Big Plays

You see defining moments in every game that you watch and that was no different in Bentley's 28-10 victory over AIC last Friday night. Two big series helped the Falcons win the game and they came from two different sources.

Midway through the third quarter, the Bentley offense was struggling and not finding too many seams in the AIC defense. The Falcon defense was playing equally as well and frustrating the Yellow Jacket offense. After a three and out for AIC, the Yellow Jackets punted the ball back to Bentley. Sophomore Lorenzo Warren scooped up the 46 yard punt and finally found a hole in the AIC defense.

He returned the punt 64 yards to the one yard line and electrified the Bentley sideline. The defense had just come off of the field saying that they might need to pick up the offense and score some points themselves. But Warren changed the momentum of the game and two plays later punched the ball into the end zone for the 14-10 advantage.

After another long Bentley scoring drive, AIC finally was able to move the ball. They gained a couple of first downs and then sophomore running back Terrell Williams broke off a 52 yard run to get the ball down to the Bentley three yard line. The Falcon defense rose to the occasion.

They forced an incompletion on first down and then stuffed Williams on second down. AIC used a timeout to find the perfect scoring play but the Falcon defense was ready. They were able to get to Kevin Arduino and sack him on third down. AIC then tried a field goal but Bentley got a solid push up the middle to block the kick. The Falcons then drove down the field, killing the clock and then scored again for the final margin of victory.

Two big plays defined the Bentley win and helped them kick off a very tough stretch of games in style. They travel to Merrimack this weekend before hosting Southern Connecticut and making the trek to face New Haven. If they are going to win the league, they will emerge from this stretch with a winning record.

Difference Maker

He is listed at 6'3" and 270 pounds on the roster but he might be the quickest player on the AIC roster. Junior defensive lineman Akeem McFarlane may be the best interior lineman in the league and it showed at times in their game Friday night.

Bentley was struggled to move the ball Friday night until he was on the sidelines for a couple of plays. After he left the game, the Falcons were able to move the ball on the ground and establish momentum in the game. With McFarlane in the game, he was consistently in the backfield, disrupting the flow of the Bentley offensive attack.

I am not sure why # 93 was on the sidelines for those plays but he is definitely a thorn in the side of opposing offensive lines. He is a difference maker and a player that opposing coaches need to identify on every play. If he is forgotten, someone from the offense will find themselves on their backside.

Looking ahead?

As I was surfing around to check some of the games Saturday afternoon, two scores stood out to me. Assumption was up 21-7 over Southern Connecticut in the second quarter and Stonehill was up 9-7 early in the first half at New Haven. Where both teams looking ahead to their rivalry matchup this Friday night?

Maybe but both teams rebounded in a big way in the third quarter. The Owls erased the deficit by scoring 17 points in the third to tie the game heading into the final quarter. The comeback was kick-started by a 71 yard touchdown run by Rashaad Slowley on the second play of the half to get Southern rolling. Slowley would score two more times in the second half to cap off another stellar performance. Southern Connecticut held Assumption to just a field goal in the second half as they scored 31 points in the final 30 minutes of the game.

New Haven got some momentum late in the first half by scoring 10 points in the final 1:49 to take the halftime lead. But they one upped their cross town rival by scoring 21 points in the third to take control of the game. They put up a total of 35 points in the final two quarters as they were able to pull away from Stonehill.

Where both team looking ahead to this weekend? Probably not but they both appear ready to do battle at Jess Dow Field Friday night. The team captains and coaches will gather for dinner Monday night to kick off the game week.

Buckle your chin strap! It is going to be a good game.

Mr. Multiple Touchdown

As mentioned earlier, Rashaad Slowley made four trips to the end zone in Southern Connecticut's 38-24 victory on the road at Assumption. He now leads the NE-10 with 15 touchdowns in five games and is on pace to break a lot of records if he is able to continue this pace.

But there were a lot of other players that found the end zone multiple times over the weekend who deserves some kudos as well. Merrimack running back Jimon Hill scored three times in the first 16 minutes of the Warriors' 58-7 victory at St. Anselm. His quarterback, James Suozzo also called his own number twice in finding the end zone multiple times as well.

The Bentley running back duo of Lorenzo Warren and Bobby Tarr split the four touchdowns for the Falcons Friday night. Tarr scored the first and last touchdown while Warren scored the middle two touchdowns.

The player of the week award has many deserving candidates and I don't envy the ultimate decision maker who will have to narrow down the worthy candidates to just one ultimate winner.

Big Weekend Ahead

Two games highlight the NE-10 schedule this weekend and if you like football, these two games are the ones to watch. All of the teams are undefeated and only two will still be perfect at the end of the weekend.

Friday night, New Haven makes the long trek across town to take on Southern Connecticut. Both teams have been waiting nearly one year to face each other again and the rivalry is fierce. So much so, the trash talking on the D2 message board started up m the middle of last week but it never really dies down.

Both teams have playoff aspirations and the winner of the game will not only have bragging rights but a leg up for the NE-10 title. The teams have split the last two games since New Haven restarted their football program three years ago. Southern took the game in 2009 and New Haven returned the favor last year.

Then on Saturday, Bentley makes the short trip north to Merrimack to renew their rivalry. Both teams have seen success in the league in the first couple of weekends. Bentley beat rival Stonehill, dismantled St. Anselm and stopped AIC. Merrimack has been putting up video game stats on offense as 600 yards seems the norm for the Warriors.

Just like UNH/SC, the teams have split the past two years with the home team coming out on top. Merrimack won a hard fought game in 2009 with their defense and Bentley bounced back last year with a three point win.

These are the games that football fans enjoy and let's hope that the games live up to the hype.