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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Is Brady Olson the Best Quarterback in the NEC?
Heading into the season, the battle for best quarterback in the NEC was a two man race. Now that race has expanded a little, but the leader in the clubhouse was probably not one we saw coming.
Brady Olson isn’t a new figure to the NEC or college football. The Massachusetts product (and transfer, for that matter) has been playing in Division I since 2021. With that kind of backlog of games to look through, you can forgive us all for thinking that Olson kind of was who he was at this point.
In 2024, he was okay. I wish I knew a better way to describe his performance. He threw for 17 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and 51.1% accuracy. The key to CCSU’s offense was obviously Elijah Howard, and the offensive line that the Blue Devils sported last year would have led you to believe that Olson had the best possible conditions in 2024- and with that, he threw just a handful more touchdowns than interceptions. The addition of Donovan Wadley this year might help him a little, sure, but you can’t call him a game manager with those interception numbers. He’s adding just a little more than he’s taking away.
Enter 2025.
Through 6 games, he’s looked like a legitimate contender for offensive player of the year. Olson has done a whole lot more than throw touchdowns. He’s done that- he’s at 11 so far- but the real key to his improvement has been how well he’s done taking care of the ball. Again, Olson has played 6 games, including one against an FBS team. Despite that, he has thrown just one interception. One.
To me, ball security is paramount in quarterbacks. You can win the game, even with a low yards per play, if you don’t beat yourself. A punt isn’t a winning play, but it isn’t always a losing one. Not compared to desperation interceptions or fumbles from extending a play too long. So Olson has that box checked, and certainly has improved his performance from last season in that regard. But he’s done so much more than that.
Olson is now throwing 59.6%- a big jump from 51.1%. That’s an extra completion for every 10 throws. If that seems small to you, think get back to me after the next 3rd and 7 your team misses. Every little bit helps, and that’s a big jump. He’s been more accurate, but he’s not throwing for less yardage or taking strictly checkdown throws. There’s no indication at all that Olson’s been more careful with the ball by making high percentage, low upside throws. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’s taken his yards per game from 172.2 to 213. It’s not that he’s just throwing more, either. His yards per attempt has gone up a full yard from last year, too. Compare him across the board in college football, and you’ll see even more reasons for excitement. 21 quarterbacks have thrown for 1200 passing yards so far this season. Only Olson has thrown just one interception. It’s not a fluke, and it’s not something with a small sample size- obviously, on that last point. How can you play 6 games, throw 1200 yards, 11 TDs, and even argue that there’s a small sample size?
You can’t.
The cumulative statistics are great, but they’re not the whole story. This past Saturday against Sacred Heart, Olson accounted for five touchdowns. Five. He ran for one (including the 4th quarter one to put CCSU in the lead), threw for four (including the first play overtime touchdown pass), and, again, never put CCSU in a position where they could beat themselves. He’s no longer a decent player, someone we can refer to as “okay” but not in the conversation with the top quarterbacks in the league. He was serviceable. But that performance was not “serviceable.” It was not someone who doesn’t beat themselves. Olson had a running back that ran for 100 yards, but in the 4th quarter and overtime, he sure looked like someone who could- and did- put the team on his back. He refused to lose to Sacred Heart and to have a third last minute game slip through. The fire was evident after his late rushing touchdown as he headed towards the sidelines. He would not go off the field a late loser again. Olson willed the Blue Devils across the finish line. What a performance.
Coach Lechtenberg pointed out to us that what Olson achieved with that performance was the most important stat at all. “I've always asked him, how do you evaluate quarterbacks if not by winning? And he continues to prove that he can do that,” Lechtenberg said. “The thing about Brady, he's the same guy every week, whether he's playing great or playing good or whatever. He continues to play. We started three true freshmen on the O-line last week, and he didn't blink an eye. Whether things are going good or bad, he's the same person, and that's what I can appreciate about him. He's a competitor. He gives us a chance every week to win games, and I really appreciate that.”
We’re six games in. Not all of the answers are here yet. They haven’t named the first team QB yet.
But if Olson keeps playing at this level, you can’t make an argument for anyone else.
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.
Could Chicago State Join the OVC?
A question has come up several times with the possible impending (or, by the time you read this, present) OVC exodus. Could Chicago State move to the league to replace them? It’s more complicated than you might think.
There’s a lot of smoke coming that the OVC is losing up to 3 members to the UAC. I’m unable to independently confirm any of these reports- not surprising, since, you know, I’m not exactly plugged in anywhere outside of the Northeast.
But while Chicago State ist he geographic outlier in the NEC, it fits exactly in the OVC’s footprint. With the conference apparently on the brink of being raided, the question has been raised:
Is the OVC fighting for survival? If so, how does it survive?
Fans have constructed many realignment scenarios (that’s what you do when you watch college sports in 2025) and plenty of them involve the Cougars. We’ll take a bit of a closer look to see how tenable the idea is.
Financials
Per documents obtained by NECBlitz, there is an undisclosed financial penalty for leaving the league. It’s in two tiers, with a school paying more money to leave in the first 4 years and a smaller penalty if they stay 4 years but leave within the first 10 yearas. While the exact financial numbers are not known, it appears clear that there is a mechanism in place to keep programs in the Northeast Conference for at least 10 seasons, with stiffer penalties if a school leaves prior to spending four years in the league. This number makes sense. The league has historically added from the Division II ranks, and this four year period corresponds to the traditiional reclassification period. This period is now as little as three years provided certain metrics are met (Stonehill did so most recently in the NEC).
It’s not outside of the realm of possibility for a conference (such as the OVC) to pay an exit fee to a member if it were a matter of survival, although I’m not very familiar with the financial burden this might place on a conference. Unfortunately, we’re not aware of the actual numbers or scope of the financial penalty. Predicting the future is conjecture, but the very existence of an increased penalty within 4 years of joining the conference suggests that it should serve as at least a deterrent to conference realignment.
My guess is that this stipulation is likely present for any school joining the NEC, but I can’t prove that and don’t know for sure. As it pertains to Chicago State, though, there would certainly be an exit fee.
If donor money were required to be raised by Chicago State to change leagues, it would be a tough sell. The OVC might be preferred by fans and donors of Chicago State football, but with an ongoing donation drive to set up Division I football, it might be splitting the pool. That’s probably not a good thing for the Cougars now or in any kind of near future.
Level of Competition
Chicago State has found a pretty good fit for its teams in the NEC. When they played independent schedules, they often had to face high level competition and their performance suffered accordingly. They had a good volleyball team in 2023, but until they joined the NEC in 2024, they had no real hope of competing in the NCAA tournament. Upon joining the league, they were able to do just that. The dream season was probably the biggest moment in Chicago State Athletics history. Would this exist in the OVC?
Maybe, maybe not. But there’s no denying that Chicago State has found a league they can compete in in the NEC.
The rise of a football program for the Cougars may additionally provide some reason to hesitate to make a move. If the Big South-OVC continues to exist, the Cougars would either have to match a higher level of scholarships than they likely plan to provide or be comfortable with playing teams that give a full complement of scholarships. It’s believed the NEC has removed the scholarship limit for football, but it’s simultaneously been reported that the expectations are for no team to give out more than around 50 scholarships. Any team leaving the NEC has to contend with this- do they increase the amount of scholarships they give out in football, or play at a disadvantage? RMU’s performance in the Big South-OVC is a good indicator of why that’s a tough choice for a program.
Geography
It is definitely true that the geography would be better for Chicago State in the OVC. It might even introduce some financial benefits as well. As it stands today, Chicago State commutes to its games in conference via airplane- the distance from Chicago to New Haven or Stonehill is simply too great to manage adequately via bus ride. But in the Ohio Valley Conference, this wouldn’t be the case.
There’s also better opportunity for geographic rivalries and shorter road trips for fans. Generally, this is desirable from the standpoint of purists, alumni, and fans, but it isn’t the way conference realignment decisions are made. The history of major level realignment has been to expand footprints rather than to contract them. But if the OVC is fighting for survival, that might not be a consideration so much as obtaining members through any means possible.
Travel costs are likely going to be a consideration for Chicago State’s decisions for conference affiliation any time there’s a decision to be made. It’s just unclear if they’d be the biggest consideration at this time.
So… Could They?
Anything is possible, but I don’t see it as likely. Unless there’s an ability to overcome a financial burden put in place specifically to combat this type of situation, Chicago State is more likely to remain in the NEC than to depart. So while the speculation will always continue, most of the following will have to be true:
-The OVC has to want Chicago State enough to pay an exit fee to get them out of the NEC.
-Chicago State has to want to join the OVC enough to pay an exit fee.
Someone will have to pay that exit fee, and it will have to be worth it to someone for it to be paid. That requires strong mutual interest and a willingness for someone to jump hurdles to do it.
Anything is possible, but it just might not be the right time or the right situation. We’ll put our money on the Cougars staying in the NEC. Whether we like it or not, money just so happens to be the most important thing in our sport today.
Stonehill Secures 2026 OL Alex Deckert
Stonehill has put together a balanced 2026 class so far, but they’ve done their best work in the trenches. That’s only continuing with Central Valley, NY standout Alex Deckert. Familiarity goes a long way in recruiting, and Deckert had some of that with Stonehill before the recruiting process even began. We caught up with him to talk about his commitment to the Skyhawks.
“My O-Line Coach, Matt Taurill, played O-Line for Stonehill,” Deckert told us. That couldn’t have hurt Shovel Town’s chances, but it certainly wasn’t the only factor. His visit when Stonehill upended Long Island was also important. When he was on campus, it felt like the right place for him even before kickoff. “I had toured the campus earlier that day and felt right at home,” he said. By the time postgame came up, Deckert was ready to hear that he’d be welcome as a Skyhawk.
“I met with Coach Gardner after the win against LIU and we talked about the team and the future of program,” Deckert said. “And Coach told me that he thought I would be a great addition to the team.”
After the loss to Duquesne, Deckert wasn’t swayed by the tough loss. He made the decision to accept the offer.
“I called Coach Gardner last night and let him know how much I liked the campus, coaching, and the team, and that I wanted to be there for the next 4 years. Coach said he would be happy to have me.”
Coach Gardner obviously played a big role in landing the big man from New York, but this was a team effort from the Stonehill coaching staff to get their guy. Coach Dan Hebert (Offensive Coordinator) was his recruiter, but recruiting coordinator Nick Flores went to Parasmus Catholic High School where Deckert plays ball. That connection paid off for the Skyhawks in spades. Coach Dylan Berardelli, the Stonehill OL coach, was the final piece of the puzzle, spending time talking OL with Deckert.
Deckert is the 6th commit in 2026 for Stonehill so far and the 3rd who plays OL as one of their positions.
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).
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In Depth Look: The NEC Rebrand Press Release
The NEC has become, well, the NEC, dropping the Northeast Conference name entirely. We’ve talked a little about how this is probably not a hint at expansion- if that happens, it’s probably not related to the name change. Still, the press release had some interesting nuggets to it that we’ll dive into. A rebrand- even one that more or less just simplifies what we already called the conference- does always indicate a changing direction for a company or conference, or at any rate clarifies an existing direction. Take World Wrestling Entertainment switching over to WWE- it was a deliberate move to drop wrestling from its name. You can take a lot of the same lessons here.
“That same drive has inspired the league to streamline its identity to reflect its geographic footprint and its vision for the future.”
This is probably the most important part of the press release. The NEC dropped Northeast to reflect who it is now and who it might be in the future. I don’t think this means imminent expansion, but I do think it points towards a willingness to consider areas outside of the New York City base of the conference- more on that later.
Having spoken to stakeholders, the idea is that with Chicago and Erie in the conference, “Northeast” is no longer appropriate. Cue, of course, plenty of people in Erie asking if they are now Midwestern- I’m not sure they’d necessarily agree! But if you’re located in New England or the NYC metro, you probably have a very different idea of the word “Northeast” than you do out here in the western reaches of the football conference.
I don’t think we can ignore the “vision for the future” part of the statement. Yet again, I want to specify that I don’t think this is a warning of imminent expansion. I can’t actually shoot down any possibility of it- I don’t think I’ve gotten a firm “no” from anyone who might have knowledge of the situation- but I have heard that it isn’t particularly promising from outside sources.
Another thing to consider is that conference realignment decisions are kept very close to the vest, so in any case it would seem unlikely that most of the hard-working folks at the NEC and interested parties outside of it would even be aware of ongoing discussions. So I’m not promising anything, just passing on the things I do know.
“NEC Front Row will showcase the new branding through a dynamic graphics package that introduces modern, eye-catching visuals.”
I just want to make note of this because it was brought up during a conference meeting and subsequently stated in a release from the conference that new software for NEC Front Row was approved. I wouldn’t expect Front Row to be sunset anytime soon, so exclusive media deals with ESPN or other companies certainly doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
“From its beginnings in 1981, the NEC has been anchored in the New York City metro area. Over time, the league has expanded to major urban centers such as Chicago, Boston, Hartford/New Haven, Syracuse and Erie.”
Just like some out there don’t seem to think Erie is in the Northeast, I myself thought New Haven was in the NYC metro area to begin with. So, clearly, we have a lot to learn out here in Pennsylvania and the league might have something to learn out on the East Coast.
But it is another reason to talk about a rebrand. While the vast, vast majority of those urban centers are definitively in the Northeast, it’s worth wondering if Syracuse and Erie are, well, so clearly Northeastern that they demand categorization as such. (Let’s also add Pittsburgh for football.) If you consider the Northeast as effectively the East Coast in New England and New York City, well, it might be time for a bit of a rebrand. And yes- while we’ve talked a ton about geographic differences in perception, even I am well aware that New York City is not in New England.
“Northeast Conference Refreshes Its Brand & Reintroduces Itself Simply As...’NEC’”
I’d like to close here with what I think is the most important outcome of all of this. The NEC didn’t do something drastic like destroy the rich history of a conference like the WAC in order to become something generic like the United Athletic Conference. The NEC has its own identity, and a refresh is not the same as destroying the past. It doesn’t make the FDU upset over Purdue seem like something from another league. This was an NEC team, and it still is.
And maybe best of all, I no longer have to put out editions of the magazine with “Northeastern” in the title to make sure fans who get the conference name wrong are able to find it. That’s worth celebrating.
Stonehill Lands Commitment From 2026 RB Saalem Frink
We’re still in season for 2025, but Stonehill is already building a 2026 class. This week, the Skyhawks landed running back Saalem Frink, a running back out of the City of Brotherly Love. He’ll be leaving the Liberty Bell behind and traveling to Shovel City to join a quickly rebuilding Skyhawks team. We caught up with Saalem to discuss his commitment and relationship with Stonehill.
Saalem, who compares himself to a Saquan Barkley and Marshawn Lynch with a little bit of Leveon Bell type of back, visited Stonehill and talked to the coaches. This conversation, as it does in many cases, sealed the deal for him. “When I got to Stonehill, they talked about how mmuch they valued my skill and saw me as a great fit for the team,” said Frink.
And when he decided to commit? The atmosphere turned from a discussion of how he fit to how the Skyhawks would integrate him into the program
“When I told them I would commit, the conversation was mainly excitement and planning out what would happen next,” Frink said. “They also shared how they felt I would be a good addition to the team. I felt like it would be a perfect match.”
Frink also likes the trajectory of the program in Easton. “I like what they are building over there,” Frink said. “It felt like home.”
We often discuss how relationships form the backbone of recruiting in any league, but perhaps especially so in the NEC where NIL is rarely a consideration. In Frink’s case, he pointed to his relationship with Coach Berardelli as the strongest he’s developed.
Frink becomes the first recruit classified as a running back for Stonehill in this cycle. This is the 5th commitment the Skyhawks have received so far.
The Northeast Conference Changes Its Name to NEC, But That Doesn’t Mean More Change is Coming
The Northeast Conference is no more.
Now that I’ve got your attention.
The NEC has decided to go with the orphan initial approach, where now “NEC” means, quite literally, “NEC.” This is a popular move in the current geography-to-the-side state of conference realignment. I believe, in fact, that the ACC might well be doing the same thing. If they’re not, the whole “having teams in California” thing should probably convince them to reconsider.
The logic behind the move is very similar to that scenario for the Northe- er, NEC.
The league is still focused on the New York City area, but let’s be real here. The league is more spread out than ever before. There has usually been a presence in Pittsburgh with RMU being in the league for most of its existence, but additions in Erie and Chicago are, relatively speaking, stretching the definition of Northeast.
The alternative of rebranding entirely might or might not have been considered, but I’m certainly glad that it wasn’t what the league went with. The example of the WAC becoming the UAC recently has kind of demonstrated the disastrous effect this step can have on the history of college sports. Sure, the conference wasn’t exactly western anymore- no doubt about that- but why couldn’t they have gone with the orphan letter approach? It sure beats something generic like the UAC- or, somehow worse, the United Athletic Conference.
The real question that I’m expecting to be hit with is whether or not this means anything for further expansion. After all, the rumors are certainly swirling out there about Midwestern schools possibly searching for members- or a conference- in the short term. Is the NEC a landing spot for these schools now that the name has changed?
It’s a fun conspiracy theory, but everything I’ve learned and heard still indicates no upcoming membership changes to the NEC. I could be wrong- I certainly don’t know everyone who knows everyone- but it’s unlikely for the league to be adding or subtracting at this time. Besides, wouldn’t the expected move be to solidify the new membership- and then change the name?
It’s true that contracts for joining a conference will include a clause for not announcing joining the conference until it’s done so in conjunction with the school and the league. But it just doesn’t seem the way to go.
If you’re looking for a clue that the league might be expanding further into the midwest, you shouldn’t be looking at the name change.
The Program On The Hill
It’s not the kind of thing we talk about much anymore, but what Stonehill’s doing in 2025 is as much admirable as it is a throwback.
Looking at college football in 2025, there’s a lot of trends in program building that are downright predictable, if not exactly ideal. Take the transfer portal and its use in turning around struggling programs.
At the FBS level, a program like Virginia hit the transfer portal hard to try and turn around a program that had been struggling. It’s working in the case of the Hoos- they just downed Florida State, after all- but it’s a complete departure from what we used to see in college football. It speaks to how much the game has changed in this era of rapid fire coaching changes, conference realignment, NIL, and most notably the transfer portal. If your team and your recruits aren’t hitting for you, well, you go and buy a new team. Push out the old recruits via the transfer portal and bring in some new faces.
But it kind of stretches the idea that we’re ultimately here in support of higher education, opportunities at a degree, and building better people through the game of football. These can all be attributes of our sport and when college football is at its best, these attributes are present. You’re not seeing a ton of this at the FBS level anymore and the pressure to win now is immense.
It makes what’s happening at Stonehill all the more remarkable.
The Skyhawks went 1-10 last season (0-6 in conference) and heading into this season, something I saw on social media whenever New England football was talked about in depth (love when these conversations happen, by the way), there was often the same thing said about Stonehill- the Skyhawks weren’t very good last year, and they didn’t seem to add much to get better this year. Well, think about that line for a second.
There were always JUCO players and a limited amount of transfers that had to sit out a season by default, but adding players to right the ship? As in, for next season? That’s a foreign concept to college football as I grew up watching it. No, what you did was kept recruiting, kept developing, kept building your culture, and as your kids got older and more mature in your system they’d improve. But the flack Stonehill was taking was because they seemed to be sticking to that formula.
The Skyhawks weren’t active as buyers or sellers in the transfer portal. It led me to remark on a few occasions that Coach Gardner seemed to really know how to recruit to his school. At Stonehill, they didn’t seem to just be selling the idea of playing and transferring up to FBS. There had to be something about the kids they were bringing in that made them Skyhawks. Not just for a season or two, but they really seemed to be sticking around at an abnormal rate.
So instead of hitting the transfer portal, the Skyhawks changed up their strength and conditioning program. Something wasn’t working last year when they went 1-10, obviously, and it would be insane to go into the season with the same approach. There didn’t seem to be any thought of blaming the athletes or finding new ones. Instead, they set over 50% of their strength and conditioning records, got more reps, and brought back more starters on offense and defense than either everyone else in conference or close to it.
So they didn’t add much in the transfer portal. That’s a far cry from not doing anything to improve.
The other factor is that I’ve believed for as long as I’ve watched college football that continuity and experience are the two keys to how well a team will perform. It’s been thrown to the wind in our sport lately, but Stonehill seemed like a place where continuity and experience were going to be present in 2025. It led me to immediately point to the Skyhawks as a team that seemed poised for a big improvement in 2025. But these days, we’re conditioned to look for what the new additions are. The new playmakers replacing the talent you’re committed to developing. And maybe that’s what the problem was for a lot of people when they looked at the Skyhawks before the season. They were developing what they had, not chasing something new.
I don’t know that this kind of program building works everywhere anymore, and certainly don’t know if it works with every coach. But for a fan of old school college football like myself, well, Shovel City fits that old William Penn mentality of making a City On A Hill. Except what Stonehill does- regardless of how the rest of this season plays out- that’s an example of what I hope all programs strive to achieve. I’ll be watching closely and hoping that it keeps working.
NEC Blitz Announces Media Partnership With Buffalo State University Athletics
BETHEL PARK, PA- Just 54 miles separate two rivals in Western New York. They call it the Battle by the Lake, and we'll be bringing it to you in 2026.
We're thrilled to announce the other member of our dream team of radio coverage, Buffalo State University. The SUNY institution, located in Buffalo, NY, offers undergraduate and graduate opportunities including a Creative Studies degree. They faced Northeast Conference competition on the gridiron in 2024 with a short trip down the road to Mercyhurst in Erie, PA.
Publisher AJ Mayowski said, “Buffalo State is a storied program. Bengals football and hockey- both men's and women's- are well known in this part of the country, and the basketball team is a historic contender that's back on the rise. They're a force in the SUNYAC, one of the great leagues in the Northeastern United States. It's a conference that prioritizes regional competition among likeminded institutions as part of the holistic growth of the competing student-athletes. In other words, it's exactly what we're about.”
Buffalo State will host rival Fredonia in the Sports Arena on January 30th, 2026. This will be the 72nd meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. NEC Blitz will have full-court press coverage in the week leading up to the game on our website and our social media pages. Fittingly, this Northeastern rivalry will be our first digital audio broadcast of 2026, available on the NEC Blitz Internet Radio page on this website.
The Bengals finished 8-17 in 2024-25. Look for more select Buffalo State contests to be available via NEC Blitz Internet Radio in the near future.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What Do We Really Know About CCSU?
Through four games, the league’s official favorite has gone 2-2. But with how strange out of conference schedules in the NEC can be, it’s an open question- well, what have we learned about CCSU to this point?
The Blue Devils have a win over in-conference Saint Francis, out of division AIC, a loss to FBS UConn, and a loss against non-conference Merrimack. It would be very hard to find a more diverse opponent pool than those four. Fortunately, I do think there are some insights to glean, even if nothing at this point in the season can really be concrete- especially when you’ve got four games against four categories of opponents. Here are three things we’ve picked up on so far:
Brady Olson Understands Ball Security
It’s hardly a surprise that the Blue Devils are valuing possession and taking care of the football. They had a monstrous +14 turnover margin in 2024, and with that being a now-proven recipe for success, there’s no reason to do anything except try to replicate it. Fortunately, they’ve got the right QB at the helm to manage that. Olson isn’t flashy- he’s not likely to be in the conversation for NEC First Team at the end of the season- but he’s not giving the ball away, either. He’s spreading the ball out and, of course, letting Elijah Howard get the ball downfield on the ground and through the outlet passes. It’s been enough to score points against AIC and, in the second half, Saint Francis. Most importantly, he’s not putting CCSU’s defense in bad situations. Football is a long game, not a sprint. If you can control the pace of the game, win field position, and win the turnover battle, you’re usually able to win.
Chris Jean Picked Up Where He Left Off
Jean has looked like the ballhawk he ended the season in 2024 as. It’s as though something fell into place for him at the tail end of last season. Sometimes those stretches look like variance, but the evidence is only compounding that Jean is a real force for CCSU- and that the opportunistic defense we saw last season might still be there in Hard Hittin’ New Britain. He’s already got 3 interceptions (including 2 against Merrimack) just 4 games into the season. He also picked up a blocked field goal in Merrimack game and returned it the length of the field, but a penalty brought it back to the 40 (Elijah Howard was able to score). Had the Blue Devils not had to spend the time marching down the field, the game against the Warriors could certainly have gone the other way.
The Defense Is Not A Problem
We had wondered about the defensive line being able to reload in New Britain. It’s not clear that they’ll be able to replicate the absurd success they had last season, but what is clear is that the Blue Devils defense can keep them in any game. Flush away the UConn game and you’ve got a 7 point outing against Saint Francis, 7 points against AIC, and 16 points against Merrimack- but with a huge asterisk. Merrimack blocked a CCSU punt and recovered on the 5 yard line to set up the first touchdown of the game, followed by Olson’s only interception on the year setting up a field goal. Finally, an Elijah Howard fumble returned to the CCSU 29 set up another field goal. The Blue Devils are used to being on the winning end of these kind of turnover battles, but came out on the wrong side against Merrimack. This won’t happen every game, and those 13 points off of turnovers were the only reason Merrimack was able to come out on top. The defense looks stellar early in this season, and they’re certainly good enough for the Blue Devils to repeat in 2025.
Would Marist to the NEC Make Sense?
I mentioned recently that we’ll be adding Marist to our magazine coverage in 2026, which unfortunately kicked off a little bit of speculation (and I mean really minor- I got asked about it on Twitter a little) that Marist might be considering a move to the NEC. I’m flattered, but I possess no conference realignment news other than, as far as I know, all expectations are for the league makeup in the NEC both for football only and for all sports to be stable for the time being.
But it did set off a thought experiment for me- could Marist succeed in the NEC, and would the move make sense for the Red Foxes?
This is obviously for football only. Marist plays in the MAAC and with the current balance of power I wouldn’t anticipate an MAAC team making an all sports move to our league. But in football, there is no MAAC and even if there were, Marist plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer League. It was formed after a pretty bizarre ruling that if you have, say, a Division I basketball team, your football team must therefore be Division I. It left schools like Dayton and Marist in the Division I ranks for football but with no desire or room to begin offering scholarships. So the Pioneer league- which is coast to coast and throughout the country- was born.
College sports aren’t really in the same place now as they were at that time, though. At the mid-major level- our level- we’re seeing things like the split (or rather, new creation) of the United Athletic Conference and the Atlantic Sun. The football playing members are moving to the UAC, which was the WAC until recently; those with different ambitions are remaining in the A-Sun. There’s some geographic advantages here, too.
I agree that Marist in the MAAC makes the most sense for the Red Foxes; my question is, does Marist in the Pioneer league make the most sense?
The Red Foxes joined the Pioneer League in 2009. Since that time, they have had two winning seasons and one PFL co-championship. They have never made the FCS playoffs. So we can’t begin with the expectation that they’ve had a consistent level of success and need to remain in the Pioneer League to compete. It’s interesting, but the opposite may end up proving true. So far in 2025, Marist is 2-1, but those 2 wins were both against NEC schools. So from a competition standpoint, I really think it’s reasonable to suspect that Marist may be able to compete in the NEC now, without changing their scholarship rules. It’s not a slam dunk and the sample size here is obviously low. But with 2 wins against NEC foes (Marist went 1-10 overall last season), it’s at least worth considering if the Red Foxes necessarily would have to change much to compete. I’m not certain they’d be on a collision course with the title frequently, but, well, the NEC is a funny thing, and once again this is a program that has not had much success in many of its prior seasons.
The travel looks pretty good. Every one of these trips is a bus ride:
Poughkeepsie to New Haven: 77 miles
Poughkeepsie to New Britain: 90 miles
Poughkeepsie to Brookville: 97 miles
Poughkeepsie to Staten Island: 105 miles
Poughkeepsie to Easton: 206 miles
Poughkeepsie to Pittsburgh: 393 miles
Poughkeepsie to Erie: 398 miles
Of course, in the Pioneer League, the closest competitors are in Dayton, OH (653 miles) and Davidson, NC (690 miles).
The Red Foxes must be on planes pretty often to play their football games. Which makes me raise the question: well, why?
If a similar level of success can be experienced with close-by opponents, would it be worth considering? Are there really natural rivalries with Dayton and Davidson, at least compared to in state with LIU and Wagner and just down the road with New Haven and New Britain?
In other words, can a move to the NEC decrease travel expenses, travel time for students, add natural rivalries, provide road trips for fans, with every prospect of not changing the athletic outlook for the football program?
Yes.
So, no. I’ve got no information at all that Marist is realigning to the NEC.
But is there any good reason for them not to?
NEC Blitz Announces Media Partnership With Chatham University Baseball
BETHEL PARK, PA- NEC Blitz is thrilled to announce that we will be expanding our coverage to baseball- and not just within the Northeast Conference.
NECBlitz.com will be livestreaming exclusive audio coverage of college baseball in 2026 by entering a partnership with Chatham University. The professional quality work you’ve come to expect with our coverage of Northeast Conference schools will continue as the website makes its first foray beyond reporting and providing analysis.
NEC Blitz publisher AJ Mayowski said, “We believe baseball is unique in how it translates to audio depictions. All of us have fond memories of sitting on the porch in the summer, listening to our favorite play by play announcers describe the game and providing an experience that has never been duplicated through television. We’re thrilled to be able to bring that same experience to a new audience with Chatham University baseball. Go Cougars!”
Chatham University, located in Pittsburgh, PA, is a private university that competes in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in Division III. Last season, the Cougars finished 10-10 in PAC play, 18-21 overall, and ended on a 2 game winning streak. Head Baseball Coach Nic Rush is the winningest coach in Cougars history. Chatham plays at West Field in nearby Munhall, PA.
Personnel for audio broadcasts will be announced in the near future. Initial expectations are for a weekly Cougars game to be provided on NECBlitz.com.
NECBlitz.com continues to be open to further partnerships with schools in our geographic area.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
LIU Secures Commitment From 6th 2026 OL, 1st in Ohio
We already knew that LIU’s conference mates were in deep water. But the tides are coming in just a little further than before.
Jeffrey Martin, a 6’2.5”, 265-pound interior offensive lineman from Tipp City, Ohio, has announced his commitment to the Sharks. Martin becomes the sixth offensive line pledge in the 2025 class, underscoring just how much of a priority the trenches have become for Coach Ron Cooper and his staff.
Ohio isn’t exactly a pipeline for LIU- only three players on the current roster hail from the Buckeye State- but Martin felt an undeniable connection to Long Island. “It just feels different in Brookville,” he said. “I truly believe in what the program is doing and the staff they’ve built is incredible. I also have deep family ties to New York. My mom’s entire family is from Syracuse and parts of my dad’s family live on Long Island.”
We had to ask if Martin had caught LIU’s historic upset of Eastern Michigan earlier this season. Martin admitted it hit home in a special way. “Excitement in short, to see a program that has expressed major interest in you pull off a historic win is something that can’t be matched. It’s very exciting to know I’m committing to a program that is on an upward path.”
The commitment itself played out in a fittingly personal fashion. Martin explained, “I called Coach Pace with my parents and just talked about my future at first. I really don’t think he was expecting my commitment but when I told him, the excitement on both ends was felt. I truly believe this program is going to make me the best player I can possibly be.”
That relationship with Pace has been central throughout. “Definitely Coach Pace,” Martin said when asked if any coaches stood out. “I’ve built a relationship with him since January when he was still at his former school. Then, when he took the LIU job he continued to recruit me and had me out for camp in the summer. Coach Pace is definitely the coach who I’ve built the closest relationship with throughout this process.”
For LIU, the commitment adds yet another layer to a class that is clearly being built with a vision. Like any team, the priority is to protect the quarterback (check that. With LIU that’s quarterbacks), control the line of scrimmage, and start winning games up front. For Martin, it’s a chance to carry Ohio toughness to the NEC and add his name to the foundation being laid on Long Island.
