Thoughts on Week 1 in the PSAC

[Chuck Bitner]

CIAANortheast 10: 4-1
Wins: Gannon 23 SCSU 7, West Chester 35 New Haven 30, Bloomsburg 24 Stonehill 7, ESU 43 LIU Post 35
Loss: Bentley 27 Mercyhurst 21

MEC:Livingstone 46 Millersville 44Shippensburg 55 Seton Hill 30Carson-Newman 38 Edinboro 24
This was one game that went pretty much the way I expected. It was a 14 point loss, but a not a bad showing for Edinboro. The first half was very close and competitive and the Scots remained within striking distance until about 10 minutes remained in the fourth, when C-N built the lead to three touchdowns. Boro did get one back a few minutes later, managed to hang around and even forced a turnover late in the game that gave them a chance to cut further into the lead. They definitely struggled with the C-N running game but considering they were outgained in total offense 515 to 248, they did a good job to stay within two scores for as long as they did. The bad news is that the schedule does not get any easier.

Lincoln 30 Cheyney 18Bentley 27 Mercyhurst 14Bloomsburg 24 Stonehill 7
Stonehill may not want to play Bloomsburg at WB Mason Stadium again. In two home dates with Huskies, the Skyhawks are -10 in turnover margin. The Bloomsburg defense set the tone this past Saturday by forcing a fumble from All American receiver Nate Robitaille on the first play from scrimmage. The Huskies then forced two more first quarter turnovers and ended with a total of five for the day. The bad news was that as well as the Husky defense played, the offense was unable to come anywhere close to matching their level. Stonehill prepared to contain the run and showed no respect for the Bloomsburg passing game -with good reason. The Huskies completed only three passes and one of them was a shovel pass. A first down run by punter Will Wagner finally sparked a scoring drive in the third quarter and the Huskies did run the ball much better for the rest of the game, but they have a lot to work on this week. Getting starting QB Tim Kelly back should be a big boost.

West Chester 35 New Haven 30Gannon 23 SCSU 7California 33 Virginia State 24West Virginia State 19 Lock Haven 14St. Francis 27 Clarion 13Slippery Rock 37 Kutztown 26East Stroudsburg 43 LIU Post 35[email protected]

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[shiplb54]

Ship's D-line was a question coming into the game and they performed very well. The LB are solid and performed as such. The DBs are all young, so there was a LOT of concern - and rightfully so, but when you see at the completion % for Seton Hill QB, the DBs couldn't have had that bad of a game. The bad news is that they gave up a few BIG plays on blown coverage. If they take care of that, this defensive unit may be the best Ship has seen in a few years.

[Chuck Bitner]

They did a good job of getting off the field on third down too, which can be more important than how many yards are allowed. It was good night of learning for them. I was happy to see Seton Hill have some success though. Jackson is a pretty decent player and if he can have a big year, the Griffins might surprise someone.