Starting off on the right foot

Several teams have very successful first quarters this weekend. I was at the Southern Connecticut/St. Anselm shootout on Saturday as the scoreboard operator was very busy in the first 15 minutes of the game. Both teams put up 21 points and it seemed like both teams were well on their way to a record breaking afternoon.

St. Anselm struck first with an impressive opening drive of the game. Southern Connecticut answered with a long drive of their own. They exchanged scoring drives again and the game was tied at 14. All-everything Marc Wilson then returned the kickoff for a touchdown for the last lead of the game for the Hawks. Southern responded right before the end of the quarter with a 20 yard strike from Kevin Lynch to Andre Privott.

The statisticians were very busy as both teams combined for 42 points and 303 total yards. The second quarter saw just 10 points and 92 yards as everyone was able to catch their breath. The Owls took control of the game and took their second consecutive win on the road.

At the same time 30 miles to the south, Merrimack put up 42 first quarter points on their way to a rout of Pace. They scored via their offense, defense and special teams in putting on an impressive display of football.

They set school record for points in a quarter (42), half (56) and game (63). It was a pretty dominant effort for the Warriors and avenges from their tough trip to Edinboro.

So make sure that you are in your seats before the opening kickoff. You might miss a lot.

New Turf

St. Anselm installed a new turf field over the summer and it looked very nice at Grappone Stadium. The Hawks are making a big investment in athletics as the field is going to be used for soccer, field hockey and various other events.

It should also help recruiting for the football program as coach Pat Murphy continues to build from the ground up. He is very excited with the progress of the football program but said that they still have a way to go. They are lacking depth and it showed as the game against Southern Connecticut wore on.

Running wild

Rashaad Slowley had a monster game on Saturday with 205 yards on the ground and six scores in the 59-34 Southern Connecticut victory over St. Anselm. The six touchdowns were a school record for the Owls, breaking the previous record of five held by a couple of people and set most recently by Jarom Freeman in 2007.

You might remember that game as Freeman torched Bryant for a record 418 rushing yards and five scores in a first place showdown with the Bulldogs. Slowley now adds his name to the record book and just another solid running back to come through New Haven.

"The line blocked great," Slowley said. "Those guys did their thing. We pounded them and we focused on next play whether it was a one yard run or a big one. It was a collective team effort."

Slowley is leading the league in rushing and scoring through the first three weeks of the season.

Pick Six

AIC defensive back Markus Rice is finding the end zone with a lot of regularly early in the season. In three games thus far, he has taken two interceptions back for touchdowns including a game winner in the opener.

In overtime on the road against CW Post, he picked off the pass and took it back 95 yards for the sudden death victory for the Yellow Jackets. Last Saturday, he picked off an Assumption pass and it took it back 40 yards for a game changing score.

Assumption jumped out to a 20-3 and was in the process of driving down the field again when Rice stepped in front of the pass and returned it. The pick was a momentum swinger as Assumption faltered on their next drive and AIC scored on their next drive to cut the lead to three going into halftime.

AIC continued the run in the second half and picked up their second win of the season. The Yellow Jackets also got a monster performance from Kevin Arduino who was sidelined most of the week with an ankle injury before being inserted in the second quarter to help spur the comeback.

Rice is the younger brother of Baltimore Raven running back Ray Rice. He is now one touchdown behind his brother this season as Ray has two receiving and one rushing touchdown in the first two weeks of the NFL season.

Poise at all times

In fairness to all the quarterbacks in the NE-10, Bentley graduate student Bryant Johnson is at the top of the list right now. He is the reigning MVP of the league and has started the 2011 season with a bang.

He was masterful last Friday night at Stonehill. Three times Stonehill had pinned the Falcon offense inside the 10 yard line. And three times, Johnson led the troops down the field on scoring drives. He was cool in the pocket and used all of his weapons to perfection.

His coach Thom Boerman said that he made a number of audibles at the line of scrimmage when the defense showed a different look. He changed the play and gained positive yardage each time. He is like having a coach on the field and the entire team respects him.

"He is the real deal," Boerman said of his five year player. "He runs our offense so well. I trust him so much as he always comes back and tell us what he sees out there."

He is also marching his way up the Bentley record books as well. He is third in career touchdown passes with 48. He is the fourth player in school history to amass 6,000 yards and also passed the 500 completion mark. He also has led Bentley to score in 17 consecutive quarters dating back to the 2010 season.

Near upset

New Haven continues to impress early in the season. They traveled south to Virginia to play perennial D1 FCS power William & Mary. Most people including yours truly thought that New Haven would hang for a quarter but W&M would take care of business.

But that is why games are played on the field and not on paper. The Chargers started the game with a bang. They held W&M to a third and out and then blocked the ensuing punt. They settled for a field goal and an early lead. W&M scored the next 10 points to take the lead before the Chargers tied the game early in the fourth quarter.

W&M would kick another field goal than amounted for the winning margin but not before New Haven made a final rally. They moved the ball into W&M territory but the drive stalled.

But it was a big boast of confidence for the Chargers that they have the ability to play with any team on any field.