2011 twitter.com/NECsports FOOTBALL facebook.com/NECsports youtube.com/NECsports NEWS AND NOTES CONTACT: RALPH VENTRE • 399 CAMPUS DR. • SOMERSET, NJ 08873 • PH: (732) 469-0440 • FAX: (732) 469-0744 • [email protected] NEC FOOTBALL FACTS & FIGURES NEC FOOTBALL STANDINGS LAST WEEK’S RESULTS WEEK 2 RELEASE • SEP. 12, 2011 Saturday, Sept. 10 ������������������ BRYANT 27, American Int’l 16 SCHOOL NEC PCT. OVR. PCT. STR. HOME AWAY NEU. DUQUESNE 22, Dayton 13 1. Wagner ............................................. 1-0 1.000 1-1 .500 L1 1-0 0-1 0-0 #11 North Dakota State 56, SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 3 2. Bryant ................................................ 0-0 .000 1-1 .500 W1 1-0 0-1 0-0 Central Conn. St. ............................... 0-0 .000 1-1 .500 L1 1-0 0-1 0-0 #9 Richmond 21, WAGNER 6 Duquesne .......................................... 0-0 .000 1-1 .500 W1 0-0 1-1 0-0 #24 Liberty 38, ROBERT MORRIS 7 Albany ............................................... 0-0 .000 0-1 .000 L1 0-0 0-1 0-0 #19 James Madison 14, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 9 Monmouth ......................................... 0-0 .000 0-1 .000 L1 0-1 0-0 0-0 Open Date: Albany, Monmouth, Sacred Heart Sacred Heart ...................................... 0-0 .000 0-1 .000 L1 0-1 0-0 0-0 Robert Morris .................................... 0-0 .000 0-2 .000 L2 0-1 0-1 0-0 UPCOMING SCHEDULE Friday, Sept. 16 ............ BRYANT at SACRED HEART 7:00 pm St. Francis (PA) ................................. 0-1 .000 0-2 .000 L2 0-0 0-2 0-0 Saturday, Sept. 17 ������������������������������������������������������������������ CENTRAL CONNECTICUT at WAGNER 1:00 pm NEC Offensive Player of the Week Sean Patterson, DUQUESNE Valparaiso at DUQUESNE 12:00 pm Jr., QB, 6-2, 210 lbs., Toledo, OH/St. John’s Jesuit ROBERT MORRIS at Morgan State 1:00 pm Patterson accounted for 310 yards of total offense to lead Duquesne past Dayton for a second consecutive season. The junior Morehead State at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 1:00 pm quarterback went 19-for-32 passing for 254 yards and rushed nine times for 56 yards in the 22-13 road victory over a team that has won at least a share of the Pioneer League title in three of the past four seasons. The 6-foot-2 Patterson effectively managed the Maine at ALBANY 6:00 pm Dukes’ offense and produced in a number a key spots throughout the afternoon. His 28-yard quarterback keeper set up a field goal MONMOUTH at Villanova 3:30 pm that gave the Dukes their first lead of the game, 13-10, with 00:59 remaining in the third quarter. Patterson later completed passes Open Date: None of 9 and 13 yards to Isaac Spragg and added a 13-yard rush into Dayton territory on the game-winning drive that ended on Charlie Leventry’s 24-yard field goal with 30 seconds to play. He ran 18 yards for a first down and followed with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Connor Dixon on a scoring drive that pulled Duquesne even at 7-7 right before half. Through the season’s first two games, both NEC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL of which have come on the road, Patterson is averaging a NEC-best 268.5 yards of total offense. 1. Central Connecticut (5) NEC Defensive Player of the Week 2. Duquesne (2) Chris Linares, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 3. Robert Morris (1) 4. Albany So., CB, 5-9, 170 lbs., New Britain, CT/New Britain 5. Bryant (1) The Blue Devils bottled up No. 19 James Madison for much of Saturday night’s game and Linares was a key piece in the effort. The 6. Monmouth sophomore cornerback spearheaded a pass defense that surrendered a measly 47 yards to the nationally-ranked Dukes, who managed 7. Wagner 105 more yards through the air in their Week 1 setback at ACC member North Carolina. Linares logged four tackles, an interception, and a pass break-up in the 14-9 loss before a record crowd of 25,102 fans at Bridgeforth Stadium. He recorded his first interception 8. Sacred Heart of the season on the game’s opening drive. The 5-foot-9 defensive back, who earned preseason all-NEC honors, picked off a potential 9. Saint Francis (PA) scoring pass at CCSU’s own 2-yard line. Linares later broke up a third-down pass to force a second-quarter punt. The Blue Devils First-place votes in parentheses limited JMU’s pass attack to 4.3 yards per attempt. NEC Offensive Player of the Week NEC Special Teams Player of the Week Sept. 12 �������������������������������������������������Sean Patterson, DUQ Charlie Leventry, DUQUESNE Sept. 5 ������������������������������������������Dominique Williams, WAG Jr., PK/P, 6-3, 194 lbs., Johnstown, PA/Richland Leventry shanked a 25-yard first-quarter field goal attempt, but redeemed himself by nailing all three of his second-half attempts in a 22-13 road win over Dayton. The 6-foot-3 product of Johnstown (PA) hit a 40-yarder to pull the Dukes even at 10-10 midway through NEC Defensive Player of the Week the third quarter. His 28-yard kick, which came 5:50 late, gave Duquesne its first lead of the game. Leventry was not called upon Sept. 12 �������������������������������������������������������Chris Linares, CC again until the final minute of the contest when he calmly booted a game-winning 24-yarder with 00:30 left on the clock. Leventry, Sept. 5 �����������������������������������������������������������CO Prime, WAG who made his 24th consecutive start at punter, also punted five times in the win and none of the kicks were returnable. The Dukes’ starting punter for the last two years has added full-time placekicking duties to his list of responsibilities this season and is 5-for-6 on field goal attempts. NEC Special Teams Player of the Week NEC Rookie of the Week Sept. 12 �����������������������������������������������Charlie Leventry, DUQ Mike Westerhaus, BRYANT Sept. 5 ����������������������������������������������������������Herb Glass, ALB R-Fr., QB, 6-3, 190 lbs., Farmingville, NY/Sachem East Westerhaus earned his first collegiate victory under center in what was his second straight start in place of the injured Mike Croce. NEC Rookie of the Week The freshman quarterback, who saw his first-ever collegiate game action in a Week 1 setback at Maine, threw for two fourth-quarter Sept. 12 ����������������������������������������������Mike Westerhaus, BRY touchdowns to lift the Bulldogs past American International. He finished 10-for-13 passing for 103 yards and came through in the Sept.5 ���������������������������������������������������������Tyrell Holmes, CC clutch. With Bryant trailing 16-13 midway through the fourth quarter, Westerhaus engineered a 10-play, 90-yard drive that he capped with an 11-yard scoring strike to senior tight end Matt Tracey. WWW.NORTHEASTCONFERENCE.ORG AROUND THE LEAGUE Bye, Bye, Bye NEC FOOTBALL RECAPS - WEEK 2 Three Northeast Conference members were idle during Week 2 and all three will be back in action this week. Albany Bryant 27, American International 16 and Monmouth will return to the gridiron for non-conference match-ups against CAA foes, while Sacred Heart resumes Bryant scored the game’s final 14 points to complete a fourth-quarter come- its 2011 schedule with its NEC opener. Both Monmouth and Albany opened against Patriot League members, and back against American International and enjoyed another triumphant home now the former will visit Villanova and the latter will host Maine on September 17. Meanwhile, the SHU Pioneers opener, the Bulldogs’ seventh in the last eight years. The Bulldogs, who are will open their NEC schedule against Bryant on Sept. 16 under the lights on Campus Field and Northeast Conference in the last year of the NCAA-mandated reclassification process into Division I, trailed their former D-II rival, 16-13, with fewer than 4:00 remaining in Television will be there to broadcast the action in HD. the game. Freshman quarterback Mike Westerhaus, who has been filling in for the injured Mike Croce, threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the NEC-TV Schedule Kicks off with Pioneers & Bulldogs in Primetime first to tight end Matt Tracey and the second to preseason all-NEC running back Jordan Brown. Brown rushed for 121 yards and scored three of the The Northeast Conference’s five-game football television package opens up under the lights at Campus Field where Bulldogs’ four touchdowns. Sacred Heart will host Bryant on Friday, September 16 at 7:00 pm. The NEC-TV Game of the Week will air live on MSG+ HD and Cox HD (CT/RI). Longtime NEC-TV personality Paul Dottino, who doubles as a host/report on the New James Madison 14, Central Connecticut 9 Central Connecticut gave No. 19 James Madison more than a scare under York Giants Radio Network, will call the play-by-play, while Steve Levy, a Don Bosco alumnus who played collegiately the lights in Harrisonburg. The Blue Devils trailed 7-3 and were knocking at Cal, will provide color commentary. Eric Singer is the producer of NEC telecasts. on the door for the go-ahead touchdown with just under 10:00 remaining in regulation, but a 4th-and-goal play from the 7-yard line resulted in only NEC-TV to Give Tweeting a Try a five-yard gain. The host Dukes extended the lead to 14-3 on an eight-yard run from Dae’Quan Scott with 3:01 left. Central added a late touchdown For the first time ever, Northeast Conference Television will incorporate the use of Twitter into its broadcast. During from running back Chris Tolbert. Friday night’s game between Sacred Heart and Bryant (Sept. 16), fans and viewers are encouraged to tweet their questions and comments to @NECsports.