entering next Saturday's Landmark Conference opener hosting Catholic, Susquehanna remains as hungry as ever to earn its third straight 4-0 start and up its regular season win streak to 15 games (2nd-most all-time) dating back to 2021. 

QUICK LINKS: VIDEO | LIVE STATS | RADIO (WQSU 88.9, TALENT: JACK BURNS)

GAME NOTES: SUSQUEHANNA | GAME PROGRAM

#15/16 SUSQUEHANNA HEADS INTO FINAL NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUP ON DOORSTEP OF HISTORY...
The River Hawks became the apple of many Division III people's eyes last Saturday with a late comeback win to stun #10 SUNY Cortland. Susquehanna overcame a 35-21 deficit with five minutes remaining, rallying for 17 unanswered points with Christian Colasurdo connecting for the game-winning field goal as time expired. Ranked 22nd heading into the game, head coach Tom Perkovich's team rose to number 15 in this week's D3football.com Top 25 and opened at #16 in the AFCA Division III poll. Susquehanna is 3-0 for the fifth straight year, while a win today in their home opener against non-conference Western New England will cement their third straight 4-0 start going into Landmark action. SU currently holds a 14-game regular season win streak dating back to 2021, putting them two wins away from the school record of 16 from 1985-87.

RIVER HAWKS, LANDMARK PRESEASON FAVORITES, STAND ALONE AS LC'S LAST UNBEATEN TEAM...
Through the first three weeks of the Landmark Conference's inaugural football season, Susquehanna remains the last undefeated team in the Landmark Conference. Catholic, the River Hawks' Week 5 opponent, is the conference's only 2-1 team, posting wins against McDaniel and Morrisville State, with a Week 2 defeat versus Randolph Macon as their lone defeat. New Landmark members Wilkes and Lycoming stand at 0-3, while Moravian sits at 1-2 following a competitive opening slate that included Utica, Susquehanna's NCAA Tournament foe last year, and Centennial Conference power Muhlenberg, with a Week 1 win over The Apprentice School. 

SUSQU'S KEYS TO VICTORY: EHRLICH, HOWES, DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS...
The constant throughout the first three weeks has been a testament to the aformentioned keys. Quarterback Josh Ehrlich, a transfer from Marist, has used his arms and legs to help Susquehanna down the field in key moments in the game. Against Brockport trailing 5-3, Ehrlich converted a 4th and 9 by rolling to his right and connecting with Jacob Erb for 19 yards. Then with seconds remaining, Ehrlich found Kyle Howes downfield for a game-high 49 yards to set up the game-winning field goal. Ehrlich then followed this up with a Landmark Player of the Week performance at Cortland, running for a game-high 192 yards and slinging for 227 yards, connecting on 16-of-22 for three touchdowns with one rushing TD. Howes' big reception at Brockport pushed him over 1,000 career receiving yards, then catching a game-high 9 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown against Cortland. The defense, aka the Wild Dogs, have been critical in the wins, allowing just 48 points from offenses, highlighted by stifling performances to keep Brockport out of the endzone and giving up just 26 receiving yards from the Golden Eagles. On a pair of occassions, the special teams forced two turnovers that resulted in crucial scores, as Josh Lesesne nabbed D3football.com Team of the Week honors when he recovered two fumbles off punts for touchdowns, then Dominic Winn recovering two fumbles off punt and kick returns at Cortland earned him the same honor.