Week one of the college football season is officially in the books. Most of the games involving NE-10 teams were one-sided in the opening weekend and we are hoping for more competitive football this coming weekend.

Missed Tackles

In watching the first half of the St. Anselm/Kutztown game Thursday night and the Pace/Bentley match-up on Friday, the coaching staffs of both St. Anselm and Pace had to be upset about two things.

First, Pace and St. Anselm gave up a lot of big plays for touchdowns. That is very disheartening to the defensive players and coaches when they look up and see a receiver behind the defense heading into the end zone for a score. Kutztown and Bentley both were able to get their receivers open down the field for big plays early in the game.

Second, both teams were in the right positions for tackles but failed to wrap up the ball carrier. Those missed tackles lead to the big plays and always playing from behind. I am sure that both coaching staffs are showing their units the missed tackles during the film review and will make it a point of emphasis going forward.

Both teams will try to improve on their performances this weekend with the hopes of making more plays than the opponent and getting on the winning side of the scoreboard.

Experience

The Bentley program has always developed solid offensive linemen over the years. One alumnus, Mackenzy Bernadeau is currently in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys after spending the previous four seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He was drafted in the seventh round back in 2008.

The left side of the 2012 Bentley offensive line features two of the better lineman in the league. Graduate student Nick Halloran and senior Sean Goodwin are on that side and seem to dominate that side of the field. Halloran started his college career with Division I FBS member Boston College before he transferred to Bentley two years ago. Goodwin also has been a starter for the past two years for the Falcons after seeing limited action as a freshmen.

Both of the players were voted offensive captains for the 2012 seasons and it shows the type of men they are on and off the field. They will patrol the left side of the line and will play a big part in the success of the Bentley team this year.

Non-Conference Struggles

The NE-10 struggled in non-conferences games this past weekend. All four teams that ventured outside the conference lost including three games to the PSAC. I will give the three teams playing PSAC squads credit as they played teams near or in the top 25 in the country.

St. Anselm has now opened the season for the past five years against Kutztown with a loss in each of those games. Kutztown jumped out to 35-0 int he first quarter and never looked back last Thursday night in route to a 58-6 victory. The closest game was back in 2009 when a driving rain storm kept the game close as Kutztown was able to grab the victory. The Golden Bears have been one of the top teams in the PSAC the past several years and is a team that St. Anselm would like to emulate for their turnaround.

Bloomsburg traveled north to face Stonehill and took control of the game after allowing the open kickoff to be returned for a touchdown. The Skyhawks made the game respectable in the second half and showed that they might be ready to make some noise in the league. Logan Meyer set a school record for passing yards and looks to be ready to have a solid 2012 season.

Southern Connecticut struggled on the road at IUP as they have not been able to top the Crimson Hawks in seven career meetings. The Owls are young and had a solid learning experience as IUP is back at the top of the PSAC again. Southern Connecticut was not able to move the ball against the IUP defense.

The fourth game outside of the conference could have gone either way as it was decided in the final seconds. Assumption nearly pulled out a tough road victory in Maryland at Bowie State, making the long road trip worthwhile. Assumption took the leads with 33 seconds left on a 33 yard touchdown catch by Scott Simonson. But Bowie State would not be denied as they drove the field and scored on a 16 yard touchdown catch with 5.7 seconds left.

A couple of more non-conference games are scheduled for this weekend and sprinkled throughout the rest of the season. The NE-10 will need to have a bit more success in those game but will not nearly face the talent that they did last weekend.

NFL cuts

Former Merrimack linebacker Shawn Loiseau and Southern Connecticut defensive lineman Ikeponmwosa "Ike" Igbinosun were each cut last Friday from the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. Both survived the first cut the previous week but were not able to secure a roster spot in the NFL.

Both also were not signed to the practice squad for their respective teams. NFL teams are allowed to sign seven players to the practice squad who are able to train and practice with the team throughout the season. Loiseau seemed to have impressed enough in the preseason to grab a practice squad slot but injuries and other free agents changed the plans for the Texans.

Another former NE-10 standout Jacques Cesaire was cut by the San Diego Chargers. That leaves just Bernadeau as the only former NE-10 player in the NFL. But the showings by Loiseau and Igbinosun have opened the eyes of scouts and there is a good chance that they will be visiting NE-10 games this fall to find some hidden talent.