NEC Football Power Rankings Week 8: Game of the Century of the Week in Erie

It’s an old trope in college football.

But tropes are tradition, after all, and the best parts of our sport always seem to come from the past. You have a poll because there’s been a poll for 100 years; you call games “bowls” because it’s been that way for 100 years; you let Rutgers play because they’ve been doing it for so long that you can’t even ignore them anymore.

But one of the best tropes (and therefore, traditions) in college football is that when #1 plays #2 in-season, you call it the Game of the Century. In the NEC, our schools aren’t usually ranked even when they clearly deserve to be (i.e., Duquesne) and so we fall back on these power rankings to describe if a matchup is big or not in the NEC. In this case… it’s almost a game of the century. We’re seeing #1 head a couple of hours north to Erie, where Mercyhurst comes in at #3. A quick word on this.

I identify culturally as a Yinzer (look it up if you’re unfamiliar with the term!). It is also tradition amongst Yinzers to take a trip a couple of hours north to Lake Erie. You immediately go to Presque Isle (unless you stop at Waldameer Park instead). After you arrive, you go to the beach your family has always gone to. It doesn’t matter if one has less people on it; you have a pre-assigned beach from birth. Mine is Budny Beach. You hang out there, maybe walk a bit, throw popcorn at a seagull, and then before you go home you stop at Sara’s for food. I know one of my bosses on FCSNation is from South Carolina, so to Kevin: Sara’s is basically Cook-Out, except there’s only one, and you can’t have two corndogs as a side. In any case, it’s just part of growing up that you do these things.

Which is a long way of saying that Duquesne is making the trip north to Erie, and this should not be considered a road game so much as the typical migration pattern of the Wild Yinzer. They will be used to this at Duquesne.

1. Duquesne

   Duquesne hosted Saint Francis in the 51st and final meeting between the two long-time rivals. It’s said that in 1976, the Saint Francis head coach (who was also a priest; college football is the best) prayed for fumbles during the game. Inexplicably, Duquesne could no longer hold onto the ball and the Red Flash won. It’s a great story, but none of it happened this time around, and the Red Flash offense was back to only scoring a single touchdown while the defense could not keep the Dukes out of the end zone. At this point, no one in the league has looked able to hang with the Dukes. This is your reminder that Duquesne was very competitive with top 10 Lehigh, yet are not ranked

2. Central Connecticut State

   CCSU hit the road and met Robert Morris in Moon Township. The game was evenly balanced, with two offensive scores apiece, but special teams miscues for the Colonials and a pick six put CCSU in front with a final score of 24-12. The Blue Devils defense looked solid, but the offensive side of the ball is where you should be paying attention. Brady Olson still has just one interception on the year (12-1 ratio of TDs to INTs) and Elijah Howard ran for over 100 yards, having reached midseason form just as the Blue Devils hit the heart of conference play. CCSU is not the most talented team in the league, but they’re close, and they never beat themselves. You can win a lot of games playing just like that.

3. Mercyhurst

   The Lake Show continued their run with a 19-7 win over the Wagner Seahawks behind backup QB Alex Gevaudan. Gevaudan, who I believe earned his scholarship in the offseason, performed admirably in Adam Urena’s stead, but Brian Trobel was the star here with 190 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs. We liked Trobel heading into the season and had him as probably the third best back in the league, but after the first two running backs in the league, it felt like there was a logjam that anyone could have emerged from in the NEC. Don’t call it a logjam anymore. If the season ended today, Trobel and Elijah Howard would be the two first teamers. The Lakers now host Duquesne in the biggest game in October, and one that may very well determine who gets to hang up a championship banner. It might not have playoff implications, though, as Mercyhurst is ineligible for the FCS playoff.

4. Stonehill

   Stonehill heads to New Haven next week… to play Yale, who also shares the city with the New Haven Chargers. This is a non-conference game. Stonehill can impress a lot of people with a win here. The Skyhawks were idle last week.

5. Long Island

   LIU was idle last week. Hopefully, it was a chance to get healthy, as they return to league play hosting Robert Morris. Ever since the Eastern Michigan win, we haven’t known what to make of the Sharks. A win against Bobby Mo would go a long way towards righting the ship. Of interest in this one is which two quarterbacks play.

6. New Haven

   Points were in the street in the town of New Haven, as the Chargers blasted Division III WestConn 69-0. The Chargers were supposed to win this one going away, and they did that. AJ Duffy threw for 4 TDs but wasn’t recognized as one of the 5 stars, likely because of the level of competition. They’re now off this week and will return to unofficial NEC play against Long Island the following week.

7. Wagner

   I wish Wagner and New Haven were playing this season. They feel so on par with each other, but you never do know until you see it. We’ll have to wait until 2026. The Seahawks were unable to do much offensively against a stout Mercyhurst defense despite playing Jordan Barton and Jack Stevens. Wagner falls to 1-5 (0-1) but has a big chance with Central Connecticut State up next. If the Seahawks are going to turn around this season, it has to start right here.

8. Robert Morris

   The Colonials weren’t able to keep pace with Central Connecticut State despite having as many offensive touchdowns as the Blue Devils. Unfortunately, we saw another quarterback change for the Colonials after a big hit. Wolfe came in and delivered some good balls and had some great chemistry with big tight end Chaz Middleton- maybe the best tight end in the NEC this year- but the Colonials seemed to keep falling short of reaching the red zone until it was too late. They’ll go up against LIU next. The pieces are there for the Colonials- the defense looked good on Saturday and Middleton and running backs Ethan Shine and Donta Whack are talented. They’ve just got to put them together on Saturdays.

9. Saint Francis

   The Red Flash only could post one touchdown in a loss to their rival Duquesne that was over before halftime. A week off will do the Frankies good before they face their other big rival in Robert Morris at home in Loretto- again, for the last time.

Game Notes: CCSU at RMU, 2nd Half

Once again, it’s not in my nature to ask, but tips through the button on the bottom right are always appreciated. We’re bringing radio in limited quantities this academic year and expanding it greatly next season, and that isn’t easy. The more you help, the more I can do- I promise.

CCSU is taking a 14-0 lead into the half. Certainly not insurmountable. It’s been one of those games where CCSU looks a little better and has moved the ball better than RMU, but they haven’t really been able to capitalize and we’re still in a tight ballgame. RMU will receive the kick.

Drive 1: RMU gets the ball after a touchback. A read option led to an accidental knee down to start the half, but a deep throw from Panteck to Middletown to the sideline gets them to the 40. Following that, a pick six on the screen pass puts CCSU up 21-0. There’s that opportunistic CCSU defense- two years in a row.

Drive 2: Touchback. RMU has to start it now if they’re going to comeback in this game. The first run from scrimmage is a hit out of bounds. RMU is already at midfield. RMU gets close on a safety valve pass to Donta Whack but the Colonials will have to punt.

Drive 3: CCSU from their own 13. Incomplete on another verts route down the sideline- a play both teams have liked today- and then Howard gets 5 on the read option. Interesting shift from RMU to Olson’s side- they recognized on the DL what was coming- but Howard cut away from the shift in response and won that battle. A first down on a short pass gets them to first down, where the Colonials defense has continued to get tougher to move the ball on. Another incompletion and the RMU pass defense has never looked better. A little mid screen to the TE doesn’t get more than a yard and CCSU will have to punt.

Drive 4: A huge hit on the punt, but RMU holds on to start at the 33. Incompletions follow and the Colonials need to punt again. The punt goes out of bounds and CCSU will start at the 31.

Drive 5: Elijah Howard starts off with a monster 26 yard run that saw him power through the Colonials defense. He’s closing in on 100 today and looks like he’s back at his midseason form. On a 3rd and 10 with a 5 wide set Olson runs a draw for 9 and the Blue Devils will go for it. Illegal motion, but with an incomplete pass RMU starts at the 35.

Drive 6: Holding on the first play negates a solid 5 yard gain for Donta Whack. A pass on second down will get the Colonials back to 2nd and 11, but this time Whack can’t get anything going. The RMU OL has looked excellent at times today, but they’re not dominating in this game. An excellent pass across the middle on a diving catch to Middleton who has been quietly having an excellent game. Panteck is sacked on the next play after attempting a scramble and again the OL didn’t look big on their play. Richard Ransom has a catch and run down the far sideline but steps out at the 38. That was inches from the big play the Colonials needed. A deep pass is completed- well out of bounds and Middleton is down.

Ethan Shine gets the Colonials into the Brewer Airport Toyota Red Zone for the first time today (19 yard line). Incompletions follow after a short gain and on 4th and 7 RMU misses the field goal. 21-0, CCSU.

Drive 7: At the 20, CCSU misses on a pass with a fair amount of pressure and we go into the 4th quarter. On the first play, Olson took a shot on a sack. The Blue Devils have to punt. It’s a great return negated by a running into the kicker. Rekick gets RMU to start at the CCSU 48.

Drive 8: Middleton just unable to pull in a tough pass to start the drive. Panteck somehow avoids the rush and gets a 2 yard drive out of what should have been a big sack. That’ll go on his film. He took a shot at the end of it and goes down. Jake Wolf comes in and hits Middleton on a deep ball and Middleton is down again. RMU is in the red zone at the 9 yard line. On 3rd and 6 the Central Connecticut fans get loud and the Colonials stay on for 4th down. This will get reviewed- called out of bounds on the field. Looks like a TD. Touchdown.

Drive 9: RMU recovers the onside kick and Wolf is in at QB. He gets 8 on the read option- hands off the next one, and the RMU OL is getting push again for the first down. The next play is a deep shot to Chas Middleton and Wolf is looking great. It’s completed and roughing the passer goes on top of it, and suddenly RMU is at the 7 yard line. Donta Whack takes it in and we’re looking at a two point conversion. Wolf has to throw it out of the back of the end zone and it’s still a two score game, 21-12 CCSU.

Drive 10: CCSU muffs a midrange kick and manages to recover. They’ll start at their own 37. Howard takes the ball twice- CCSU is bleeding out the clock, which I admit is my favorite strategy in football- and with an 18 yard gain goes over 100 for the day. Olson on a QB keeper after that, and the RMU defense is finally showing some signs of crumbling. As of right now , both offenses have scored 2 touchdowns. Special teams and a pick six are the real difference here. Howard carries the ball and is looking unstoppable with another big gainer and CCSU is in the red zone. A TD here is probably back breaking.

Donovan Marcus is in now and we’re at 3rd and 10 with the game bleeding past the 5:00 mark. another incompletion and it’s decision time for the Blue Devils. Hennessy comes on the field and drills the kick. 24-12, Blue Devils. I’m not sure RMU has 24 points in them today.

Drive 11: RMU starting at the 32. They get a swing pass to start but the clock is ticking fast. Wolf hits a big throw to Carter on the run and just behind the sticks. The Colonials aren’t ready to give this one up as we approach the 3 minute mark. Another pass to Carter on the sideline and we’ve found a good connection for the Colonials here. They go to the well a 3rd time and the Blue Devils nearly get an interception out of it. A scramble out of bounds gets the Colonials to the 30, but we aren’t in the 2 minute warning yet and the Colonials have got to get moving. False start on the next play.

4th and 11 and this is the game. RMU just gets the first down pending the spot but it looked like a false start. This one will go to replay as they’re marked short.

Game Notes: CCSU at RMU, 1st Half

We’'ll be providing live thoughts here to avoid flooding the Twitterverse. Not a bad turnout for CCSU fans. Saw a few very filled tailgates. I feel bad asking about this, but if you enjoy what we’re doing today, you can always buy me a coffee with the button in the bottom right of this page. (RMU provides me with free diet Mountain Dew; I don’t necessarily need it for today). But that kind of stuff is always appreciated, and it really does help to keep me coming on-site.

I guess moving forward, the Northeast Conference won’t be on these trophies.

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CCSU will receive t he kickoff. RMU won the toss and deferred. Definitely a big first series for the Colonials. They’ve been good in the first quarter all season defensively, but the weather favors the better offense, which has been CCSU so far this season.

Drive - 1: CCSU finds weak spots in the middle on the first 2 players but Marsh Jr. unable to hang on on the 2nd pass. Looks like an intentional strategy. The swing pass on the next play is big and the Blue Devils are past the 50 already. The Blue Devils are moving quickly. Working horizontal now. Olson with the scramble up the gut next play and we’ve got 3rd and 4 for a big stop chance for the Colonials. 4th and 4, CCSU stays on the field and overthrows. The Colonials bend but don’t break.

Drive 2: Cooper Panteck at QB. Big first throw as he underthrows just a little to perfectly place a deep ball and we’re on the CCSU side of the field. On 3rd down, Panteck has to throw the ball away and the Colonials punt.

Drive 3: High snap leads to a sack on play 1 for CCSU. If RMU is going to win this game, they’ll probably need a few of these plays to go their way. CCSU has to punt here and RMU starts at the Blue Devils 44.

Drive 4: RMU with a good gain from Donta Whack- UMass transfer, just like Brady Olson- for 5 yards on a play where RMU’s front looked spectacular. Panteck throws a pick, though, and that CCSU defense just keeps getting turnovers.

Drive 5: Near the 50 (good field position for everyone today), Olson fires another strike over the middle before Elijah Howard finally gets involved on a short gain. Marsh Jr. with a good 2nd yard gain and 3rd and 3 for CCSU to extend the drive although we’re in 4 down territory here. Howard catches a dink and dunk and stepped out of bounds before he could really get shifty. First down. Read option, Olson gets a yard and gets hit hard, but gets up fast and delivers a bomb next play to Wadley. Touchdown and CCSU is up 7-0 with 5:07 to go in the first. That was for 34 yards.

Drive 6: RMU had a shot to break a good one on the kickoff but just got tripped up. Their own dink and dunk attempt went for no gain and on a 3rd and 5 there’s an overthrow and the Colonials will punt again. CCSU should have good field position here.

Drive 7: CCSU starts modestly and on a 3rd and 5 Olson is just a little behind Ricky Ortega, but the former QB makes a great play on it and the drive continues into RMU territory. The Blue Devils are having some trouble on the run, but there’s not seeming to be any overarching strategy on the passing game- they’re doing just fine throwing to several areas of the field and it doesn’t seem to be middle only or going horizontal on the Colonials to gas them. Another bomb results in pass interference and CCSU is on the 29. Now Howard makes a few men miss, gets shifty, and this time Howard is having no trouble running. 14-0, CCSU.

Drive 8: Quarter ends and RMU gets to midfield. Donta Whack is looking good and RMU seems to have the OL to compete here, if they can sustain drives. Lots of good push up front and you have to give the Colonials the edge from an OL standpoint. On a 3rd and 1, read option for Panteck goes for a big run but the holding penalty sends them back. It’s still a first down but a shorter gain to the 39. As a runner, he’s looked good already. and he’s shown the ability to make big passes.

On the next two plays, Whack isn’t able to find room up the middle as CCSU gets stout up front. Panteck gets hit for a sack on 3rd down by #13 and #9 (!!!) and the Colonials have to punt on 4th and 17. A great punt and the Colonials down them at the 5. Running into the Kicker is declined.

Drive 9: Olson opens it up trying to get a lot of the yards back down the sideline. RMU looked a little early but not enough to draw the flag. Donovan Marcus is in this drive. A pass down the opposite sideline goes incomplete, but there’s an unsportsmanlike penalty after the play as there was a little too much chatter and CCSU retains possession. Another pass interference on the next play gives CCSU 15 more and the discipline has to be better here. Elijah Howard gets the ball and goes outside to the 27 yard line. Those penalties killed the Colonials. They had a real chance for great field position here. On a 3rd down, It appears there’s a TD deep but OPI should bring it back… only there’s a roughing the passer also, and two personal fouls and I’m watching the referees actually consult a rulebook on the field. Replay 3rd down. Marcus gets a few yards and CCSU will punt here. A very strange drive. RMU starts on the 6th after a punt.

Drive 10: Still looking solid on the run game. Ethan Shine now moving the pile. The offensive line really does look pretty solid for the Colonials even to the outside. Kai Holloway gets a first down on a out route and we’re close to midfield again. The teams have really kind of lived in the middle of the field. Jet sweep gets a first down and Ethan Shine gets a pancake (let’s remember here for my benefit- about 2:35 in the half). At the 2 minute wardning RMU gets to Kai Holloway again in the middle of the field and we’re closing in on field goal range. The Colonials get to the 24 on the next pass. You can really hear the Central fans here. 1:12 remaining; 4th and 9 after another one of those underthrows just doesn’t connect this time, and now the field goal unit comes out. No good- Doink.

Drive 11: 2 minute drill time. They get a big pass down the middle of the field (34 yard line). An 11 yard out gets a first down, but another dropped snap leads to the 3rd timeout being used by CCSU. On the 17, they’ll attempt to get to the end zone. A short pass gets them to the 10 and CCSU’s Hennesy will attempt from the 17 (ball spotted on the 10). RMU attempts to put Hennessy on ice. The kick is up and no good. 14-0, halftime.

GAME PREVIEW: Central Connecticut at Robert Morris

Robert Morris has a new lease on life. It’s conference play now, and the winner of the NEC goes to the playoffs. That’s it. So flush away the tight loss to Dayton, the opener at West Virginia, and last

On Saturday, the first place Blue Devils (1-0) travel to Moon Township to tale on the Colonials, who will be opening up conference play. We had the chance to speak with Coach Lechtenberg prior to leaving New Britain for the unfriendly confines of Joe Walton Stadium. We’ll be on site on Saturday and will have the chance to speak to Coach Clark postgame.

When we asked Coach Lechtenberg about the evolution his team had taken- particularly in the aftermath of going from a pair of close losses with Merrimack and Dartmouth to then winning a close game against Sacred Heart- he told us “The evolution is we're trying to win close, tough games. Both of those were very hard-fought games. We've had a lot of hard-fought games, some that went our way and some that didn't. We understand that's just part of the process, and college football every week is a hard job. So as a young team, we're trying to continue to mature, continue to be tough enough to find a way to win these close games, and we expect to be no different this week.”

So we’re probably looking at another tight contest from Cardiac Connecticut State University. This is a team that plays tight games. They played them all last year and this season hasn’t looked too different. Coach spoke about the physicality that RMU brings and how this is likely going to lead to another game of football the way we like it in the Northeast- the kind where toughness wins. “On both sides of the ball, they're a big, athletic, and physical group,” Lechtenberg said. “We're going to have to have a physical and tough football team because we know they're going to be physical.”

Offensively, while the Colonials haven’t been able to avoid playing multiple quarterbacks, there’s a lot to like. “We expect their starter to be back and to play well. He can throw it. They've got good receivers. Their backs are bigger, physical running backs, so we're going to have to tackle well because they do run hard with a big O-line.”

And if this one goes down to the wire- it always seems to for CCSU- there’s a maturing process the team is going through. They’ve let up some late touchdowns, but last week seemed to be a turning point when they stopped a talented Sacred Heart QB from being able to score in overtime on a 4th down stop. To Coach Lechtenberg, it’s the confidence and t he experience of doing it that’s key to develop, because the playmakers are there. “I just think we have to continue to develop confidence because making those plays in clutch situations is all about confidence and believing you can do it,” Lechtenberg told us. “We've got a lot of guys that haven't played a lot of football, so the fact that we were able to make a play at the end and get it done, hopefully that breeds confidence for our guys because that's really what we're trying to do. We have enough guys that can make those plays. We just got to perform and get it done.”

Early indications are good football weather, so if you’re in the area, you should not miss this rematch of the best game all season in the NEC.

NEC Football Power Rankings Week 7: Mercyhurst Has Never Lost a Conference Game

The Lake Show opened up their first conference slate in the NEC by upending LIU at home. It was the ESPN+ game this week for the NEC, which usually means that the league’s royalty (for lack of a better word) is present. With the mutterings about Mercyhurst after they were added (primarily that they weren’t much of a PSAC team and now they were heading up a level), the early part of this season for the Lakers has to be encouraging. I’m not saying overly encouraging- this was Mercyhurst’s 2nd win of the season, after all- but they were competitive in most of their heavy hitter non-conference games against teams like South Dakota State, Sacramento State, and Montana State. Against LIU, they proved it was worth it. That doesn’t mean the Lake Show is at the top of the charts, but they do happen to have a 1-0 record all time in the NEC (2-2 in “unofficial” league games prior to this one).

1. Duquesne

   The Dukes, though. It sometimes feels like we don’t give this team enough due for being number one most weeks. It’s probably because we expect these kind of performances out of Duquesne. They played at the time #2 NEC Blitz Stonehill and won in a runaway victory. It seemed over at half time, and was. Duquesne’s defensive front was everything we had hoped they’d be this season, the linebacker corps (led by returning from injury Tyson Meiguez) is significantly better than we expected, and Ty Riddell has been the quarterback we thought he could be in a best case scenario. In our preview magazine, we talked about how Duquesne could probably stand to have a few things go wrong and still win the league; well, almost nothing is going wrong right now. Ryan Petras has been a revelation at WR; he was committed to Princeton and flipped to his hometown Dukes. Right now, he’s looking like a contender for the NEC Freshman OPOY.

2. Central Connecticut State

   I agonized over this one. Do you make CCSU the 2nd best team after an overtime win, or do you give Mercyhurst the nod after beating a conference opponent? Ultimately, Sacred Heart came into this one at 4-1 and LIU now has an 0-2 conference record, so we had to go with which is looking like the better win right now. Coming into the year, you couldn’t quite call Brady Olson a game manager after an okay performance in 2024 that saw him throw 17 TDs to 12 INTs- he performed well, but was taking a little too much off the table with his ball security. That script has flipped in 2025. He accounted for 5 TDs against Sacred Heart and has thrown 1 pick all year. We have to start asking the question: is Olson the best quarterback in the NEC?

3. Mercyhurst

   Here’s where the Lakers are. They once again flexed their defensive muscles in a tight win over LIU at home in front of a homecoming crowd (and ESPN+ viewers across the country) at Saxon Stadium. Brian Trobel looks every bit as good as we’d hoped, but there are three running backs for the Lakers who can make noise, including freshman Mookie Gamble. The Lakers have had about as good of an offense as we expected- maybe a step back from a ball security standpoint- but the defense has come out of nowhere. I love Erie’s team, but I did not see the defense coming at all and Mercyhurst has established themselves as a legitimate NEC contender.

4. Stonehill

   Stonehill couldn’t force the Dukes into a low scoring game, and so they fell on the road in Pittsburgh to 1-1 in conference. I had kind of thought that if the Skyhawks allowed 24 points, they’d be in a tough spot to win. If they could muddy it up and control the game, if their elite defense could keep the Dukes from breaking through… it was definitely not a foregone conclusion that the Dukes would win this game, but Stonehill had to win it in their own way. Once it got away from that style, it was tough for the Skyhawks to come back and they dropped to 1-1 in conference. With that loss, they also dropped to #4 in our rankings.

5. Long Island

   LIU has dropped to 0-2 in conference play. The Sharks just haven’t been able to get all of their best players on the field since the Eastern Michigan win. I can’t help but feel like this isn’t the last Jaws sighting, though. LIU is talented, but just like last season the early course of the year may not be going the way they wanted. What will count is if, just like last season, they finish it the right way. Keep in mind that LIU hasn’t played CCSU or Duquesne yet. If they can pull off wins there, they’ll still be in the title race. They' get a week to heal up now.

6. New Haven

   The Chargers pulled off a 28-14 win against Division II Pace, a former conference foe that is having a poor season over in the NE-10. This pulled them up to 3-3 overall, with two of those wins coming against Division II opponents in their transition year. AJ Duffy didn’t have his best game, but he didn’t need to. NEC Blitz Preview Magazine cover athlete Zaon Laney ran for 143 yards, 2 TDs, and had a long of 61 after exploding for a long of 50+ last week. He’s looking healthy and New Haven will continue to look good on offense as long as he and Duffy are clicking. They have WestConn next week and should be predicted to win big.

7. Wagner

   Wagner was idle this week, but will host Mercyhurst on Staten Island next weekend for their first conference game of the season. Coming off a win against Norfolk State and seemingly having locked up the quarterback competition with Jordan Barton, the Seahawks have their whole season and all of their goals in front of them, even with a 1-4 record.

8. Robert Morris

   The Colonials traveled to Merrimack and unfortunately are still unable to scare up any offense with a 24-7 road loss. They scored in the first quarter but were unable to keep up the momentum, and eventually Merrimack was able to pull away as the game went on. The Colonials are 1-4 and welcoming Central Connecticut State to the Joe on Saturday for their conference opener. We’ll be there.

9. Saint Francis

   The Red Flash were idle this week, but will travel to Duquesne for their 2nd conference game on Saturday. It’s a game that Duquesne is unlikely to overlook with the final battle against the long time in-state opponents on the line. The Red Flash are 0-5 and 0-1 in the NEC, but in their last game against Bucknell they looked their best and the offense seemed to finally be waking up a little.

NEC Football Power Rankings Week 6: Stonehill Gets Elevated

We called our shot early, and it seems to be looking pretty good in the beginning weeks of league play.

Of course, anything can happen. But here’s how early season predictions work. When you’re winning during the season, at any point at all, you need to celebrate how brilliant you are. You ignore your misses. And if your early wins turn into misses, forget it. You’ve celebrated it. Now, just go ahead and ignore the downfall.

We liked Stonehill taking on LIU and we loved Stonehill’s defense coming into the season, but what we saw against the high powered, difficult to plan for Sharks was beyond what we could have expected. Accordingly, the big story this week isn’t the change at the top (funny how that works), but that Stonehill- picked 8th by every other outlet I’ve had the pleasure of reading, picked 4th by NEC Blitz- is in the top half of the rankings and has doubled their win total from last season, with chances to have two additional wins on their resume. There’s holes in that resume, and the season is young. We’re still in September. But, still- take the wins where you can get them.

1. Duquesne

   The Dukes had no trouble handling New Haven in Pittsburgh, and while this is their best win to this point they looked dominant against the Chargers. New Haven was on a two game win streak including a big win over Albany, but after a good first drive the game was all Dukes. Joey Isabella had 3 touchdowns in the first half alone and Ty Riddell looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the NEC- he’s quietly been building a resume, and once the Dukes get into conference play we’ll get a chance to see him up against the rest of the league. He had no problems matching up with a stellar quarterback in AJ Duffy. Defensively, the Dukes once again looked dominant. The Dukes have won the two non-conference games they were supposed to win, lost the two expected FBS games, and were very competitive with a top 10 Lehigh team. They’re the favorite heading into conference.

2. Stonehill

   Stonehill’s still having some trouble getting into the end zone, but the defense has made the huge strides we hoped and believed that they could. LIU was held to 3 points, and while Stonehill was only able to muster 10 of their own, you do tend to win football games when you only give up a field goal. They forced Ethan Greenwood into two interceptions and Charles Battaglia will probably be the defensive player of the week in the league with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. The less obvious downside? Stonehill had trouble with penalties (12 for 90). They’ll have to clean that up if the offense isn’t able to get more points on the board, but in a league that looks low on dominant teams, a defense this good should make some more noise through the rest of the conference slate.

3. Central Connecticut State

   The Blue Devils traded two turnovers for two turnovers with Dartmouth, but it’s hard to win giving up 407 yards through the air. Nevertheless, there were still a lot of bright spots here and I’d consider them effectively tied with Stonehill- just better wins for the Skyhawks. Brady Olson continues to be careful with the ball and puts CCSU in a position to win every time Hard Hittin’ New Britain takes the field. He’s so seasoned that it’s hard to imagine the Blue Devils beating themselves this season. Unfortunately, there was just too much room for Dartmouth to throw, especially with a last second 50 yard touchdown to give the Ivy League school the lead and the win.

4. Long Island

   Despite the loss to Stonehill, the Sharks are not done this season and still have the big win against Eastern Michigan to buoy them somewhat. It’s hard to tell if Stonehill’s issue was their own offense or the good defense that that Sharks have shown this season. When- not if- the offense gets back to scoring points, LIU will get the wins back.

5. Mercyhurst

   The Lakers lost big in a buy game on the road to South Dakota State. Flush it and move on. We’re excited to see the Urena to Evans connection moving through the league slate.

6. Wagner

   Wagner got their first win in pretty dramatic fashion against Head Coach Mike Vick’s Norfolk State. The Seahawks have decided to go with Jordan Barton at QB for the time being, and he was able to throw for 2 TDs against 2 INTs. The big story might be the 108 yard game from Andre Hines, who also provided a touchdown. It’s a good win against an opponent getting lots of press prior to entering conference play.

7. Robert Morris

   RMU was idle this week. They’ll travel to former NEC foe Merrimack this Saturday before beginning league play (and a game we’ll be at!) with a big rematch against CCSU, which was the best game in the NEC last season.

8. New Haven

   New Haven struggled against Duquesne, but an interesting trend we’ve seen is that New Haven seems to be fantastic at scripting drives to start games. Zaon Laney had his best game with over 60 yards and a 51 yard scamper, but this one looked an awful lot like the contest against Mercyhurst. Might set up an interesting match for the Dukes and the Lakers in a few weeks.

9. Saint Francis

   Saint Francis was scoring points against Bucknell and went into the half with the lead. With the offense starting to wake up, the Red Flash are still only at 0-1 in conference despite the overall record and certainly have the potential to be more than a factor in league play- they still have the opportunity to make the playoffs with minimal help at this point! Without wins, though, there’s nowhere else to put them.

NEC Football Power Rankings Week 5: Playing Darts Blindfolded

I think I quote it like twice a week. In my first conversation ever with an NEC head coach, he told me: “Well, the NEC is a funny thing.”

And it is. There’s a reason I always point to this as the most fun you’ll ever have watching football. You never really know what will happen. The unpredictable nature of football lives in the NEC, even when it’s sometimes hard to find at other levels of competition. I think I know what’s coming. I’m as well-studied as anyone out there to know what’s coming. And even then, I’m looking forward to my well-educated spectacular misses. It never stops being fun here.

I hardly know where to move things, or if I should even move things at all, after this week. But after some deliberation, this is what I’ve come up with:

1. Central Connecticut State

   The loss to Merrimack was a heartbreaker and marked by a lack of points from the Blue Devils until the final frame. They took the lead with two touchdowns but lost on a last second field goal to the Warriors to drop to 2-2 overall. Elijah Howard ran for 91 and got involved in the passing game, but the Donovan Wadley revenge game was not to be and perhaps having this one in New Britain would have changed the outcome. Nevertheless, it was a fine defensive performance from CCSU and they remain the leader at 1-0 in conference play.

2. Duquesne

   Even though CCSU lost and you can mostly write off FBS losses (especially after no one was going to let the NEC sneak up on them following Long Island’s win over Eastern Michigan), you can’t really reward the Dukes after the Akron game. Again, write it off. We have something far more interesting on Saturday when New Haven comes to the Bluff. You hate to rely too heavily on the transitive property, but this will give us a chance to see how Duquesne stacks up compared to their in-state competition up in Erie. New Haven is on such a roll, though, that any conclusions will have to wait until the Dukes and Lakers meet.

3. Long Island

   It’s been two games since LIU was able to knock off FBS opponent Eastern Michigan, and in that time we’ve had two no-shows for Ethan Greenwood at quarterback and this past week Luca Stanzani did not participate. Chris Howell did what he could, but he ended up with a 0 TD to 2 INT ratio and the Sharks were able to score just 7 points on the #6 Rhode Island Rams. I would have loved to see what Long Island could have done if healthy- I think they could have absolutely hung with the Rams for the second straight season- but this is who they are for the time being and I’m not sure I can put them up any higher with the uncertainty at the most important position in football. A bright spot was here, though, with O.J. Ross running for 130 yards at the running back slot. That’s LIU. There’s 100 yard rushers all the way down.

4. Stonehill

   We’ll bump Stonehill up to fourth here as they were able to mount a furious comeback against Penn of the Ivy League that just fell short. Stonehill is 1-3 and yet are probably just a handful of plays from 3-1. Fascinatingly, they’re also one play from 0-4. You expect this is a bit of growing pains from a team that’s just gained some experience from the year prior, has improved, but maybe hasn’t really learned how to win yet. The game against Maine was a big start, but they’ll have to grow up in a hurry now with conference play ahead of them. LIU heads to Easton next and while we’re just not sure what quarterback we’ll see from the Skyhawks, how they’re able to contain whomever it is we’ll see- and if they can find the end zone just a little more often- will probably determine how this one goes.

5. Mercyhurst

   A virtual tie with Stonehill. I gave the Skyhawks the nod just because the offense was able to do a little more than Mercyhurst was, even against an absolute monster Montana State team that the Lakers had to go up against. They acquitted themselves well- incredibly well, actually- on defense, but the 3 red zone drives without points will probably go down as the missed opportunity for Urena and Co. The road trip goes on to South Dakota State this weekend before we get to see what the Lakers are really made of in conference play, and if they really are as good as the team that punched out New Haven just a few weeks ago.

6. New Haven

   Speaking of New Haven, the Chargers are on a 2 game win streak but have had fast starts with furious comebacks against them in the past two weeks. They’ve been able to hold on, but a 4 quarter performance is still missing from their repertoire. A.J. Duffy remains a dark horse for the first team QB conversation in the NEC, and if they can give Duquesne a fast start this week they’ll have a chance to really shock the league and shake up the Northeast. Everyone in the league saw the performance against Mercyhurst, but you can be sure everyone is aware of what the Chargers were able to do against Albany, too. Really looking forward to this one on the Bluff.

7. Robert Morris

   Bobby Mo had Dayton on the ropes in Moon Township but let the game slip away. A particularly troubling aspect was that quarterback Zach Tanner left the game and did not return. Quarterback was probably the one place with RMU where we really knew what they had and were excited about it, but now there’s a little more uncertainty for the Colonials. Ethan Shine is looking like a fine addition to their running back room, but after Tanner left the game the passing suffered a little and the offense had some of the trouble it’s shown earlier in the season.

8. Wagner

   Wagner took on FBS Central Michigan this Saturday. You can flush it and forget it. Wagner gave significant attempts to Jordan Barton in this one, and my suspicion is that we may not be completely done with the quarterback competition on Staten Island. Freshman Benjamin Newton also saw some time. It’s a fine idea to use the FBS game to see what you’ve got across the board as the Seahawks prepare to welcome Michael Vick’s Norfolk State team to Staten Island before a bye week will recover them from NEC play. This is the time to work out the kinks.

9. Saint Francis

   Against a team the Red Flash beat last season in a spectacular comeback victory, the offense yet again sputtered while posting its highest point total of the season, hitting double digits for the first time with 10 points. The bigger problem? Delaware State was able to score on Saint Francis early in the game, which we haven’t really seen much of to this point. We had wondered if the defense was finally getting tired late in contests and surrendering points. Now, you have to wonder if the frequent low scoring performances are becoming a problem, or if DeSean Jackson was just able to turn around the Hornets that fast. They’re not famous for winning performances at Delaware State, but unfortunately they were able to put together a convincing one in Loretto. With the Red Flash at 0-1 in conference, there’s just nowhere else to put them until they’re able to muster an offensive performance.

NEC Football Power Rankings Week 4: I’m Blue

If you are my age, you will remember a crucial debate from childhood: Red or Blue?

That is, which version of Pokemon is best? (Conventional wisdom, by the way, favored Blue entirely on the basis of Raichu being available in the Power Plant in late game.)

I digress. This past week in the Northeast Conference, we got to see the Blue Devils take on the Red Flash. It looked close for a half, but no defense can hold on forever without the offense helping them out, and in the second half the Blue Devils prevailed and pulled away to make it look easy. A far cry from last season’s tight battle. With LIU losing a homecoming heartbreaker, we have yet another leader at the top spot in the volatile early weeks of the Power Rankings.

1. Central Connecticut State

   No shocker here, as the Blue Devils pulled away from the Red Flash late and Elijah Howard made his presence known, returning to the field with a receiving touchdown on the second Blue Devils drive. His rushing totals were a bit limited (he only did have 12 carries), but his return means big things for the CCSU offense. It’s not clear they need him to have more than 12 carries at this point in the season, either. Donovan Wadley got going this week with a 39 yard catch, and Brady Olson has been taking care of the ball through the first 3 games with a 4 to 0 TD to INT ratio. And best of all? That defense looks like the same aggressive one that forced turnovers last year. I think we may have downplayed how good the Blue Devils really are up until this point.

2. Duquesne

   The Dukes lost to #10 Lehigh but played them tightly, giving them a contest throughout the entire game after taking it to Lincoln (PA) the week prior. The Dukes travel on the road to FBS Akron this week, which often means it’s another game that we can’t learn too much from. Joey Isabella looks like the best WR in the NEC to this point. The linebackers, which we thought would be a weakness, are actually one of the strengths of the team with multiple players capable of being named Prime Performers each week. Daniel Tarabella has emerged as one of the NEC’s top tight ends. It’s hard to punish Duquesne for a loss to the #10 team in the country, particularly when they showed that they’re able to compete with anyone at this level of football, but polls like this are fluid and the Dukes certainly control their destiny even after they face Akron.

3. Long Island

   The Sharks still have a dominant victory over FBS Eastern Michigan on their resume, but they fell to Sacred Heart in a tough loss on homecoming this past weekend and their ranking suffered for it. The Sharks surrendered 10 points in the 4th quarter including a winning field goal as time expired to fall by 3 points. Sacred Heart has looked better than expected this season (has also defeated Stonehill) but after a big run from Luca Stanzani (75 yards!) offense was tough to come by. Ethan Greenwood did not play in this contest. The Sharks have another big chance at an upset this week as they head to Rhode Island to take on a Rams team ranked as high as #6.

4. Mercyhurst

   The Lakers were able to play with Sacramento State, even leading 18-7 in the 2nd quarter and had it within a touchdown in the 4th. New Haven’s win over Albany also gives us some good context for their victory over the Chargers in Erie. Rylan Davison and Dylan Evans each caught a Urena TD pass. They’ll head to #4 Montana State next.

5. Stonehill

   Stonehill pulled off a road win at Maine which has been kicked around by football focused media in this part of the country as potentially the biggest win in program history. The miracle 4th and 21 pass to Brigham Dunphy shouldn’t take away from the overall season Stonehill’s had so far, though. They played Sacred Heart as well as LIU did, and this is a team that could certainly be looking at 2-1 right now. They’ll have to take on the Ivy League’s Penn next at home.

6. New Haven

   New Haven got their first win as a Division I program, rocketing out to a fast start in Albany and holding off the Great Danes for the remainder of the contest, giving AJ Duffy his second Offensive Player of the Week nod in the process. New Haven will host Division II Saginaw Valley State (1-2) on The Blue for their first home game as a Division I program.

7. Robert Morris

   RMU was able to beat West Liberty, but the offense still seemed to have some trouble getting started against the Division II program. The Colonials were able to get some touches in for Ethan Shine and Donta Whack, and Zach Tanner threw two touchdown passes to no interceptions although they limited their reliance on the pass game. They’ll host Dayton this Saturday.

8. Wagner

   Wagner played Georgetown well on the road but was unable to get much going on offense against Marist, losing 21-10 behind a turnover-hindered performance (5 turnovers to Marist’s 1). You can’t win when you’re giving up possessions in bulk- a theme behind the bottom two in our rankings this week. Wagner is 0-3 but probably had opportunities to win their past two games. They’ll get back on the road to face an FBS opponent in Central Michigan.

9. Saint Francis

   Saint Francis has a stellar defense that has kept them in games for a half most of this season so far, but the offense hasn’t been able to replace what they lost through the transfer portal including their top two running backs and best wide receiver. The Red Flash fumbled the ball 5 times, recovered only two of those, and threw 2 interceptions. You can’t win games giving up the rock five times. The Red Flash have been fantastic at playing defense, but their 7 points on Saturday was unfortunately their high on the season so far. You can’t win games in football unless you score points- it’s an obvious statement, but if you haven’t shown that you’re going to be able to win games, you can’t get out of the basement.

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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

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.

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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

NEC Football Preview and Predictions 2025: “The NEC is a Funny Thing.”

We’re going to try and provide predictions for the order of finish in this preview, but as a sitting NEC head coach once told me, “The NEC is a funny thing.” It was the first interview I’d ever done as a media member covering the league, and for the time I’ve been covering it has been a repeated statement I’ve made, most obviously when Central Connecticut State- picked last in 2024- won the league and challenged Rhode Island on the road in the first round of the playoffs.

If you bought the magazine, please don’t worry- this is more of a primer on the season than the full blown deep dive you’re enjoying as a reader. However, I noticed some errors in other previews and felt a set of corrections was necessary as a result. The league is kind of hard to follow casually; if you’re not embedded in it, you’ll miss transfers and graduations. It’s part of what makes it so much fun.

1. Duquesne

CCSU was picked first in the coaches preseason poll, but in our NEC preview magazine we picked Duquesne first after the meticulous research and coach interviews we conducted with the schools over the offseason. There’s just very few questions with Duquesne. We wondered about the QB situation with the graduation of Darius Perrantes- easily the best QB in the league last year and the likely Offensive Player of the Year prior to a poor performance in the season finale in a loss to CCSU- but the Dukes were able to reload here. Ty Riddell, a former SoCon champion, joins the team as a heavily experienced transfer. The Dukes lost RB JaMario Clements in the transfer portal to the P4 at Wake Forest, but they’ve got Taj Butts and Offensive Rookie of the Year Shawn Solomon available. It barely matters who has the rock, though, because they return 5 linemen with significant starting experience and will ave the best offensive line in the league without question. On the DL, they return A.J. Ackerman and Jack Dunkley. We have two all-NEC Blitz first teamers on the back end with Antonio Epps and DJ Cerisier. We had some questions at linebacker, but transfer Tyson Meiguez has gotten rave reviews and the Dukes should be favored in every NEC game this season. 

2. CCSU

The defending champions were picked first by the coaches, but they’re actually something of a wildcard. They return Offensive Player of the Year Elijah Howard, so the offense should still be potent. They’ve actually added here as well, with WR Donovan Wadley transferring in from Merrimack. Wadley is the former NEC Offensive Player of the Year from 2023, so the Blue Devils now have the past two OPOYS in the year at QB Brady Olsen’s disposal. Olsen is solid and experienced, even if he’s not in the conversation for the best QB in the league.  The real trouble for the Blue Devils is what they’ve lost in the trenches, with most of their vaunted OL graduating or transferring- it was easily the best in the league last season and a huge part of their success. The issue is only compounded by OL coach Jeff Ambrosie departing for Syracuse. They’ve also lost the two leading pass rushers on the defensive line and their prduction will be difficult to replace even with Derek Berlitz coming in from WVU. Christopher Jean in the secondary was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, and the linebacker corps is led by Jack Stoll, but this is still a unit that has to replace Defensive Player of the Year Kimal Clark although they added a ton of transfer depth to try and do that. It’s hard to know what the Blue Devils will be without the same line play as they enjoyed last year, and they did benefit from a lot of bounces their way last season. I have them at second, but this is a competitive league and close losses could easily be coming their way if they lose some of their turnover production.

3. LIIU

The Sharks are likely going to become a bigger force in the league moving forward as the program opted in to revenue sharing- one of 3 NEC football squads to do so. They return all purpose threat Ethan Greenwood, rushed and threw for over 900 yards last season despite earning the starting job midway through the year. The Sharks were historically unlucky last season, losing close games to open 0-6. Greenwood took the reigns and the team led in the rest of their games in the 4th quarter and went 4-2. They’ll still use two QBs this season and run the most unique and unconventional offense in the NECC. They’re difficult to prepare for and talented, but will have a lot of new starters. They lost 4 OL this offseason to the FBS- OL coach Ian Pace does a tremendous job here and recruits as well as he coaches. On the defensive side of the ball, DQ Watkins, Rafael Fasolino, and Todd Bowels are all returning players that we love at each level (Edge, LB, DB respectively). The Sharks might actually surprise people on defense this season and with Ethan Greenwood as the most dynamic player in the NEC, they’ll challenge for the title.

4. Stonehill

Stonehill?! Everyone else has them picked 8th, including the league Coaches Poll. I like Stonehill because my philosophy has always been that the most important metric in college football- and particularly in the transfer era- is returning production and continuity. The Skyhawks have more of that than anyone else in the NEC. The trouble is that they had a poor showing last year with only one win. The coaching staff responded by changing things up in the offseason, revamping the strength and conditioning program and accordingly the Skyhawks set over half of their 30 strength records they track this offseason. Charles Battaglia at LB and Mo Seide at DB lead what should be a much improved defense- probably by more than a touchdown per game. The offense returns two solid RBs and WR Brigham Dunphy, but the QB situation took the entire season in 2024 to resolve. Hopefully, this is now settled with Jack O’Connell, and if so Stonehill will have a big turnaround. It’s also worth noting that they’ve defeated Duquesne 2 of the last 3 years.

5. RMU

RMU is the wildcard this season. They were hit harder by coaching turnover (including two coaches in the past month) and the transfer portal than anyone. Noah Robinson, the star WR and engine of this offense, transferred to Tennessee Tech and was the biggest loss, but they lost effectively the entire RB room and QB Anthony Chiccit to Temple. The OL was injured in spring and didn’t get as much work as you’d hope. Defensively, they lost some of the best players in the NEC and will have to rebuild at almost every position. Acrobatic viral sensation Rob Carter Jr. graduated and is currently in the CFL. RMU is skilled at building through the portal and has done it at a scholarship disadvantage in the Big South-OVC before, but this might be a down year with the coaching turnover getting settled still.

6. Wagner

The Seahawks should be improved in 2025 but face a logjam ahead of them. They’ll be running two quarterbacks out on the field against Kansas (that’s Jordan Barton and  Jack Stevens) and will have to decide between young potential and JUCO experience at the position. WR Jaylen Bonelli departed in the portal, but Terree McDonald should be able to step into the lead receiver role. Brady Anderson anchors the offensive line and Logan Barnes will be a force on the defensive line. It’s not really a question of if Wagner has improved- they’re more talented and deeper offensively than they’ve been since Coach Masella began rebuilding his alma mater- but they may have been hit harder in the transfer portal over the years then you’d like to see from a contender. They’re capable of surprising anyone, though.

7. Saint Francis

This is Saint Francis’s last season in the NEC before they drop to Division III and the PAC, which does include perennial powers like Grove City and especially Carnegie Mellon, which they’ll have to find a way to recruit successfully against when they’re at the same level. Coach Villarial is one of the best to ever coach in the NEC, and they’ve only lost the usual amount of production that they go through every offseason. We should note here that Markell Holman has departed in the transfer portal despite some reporting to the contrary and Andrew Vines, a DB, was listed at RB in the spring and may be switching positions this season. The Red Flash will lean on three QBs with starting experience, an experienced OL, and Geno Calgaro and Trey McLeer on defense (LB and DB respectively). The Red Flash always seem to have players ready to step into the voids filled by transferring players, but it’s hard to know what to expect with the talent dropoff they’ll likely start to experience with the transition down to D3.

8. Mercyhurst

The Lakers have begun to build a Division I caliber program after their transition from the PSAC. They return the best QB in the NEC, Adam Urena, RB Brian Trobel, and an experienced WR corps including Rylan Davison and Adam’s brother, Austin Urena. The issue for the Lakers is that they’re replacing an OL and good DL, including Camden White. While they return a lot in the receiving room, WR Cameron Barmore transferred into the Big 12 with Arizona where he’ll play tight end. Barmore is a legit pro prospect and a big loss for the Lakers. When you have a quarterback, you have a chance, but the Lakers are still building up to the level of the rest of the conference.

NEC Releases Coaches Poll

The official NEC Coaches Poll just dropped.

I’m always the first to say it- those guys are the experts, not me. But football is fun, and so are friendly disagreements. Let’s compare the coaches poll and our rankings and then dive into four places where our opinions differ.

2025 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll

1. CCSU (5)

2. Duquesne (2)

3. Robert Morris (1)
     LIU

4. Wagner

5. Saint Francis U

6. Mercyhurst

7. Stonehill

And here’s how we see it:

NEC Blitz Rankings

1. Duquesne

2. CCSU

3. LIU

4. Stonehill

5. RMU

6. Wagner

7. Saint Francis U

8. Mercyhurst

Let’s get to the meat of it.

1. Duquesne at #1?

We like the Dukes to be at the top of the conference, while the coaches picked them at second with two first place votes. The Dukes feel that they have five starting offensive linemen are back. That alone should send a message. Jack Dunkley and A.J. Ackerman return up front on defense, and on the back end, DJ Cerisier and Antonio Epps keep things locked. Add in Joey Isabella at wideout and Taj Butts in the backfield? There are questions for the Dukes, but there are a lot more answers than unknowns.

We had a lot of questions about the linebackers heading into practices this summer, but word out of camp is clear: they’ve reloaded at that spot and will be just fine. Duquesne is the most complete team on paper and deserves the top spot.

2. CCSU: Still Dangerous, Still Some Holes

CCSU deserves their place among the league’s elite, and we like them as a close second place, while the coaches have them favored to repeat. Donovan Wadley’s arrival bolsters the receiver corps, and there’s transfer talent across the board, especially in the secondary to replace Kimal Clark. Elijah Howard remains the best offensive player in the league until proven otherwise, and there’s a good stable of backs behind in for depth.

But replacing most of that offensive line and the OL coach? That’s not a small thing. On the defensive front, Jalen Howard and Dan Toatley are gone. Those are huge losses. While there’s a lot of solid talent we’ve heard great things from coming in, the Blue Devils still have to find a way to replace the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, and while Christopher Jean is a good answer, it’s still a big question. Derek Berlitz is a great get from WVU, but CCSU has more to replace than people realize.

3. Stonehill Deserves More Respect

This was the real head-scratcher. Last in the coaches poll? I guess I get it, but if you look past the record there’s some good things here. Stonehill returns a lot of pieces, and that matters in a conference with razor-thin margins. The Skyhawks had a great offseason in the weight room, and they showed fight last year even against the league's top teams. They’ve got a shot to open up at 1-0 against Sacred Heart, and doing that might be enough to give them the confidence to find their way through league play. On one hand, I think I might be a year early on sounding the alarm for the Skyhawks. On the other hand, as a head coach in this league once told me: The NEC is a funny thing.

They might not win the league, but they’re a long way from the bottom.

4. RMU: One Big Mystery

We’re all for bold picks, but a first-place vote for Robert Morris? It’s hard to know what team you’re voting for. Coaching turnover, roster overhaul, and a rebuilt skill position group make this team a big question mark. RMU has experience reloading through the transfer portal and it’s certainly within the realm of possibility that they’ll be in the top tier of the league, with the RMU vs. Duquesne game at Joe Walton determining the fate of the league. It’s possible, but it’s so hard to work out where the standouts for the Colonials are with all of the big losses. Players always step up, but I’m hesitating until I get more information.

They’ll be very strong on defense again with Coach Makrinos becoming the new defensive coordinator, but they’re breaking in new backs, receivers, and a tight end. There's talent in the DB room and at linebacker, but far too many unknowns to justify a top-3 spot.

Bonus: Stop Snubbing Urena

We get it. Picking preseason awards is tough. But once again, the league has opted to not name Adam Urena to the all-NEC team. That’s a mistake that’s going to age badly. You’ve just given one of the NEC’s top returning signal-callers a giant chip on his shoulder. Best of luck with that.

The season can’t get here fast enough.

RMU Lands First 2026 Commit, Russell Holmes Jr.

Robert Morris just kicked off its 2026 recruiting class. And the first commit for 2026 was also the first RMU commit for Coach Derrick Nsubuga.

That’s a big kickoff.

Russell Holmes Jr. is a 6’1”, 215-pound edge threat out of Lansdale Catholic (PA), who locked in his D1 future with the Colonials after an offer he couldn’t refuse. Holmes had interest elsewhere. Wheeling University offered, and he made the rounds on the local camp circuit, with the expectation that more opportunities will or would have come. Those phone calls will probably still arrive, but this past week RMU sealed the deal with the Keystone State standout.

From the jump, Holmes says Coach Zoo- that is, Coach Nsubuga- was relentless. “Coach Zoo stayed in contact the most throughout the whole process,” Holmes told NEC Blitz. “I came out to camp in late June, their last camp of the year. I knew I had to ball out- and I did. That led to more recruiting attention and eventually the offer.”

That offer moment? Pure cinema. And the pun is very much intended.

“We had just gotten into Coach Zoo’s office for a presentation,” Holmes said. “There was a picture on the projector of me and two other guys visiting. He said he’s trying to build the Avengers and that we’re the three guys he needed. Then he told us the other two were offered- ‘and now you, Russ, have received an offer from Robert Morris University. Clap it up for him.’ Everyone in the room clapped. It was a great moment to experience.”

Coach Zoo arrived this offseason from Utah State, where he served as a graduate assistant. The Colonials faced a lot of turnover this offseason both on the field and on the sidelines. There’s a ton of new faces out in Moon Township with the expectation that there will also be a new special teams coach, as the Colonials will lose Bart Tanski to Kent State. Of those coaches, people in the know have repeatedly brought up Coach Zoo to us as a recruiter and a high energy presence in the offices. It really feels like the Colonials unearthed a diamond here.

As for Holmes, RMU gets a versatile outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid who patterns his game after the likes of Nolan Smith, Haason Reddick, Dylan Stewart, and Collin Simmons. Fast, physical, disruptive—he’s coming to get quarterbacks.

His visit to campus sealed it: “There was just so much love and support from the coaching staff and players. I enjoyed the facilities, the environment- it just felt like the right fit.”

The 2026 class will continue to be built up until the opening whistle of the season. But it’s a good feeling to get on the board, and with Holmes, the Colonials have done just that.

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NEC Blitz Unveils Our 2025 All-NEC First and Second Teams

PITTSBURGH, PA – NEC Blitz is proud to release our inaugural 2025 Preseason All-NEC Football Teams, showcasing the league’s top players. Featured in the NEC Blitz 2025 magazine, this elite lineup previews the Northeast Conference season, providing a watchlist for fans and analysts. Both magazine cover athletes, Adam Urena and Zaon Laney, are featured on the first team.

2025 Preseason All-NEC Team:

• First Team Offense:

  • QB: Adam Urena (Mercyhurst)

  • RB: Elijah Howard (CCSU)

  • RB: Zaon Laney (New Haven)

  • WR: Joey Isabella (Duquesne)

  • WR: Donovan Wadley (CCSU)

  • TE: Noah Canty (Duquesne)

  • OL: Brian Beidatsch Jr (Duquesne)

  • OL: Michael Fallah (Duquesne)

  • OL: Donnie Hardin (LIU)

  • OL: Isaiah DeLoatch (CCSU)

  • OL: Brady Anderson (Wagner)

• Second Team Offense:

  • QB: Ethan Greenwood (LIU)

  • RB: Brian Trobel (Mercyhurst)

  • RB: Taj Butts (Duquesne)

  • WR: Teree McDonald (Wagner)

  • WR: Brigham Dunphy (Stonehill)

  • WR: Rylan Davison (Mercyhurst)

  • OL: Cameron McLaurin (Duquesne)

  • OL: AlecZander McCoy (CCSU)

  • OL: Mofe Adewole (RMU)

  • OL: Gary Satterwhite III (Duquesne)

  • OL: Connor Van Tassell (Saint Francis)

• First Team Defense:

  • DL: A.J. Ackerman (Duquesne)

  • DL: Jack Dunkley (Duquesne)

  • DL: DQ Watkins (LIU)

  • DL: Logan Barnes (Wagner)

  • LB: Geno Calgaro (Saint Francis)

  • LB: Charles Battaglia (Stonehill)

  • LB: Malachi Wright (CCSU)

  • DB: DJ Cerisier (Duquesne)

  • DB: Christopher Jean (CCSU)

  • DB: Antonio Epps (Duquesne)

  • DB: Mo Seide (Stonehill)

• Second Team Defense:

  • DL: Sharod Watkins (CCSU)

  • DL: PJ Williams (Stonehill)

  • DL: Jonas King (Mercyhurst)

  • DL: Zack Athy (Stonehill)

  • LB: Rafael Fasolino (LIU)

  • LB: Jack Stoll (CCSU)

  • LB: Jordan Nelson (RMU)

  • DB: Trey McLeer (Saint Francis)

  • DB: Dylan Merrell (LIU)

  • DB: Jordan Irvine (Stonehill)

  • DB: Todd Bowles Jr. (LIU)

• First Team Special Teams:

  • K: Jayson Jenkins (RMU)

  • P: Will Lynch (LIU)

  • AP: Ethan Greenwood (LIU)

Selected by NEC Blitz, this team predicts 2025 potential, including New Haven’s FCS transition with Zaon Laney. Full analysis of the schools and players is in the NEC Blitz 2025 magazine, available at NECBlitz.com and Amazon.com.

Follow @NECBlitz on Twitter for season updates and join the NEC conversation.

NEC Blitz and Craig D’Amico Preview the NEC Football Schedule

Plenty of Reps, Real Results: RMU Mega Camp Delivers for WPIAL Talent

School is still in session.

The first Saturday of June usually signals the start of summer break. For high school football players in Western Pennsylvania (that’s a proper noun), it was more than the last week of school.

It was an opportunity.

RMU hosted its Mega Camp on June 1, and by all accounts, the event lived up to its name. Five FBS programs were in attendance, but RMU was the only NEC team on-site. That gave them the advantage of getting a firsthand look at the region’s top talent, with no other conference rivals on the gridiron. The early evaluations (and some early offers) might be the difference in recruiting down the line.

Among the biggest winners was Kaiyen Mbandi, a versatile lineman from Gateway High School in Monroeville. Just a short drive across the city from RMU’s Moon Township campus, Mbandi didn’t waste the chance to showcase what he’s been building in the offseason.

“The camp was great. I loved it there and I loved competing!” Mbandi told NEC Blitz. “It was really a product of all the training I’ve been doing. During the one-on-ones, I really showed my versatility by dominating at all five positions on the line.”

His effort didn’t go unnoticed. Mbandi left the camp with an offer from RMU, likely as an offensive lineman.

Not everyone walked away with an offer, but the feedback and exposure still matters as players kick off their senior year recruitment. Dylan Rogers, a DE/EDGE/LB from Montour (another WPIAL school), turned in a strong performance. While this was his first in-person introduction to many on the RMU staff, he’s already thinking long-term. He’s spoken with the Colonials staff on the phone, but showing what you can do in person is what earns you an offer.

“It was a well-organized camp that really gave all players an opportunity to get reps and to get better,” Rogers said. “The coaches had so much attention to detail, and they encouraged players to compete in almost every drill, which really brought out the best of us.”

Rogers made an impression on the staff and especially appreciated working with new defensive line coach Benjamin Nsubuga. We’ve heard nothing but praise for the new DL coach at RMU. He’s brought a new energy level to the program that will help with development and recruiting for the Colonials.

“Coach Nsubuga had so much energy throughout the whole camp and gave me good advice for my pass rushing,” Rogers said. “I also had the opportunity to meet the head coach and defensive coordinator. I’m hoping to stay in touch and continue the recruiting process. I know I can be a playmaker for RMU.”

Mega Camps often carry a reputation for being overcrowded, with players getting lost in the shuffle. That wasn’t the case here. Multiple attendees noted how the setup allowed for actual instruction, real reps, and meaningful feedback. Kudos to RMU for pulling off a pretty difficult event.

As summer unfolds and camp season hits full swing (we’ve got two NEC camps tomorrow), RMU’s approach at this Mega Camp set the tone. First impressions matter everywhere in life. For players like Mbandi and Rogers, this was a strong one for both sides.

RMU First Offer In On Local Standout Tristan Reed

There’s something about WPIAL players.

You’ve heard it before—and you’ll hear it again. Programs in the NEC recruit nationally- that’s the reality of Division I- but they don’t just win with their local talent. They build with it. And RMU made sure to be first in line for one of the region’s most versatile athletes.

Tristan Reed, a standout from Washington High School, picked up his first Division I offer from RMU after a strong showing at camp. The Colonials didn’t wait. They made the move.

“First and foremost, I want to thank WPIAL Insider for inviting me to the camp. Overall, the experience was great. It was well-run, and the competition was strong,” Reed said. “It started when Coach Makrinos came up and asked if I was going to play wide receiver or quarterback. We talked for a bit, and I told him I’d be at WR that day.”

That’s when Reed started making noise.

“At the combine portion, I ran a 4.54 on my first 40. Coach Makrinos said he was impressed and told me to run it again. On my second try, I clocked a 4.50 flat. Then he walked up to me, shook my hand, and said, ‘Tristan, we’re going to offer you a scholarship here at RMU.’ That was the highlight of my life. All the work I’ve put in for years is finally paying off. I just want to thank Coach Makrinos and RMU for taking a chance on me.”

Reed’s been drawing more attention recently after committing to playing defensive back and wide receiver moving forward. With his versatility, there’s plenty to like—especially for a Colonials program eager to reload with regional athletes. They were the program with the most WPIAL recruits in the nation for the 2025 class.

Reed has not committed to the Colonials. It’s early in the process, but there’s often said to be an advantage for being the first offer in. RMU evaluated Reed and was the first to recognize his talent in Division I.

And again, let’s say it louder for the people in the back:

You can win a lot of games with WPIAL players.

Makrinos Expected to Become Defensive Coordinator at RMU

RMU is keeping continuity on the defensive side of the ball. According to sources around the program, Jason Makrinos has been promoted to defensive coordinator after serving as the Colonials' defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. Makrinos will assume the position following the departure of former DC Dave Plungas to James Madison University.

Makrinos joined the RMU staff in 2023 from North Carolina A&T, where he played a key role in the Aggies' defensive resurgence. His ability to develop talent, particularly in the secondary, has already paid dividends for the Colonials. One of his recent standouts, cornerback Rob Carter Jr., made national headlines in Week 1 of the 2024 season with a viral acrobatic interception against Utah State.

In an offseason marked by significant coaching changes, Makrinos’ promotion provides stability to the RMU program. His tenure has already seen improvements in the secondary, and now he’ll have the opportunity to implement his vision across the entire defense. Given his track record of success, the Colonials appear to be in good hands.

NEC Blitz first reported on this story 2/28 on Twitter. There’s been significant, steady approval on that social media post among fellow defensive coaches of Makrinos’ promotion. One of the most notable responses was that of former DC Plungas, who stated: “Lets go @CoachMakrinos the @RMU_Football Defense is in great hands!” It’s hard to imagine a better stamp of approval than from the prior Defensive Coordinator.

Makrinos’ Twitter bio was also updated to reflect his new position. We’ll update this story as needed.

First Glance: What Game Should Each Fanbase Be Most Excited For?

With the 2025 NEC football schedule officially released, each team has at least one marquee matchup that could define their season. Whether it's a rivalry clash, an early test against an FBS opponent, or a key conference showdown, these are the games that we’re looking forward to most for each team.

CCSU at Connecticut (8/30/25)

Coming off a Fenway Bowl victory, UConn will have plenty of momentum entering 2025, and Storrs should be electric for this in-state matchup. Electric, yes- but also maybe overconfident. The Blue Devils, fresh off an NEC title, aren’t in rebuilding mode—they’re reloading. Week 1 tends to deliver surprises, and an upset here would certainly make waves across the NEC and beyond.

Duquesne at Robert Morris (11/22/25)

This game carries the most weight for both programs, especially as RMU navigates key coaching and personnel changes. The Colonials start their season with a major test at West Virginia, while Duquesne begins its campaign against city rival Pitt. By the time these two meet in late November, playoff implications could be in play, making this rivalry battle one of the biggest games in the conference. And obviously, in-city rivalry games are what college football should always be about.

LIU at Rhode Island (9/20/25)

Last year, LIU led Rhode Island in the fourth quarter before a late rally by the Rams spoiled the Sharks’ hopes of a signature win. Now, the rematch takes place in Rhode Island, with LIU quarterback Ethan Greenwood firmly established as the starter. After two early FBS matchups, this game will serve as an early measuring stick for just how competitive LIU can be this season.

Mercyhurst vs. LIU (10/4/25)

This is more than just a conference matchup—it's a historic first. Mercyhurst officially enters NEC league play with this home game against LIU, marking a significant moment for the Lakers' program. After ending 2024 on a high note with a win over Saint Francis, the Lakers will be eager to prove they belong in their new conference home.

Saint Francis at CCSU (9/13/25)

Last year’s matchup was a tight contest, with CCSU’s opportunistic defense making the difference. This time, the Red Flash will look to flip the script in their NEC opener on the road. The question is whether CCSU can continue its turnover-driven success or if Saint Francis can capitalize when those opportunities don’t materialize.

Stonehill at Duquesne (10/4/25)

The Skyhawks have been a thorn in Duquesne’s side, winning in both 2022 and 2023 before the Dukes finally got revenge in 2024. Now, the question remains: does Coach Eli Gardner have Duquesne’s number? Playing on the Bluff is always a challenge, and this matchup could have serious implications for NEC standings.

Wagner at LIU (11/22/25)

This rivalry game (we call it the Boroughs Brawl) deserves a trophy—perhaps the Verrazzano-Narrows Trophy, named after the bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn. Last season, LIU took the win, 28-21, ending what had been another growing year for Wagner with a sour taste in Staten Island’s mouth. This time, the Seahawks will have a chance to return the favor and end their season on a high note- or take their season even further, into the playoff.

Sources: RMU Zeroing in on New Offensive Coordinator

NEC Blitz has been informed that a name to watch in the wake of RMU Offensive Coordinator Josh Firm’s departure is former Youngstown State Offensive Coordinator Troy Rothenbuhler.

Rothenbuhler most recently held the same role at Youngstown State, where he was let go following the 2024 season after the Penguins finished 4-8. Despite the team’s struggles in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, his offense had flashes of high-level production, including a 41-point outing in a victory over then-No. 7 North Dakota, which was certainly the biggest moment for Youngstown State this past season.

Rothenbuhler’s tenure at Youngstown State included a trip to the second round of the FCS playoffs in 2023. That season, the Penguins delivered a 40-7 win over RMU's Northeast Conference rival Duquesne, though Duquesne got revenge in 2024 with a road win over YSU. During the 2023 campaign, YSU set multiple school records, including averaging a program-best 243.1 passing yards per game, surpassing a mark that had stood since 1972. The Penguins also set records for completions (270), attempts (388), and completion percentage (69.6). Additionally, YSU scored 40-plus points in six games, the most in school history, and notched 30 or more points in six consecutive contests. They led the FCS in time of possession (35:06 per game) and averaged 32 points per game, their highest output in ten years. Focusing on possessing the football could work very well with RMU's established defensive success..

Before Youngstown State, Rothenbuhler coached at Eastern Kentucky, where he initially worked with tight ends before being promoted to quarterbacks coach. His experience working with multiple position groups could be crucial as he takes over an RMU offense in transition.

The Colonials are set to replace quarterback Anthony Chiccitt, who transferred to Temple, and top wide receiver Noah Robinson, who is now at Tennessee Tech. Rothenbuhler will be tasked with developing new playmakers and revitalizing an RMU offense that will need to adjust to key departures.

His track record suggests he can make an impact. At Youngstown State, his offenses were capable of explosive performances, and RMU will be looking for that kind of firepower as it looks to take another step forward in 2025.