200820082008 FOOTBALLFOOTBALLFOOTBALL NN EWSEWS && NN OTESOTES 399 Campus Drive, First Floor, Somerset, NJ 08873 Football Contact: Ralph Ventre, Asst. Director of Communications Phone: 732-469-0440/Fax: 732-469-0744 • www.northeastconference.org E-Mail: [email protected] Albany • Central Connecticut State • Monmouth • Robert Morris Sacred Heart • Saint Francis (PA) • Wagner NEC Football Northeast Conference Football Facts & Figures (Week 8 - October 20, 2008) Last Week’s Results School NEC Pct. Overall Pct. Streak Home Away Neutral Saturday, October 18 1. Albany 3-0 1.000 4-3 .571 W3 1-0 3-3 0-0 ALBANY 26, SACRED HEART 21 Monmouth 3-0 1.000 4-3 .571 W4 1-2 3-1 0-0 CENTRAL CONN. ST. 35, DUQUESNE 23 WAGNER 17, SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 13 3. Sacred Heart 2-1 .667 6-1 .857 L1 3-1 3-0 0-0 Bryant 20, ROBERT MORRIS 7 Central Conn. St. 2-1 .667 5-2 .714 W1 4-0 1-2 0-0 5. Wagner 1-2 .333 3-4 .429 W1 1-2 2-2 0-0 Upcoming Schedule Robert Morris 1-2 .333 2-5 .286 L1 2-2 0-3 0-0 Saturday, October 25 7. Duquesne 1-3 .250 2-4 .333 L3 2-1 0-3 0-0 SACRED HEART at DUQUESNE 1:00 pm 8. Saint Francis (PA) 0-4 .000 0-7 .000 L7 0-3 0-4 0-0 ROBERT MORRIS at WAGNER 1:00 pm CENTRAL CONN. ST. at MONMOUTH 1:00 pm NEC Football Offensive Player of the Week SAINT FRANCIS (PA) at ALBANY 4:00 pm David McCarty, Albany NEC team in CAPS. Home Team underlined in results. Jr., TB, 6-0, 207, Gansevoort, NY/LaSalle Institute McCarty, whose name has appeared in this post more frequently in the past two seasons than that of any current NEC Offensive Player of the Week NEC player, continued his dominant play against league competition. Eclipsing the 200-yard mark for the third Sep. 2 Evin Jones, Sacred Heart in his last nine games, McCarty tallied 207 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries in dealing Sacred Heart its first Sep. 9 Connor Dixon, Duquesne Sep. 15 David McCarty, Albany loss. His two-yard, third-quarter TD plunge erased a 14-10 halftime deficit and put the Great Danes out in front Sep. 22 James Mallory, Central Connecticut State for good. After Sacred Heart pulled within 26-21, McCarty made certain the Pioneers would not touch the ball Sep. 29 Dale Fink, Sacred Heart Oct. 6 David McCarty (Albany) and Dave Sinisi (Monmouth) again. Running eight times for 61 yards on Albany’s final possession, the preseason all-NEC selection ran the Oct. 13 Myles Russ, Robert Morris final 4:40 off the clock. He turned two third-and-short situations into first downs on the drive, including his Oct. 20 David McCarty, Albany game-sealing 35-yard sprint down to the one-yard line. The junior tailback also caught three passes for 31 NEC Defensive Player of the Week yards a week after his 72-yard touchdown off a screen pass provided the winning points at Central Connecticut. Sep. 2 Mike Cooke, Central Connecticut State NEC Football Defensive Player of the Week Sep. 9 Mike Mortali, Sacred Heart Sep. 15 Dave Casale, Albany Scott Lewis, Saint Francis (PA) Sep. 22 Kevin Walsh, Monmouth So., LB, 5-11, 200, South Fork, PA/Bishop McCort Sep. 29 Kevin Walsh, Monmouth Lewis made 23 tackles against Wagner in Saturday’s 17-13 setback to match the highest single-game total in Oct. 6 Nathan Totino, Duquesne Oct. 13 Justin Brancaccio, Albany Division I FCS this season. Matching the marks of Duquesne’s Nathan Totino and Nathan Williams of Murray Oct. 20 Scott Lewis, Saint Francis (PA) State, the sophomore linebacker was a key reason why Wagner managed only 45 yards rushing. Lewis limited NEC Special Teams Player of the Week the opposing ball carrier to one yard or less eight times on the afternoon. With 88 tackles thus far this season, Sep. 2 Ayo Falae, Monmouth the 2007 NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year has 214 career stops in less than two full seasons. Sep. 9 Nick Schirtzinger, Robert Morris NEC Football Special Teams Player of the Week Sep. 15 Raphael Nguti, Albany Sep. 22 Anthony Mortali, Sacred Heart Kyle Trueblood, Wagner Sep. 29 Alondre Rush, Central Connecticut State Oct. 6 Nick Romeo, Monmouth Sr., WR, 6-1, 185, Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens Oct. 13 Joe Schroeder, Sacred Heart Trueblood’s spark in the return game provided the Seahawks with prime field position in key spots during their Oct. 20 Kyle Trueblood, Wagner road victory over Saint Francis (PA). Trueblood returned two kickoffs for 89 yards (52, 37) and gained 44 NEC Rookie of the Week yards on five punt returns. The senior receiver brought the opening second-half kickoff back 37 yards to Saint Sep. 2 Garry Coles, Sacred Heart Francis’ (PA) 48-yard line where Wagner’s offense began its game-tying drive. His 11-yard fourth-quarter punt Sep. 9 Garry Coles, Sacred Heart return put the ball on the Red Flash’s 33-yard line to set the stage for Matt Abbey’s game-winning 33-yard TD Sep. 15 Prince Young, Wagner Sep. 22 Chidozie Oparanozie, Duquesne strike on the next play. After Saint Francis (PA) took a 7-0 lead on the game’s first touchdown, Trueblood swung Sep. 29 Chidozie Oparanozie, Duquesne the field position battle in Wagner’s favor by returning the ensuing kickoff 52 yards into Red Flash territory. Oct. 6 Marc Wargo, Albany Oct. 13 James O’Quinn, Robert Morris NEC Football Rookie of the Week Oct. 20 Eddie Delaney, Albany Eddie Delaney, Albany R-Fr., DE, 6-6, 235, Holtsville, NY/Sachem East For the latest scores, statistics Delaney, one of the more remarkable stories in Division I FCS, turned his second collegiate start into his first and notes, visit the NEC website NEC Rookie of the Week award. Despite playing without a left hand and wearing an insulin pump to control diabetes, the freshman defensive end made five tackles and broke up two passes in Albany’s road victory that at knocked Sacred Heart from the undefeated ranks. Three of Delaney’s five tackles held SHU tailback Evin Jones www.northeastconference.org to two yards or less, including his stop on the game’s first play from scrimmage. NEC Football Notes: WEEK EIGHT (8) General Notebook Defending NEC champion Albany knocked Sacred By The Numbers Heart from the ranks of the undefeated in Saturday’s first-place clash. The Great Danes erased a 14-10 half-time deficit with 16 unanswered points before 23x2 Saint Francis (PA) sophomore Sacred Heart’s fourth-quarter comeback push cut Scott Lewis became the second NEC player the final margin to 26-21. The win puts Albany in a first-place tie with Monmouth this season to make 23 tackles in a single as the league’s only 3-and-0 teams, while Sacred Heart falls a game back. ... game. Lewis, the 2007 NEC Defensive Rookie Wagner ended its slide by mounting a successful fourth-quarter comeback on the road at Saint Francis (PA). The Red Flash had won two of the previous three, but of the Year, joined fellow Pennsylvania na- squandered a six-point lead in the 17-13 defeat. ... Central Connecticut State tive Nathan Totino of Duquesne to accom- continues to reside near the top of the NEC standings. The Blue Devils sent plish the feat. The two NEC student-athletes Duquesne to a 35-23 defeat, its third straight. ... Robert Morris fell to future NEC along with Murray State’s Nathan Williams member Bryant (2012), 20-7. The host Bulldogs have now played four of their own the NCAA single-game high this season. future league rivals, winning twice (Robert Morris and Wagner). ... Idle this week, Prior to their performances, Monmouth’s Monmouth still managed to make a splash when the Hawks’ all-NEC tailback Aaron Edwards was the last NEC defender to Dave Sinisi (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) became the second NEC player as many tackles when he also made 23 in three years to make the Walter Payton Award (top offensive player in DI FCS) against Albany in 2001. Watch List. Following in the footsteps of 2006 Walter Payton Award Finalist Justise Hairston of Central Connecticut State, who finished sixth, Sinisi was one of three players added to the now-16-member list. The Sports Network will 60 yards on the ground for Wagner’s eventually narrow the list down and conduct a final vote on this year’s winner. Shane Smith in his return to the Gridiron on Saturday at Saint Francis (PA). Smith’s pres- Running With the Best in FCS ence was undoubtedly welcomed by head A year after four Northeast Conference teams produced 1,200-yard rushers that each ranked amongst the nation's top 20, five NEC running backs currently stand coach Walt Hameline who has seen his top amongst the top-eight rushers in Division I FCS this season. Monmouth junior three ball carriers succumb to injury. Smith Dave Sinisi (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove), Robert Morris sophomore (hamstring) had missed two games before Myles Russ (Boca Raton, FL/West Boca) Central Connecticut State junior returning. Meanwhile, Prince Young (left James Mallory (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West), Albany junior David McCarty arm) and Rodney Davis (right knee) may both (Gansevoort, NY/LaSalle Institute), and Sacred Heart senior Evin Jones be lost for the season.