Record Day

What is it with Southern Connecticut and record setting days with their running backs? They just seem to go together as the Owls had another record breaking day last Saturday.

Vaughn Magee ran for a NCAA Division II record 187 yards in the fourth quarter as Southern Connecticut rallied for a 45-34 victory over St. Anselm. Magee finished the day with 297 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He had an amazing 9.9 yard per carry average on the day.

Former Southern Connecticut star Jarom Freeman holds the Division II rushing record when he ran for a mere 418 yards in a win over Bryant in November 2007. Freeman also had 246 yards in the first half which is also a record. So Southern Connecticut is now in the record books for most yards in a quarter, half and game.

Southern Connecticut is truly a running back factory as they seem to graduate one record breaker and have another one in the waiting at all times. It is a testament to their recruiting as they get great running backs to run through the huge holes opened up by their talented offensive line.

Record Day Part 2

It is another weekend and another record breaking day for the Merrimack offense. They tied a school record for points in their 63-14 victory at Pace last Saturday. But it was an individual performance that helped to rewrite the record books.

Isaiah Voegeli set a NE-10 record with 264 receiving yards in a game, topping the previous record of 256 by Bentley's Mark DeBrito in 1999. Voegeli's 17 catches were two short of the school and league record by former Merrimack receiver Jeremiah Watts.

The most impressive part of the record is that is occurred on the grass field at Pace. They are the only field in the league that doesn't have turf but that did not affect the Merrimack offense. They seem to have the ability to score points and gain yards on any surface and under any conditions.

One thing is for certain this weekend is that Merrimack will not break any records as they are in the bye this week.

First Start

St. Anselm quarterback Andrew Murphy started the season low on the depth chart. But injuries and a great first collegiate start might have changed the minds of the Hawks' coaching staff.

Murphy was called into duty two weeks ago against New Haven. He was sacked in his first play and not able to generate much offense against one of the better defenses in the league. But his second appearance made him look like a veteran.

Murphy was 29 for 43 for 405 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He helped St. Anselm put out their most points of the season, nearly doubling their output in the first four games of the season.

Murphy set a school record for passing yards by freshmen and was just three yards short of a program record. He also tied a school record with four touchdown passes and also helped Justin Bernard set a receiving yards record with 226.

With injuries to Stephen Cuipa and Ray Doucette, Murphy might have earned the start against Bentley on Saturday night and will have his hands full against one of the better defenses in the league.

New Face

Pace sophomore quarterback Brian Beeker likes to play against Merrimack despite seeing two lopsided games in his short career. He has seen limited action but a lot of success against the Warriors.

Last year at Merrimack, Beeker was a wide receiver who took an option pass and tossed a 54 yard touchdown strike for the only points in a 63-7 loss. This year, he saw his first action at quarterback last Saturday against Merrimack and tossed two touchdowns in Pace's 63-14 loss.

Beeker started the second half in style as he hit Patrick Lupfer and he took it to the end zone for a 64 yard scoring strike. He finished the day 15 for 27 for 213 yards.

Beeker is counting down the days until Pace makes the trip to Merrimack next season but is hoping to continue his success this weekend when they host Southern Connecticut.

Rainy Night

Players and coaches make no excuses for weather conditions and that was not any different on a rainy night in Waltham last Friday night. Bentley beat Stonehill 17-7 in a driving rain storm as both teams had trouble handling the ball in the wet conditions.

Stonehill had the most trouble on special teams as they were not able to handle a number of punts. Bentley had just as many issues as they threw a couple of interceptions and a fumble. Both teams combined for six fumbles, three picks and 150 yards in penalties.

The Falcons made fewer mistakes than Stonehill and were able to punch the ball into the end zone when they had the chance. Bentley used their running game to grind out yards as the rain slowed down their passing attack and that was the difference in the game.

Bentley had now won seven games in a row dating back to last season and will look to extend the winning streak on Saturday night when they travel north to St. Anselm.

Tough Losses

Close your eyes for a minute and imagine an Assumption team that is 5-0 right now. That is not far fetched as they have had a chance to win each of the games that they have lost. But unfortunately for head coach Cory Bailey and his players, the Greyhounds are 1-4.

The latest tough break was on their home turf again and they had a chance to upset AIC last Saturday. In fact, they had a lead in the fourth quarter that they were not able to hold. The Yellow Jackets rallied to score 13 points in the final nine minutes to stun Assumption.

It has been a frustrating two seasons for the Assumption football team as they had the same trouble last year closing out games. It will not get any easier for them as they travel to undefeated New Haven this weekend. Imagine if Assumption were undefeated and playing an undefeated Charger team.

It could have been the game of the year in the league.