For the first time in the history of the NE-10, they are playing a football game in the month of December. And also for the first time in history, I am writing a football column in the month of December. It is a historic weekend all around.

NCAA Quarterfinals

# 2 New Haven (11-1, 8-0 NE-10) @ # 1 Winston-Salem State (12-0, 7-0 CIAA)

When: December 3rd, 12:00 PM

All-Time Series: First Meeting

Common Opponents: They share one common opponent this year.

Vs. St. Augustine's (CIAA)

9/10/11- @ New Haven 50 St. Augustine's 14
10/8/11- WSSU 35 @ St. Augustine's 28

Road to the Quarterfinals:

11/26/11

# 2 New Haven 44 # 3 Kutztown 37

# 1 WSSU 35 # 5 California 28

Link to Team Stats:

New Haven

Winston-Salem State


My thoughts: A new regional champion will be crowned on Saturday afternoon.

New Haven enters the game off of their 44-37 victory over Kutztown last Saturday afternoon. It was their first playoff win in 14 years and they earn every bit of it. The Chargers featured their explosive offense and got defensive stops when they needed them.

The offense was paced by quarterback Ryan Osiecki. He was nearly flawless in running the offense and was able to distribute the ball to all of his playmakers. He threw for 433 yards and five scores. He added another 28 yards on the ground but also fumbled the ball inside the five yard line in the third quarter.

His main target down the field was Jason Thompson who hauled in just six passes but four of them were for touchdowns. His 214 yards were a season high and his ability to stretch the field for the Chargers was key to the offensive success. He was able to go up over several defenders at the end of the first half and grab a Hail Mary pass to give the Chargers the lead at the half.

Osiecki spread the ball around to eight different receivers and kept the Kutztown defense guessing all day long. Josh Smart tied Thompson for the team lead with six receptions. Mike DeCaro was not able to break off a lot of long runs due to the quickness of the Kutztown front four. But he did show his big play ability with an electrifying 45 yard touchdown reception when he made several defenders miss him in the open field.

The offensive line will face another challenge this weekend and need to do a better job opening holes for the running game. They yielded two sacks against Kutztown and allowed Osiecki plenty of time in the pocket to throw the ball downfield.

The New Haven defense allowed an opening drive touchdown and a touchdown drive at the end of the game. In between, they played pretty good defense in holding a very good Kutztown offense in check most of the day. They struggled on fourth down as they were not able to make any stops in those situations.

The defensive line of Rasheem Stanley, Robert Hill, Tom Herd and Scott Schultz recorded three sacks in the game and did a good job of pressuring the quarterback. They were not able to contain the running game of Kutztown as they averaged nearly four yards per run. The Charger front four will face a very good running back this weekend and not allow him to get past them into the open field.

The place that New Haven will need to excel this weekend is in the linebacker group. Mike Gomes, Charlie Hatchet and Cody Wallace will need to do a better job keeping the WSSU running back inside of the numbers. Kutztown was able to get outside of the numbers and make a number of big plays. Hatchet and Gomes are very quick but can not be chasing WSSU backs all over the field for 60 minutes.

The secondary of New Haven will also need to find a way to slow down the passing game of WSSU. Desmond Anderson, JD Chalifoux, Bernard Risco and Kendrick Butler will need to find a way to keep the Rams well under their nearly 14 yards per catch average.

New Haven also has a clear advantage in the kicking game. Chris Scifo was three for three in field goals and extra points on Saturday. He also launched a key 44 yard punt late in the game.

Winston-Salem State is having the best season in school history. They have taken on all challengers and disposed all of them. The Rams are playing in their first quarterfinal game in school history.

The offensive attack of WSSU is pace by quarterback Kameron Smith. He transferred to WSSU two years ago after playing Navy. He has thrown for 2,303 yards and 30 touchdowns this year. He threw for 267 yards and two scores in the victory over California last weekend. He is a very dynamic quarterback who has a strong arm and can also run out of the pocket.

The running game falls onto the shoulders of Nic Cooper. He is having a monster senior year as he has run for 1,580 yards and 20 touchdowns. Cooper also grabbed 16 passes this year out of the backfield, good for fourth on the team in receptions. He had a very workmanlike 118 yards and three scores against California. If Cooper needs a breather, Maurice Lewis will handle the running duties.

Smith has five receivers who had 10 or more catches this year. Tehyvn Brantley has been his favorite target as he hauled in 40 passes and accounted for seven touchdowns. Dominique Fitzgerald, Jamal Williams and Jahuann Butler will also see passes thrown their way on the outside for the Rams. Fitzgerald was named Special Teams Player of the Year for the CIAA so he is dangerous in the return game.

The offensive line for WSSU is big and physical. They are all over six feet tall and 300 plus pounds. Markus Lawrence and Darrell Billiot were both first team all-CIAA selections. Daven Gray, Winston Hill, Jr. and Chris Beardon will also see time on the line. Landen Thayer handles the field goal duties against California but missed both attempts in the game. Alejandro Suarez was the kicker on extra points and missed one of his four attempts last weekend. Thayer also handled the punting, averaging over 47 yards per kick.

The defensive unit for WSSU has been solid all season long. They allowed just 16 points per game and allowed 20 or more points in just four games this season. They are very fast and pressure the quarterback very well from all sides of the field.

The WSSU front line is anchored by defensive end Akeem Ward. He leads the team with five sacks this year including one against California. Ward provides a lot of pressure as the California tackles were not able to slow him down during the game. Donnie Owens, Jermaine Kesler and Barry Tripp will all see action in the trenches for the Rams.

Carlos Fields is the leading tackler from his linebacker position. He tied for the team lead with eight last Saturday including five of the solo variety. The biggest question for the Rams will be who fills in for Antonio Gates. He is probably lost for the season after breaking his ankle following an interception in the third quarter. He was horse collared to the ground on the tackle and was carted off the field. Khendra Fields and Daniel Mungin will be called upon to make more plays with the loss of Gates.

The secondary is anchored by Alton Keaton. He led the team in tackles this year and is a big part of the defensive scheme for the Rams. He had 93 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two picks, three pass broken up and five pass defended thus far for WSSU. Malcolm Rowe, Jonathan Seltzer, Darryl Pulliam and Brian Williams will also see time trying to slow down the New Haven passing attack.

Keys to the Game: This will be the first game of the season that New Haven is playing on grass and that will have a big impact on the speed of the Chargers. They are used to the sure footing of turf and it might take some time early on in the game to make the adjustments. The field at Bowman Gray Stadium seemed a little wore in the game against California.

The other key to the game will be kicking. New Haven has a better kicker than WSSU and if the game is close in the fourth quarter, field goals might be a deciding factor. Scifo was three for three last weekend while Thayer missed wide right on both of his attempts. With a grass field, footing is key for kickers as well as the mentality of the kicker.

New Haven has a very good passing game and California was able to exploit the WSSU secondary last weekend. They passed for 381 yards and seemed to be able to move the ball through the air. If WSSU is going to be successful in the game, they are going to have to find a way to cover all of the options in the passing game for the Chargers. They have several different receivers who are capable of running free in the secondary.

WSSU is going to have to establish the running game early and often. They have a very good running back in Cooper and will need to have their offensive line open up holes for him to run through. If the New Haven defensive line is able to control the line of scrimmage, it will be a long day for the WSSU offense.

These teams are evenly matched in all positions on the field. It should be a very fun game to watch but I just feel that New Haven has a better overall team and has a chip on their shoulder playing on the road. They have taken on all of the challenges this year and passed them with flying colors. Playing in front of 10,000 fans will not faze them and help them to move onto the next round.

Prediction: New Haven 34 WSSU 30