GAME PREVIEW: Lehigh at Duquesne
The #10 Lehigh Mountain Hawks are making the cross-state trip to take on Duquesne this Saturday at Rooney Field.
It’s been an interesting two games for the Dukes so far. While they’ve had an away game against a P4 opponent, that opponent was in the city and just down the road (actually closer to Duquesne’s campus than Pitt’s) at Acrisure Stadium. Next, they welcomed in D2 Lincoln (PA). Both games were lopsided, one in the favor of the opponent, and one in favor of the Dukes.
We had expected to see a more competitive Duquesne team against Pitt, reasoning that the strength of the Dukes is their offensive and defensive lines and that Pitt would be breaking in some new faces in the trenches. We had thought that the experienced OL from the Bluff would be able to hold off Pitt better. Unfortunately, Duquesne wasn’t able to compete with their P4 neighbors, and so we looked to the D2 game as a better test of what the Dukes might be capable of. They delivered in spades. Taj Butts looked superhuman on the first drive, but a lot of that was due to the push the Dukes were getting against the 3-4 front for Lincoln. They seemed like a wall in front of quarterback Ty Riddell, and from the first drive it became very clear that this would be a strength for Duquesne on that day, and when you win by a wide margin in the trenches, you almost certainly will win the football game.
But just like a game against a P4 opponent in Pitt can only tell us so much, a win over a Division II program just doesn’t shed enough light on who the Dukes are and how good they can be.
When the Dukes are on offense, we’ve seen Ty Riddell find his groove against Lincoln and even show some flashes against Pitt. Joey Isabella can play with any defense in the country, so he should be effective once again against Lehigh. TJ Burke (2 sacks already) and Matt Spatny lead a strong defensive line that will do all they can to emulate Pitt’s performance. Linebacker Brycen Edwards is also a standout for the Mountain Hawks. The pre-season Patriot League favorites will be very difficult to move the ball on despite the weapons Duquesne brings into the fray on Saturday.
On the other side of the ball, Lehigh rolls with quarterback Hayden Johnson, although he’s only been called on for 41 passes so far this season. He’s thrown for 2 TD to 3 INT and is completing 56% of his passes, which tells you that Lehigh will certainly be committed to the run. It’s a much better situation for Lehigh there. For one thing, Johnson is a threat in the running game, with a long of 20 already this season. But more importantly, the Mountain Hawks have a one-two punch that will likely be the best Duquesne will see all season in Luke Yoder (171 yards) and Jaden Green (167 yards). The Dukes have players on the line like A.J. Ackerman and Jack Dunkley who we know can rush the pass. Dunkley in particular has shown athleticism in being able to work in the run game even when it reaches the second level, and Tyson Meiguez at linebacker has been a revelation for Duquesne. This will definitely be an area that the Dukes need to win to pull off the upset. Yoder should still be effective no matter how good the Dukes are on Saturday, as he came into 2025 highly touted as a Patriot League pre-season first teamer.
This will undoubtedly be a tough challenge for the Dukes, but if they can win this one they’ll be expected to thrive the rest of the way through NEC play and their remaining FCS schedule. A Top 25 ranking is almost certainly on the line. It would be exciting, sure, but in the NEC, the only thing that really matters from a postseason perspective is winning the NEC. Therefore, this is a great chance for the Dukes to test themselves again this season and hopefully get a feel for what they’ve got when they head into the meat of the schedule. This one, just like the Pitt game, breaks down into trench warfare. If the experienced Duquesne OL can hold off an excellent frontline for the Mountain Hawks, and if the DL can slow down Lehigh’s vaunted rushing attack, this could go in favor of the Dukes. But it’s certainly a daunting task.
GAME PREVIEW: Saint Francis at Central Connecticut State
The title defense for the Blue Devils begins right here.
Central Connecticut welcomes in Saint Francis to Hard Hittin’ New Britain in a rematch of what was also the season opener for the NEC in 2024. (While New Haven at Mercyhurst is considered an NEC matchup, New Haven is not playing a full league schedule and so the game does not count in conference standings). Last year, it was one of the best games of the season: a game that could have gone either way with a fumble return setting the tone for CCSU’s opportunistic defense all season long, and winning them the close game in Loretto. It was a microcosm of Central Connecticut all season long, in one game.
This is Saint Francis’s last ever opener in the NEC with a move to Division III looming. They’ve yet to reach 7 points in a game with their first two contests coming against FBS opponents in Louisiana-Monroe and Buffalo. Meanwhile, Central Connecticut struggled against FBS and in-state rival UConn before dominating another long-time opponent in nearby Massachusetts, beating AIC 34-7. With one FBS opponent and one D2 opponent, it’s difficult to know what to expect out of the Blue Devils. The same could be said for the Red Flash, who have been punching up so far this season.
Looking at keys to the game, we expected a lot out of Saint Francis’s offensive line this season. It’s easily the most talented unit on their roster (Geno Calgaro does not count as a “unit” when we evaluate the linebackers) and an experienced group. The Blue Devils have had to rebuild and reload on the defensive front. It’ll be interesting to see if Saint Francis’s offensive line is able to push the Blue Devils back and get running room for their backs- and time for Nick Whitfield, Jr., to throw. Against FBS competition, it’s hard to evaluate who the Red Flash could be offensively. Against the top tier competition they’ve faced so far, they’ve looked like 2024 all over again.
If the Blue Devils defensive line isn’t up to the task against the Red Flash, they’ll have to rely on their ability to score. Elijah Howard was reportedly on crutches at the end of the UConn game, and he did not participate on Saturday against AIC. He’s the go-to for Central Connecticut, and his absence would be a major blow if he continues to miss time. We don’t speculate on injuries- hopefully he’s feeling well soon if he’s not well already.
The other interesting thing for the Blue Devils is that Donovan Wadley hasn’t really gotten going for them yet offensively. This would be a perfect time for a breakout game from the NEC 2023 Offensive Player of the Year, and the connection between veteran QB Brady Olson and Wadley is definitely one to watch, especially if Wadley has to become the primary weapon for the Blue Devils.
Defensively, we’ve already mentioned Geno Calgaro, and it’s likely that he’ll be a limiting force in the run game regardless of who lines up at tailback for Hard Hittin’. Calgaro has met the expectations placed on him this season by our outlet and others. While it’s been a tough two weeks for the Red Flash, they took a close game into the 4th quarter in Monroe although that success proved difficult to replicate in Buffalo. They’re still on the road when they travel to Connecticut, but the difference in depth an NEC team will see against any FBS team will not be present this Saturday. It seems likely that the Red Flash will be able to keep CCSU from being too explosive offensively.
This one is coming down to if Saint Francis can score. We think the defense will be able to keep it tight, but if they still can’t put points on the board, Central will be able to win in a close game.
NEC Football Power Rankings Week 3: Sharks Jump
I don’t think this is any surprise heading into this week. If you beat an FBS team- no, if you control the game against them, have a 4th quarter drive that takes up over 9 minutes, and never trail- well, you get to be first place in the power rankings. Congratulations to the Long Island Sharks, but this early in the season, volatility in the power rankings is everywhere.
Long Island
You know the really brilliant thing that the Sharks have going for them? There can never be a quarterback controversy here. It was understood going into the season that Luca Stanzani and Ethan Greenwood would both play. Now that they’re doing that, it doesn’t really matter if Stanzani takes more of the snaps going forward; you can’t split the locker room when exactly what was expected to happen, well, happens. Long Island now has to take it back home to take on Sacred Heart; they’ll be expected to outscore the Pioneers easily, but if they can do that they have to hit the road to take on a Rhode Island team that’s been consistently ranked. You can’t get ahead of yourself, but taking on CCSU and Duquesne in subsequent weeks toward the end of the season might be the most important two game stretch in LIU Sharks football history. They just have to keep winning until then.
Duquesne
Through no fault of Duquesne, they fall to second place after taking care of business against Lincoln (PA). They’ll welcome #10 Lehigh to the Bluff for next week in what will be one of the biggest games of the week for the NEC. Ty Riddell looked every bit what he showed a few glimmers of against Pitt on Saturday, Joey Isabella found the end zone, and we’ve got a Dukes team that has been all over the place here in terms of opponents, heading from the P4 to D2 and finally to a top 10 FCS team. They’ll then head off to Akron to face a G5. We might not really know what we have with the Dukes until October, but what we saw against Lincoln looked very promising.
Central Connecticut State
The Blue Devils rebounded from facing a tough UConn team on the road to taking on American International at home. It was never in doubt for the Blue Devils, and now they’ll head straight into conference play by welcoming Saint Francis to Hard Hittin’ New Britain. An interesting wrinkle against AIC was that Donovan Wadley had one carry and one catch. You have to imagine that the former NEC Offensive Player of the Year is going to have a bigger role as the season goes on, and as he does that you’d assume that CCSU will further hit its stride. A big opportunity for him is coming up after the Saint Francis game when CCSU travels to former conference foe Merrimack- and Wadley’s former school.
Mercyhurst
The Lake Show was out in full force, defeating New Haven convincingly and confirming that Dylan Evans is here to stay. Adam Urena threw for 347 yards, but the show was more than the signal caller. The Lakers garnered a massive 647 yards of total offense, with Brian Trobel running for over a hundred, sometimes from the wildcat, and rookie Mookie Gamble earning NEC Rookie of the Week honors. Unfortunately, we might be taking a brief break from the Lake Show, as road games against Sacramento State, Montana State, and South Dakota State will challenge the Lakers heavily. On the other hand, Youngstown State is a traditionally strong foe, and the Lakers hung with them well. We’ll have to see how Mercyhurst handles top flight out of conference competition before re-entering conference play.
Wagner
Wagner led for much of the game against Georgetown, but couldn’t pull off the upset and dropped the decision to fall to 0-2. With how well they hung on, though, it seems unfair to punish them too hard. Wagner will be welcoming Marist to Grymes Hill for the first home game of their slate and the first time they’ve faced the in-state Red Foxes since 2008. They’ll be expected to win before they get back on the road to face FBS competition. Wagner looks like they’re talented, but it’s unclear yet if this is the breakthrough season that just feels like the program has been building up to.
Robert Morris
Unfortunately for the Colonials, they weren’t able to do much of anything against the Youngstown State Penguins who had difficulty handling Mercyhurst the week prior. The transitive property strikes and we’re left wondering how Robert Morris will fare against Mercyhurst late in the season. However, we would caution against panic just yet. RMU is a transfer heavy team this season and underwent a lot of coaching turnover, including some late changes. It just might not have come together yet for the Colonials. They’ll have a chance to get right against West Liberty and while there’s some consternation in Pittsburgh, our opinion is to just be patient. Top flight competition, new coaches, and a roster that hasn’t come together yet would make anyone look pedestrian.
Stonehill
The Skyhawks gave up 21 points in the 2nd quarter, but the offense looked to be making some improvements late in this contest. They’ll need it as they’re traveling 270 miles north to Maine. The 90 yard fumble scoop and score for the Skyhawks (Richard Mosley III) might have actually made this one look a little more competitive than it was. Jack O’Connell once again was completing passes, but this time he had some scoring and yardage might behind him, with 3 TD passes and 269 yards through the air. The best football for Stonehill is still up ahead for them this season, and I do still think this is a team with potential to make noise in league play. If they continue to make incremental improvements, you have to like them hitting their stride as conference play begins in earnest.
New Haven
The Chargers weren’t able to stop the Lake Show on defense and the offense struggled as well on the road in Erie. Unfortunately, they’ll hit the road against Albany yet again and won’t have many reprieves this season. AJ Duffy threw for 183 with one TD through the air (he rushed for another) in the losing effort against Mercyhurst. Interestingly, they looked like they’d be very competitive early with a TD drive on the first possession, but as the game wore on they were unable to keep pace with the Lakers. This is still not a team that’s been fully healthy, missing Zaon Laney, and perhaps they’ll get better football under them as the season goes on.
Saint Francis
The Red Flash dropped their second consecutive FBS game to Buffalo and scored their first touchdown of the season late. With CCSU coming up, we still don’t really have a great idea of what Saint Francis will do against like competition this year, but the defense had more trouble against Buffalo than they’d had against ULM and as such they’ll have to stay in the basement here. CCSU and Saint Francis played an incredibly close game in 2024, and an upset is certainly not out of the question as we’ll finally get a chance to see what the Red Flash will offer in 2025.
GAME RECAP: Long Island Chomps Down on Eastern Michigan, 28-23
There’s always the classic thought whenever you see any FCS team take down an FBS team. Did the FCS team sneak out with a win? Did they keep it close and get it to the 4th quarter where anything can happen? That’s always the way these games go, right?
Not a chance. LIU trailed for 0:00 of this football game. It’s probably something of a gift that Eastern Michigan made it look as close as they did. If the Sharks and the Eagles were still playing at the factory today- whatever day it is that you read this- Long Island would still be winning this football game.
There weren’t answers for Ethan Greenwood. And if there aren’t answers against MAC teams, you really have to start to wonder if there’s going to be answers for the talented signal caller in Northeast Conference play.
The first drive of the game read like the Sharks were playing a team that simply hadn’t done their homework, hadn’t prepared, or hadn’t taken the buildup to this one seriously. We saw Ethan Greenwood make defenses look silly throughout the second half of last year, but his 65 yard rushing touchdown (after previously converting a 3rd down with his legs) to break open the game looked like the team hadn’t realized just how hard Greenwood is to defend if you’re not able to match him athletically and schematically. You can’t go into a game against the Sharks playing vanilla defense- it really doesn’t matter who you are. Coach Creighton is one of the most respected head coaches and program builders in the nation, though, so I find it hard to buy that it’s any sort of coaching oversight- whatever you may hear from EMU fans in the aftermath of this one.
More than anything else, I think it’s just awfully hard to get a guy like Greenwood on the scout team. And when so much of what he does appears unscripted, well, how do you script it? Maybe there’s just no way to adequately prepare for what he brings.
Nor can you really figure out how to defend when Luca Stanzani- that is, the other Sharks quarterback- is catching the ball for 74 yards, making up the bulk of Greenwood’s passing total on the day (105 yards on 3 completions). Stanzani rushed for 2 TDs in addition to the 2 Greenwood TDs, with the latter rushing for an almost pedestrian 91 yards.
Stanzani added on 67 rushing yards, was 12 of 18 through the air, and threw for 143.
No truth to the rumors that they’re still trying to figure out who to make player of the week between two quarterbacks on the same team over at the NEC’s offices. Right?
Rafael Fasolino, whom we were very excited for heading into the season, came up clutch when needed as well- the Sharks did play defense in this game, too. On a 4th and 1 deep in their own territory, EMU chose to go for it and Fasolino stopped the ballcarrier at the line of scrimmage. Stanzani ran it in on the next play to make it a two score game.
One more absolutely mind-boggling stat here. The Sharks gave up a score on the next drive, but following that were able to put together a slow, methodical drive that took 16 plays to go 75 yards to drain 9:44 off the game clock. The NEC team bullied the Eagles, pushing them off the block again and again to gain the advantage back to two scores. While the Eagles scored again- like I told you, the game wasn’t as close as the score indicated- there wasn’t enough time and the Sharks came out of Ypsilanti with a win.
Coach Cooper is pretty close to objectively a top 3 coach all-time at Eastern Michigan (he was the HC there in the early 90s before taking the Louisville job), and so there’s no revenge game aspect here. Coach was as successful as anyone had been in Ypsilanti up to that time and moved on; certainly there were no hard feelings here. But Long Island played as though they fired him on the tarmac.
Craig D’Amico and I had this conversation before the season- there’s no longer a feeling of NEC teams being non-competitive outside of conference play anymore. You expect the NEC to compete with the Youngstown States and EMUs of the world now. But going into The Factory and coming out with a win? Well, get ready for your new reality. But there’s no resting on laurels in New York City.
After the game, Coach Cooper said "We played an FBS program on the road and I feel good about our effort. We played hard, we played together, and we fought through adversity. We need to enjoy this win right now and then move forward to next week."
This was the 3rd all time NEC over FBS win and the 2nd in just two seasons.
Enjoy the win. LIU opens up at home with Sacred Heart this Saturday. We’ll be watching, and hopefully poll voters do the same.
GAME OF THE WEEK: New Haven at Mercyhurst
It’s finally here- the first ever NEC game for the New Haven Chargers. While we only learned this spring that the Chargers would be joining Division I, it felt like a foregone conclusion- if anyone was coming up soon, it would be the Chargers. When they announced they’d be joining the NEC, there was little surprise anywhere in the sports world- more of a “it’s about time” feeling. That extended to the athletic department at New Haven, who posited (correctly) that they’d been operating as a Division I program for some time.
But the goodwill only lasts so long, and the first showdown with conference-mate Mercyhurst (albeit, as an officially non-conference game) won’t feel anything like two new best friends.
There’s no point in beating around the bush with the key storyline here. This game, from the outside, is all about Adam Urena vs. A.J. Duffy. The two quarterbacks were the best in the league this past week, with Duffy winning the league’s official offensive player of the week for the Chargers. On Thursday, we felt that Urena had dispelled a key storyline heading into the season- that the Lakers signal caller had put up numbers against poor competition and struggled in Division I. We never bought that for a second, and they don’t buy it in Youngstown anymore, either. He had a new favorite target emerge in Dylan Evans and threw for 311 yards and 2 TDs against the Penguins. Clearly, against a Missouri Valley defense, Urena was just as good as he ever looked.
And then A.J. Duffy took the field the next night, throwing for 377 yards on 31 of 55 passes with 2 TDs of his own. For all of the fingers being pointed at Urena’s competition last season, it’s worth noting that Marist had just one win the year prior when New Haven took them on in their inaugural Division I game. Still, the numbers don’t lie, and the counter-argument here- that Duffy had been without expected key contributor Zaon Laney at RB- only underscores what a performance Duffy had.
Both teams enter this one at 0-1 in what has been described as a likely rainy day out on Lake Erie. However, we could have easily had two 1-0 teams coming into this one with momentum.
Another interesting angle is that both New Haven and Mercyhurst were a few mistakes away from winning their respective games. In particular, the stat line for Mercyhurst in their 15-24 loss to Youngstown State reveals one very important difference between the two teams: turnovers. Mercyhurst lost a 4-0 edge to the Penguins when it came to losing the football. There simply can’t be doubt that the Lakers would have won this game had that margin been reversed- it’s awfully hard to win a game down 4 turnovers- but could the Lakers have won had it been 2-2? With a made field goal… I think it’s almost a certainty.
New Haven was 0-1 on field goals, but two muffed punts might have been the difference. The 31-14 score makes the game seem further out of reach than it was. If those two plays go the other way…
S&P+ has Mercyhurst a 2.2 point favorite on a neutral site. That obviously suggests we’ll have a tight game. It’s unclear at press time if New Haven will get Zaon Laney back in time, but weather permitting, this game should have fireworks and maybe- just maybe- the two best quarterbacks in an NEC that is loaded with good quarterback play.
NEC Football Power Rankings Week 2: Mulligan!
There’s no point in doing power rankings in week 1; that’s just your season predictions. For the NEC, in a lot of ways, there’s not always a ton of value in doing Week 2 power rankings, either.
The membership of our league was not upset, nor did it pull any upsets; everything went pretty much chalk with one exception- S&P+ had New Haven, a school playing their first Division I football game with a new team as a road favorite against Marist. Just pointing that out to be truthful. I think it’s not a huge stretch to say that context matters and whatever metrics go into S&P+ create a strong, fun system. That said, you can’t draw on much of New Haven’s production or performance in prior seasons given both the transition and the team’s lightning-fast rebuilding effort. So we’ll chalk it up as a possible upset, but realistically, I’m not real sure I’d put a ton of stock into that one.
So there’s not too much movement here, but here we go: our power rankings after Week 1.
Duquesne
Duquesne had a tough first game against in-city rival (they call it the City Game, after all) Pitt in front of 53,006 fans. That’s actually more than the Dukes saw whenever they opened up the season against Florida State several years ago, but that makes a lot of sense. Not only were Pitt fans hyped up to see Duquesne, the Dukes faithful didn’t have much of a journey to go on a road trip, either. There was kind of a buzz around the game and in the press box opinion seemed fairly split as to whether or not Duquesne could muddy up the game with their offensive and defensive lines, or if Pitt was just too much for the Dukes to handle.
In the end, it was definitely the latter. The Dukes fell 61-9, but they were very competitive in the first quarter and Pitt certainly got off to a slow start. The offensive line wasn’t able to stay on the field with the Pitt pass rush or run stuffers, but Joey Isabella certainly handled himself well with over 100 yards through the air, Ty Riddell showed some promise with a great deep ball when he had the time to throw, and Jack Dunkley had some big moments from an athleticism standpoint. Point being, we’re not penalizing the Dukes for this one. But we will not tweet for them to be ranked this week.
Central Connecticut State
The Blue Devils had an in-state opponent of their own. While they got on the board first, they weren’t able to keep pace with what is expected to be a very good UConn team. Maybe the most troubling news is that Elijah Howard was on crutches on the sidelines during this game. Rob Gullo at the New Britain Herald tweeted out that it was a calf injury and that he’s been dinged up since camp. We do not speculate on injuries, but certainly hope Elijah is feeling better and is ready to go this week.
Robert Morris
We’re giving Bobby Mo a little bit of a bump northward here as they were able to hang with a West Virginia team for a half (heading into the locker room at 10-3) and the defense that we hoped for out of the Colonials seemed to be present. There’s been a lot of coaching turnover for Robert Morris, but we liked the promotion of Coach Makrinos to defensive coordinator and oftentimes the problem against FBS teams (and especially P4 teams) for FCS teams is depth more than first string talent. That seemed to be the case as the Colonials might have gotten a little gassed later on as the game got out of hand. This is a West Virginia team welcoming back a previous head coach, so we won’t know exactly what they’ve got until later in the season. Still, it was a solid first half performance and enough to get a bump up here.
Mercyhurst
I’m not all-in on the Lake Show after one week, but it would feel pretty criminal not to at least give them a few spots up after playing what was one of the most competitive games for the conference in week 1- in a situation where they were definitely expected to be playing up a few levels. The Lakers hung with the Youngstown State Penguins and showed off new wide receiver Dylan Evans, who caught 7 passes and looked like yet another weapon at receiver for Mercyhurst. Defensively, they hung well with well-regarded offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s first outing in Youngstown, although Gino Leone tells us that it may have been a somewhat vanilla gameplan. In any case, the Lakers were probably a handful of miscues away from winning this game. They’ve got a lot of tough road games ahead, but we’ll be in town to see them take on New Haven this Saturday.
Long Island
You just can’t take that much from a game against Florida with 89,000+ fans in The Swamp at night. You just can’t. The negative here for the Sharks from a ranking perspective is that we didn’t really see much to tell us who they are this season yet. Stanzani and Greenwood weren’t able to get much going through the air, and Ingram and Ross pretty much split the tailback carries. Greenwood wasn’t the same weapon on the ground against a top-15 team as he is against more reasonable competition. Deion Richardson had a 28 yard catch, but other than that it was tough going for the Sharks and we’ll have a better chance to truly evaluate them next week against Eastern Michigan. Don’t consider this the Sharks dropping from the preseason so much as getting a better idea of some of the other competition and some more standout performances from them. Teams moved up; the Sharks didn’t really get knocked down.
Wagner
The Seahawks opened up a new and improved stadium for Kansas on a weeknight and the atmosphere and talent from the other side was always going to be a little much to handle. We did get an idea on Wagner’s QB situation (it looks like it’ll be R-Fr Jack Stevens) and a viral interception came of the game from Jayden Brown. What did we say last year- the NEC is the Conference of Insane Interceptions. I’m not really convinced that there’s much to go on from the Seahawks offensively, but this might be an opportunistic team on Grymes Hill as Wagner did win the TO battle at 2-0 against Kansas.
Stonehill
The Skyhawks barely made it to their game (reportedly, they got a flat tire and were almost late) and that might have had an impact offensively. Defensively, they were stout as expected, giving up only one touchdown (they surrendered a field goal and the offense gave up a safety). A 12-7 win is a tough way to lose in week one, but there were bright spots here. Charles Battaglia was as good as hoped for with 9 tackles, and Jack O’Connell was 30-39 through the air. Offensively, they’ll need to turn those completions into yards (212 through the air for O’Connell) and points. It’s not where we hoped Stonehill would start on week one, but it’s a long season.
New Haven
New Haven hung with Marist in their first game in Division I and, much like Mercyhurst, had opportunities to win the game that weren’t able to be capitalized on, especially on special teams. You make your biggest improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, and gametime decision Zaon Laney will hopefully be healthy heading into Mercyhurst this weekend as we’re expecting rainy, grind-it-out weather up on Lake Erie. A.J. Duffy absolutely looks like the real deal, but we’re in a kind of wait-and-see mode on the Chargers until this Saturday when we get a real data point for them against Erie. The Chargers certainly look like they’ve got a playmaker under center, and I do not think next week is at all out of reach for this team.
Saint Francis
Saint Francis headed into Louisiana-Monroe and after a weather delay weren’t able to get off the blocks offensively. Geno Calgaro had an outstanding performance with 12 tackles, and the Red Flash were able to block two extra points. Unfortunately, the longest play for the other side of the ball was 14 yards, and while the Red Flash were able to go into half time at 10-0, Louisiana-Monroe is not traditionally the same level as a West Virginia and so you have to adjust the credit that you give the defense accordingly. Still, just like every season in the portal era, the Red Flash lost plenty and were still able to rebuild their defense. Hopefully, we get a little bit of a better idea of what to expect offensively next week before they open up the NEC season on the road in Hard Hittin’ New Britain.
View From The Other Side: Youngstown State vs. Mercyhurst
We’re very fortunate to have the writing talents of Gino Leone contributing to NEC Blitz tonight- the first time we’ve ever had another contributor to the site! He provides excellent Youngstown State coverage for Redshirt Sports and was kind enough to share his thoughts with us.
Game Recap: Youngstown State vs Mercyhurst
Youngstown State controlled its opener against Mercyhurst, leaning on Beau Brungard’s legs and a stout defense, though questions linger about the offense’s balance.
Offense
Youngstown State came out hot on offense, scoring 21 points in the first half and driving down the field at an efficient rate. The second half was a completely different story, as YSU failed to reach the end zone and often looked one dimensional, relying on a heavy dosage of Beau Brungard to secure the win.
The junior quarterback has grown accustomed to QB power and draw plays, but not to the multitude or volume that he saw Thursday night. With a new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich, it was expected that YSU would push the ball down the field more and emphasize explosiveness. However, that wasn’t the case against Mercyhurst.
Beau had 28 carries, being dealt blow after blow and seeing an increased workload. He was productive, totaling 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but he left the field limping after the clock struck zero.
The play selection begs the question: is this approach sustainable? It is a valid concern, yet one that requires a larger sample size to make a fair assessment. What was perhaps more surprising about this offensive game plan was the apparent refusal to give YSU’s tailbacks touches.
Prior to the start of the season, the running back room was spoken highly of and was thought of as one of the deepest and most talented position groups on the roster. Jaden Gilbert and Tahir Mills combined for just ten rushes, contradicting this belief entirely. Again, there could be several explanations for this and time is the only answer.
At wide receiver, Max Tomczak led the team with 43 receiving yards on two receptions. Tomczak hauled in the longest pass of the evening, and Luke Hensley chipped in with an 11-yard snag.
Defense
Front Seven
For Youngstown State, there were a lot of questions about what the defensive line would look like heading into 2025. Although the final result was underwhelming, YSU’s front seven played an outstanding game, holding Mercyhurst to just 63 total rushing yards, and 2.6 yards per rush.
Linebacker Carston Marshall flashed his true potential, racking up 10 tackles, one TFL, and one pass breakup in what was a standout performance. His gap discipline and relentless pursuit of the ball carrier is something that YSU lacked last fall.
Another player that popped on film was transfer defensive tackle Thomas Jolly (Grand Valley State). The stat sheet doesn’t do Jolly full justice – he recorded just one tackle – but he obliterated the interior of the Lakers’ O-Line and disrupted their offensive rhythm. The ‘Guins needed the front line to improve drastically, and it appears the coaching staff has made the necessary adjustments to do so.
YSU moved Michael Wells (6-3, 250) – a linebacker in 2024 – to an Edge/OLB role. This change gives the ‘Guins size and athleticism up front, while not putting them at a serious disadvantage due to Wells' lengthy frame.
Though there were mistakes, Wells thrived with new responsibilities and executed at a high level.
Secondary
The numbers alone might suggest YSU’s secondary had a rough showing, yet that wasn’t the case at all. QB Adam Urena completed 32-of-48 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, making some remarkable throws and showcasing his lightning-quick release time. This kid can spin it, and there were countless occasions where there was absolutely nothing YSU could do to stop him.
I thought the ‘Guins locked down the Lakers when it mattered the most and were disruptive at pivotal moments. Dathan Hickey broke out and had a good Penguin debut; he led the defense with 13 total tackles and one interception. Justin Wimpye also proved his worth, intercepting a pass and registering two pass breakups.
Final Analysis
YSU had this game in control the entire time. To me, it felt like Mercyhurst never had a real shot of winning, but the offensive output was concerning, particularly in the second half. Yurcich kept things incredibly simple, running what I would consider to be basic install plays. Is he masking our talent at receiver and in the backfield for more meaningful games? I don’t know, but it looked like a vanilla offense that had one goal: milk the clock and get out with a win.
The defense played well and buckled up when the game was on the line. This unit has definitely improved and I feel much better than last season about this group.
GAME RECAP: Duquesne at Pitt- Dukes Drop City Game, 61-9
The rivalry hadn’t been played in football since 1939. Unfortunately, while the crowd came out for the Dukes and the Panthers, the result was a runaway victory for Pitt that resulted in a loss for the team from The Bluff.
Joey Isabella caught a strike from Ty Riddell for a 59 yard gain in the first half that set up Duquesne’s first touchdown. The play came with great protection and a long strike that was dead on and accurate. When Duquesne’s offensive line is on this season, Riddel is going to have the opportunity to throw deep- and he’s already shown the accuracy to connect when those opportunities come. But in Acrisure Stadium, against the Panthers, the pass rush was often just too much to contain.
Still, Isabella proved that he was more than equal to the high level of competition. He finished with over 100 yards through the air, and the Dukes often keyed their offense on him, giving the wideout over 100 total yards. He looked like a plus matchup for the Dukes, and they got creative to get him the ball in space. He’s going to be a problem for defenses in league play. It’s said that in these FCS vs. FBS games, one player will line up against someone that will be the best at their position they play against all season long. It seems conceivable that Isabella provided that kind of challenge for Pitt’s defensive backfield today.
Jack Dunkley caught Eli Holstein for a sack early in the 3rd quarter that showed off the moves he has on the edge, and when he caught Pitt’s dual threat quarterback Eli Holstein from behind after a 16 yard gain, it only served to show that Dunkley will be an athletic mismatch for most of the teams the Dukes play this year. For much of the game, though, he was only even with the blue and gold across the line from him- not head and shoulders above. But even against a P4 team is a good start.
Special Teams was sometimes a struggle for the Dukes, where the depth difference between the NEC and the ACC sometimes shows itself. Kenny Johnson and All-American Dez Reid were able to get long returns, with Reid returning a punt for a touchdown on the first Pitt touch of the day.
Taj Butts often found himself searching for room in a snowstorm of blue jerseys, but a few bigger runs- headlined by a 17 yard rush to start Duquesne’s first offensive possession- showed the potential on the ground, too. It was rough sledding all day, but the Dukes did make big plays. They’ll have to build on those as they head back home to take on Lincoln (PA) and a chance to work on things to get ready for Lehigh and league play.
Games like the City Game are good for football- a chance for the Dukes to play at Acrisure Stadium, sure, but also an in-city event that got people excited about the prospect of Duquesne and Pitt playing each other once again, for the first time since 1939. It feels like something that should happen more often- at least every 4 seasons, the Dukes should take on the Panthers. Sometimes, it’ll be this way. It’s hard as an FCS squad- whether it’s RMU or Duquesne- to compete with the in-city power conference team. We knew that going into the game. The Dukes showed enough flashes to give us an idea of what they’ll excel at in the NEC this season and plenty of chances to see how they stack up against top competition. Against a power team in an opener? Sometimes, that’s the best outcome you can hope for.
Second Quarter: Duquesne at Pitt
Drive 7 continues. 3rd and 3 at the Dukes 19, Pitt ball.
This time, the Holstein read option is stopped as Dunkley reads it well and it’s 4th and 3. Yet again, Pitt remains on the field. Holstein throws an interception into the end zone and we’re still at 14-0. Dukes ball.
Drive 8 Dukes at the 20.
Solomon goes up the middle again, this time for 2 yards. They’re trying something new with a really bunched in formation and the swing pass out to Butts is for about 4 yards. 3rd and 4 for the Dukes, but at their own 26 yard line they’ll have to convert here. A lot of contact but the pass is broken up on 3rd down, and the Dukes punt team is back on. This time, the Dukes seemed to try to go outside and short but still aren’t finding a hole in the Pitt defense.
Drive 9. Pitt at their own 19.
Dez Reid looks pretty impossible to tackle. Even his gains of 3 are pretty. Pitt’s offense really isn’t running away with this one early, which bodes well for the Duquesne defense this season. Huge rush up the middle from Duquesne nearly gets home, forcing a quick pass, and with a 4th and 4 on their own 25, they’ll have to punt.
Drive 10. Pitt at their own 39.
Good field position for the Dukes and they’ll have to make it happen this drive. They get it done with a big pass to Isabella, and the Dukes are at the Pitt 2 yard line. PLENTY of time for Riddell and he delivered the strike. This is what they’ll have to do to win today, and if the OL is as good as we think in FCS play, we’ll see more of this moving forward this season. At the two yard line, a false start will move the Dukes back to the 7. Duke TD from the 7 and B.J. Alexander will get the Dukes on the board, 6-14 after a missed PAT. Suddenly we’ve got a game here, and might we remind you Pitt needed two 4th down conversions and a punt return TD to score?
Drive 11. Pitt at the Duquesne 18.
Big kick return from Kenny Johnson- looked like a TD but Duquesne able to make the big last second tackle- and they’re in the red zone. Duquesne commits the “good” pass interference that probably saved a touchdown. Pitt will have first and goal at the 5. First throw is an overthrow. The next place sees Goff take it for Pitt to the 1 yard line. 3rd and goal and the Dukes have to come up stout here to avoid the quick response. Goff takes the run up the middle and is able to get the Pitt touchdown. You see the depth come into play here at special teams and Goff likely wouldn’t have gotten more than a couple, but when you’re backed up on the 18 to start a drive, it’s hard to come away with points. The extra point is blocked and Pitt goes up 20-6.
Drive 12. Duquesne at the 25.
A quick strike gets Isabella 4 yards and the Dukes huddle. Butts takes it off guard to the weak side and it’s 3rd and 2. Unfortunately, the Dukes broke the huddle with 12 and they’ll go back to 3rd and 7. The Dukes try a screen to Isabella on the 3rd and 7 from a 5 wide and that’s going to work for 10 yards. The Pitt defense is starting to stack together some plays, but it’s not a warm day here in Pittsburgh. Duquesne moves backwards following this and it’s a 3rd and 16 and they’ll have to punt after they can’t get anyone open. The punt gets Pitt to start on their own 38, but a taunting from Duquesne will start the Panthers at the Dukes 47.
Drive 13. There’s a blanket over Kenny Johnson by the Dukes but the catch is made for the first down. A quick swing pass gets Pitt 15 more yards and we’re at the 20 yard line with Pitt moving. Plenty of time for Holstein as the pass rush can’t get there and eventually Kenny Johnson gets open for the touchdown pass. Pitt will go up 27-6.
Drive 14. Really good turnout here for an FCS game- about the best I’ve seen for Pitt- and I’m curious what the numbers will end up being. Duquesne will start at the 25. Roughing the passer will get Duquesne to the 50 yard line. There’s a sack on the following play from an incredible Pitt pursuit from Joey Zelinsky. 2nd and 15 and the Dukes are on their own 45. Isabella is able to get open for 8 and he’s already close to 10 targets. On the 3rd and 7, Riddell has to bail out and throw it away. Dukes will have to punt. Touchback on the punt.
Drive 15. Pitt at the 20, 2:31 remaining. Busted coverage and gets Pitt a big gain to the Dukes 30 at 2:00 remaining in the half. Holstein throws to the end zone and there’s contact but no call. 3rd and 12 after Reid can’t get anything on the edge. Holstein is pressured but able to get downfield, yet after 16 yards Dunkley is able to catch him. There’s a catch by Hicks in the Pitt end zone that’ll be SC Top 10- a ridiculous one handed grab- that simply can’t be defended. Touchdown, Pitt up 33-36.
Drive 16. Dukes on their own 25 with 48 seconds to go in the half.
Butts takes the first rush for 2 and the Dukes run out the half.
First Quarter: Duquesne at Pitt
15:00 to kickoff. Pitt band on the field. No sign of a Duquesne spirit band contingent, but the Dukes did bring the cheerleaders along. Duquesne (like all visiting teams at Acrisure) is allotted a corner of the stadium, but looks like scattered red throughout the visitor’s sideline. Blue of course, too, but hard to discern what’s Duquesne blue and what’s Pitt blue from up here…
But I’ve really missed you, college football.
8 minutes to go: Pitt running out with a city of Pittsburgh flag. I keep one of these next to the set in the NEC Blitz Studios- it’s a great flag and, you know, Yinzer and all that. But is this a special City Game thing? Will Duquesne have a Pittsburgh flag? (I really hope so).
4 minutes to go: No Pittsburgh flag from Duquesne.
Kickoff: “Pittsburgh Sound” by Wiz Khalifa. Good choice. Duquesne will receive, so we get our chance to see Ty Riddell right away. Keys here are the Duquesne OL against the Pitt DL.
Drive 1: Duquesne at the 25.
Yup. That line looks good for the Dukes. 17 yard pickup. Second play is more like what you’d expect from the Pitt line and it’s a 3 yard loss. So running on the Panthers is going to be tough despite play one. Riddell is pressured hard on 2nd down and has to throw it away while running wide. The OL not holding off the Pitt DL as much as they did initially. Another big rush and the pass was short of the first down at midfield. Dukes should stay on here… and it’s a ploy to get Pitt offsides which fails. Delay of game and now the Dukes will punt. The first play was what we had hoped for, and after that the Pitt DL looked a little too strong.
Punt return is an 88 yard touchdown return for Pitt, and the Panthers will go up 7-0 here with 12:14 in the City Game.
Drive 2: Duquesne at the 25.
Right tackle whiffs on the first play here and Riddell takes a shot and Pitt drops a pick here. Unfortunately, it looks the strength for the Dukes is going up against the bet front 7 they’ll see all year and one of the best in the ACC. Another loss here on a run and the Dukes are moving backwards. Riddell pressured again and they’ll punt. Kind of a line drive punt but that might be for the best to keep it away from Dez Reid, who’s an All-American and had the Pitt TD earlier. We’ll get a shot to see the Duquesne defense from the Pitt 34. I actually think Jermaine Johnson might be a plus matchup at WR but will the Dukes have the time to get the ball to him?
Drive 3: Pitt at the 34.
Dukes run defense looks stout on the first play and the pass coverage is good on play 2. If Holstein throws a step further behind it’s a pick six. Dukes timeout on 3rd and 9. Dukes stuff Dez Reid on the designed swing pass (Pitt used this play against Kent State last year) and it’s a 3 and out forced by the Dukes. Isabella fields it and gets out of bounds at the 21.
Drive 4: Duquesne at the 21.
Isabella gets the ball for the first time on offense on the short pass- Dukes adjusting to the pressure- and they pick up 2. Butts gets the ball here and gets 3 more. Big 3rd down with a makeable 5 for the Dukes and a chance to keep the Pitt defense on the field. Riddell scrambles and seems to have a hole that gets closed by the Pitt LB Lovelace quickly. 4th and 4 and the Dukes will have to punt again. Let’s see if it’s another squib to keep it from Reid…It’s another keepaway punt and Pitt starts at the 38.
Drive 5: Pitt at the 38.
The Duquesne DL continues to be strong against Pitt. Good pressure on the 2nd play but a sort of miracle throw to Kenny Johnson gets caught- could have hit the ground but you can’t tell from the video. Pitt has a false start rushing to the line but the delayed pitch to Reid goes for 13 on the next play. They went outside there and it worked better avoiding the Dukes line. The next play is up the guy and more predictably- this Dukes line is good- they get a loss of a yard. 3rd and 3 and a huge defensive stand for the Dukes. The Panthers fake the delayed pitch and run Holstein- 4th and 1 with Pitt staying on the field. You’d think they’d stop running into the teeth here- Duquesne seems to have a good matchup here- and the read option outside goes well outside for Pitt and a 16 yard first down. A pass to Hicks on the outside is a 13 yard gain and we’re at 1st and goal at the 5. Duquesne has to get stout here now. First throw is well covered and they avoid the coverage with a backwards pass- call it a run to Poppi Jones- and they get to 3rd and goal at the 1. This plays to Duquesne’s strengths, though... They stack the line and Pitt has to run to the outside and throw out wide. Jones makes the big tackle but Pitt is still on the field at 4th and goal from the 4. Touchdown pass to Hicks up the middle. Pitt will go up 14-0.
Duquesne showed the strength of the middle of their line here, and Pitt had to adjust but was able to quickly. The tendency to run up the gut early might have led to the big bite on the read option with the big Holstein gain that really put the Dukes in good position. Notable that Pitt had to go for it twice on 4th here.
Drive 6: Duquesne at the 25.
Butts able to run up the middle for a yard on the first play, but it looks like someone trying to dive through a swarm of blue jerseys. The Dukes have got to win some 1 on 1 matchups on the edge- and have the chance to get the ball off. Almost on cue, All-American Kyle Louis comes through unblocked and sacks Riddell hard. Timeout Dukes. They’re at their own 13 on 3rd and 22. Louis gets chipped on the next play, but the Dukes get sacked again for a loss of 8. 4th and 30 at the 5. Unfortunately, the breakdown for the Dukes is logical here but unfavorable- if you can’t run up the middle, you have to get to the outside where the DBs are in one on one coverage. But you need time to win those matchups, and they can’t get any of that. Punt is short and Pitt takes over at the 26.
Drive 7: Pitt at the Dukes 26.
Holstein doesn’t see a wideout uncovered down the middle and throws too long to Johnson- that was a scoring play that the Dukes will survive. He gets six on the designed QB delayed power on the next play up the guy. First quarter ends on a 3rd and 3, and we’re heading to a new thread.
Jack Stevens Takes Hold as QB1 in Wagner Loss to Kansas
Wagner went on the road to Big 12 foe Kansas and fell 46-7. Against a power conference school, the outcome is no major surprise.
But the personnel for the Seahawks might have been.
Coach Masella had told us in the spring that he expected Jordan Barton and Jack Stevens to take snaps in the Kansas game. Stevens started, and Barton figured in on only one play, a one yard sack in the 3rd quarter. The Seahawks may have been holding this one close to their vest, but unless this was next level gamesmanship, the battle has effectively been decided, and Wagner will be going with the redshirt freshman quarterback this season.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to know what to make of the statistical breakdown against a power foe- particularly Kansas, who has been on the rise in recent years under Coach Lance Leipold and breaking in a new stadium, which could only help with the energy levels in the crowd. Stevens posted a 13 for 20, with 1 TD and 91 yards. But it was tough sledding for Wagner offensively all day.
The Seahawks were only able to gain 143 yards, averaging 3 each play and 6 total first downs. But, again, the competition has to be taken into account. I don’t think we really learned anything about the Seahawks last night in Lawrence, aside from who the quarterback will be heading into the rest of the season.
Unfortunately, it’s a tough non-conference schedule for Wagner. They’ll be playing Georgetown, an improved Marist team, Norfolk State under new coach Mike Vick, and Central Michigan from the MAC. They’ll be challenged prior to heading into conference play. The hope has to be that they’ll be hardened from the experience and ready to go in conference. They’ll be expected to compete this season with the level of talent they’ve got throughout the offense.
It’s not going to be easy for the next few weeks for the Seahawks. But now we know who their leader will be.
GAME RECAP: New Haven Loses First D1 Game to Marist, 31-14
The opportunities were certainly there for New Haven, but the ball just couldn’t bounce their way.
There were certainly positives to take away. Once the defense settled in around the second quarter, the Chargers looked competitive. AJ Duffy had a coming out party as the real deal- and, likely, among the top quarterbacks in an NEC that might be defined by strong quarterback play. We thought Adam Urena’s game proved he was the real deal- and it did- but Duffy threw for video game numbers, dishing out 377 yards and 2 TDs to 1 INT.
Next week at Mercyhurst should be a lot of fun. And a lot of points.
But let’s get back to the inaugural 77 Classic.
The Chargers couldn’t get out of a hole dug in the first quarter, when Marist was able to get up two scores to reach 17-7. But a blocked field goal, muffed punt, and a goal line stand by the Red Foxes on 4th and goal at the 1 kept the Chargers from surmounting the two score deficit.
A final special teams gaffe- another muffed punt- led to the final Marist touchdown that ultimately made the game look more lopsided than it actually was.
Had the goal line stand gone the other way, had the field goal gone through the uprights, had the ball been fielded cleanly on punts- it was an “if only” game for the Chargers, who had their opportunities to take their first game as a member of Division I and the Northeast Conference.
Defensively, defensive back Dre Kirton paced New Haven with 10 tackles. New Haven seemed to miss the talents of Zaon Laney, as they were only able to eat up 18 rushing yards on the day. Evan Chieca and Logan Smith caught the two Duffy touchdown passes.
GAME PREVIEW: Central Connecticut at UConn
Quotes courtesy of Rob Gullo with the New Britain Herald.
“We're gonna go take our shot and see what happens.”
Coach Adam Lechtenberg was just being realistic. FCS vs. FBS games are always a challenge for the lower-division team to win; that’s why the FBS teams schedule them in the first place. But there’s something fun about an in-state rivalry match between divisions. But this isn’t the UConn team we’ve seen far too much of since the Big East imploded. These Huskies can play, and they present a far bigger challenge to the Blue Devils than the last time they met in 2022, a 28-3 UConn win. The Blue Devils face as tough of a challenge as they will all season when they travel to The Rent.
We were able to speak with Bobby Wilson of the T’N’T’ College Football Podcast, a Lambert Trophy voter and noted UConn specialist.
Offensively, Wilson wasn’t holding back in his praise for the Huskies. “Joe Fagnano is a poised signal caller who doesn't make mistakes. The RB room is four deep with Cam Edwards, Mel Brown, Victor Rosa, and MJ Flowers. WR Skyler Bell is a future pro and Raymello Murphy and Shamar Porter will be known soon enough.”
While the Blue Devils can punch back offensively with Elijah Howard, who should hit 4th place all time in rushing yards for CCSU this season, they’ll face challenges, too. All-NEC Blitz second teamer AlecZander McCoy is expected to be out, along with projected right tackle Eric Nunez. This is on top of the loss of 2024’s offensive line coach to the P4 and most of the rest of their offensive line, easily the NEC’s best unit last season. They’ll have to rebuild and have some emerging talent here to slow down UConn’s pass rush.
The plus side is that it’s also a rebuilding position for UConn, although there’s still strength in the defense. According to Wilson, “Defensively, our front six will see a lot of new faces. We got bigger and stronger up front and the LBs have talent in Tyquan King, among others. However, all those new faces could lead to a hiccup or two in the 3-3-5 set. The secondary is extremely deep and talented, led by Cam Chadwick.”
The strong secondary may mean CCSU will have to be creative to get WR Donovan Wadley the ball. The 2023 NEC Offensive Player of the Year returned to the league this season and will be expected to be a difference maker for the offense, a weapon on the outside that Quarterback Brady Olsen hasn’t had previously. Coach Lechtenberg likes the way Olsen’s developed, saying of his signal caller “Brady's leadership has continued to evolve. I asked him, you know, one time in the off season, is how are quarterbacks evaluated, and it's on championships. He's done that. We want him to continue to improve. He's got all the skill set, and he's tough, he's smart, and he's a leader.”
The real test for the Blue Devils will be if they can continue to create turnover opportunities. They were an incredibly opportunistic defense last season. It gave them, for lack of a better word, a mystique that turnovers would happen when Hard Hittin’ New Britain stepped on the field. Things just seemed to go their way at times last year. There’s a luck component to that, but there’s a skill component, too.
Week 1 is always ripe for upsets. With this strong Huskies team coming off of a Fenway Bowl victory over UNC, it’s a tall order. But CCSU is coming off of a championship season and shouldn’t lack confidence. We can’t wait for this one.
Recap: Penguins Hold Off Lakers, 24-15
The Lakers were on the cusp of upsetting the Youngstown State Penguins on Thursday night, but they’ll have to settle for a coming out party- nationally- for Adam Urena and transfer portal addition Dylan Evans.
Arguably, the game should have been closer. It’s an ever bigger argument to make, but the Lakers could have won this game. The Green and Blue had too many miscues- 4 turnovers for the Lakers to 0 for the Penguins- and scored only 2 of 3 times in the red zone. A missed field goal could have kept the Lakers within one score, but it was not to be.
The early reaction from Youngstown State fans seems to be a mix of panic and frustration with the secondary. The passing numbers for Urena were gaudy as you’d expect (2 TDs, 311 yards, 32 completions), but there were many instances last night where no one- no one- could have covered Urena to Evans. A back shoulder throw for a first down in the first half comes to mind. I understand the frustration- Penguins fans anticipated they’d walk all over the Lakers- but Urena and Evans put on a show last night. Evans complemented Urena’s performance with 95 yards and 7 catches. We’d already expected the Lakers to have a strong receiver room. Evans might have just put them over the top to be the best in conference.
The question is if the Lake Show will continue into the conference season.
Fortunately, we won’t have long to find out. Mercyhurst will host New Haven next week as the first NEC game for the Chargers (albeit an unofficial one) while Mercyhurst will have their first home game of the year before embarking on a long and difficult road slate out west.
Linebacker Jeff Leavell paced the Lakers defense with 9 tackles. He’s expected to make a big impact this season after previously being mainly a contributor on special teams. His first action as a regular starter looked promising. Mike Yurcich was hailed as a big hire for Youngstown State this offseason, but the Lakers held the Penguins to a reasonable 24 points. Perhaps YSU will get more production from their offense as the season wears on and the players become comfortable. We’ll get the chance to see their growth from Week 1 to Week 2 as they take on Robert Morris next week.
And for the Lakers, those improvements from Week 1 to Week 2 will be crucial, and they’ll have a full week to reflect on how to make the most out of those opportunities, as a 4-0 turnover margin won’t give them many chances to pull an upset. With a tough road slate on the horizon, they’ll need to find a way to keep getting better.
Recap: Saint Francis Falls to ULM 29-0
Last season, the Red Flash had a punishing defense and an offense that took some time to get rolling- up until the last 3 games of the season. They won just one game (the penultimate one, when things were finally starting to click on that side of the ball) when the opponent scored more than 20. In one three game stretch, the Red Flash scored 7 points prior to being shut out two games in a row.
You can’t take too much from games against FCS, but it felt a lot like a game the fans in Loretto had seen before.
The final score appears lopsided, but the Red Flash hung with the Sun Belt’s Warhawks until the fourth quarter, entering the third down just 10-0. The FCS vs. FBS games are often characterized by the sheer depth the scholarship advantage gives the teams in the Bowl Subdivision, though, and late in the game in seemed to finally catch up with the Saint Francis, who surrendered three touchdowns in the fourth.
There were definite positive signs for the Red Flash, though, and there’s no doubt the defense came ready to play in the “House of Pain” following a lengthy weather delay. We were high on Geno Calgaro entering the season, and he more than lived up to the billing with 12 tackles. Jahmil Perryman was a player we tabbed as a playmaker, and he recorded the longest Red Flash play of the day. Unfortunately, that was just for 14 yards on a rushing attempt.
Andrew Vines, who had actually been listed at running back previously after years in the secondary, returned to the defensive side of the ball and had his best game of his career with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a blocked extra point- one of an incredible two on the day for the Red Flash.
We also know who’ll be toting the rock for the Flash now. Raphael Ekechi had 10 carries and garnered 37 yards. There was little surprise at Nick Whitfield Jr. getting the start at QB.
Defensively, the Red Flash look ready to go, but there’s still some work on the offensive side of the ball to be done. They’ll have to work fast as they face what will probably be a stiffer challenge when they play MAC stalwarts Buffalo next week. Of course, Saint Francis is familiar with downing MAC opponents- they took down Kent State just last season- and it’s hard to overstate what a storybook moment it would be if they were able to take down Buffalo in their last FBS challenge ever.
We’ll be on the beat as always.
New Haven at Marist: Game Notes
The 77 Classic
The first game in New Haven Division I Football history is the 77 Classic.
Well, that’s the branding, and with rivalries being the lifeblood of college sports… you’d really like to see it develop into something special.
Per the Marist athletics website, the two teams have never actually met previously. But there’s no time like the present. As the name implies, they’re only separated by 77 miles, with Poughkeepsie, NY tapped for the site of the inaugural bash.
The good news is that “inaugural” likely doesn’t mean “only.” Fans who love short road trips should know that there’s a lot of work being put in behind the scenes to make New Haven vs. Marist an annual thing to open up the year. Familiarity breeds rivalry, after all, and these days it’s hard to make familiarity work in non-conference play. Let’s hope this is a rare exception to that problem.
AJ Duffy Named Starting QB
Florida State transfer AJ Duffy has been named the New Haven starting quarterback. He’s a former four star that will have a lot of expectations as New Haven begins its season just from the pedigree that ranking has. The first spot of the season on NEC On the Run didn’t hurt that perception.
Of Duffy, Coach Mark Powell said, “He’s always even keeled, always operating the right way. We’re excited to see what he does.” He’s excited about his dual threat ability and calls him the “commanding officer” of the team. Not bad praise from a coach from a naval family.
Blue Collar in Blue and Gold
The New Haven Chargers had a lot of rebuilding to do prior to this season.
When the news about the transition to Division I hit- and the subsequent need to quickly rebuild a schedule- many of the players from New Haven hit the transfer portal. When Coach Powell took over, he was able to recruit many of those players back (we’ve written about this before), but not all of them. In response, this is a team that had to build significantly through the transfer portal. But heading into week one, there’s some good things that have come from it.
For one thing, the identity of the team is strong. “Just really blue collar toughnes. They go to work every day. The team slogan is FAST- family always stays together- and they’re just a resilient group.”
That’s exciting, but how are all of the new guys gelling? According to Coach Powell, that’s not a concern either. “In pre-season camp, you wouldn’t know we had as many transfers as we had,” he said, noting that the team is close. The Chargers staff is preaching family, and it’s helping what could have been a disparate group be perfectly cohesive.
A Perfect Circle
For Coach Powell, this is a culmination of a lot of hard work, but it’s also a trip that has taken him back to the beginning. “I went to high school across the street from campus,” he told us. Of course, Coach Powell’s grandfather coached at Yale for 32 years. He’s no stranger to New Haven. But how many head coaches get to live the dream of bringing your hometown to Division I?
And as the 77 Classic kicks off the season, he’ll be in the history books forever as the first Head Coach of the program as they make their long-overdue transition to the NEC.
View from the P4: “It’s a good league. It’s building.”
Post-Gazette writer Abby Schnable did us a huge favor by asking Pat Narduzzi, the Head Coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers, about his impressions of the NEC as a whole.
“I think it’s a great conference. There’s no bad conferences in the country. It’s another FCS program. They’ve got Robert Morris, which is another city rivalry, I guess you could call it. But I think it’s a great league, and it’s building. They continue to bring good talent in and they got good players.”
Getting something positive from a coach prior to any game isn’t newsworthy on its own. It only makes sense to compliment your opponent before a game. Our interest in Coach’s view of the Northeast Conference is more based on a prior comment he made several years back regarding the CAA. Coach Narduzzi had noted that the CAA was a MAC based in the Northeast. So our question was: what does that make the NEC?
Evidently, building.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Saint Francis beat Kent State last season, as well as Pitt’s week 1 foe Duquesne knocking off Youngstown State, a place he’s very familiar with. When we spoke with Craig D’Amico this offseason, we both talked about how the feeling for NEC non-conference games has changed over the past few seasons. It’s no longer an expectation to be non-competitive. There’s excitement now for fans of the league’s schools. Looking at how close LIU played Rhode Island, or CCSU’s near-upset of UMass- you now expect the league to be able to compete and even win some of these games prior to league play.
So, yeah. Building.
Coach Narduzzi’s praise wasn’t limited to the NEC, though. He also clearly has a lot of respect for the Dukes and Coach Schmitt. After noting that this was Coach Schmitt’s 21st year, he gave specific praise to QB Ty Riddell, RB Taj Butts, and WR Joey Isabella. In terms of the overall talent level he’ll face?
“I think Jerry and his staff do a great job of recruiting and bringing talent in.”
Riddell has been here before, having led ETSU to a victory over Vanderbilt when he was the starting QB for the Buccaneers. It’s one of the more interesting storylines for this opener. Do you learn anything from knocking off P4 schools at the FCS level? While the bulk of the Dukes have played Boston College before in a big loss last season, the program has also played Florida State in the past. But there’s something about staying home and playing a school just up the road- literally, by the way, up the road- with your fans in the stands. And for the local talent, they’ll have the chance to show the Pitt staff what they missed out on by not offering. The Dukes will bring their A game, and we agree with Coach Narduzzi on one more front- this will probably be the best game the Dukes play all season.
We’ll have the chance to see how the talent matches up on the ACC Network or at Acrisure Stadium this Saturday.
Preview: Mercyhurst at Youngstown State
If you’re from Western PA- even the part up in the northwest, next to a city called North East (I don’t know)- you know that Youngstown belongs. The name on the driver’s license might read “Ohio”, but we’re all one big family over here. In this context, you could think of round 1 for the Mercyhurst Lakers- and the Youngstown State Penguins- as an in-state matchup, absolutely ripe for a rivalry to develop. The Missouri Valley might play by a little bit of a different set of rules, but when the distance is this close, it’s hard not to think about what could be.
The Lakers are still in the midst of making a transition from Division II, of course, and that should color everything about this game. Even with the Penguins coming off of a disappointing season that saw them lose to Duquesne in a game that shouldn’t have even been as close as it was.
The Penguins have a mix of old and new this season. Out is old offensive coordinator Troy Rothenbuhler, who shipped over to Robert Morris, and in is former Penn State, Texas, and Oklahoma State OC Mike Yurcich. He has some familiarity with the NEC as he’s previously held the same position at Saint Francis. Yurcich has historically been an OC who pushes tempo, but when you’re taking a job as an OC, you should immediately expect to tailor your offense to the players on your roster unless you have years to establish yourself. So while we’ve got a coach who’s familiar with airing the ball out at close to a 50/50 split historically with the run, it starts with who the Penguins have and the immediate player you’ll notice is QB Beau Brungard. Brungard threw for 2141 but ran for 998. He’ll have to be considered the immediate threat on offense running or passing. Passing is no problem, either, because Max Tomczak is going to be among the nation’s best. They won’t stop with him, though, as they brought in a duo of wideouts from D2 Slippery Rock in Kylon Wilson and Mike Solomon. TC Caffery transferred in from Ohio State and is expected to contribute at tailback. Yurcich has brought plenty of optimism, but these kind of coordinator changes are rarely as easy as fans would hope and it’s possible they’ll still be working out the kinks against the Lakers.
Defensively, the big question mark for the Penguins is the defensive front and that’s probably a good fit for the Lakers, given the retooled offensive line they’ll be fielding. That should give Brian Trobel and Ayron Rodriguez some opportunities to pound the rock. The other big benefit is that it may give Adam Urena time to throw downfield. The YSU LB and DB rooms are solid, but the Lakers have as good of a QB and WR room as you could hope for given the loss of Cam Barmore to Arizona.
Beyond the line, there’s a mix of old and new offensively for the Penguins, defensively is primarily about the “new.” They return just 3 full-time starters but have some rotational pieces who should play bigger roles in 2025. NEC transfer Michalangelo Loretto (Robert Morris) signed with the Penguins but his eligibility status has been somewhat unclear and we’ll have to wait to see if he suits up on Saturday. Makai Shahid and DJ Harris are returning safeties for YSU who are tackling machines. The CB room was an open competition heading into fall camp, so hopefully this is a place the Lakers can exploit and go deep on the Penguins.
Coach Riemedio has said that the Lakers are excited to kickoff against a historic program like the Penguins. We can’t wait. This is the first game of the NEC season and comes up on Thursday evening. Christmas is just around the corner for NEC football fans.