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For Immediate Release August 28, 2008 Football Contact: Ralph Ventre (ext. 7)

NEC Football Kicks Off 13th Season on Saturday Four Teams In Action, Including Defending Champion Albany

Somerset, NJ -- The Northeast Conference kicks off its 13th football season this upcoming weekend with four of its eight members opening their 2008 seasons. The top three finishers in the NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll are all in action, headlined by defending champion Albany’s trip to No. 5 Massachusetts. Five-time NEC champion Monmouth is set to invade Kingston, RI for a bout with the Rams. Central Connecticut State, the 2007 NEC runner-up, hosts future league member Bryant at Arute Field, while Sacred Heart invites Assumption to the Nutmeg State for a night contest.

Albany (0-0) at No. 5 Massachusetts (0-0) Location: Amherst, MA (McGuirk Alumni Stadium) Kickoff: Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

Albany's grueling non-conference schedule kicks off in Amherst, MA where the Great Danes are slated to play the first of four consecutive contests against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) members. The two-time defending CAA champion Minutemen won't be an easy test for the 2007 NEC champion Great Danes, especially at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Behind six preseason all-NEC honorees, Albany will attempt to become the first visiting team in more than two seasons to win in Amherst where UMass has won its last 14. With veteran head coach Bob Ford being notorious for concocting a challenging schedule, the NEC preseason favorite Great Danes travel to New Hampshire, Hofstra, and Delaware - all top 25 programs last year -- after taking aim at the Minutemen.

The Great Danes can sincerely threaten the Minutemen's home win streak if they can establish the run as they did all throughout conference play last season. Junior tailback David McCarty (Gansevoort, NY/LaSalle Institute) can become Albany's single-season rushing leader if he can improve on his 2007 total by 22 yards. A hard-runner who can quickly switch gears, McCarty ran for 1,503 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first season as the starter. All-NEC guard Sam Pagano is gone, but Albany still boasts size and experience up front. Junior center Kevin Richards (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) and senior tackle Raphael Nguti (Rochester, NY/Brighton) are two preseason all- league players that were key components of the NEC's top scoring offense. Junior quarterback Vinny Esposito (Demarest, NJ/Northern Valley) opens his second season as a starter against one of the most-accomplished secondaries across Division I FCS. Senior Sean Smalls, an All-American, leads a group that features all-CAA cornerback Courtney Robinson and preseason all-league free safety Jeromy Miles. Esposito effectively executed Albany's offensive system last season on his way to passing the second-highest single-season yardage total in Albany history.

The Great Danes' defense, perennially one of the conference's toughest, faces one of the nation's top quarterbacks in All-American senior captain Liam Coen. In helping UMass to a second consecutive D-I FCS playoff berth, Coen threw for a league-high 30 touchdowns and the second-most yards (3,091) behind Baltimore Ravens' draft pick Joe Flacco. Coen will see all-league players coming at him from all angles. With senior tackle Tom Pandolf (Holbrook, NY/Sachem) up front, junior Justin Brancaccio (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls)

(NEC Football Week One Preview; 1-of-3) Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • Long Island University Monmouth University • Mount St. Mary’s University • Quinnipiac University Robert Morris Unviersity • Sacred Heart University • St. Francis (NY) College Saint Francis (PA) University • Wagner College leading the linebacking corps, and senior safety Dave West (Toms River, NJ/TR North) in the secondary, Albany boasts preseason all- league picks amongst each line of its defense.

Monmouth (0-0) at Rhode Island (0-0) Location: Kingston, RI () Kickoff: Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Like the NEC preseason favorite Great Danes, Monmouth, the preseason poll's runner-up, opens its season on the road at a CAA institution when it faces Rhode Island in the first ever meeting between the two programs. Monmouth is one of the more experienced teams the conference has seen in recent years. Returning nine starters on each side of the ball, the Hawks look to rebound from a season unlike any other in the program's recent history. With a 3-3 record last season, Monmouth failed to finish above .500 in league play for the first time since it went 2-5 during the 2002 campaign. Then, the Hawks came back to earn a share of the conference title the following year, and a similar type of result is not out of the realm of possibility in 2008. Six of Monmouth's returnees made their way onto the preseason all-NEC, matching defending champion Albany for the most preseason selections.

Quarterback Brett Burke (Wall, NJ/Wall) is one of seven starting fifth-year seniors that will suit up for Monmouth along with three-time all- NEC tight end John Nalbone (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) and all-league left tackle Nick LoCastro (Wenonah, NJ/Gateway) amongst others. Burke engineered the league's most-productive aerial attack last season. Improving upon that success partially depends upon what the season holds for all-NEC tailback Dave Sinisi (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove). Sinisi helped open up the passing game by rushing for a single-season Monmouth record 1,184 yards. Doubling as a dangerous kick returner, Sinisi ranked ninth nationally in all- purpose running (178.7 ypg).

Rhode Island finds itself coming off a disappointing 3-8 campaign, but the full scholarship program recently turned the reigns over to former Rutgers assistant coach Darren Rizzi. The new job is a homecoming for Rizzi whose name can still be found amongst URI's all-time receiving leaders. Rizzi will implement a new offensive system, moving the Rams away from the triple-option attack they featured in recent years. All-CAA senior running back Joe Casey's return gives Rizzi a talented playmaker that not every team has. Monmouth linebacker T.J. Cerezo (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley), a fifth-year senior, should expect to be active in an attempt to limit the Casey's impact.

Bryant (0-0) at Central Connecticut State (0-0) Location: New Britain, CT (Arute Field) Kickoff: Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

Traveling to Central Connecticut State, Bryant begins acclimating itself in what will eventually be their new conference. The first NEC opponent Bryant faces since accepting an invitation for NEC membership beginning in 2012 is not an easy one. The Blue Devils, who came one win shy of sharing the 2007 league title, have been one of the more successful programs over the past four seasons, the latter two under current head coach Jeff McInerney. With McInerney entering his third season at CCSU and Marty Fine on the sidelines for Bryant, the game features two head coaches with experience at the Division I FBS level. McInerney's career has taken him to Southern California and Nevada-Las Vegas, while Fine came to Bryant directly from Iowa State.

Selected third in the preseason poll, CCSU has the personnel to duplicate the great success it experienced with its running game a season ago. Ranked first in the NEC, and tenth nationally, the Blue Devils' rushing attack averaged 258 yards per contest with contributions from a number of ball carriers including senior quarterback Aubrey Norris (Staten Island, NY/Hargrave Military). Sharing snaps with the since- graduated Ryan Holmes, Norris, the 2005 NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushed for 405 yards and four scores while maintaining a league- high 152.12 passer efficiency rating in 2007. Bryant defensive backs, senior Bryce Martins and senior Michael Morgan will have to account for two accomplished pass-catching threats in junior receiver Nick Colagiovanni (Plainville, CT/Milford Academy) and junior tight end Greg Grochowski (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern).

The Blue Devils' defense contains a host of playmakers, beginning with none other than first team all-NEC end Ernie Greywacz (New Canaan, CT/ New Canaan). Having a knack to make the game-changing play, Greywacz made 73 tackles and eight sacks. The all-NEC pass rusher will be going after a first-year starter on Saturday. Bryant signal caller Charlie Granatell graduated after leading the Bulldogs to a Northeast-10 title and Division II postseason berth, making way for senior transfer Jay Graber who served in a backup role for Hofstra. Bryant (NEC Football Week One Preview; 2-of-3) will face a linebacking corps that no longer has the services of Chris Stimmel, but former defensive back Michael Bailey (Yonkers, NY/ Horton) has bulked up to strengthen CCSU in that area. Blue Devils' cornerback Anthony Wilson (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon), who lost nine games to injury in 2007, brings all-NEC credentials back to the secondary.

Assumption (0-0) at Sacred Heart (0-0) Location: Fairfield, CT (Campus Field) Kickoff: Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

Sacred Heart looks for a second consecutive opening day victory over Assumption when the Pioneers kick off their new season under the recently-installed lights at Campus Field. Head coach Paul Gorham says opening at night has generated some excitement amongst the program. "Our first two games of the year are night and that's always exciting. I like coaching at night, and the players are excited about playing under the lights," comments the fifth-year head coach.

Assumption was the first to witness the capability of SHU quarterback Dale Fink (Swansea, IL/Althoff Catholic), the 2007 NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year. Making his collegiate debut, the second team all-NEC selection victimized Assumption's defense for 238 yards and four touchdowns on 16-for-25 passing. With the return of junior receiver Steve Tedesco (Mission Viejo, CA/Trabuco Hills), Fink's favorite target last season, senior captain Chris Martino and Assumption's secondary could be in for another long day. Martino, a free safety and the program's career interceptions leader, will likely spend a lot of time helping his cornerbacks attempt to contain one of the NEC's elite pass- catchers. Tedesco led the league in receptions (59) and touchdown grabs (11) en route to earning first team all-NEC honors.

SHU senior tailback Evin Jones (Pennsauken, NJ/Roman Catholic) will get his first opportunity to prove he is ready to replace the graduated Jason Payne who ran for 1,282 yards last season. Jones, who ran for 347 yards and three scores on 77 carries as a second option, has the confidence of his coach. "Evin's in great shape and is practicing much better than he has is the past," said Gorham.

The Pioneers' defense should provide some clues as to how much it has improved since suffering through an injury-ridden season. Sacred Heart surrendered more points per game than anyone in the league, but Gorham is encouraged by what he has seen thus far in the preseason. With senior safety Steve Young (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian), the team's top returning tackler leads a defense that will face an Assumption unit that lost both tackles and its center as well as the program's all-time leading receiver. Labeled a true leader by Gorham, Young must make sure his mates are ready for Assumption sophomore running back Berbert Woodard, the 2007 NE-10 Freshman of the Year.

(NEC Football Week One Preview; 3-of-3)