Hype

It is always tough for a game to live up to the advance billing but the match-up between New Haven and Bentley delivered last Saturday afternoon. Both teams were evenly matched and the game was close all the way down to the final whistle.

New Haven did enough to the win the game in the end but also exposed some weaknesses at the same time. The Chargers were very strong on defense especially their front four. The defensive line dominated the usually strong offensive line of Bentley and allowed the Falcons just six yards of rushing in the game.

The New Haven front line dominance was in honor of their injured teammate, Ahmet Baki Basci. He fractured his leg in practice last Tuesday and will be lost for the rest of the season. His fellow linemates wore his gear in honor and will continue the tribute by donning his # 96 during the game this Thursday night.

Bentley was far from a pushover in the game. Despite their struggles in the first half, their defense was solid and did not allow the usually explosive New Haven offense to move the ball with ease. But the Falcons made too many mistakes including losing fumbles inside the five yard line and missing an extra point. Those are two things that coach Thom Boerman highlighted after the game that need to be fixed in future games.

New Haven is still the best team in the NE-10 until somebody beats them. They have a huge target on their back each and every week but have responded to the pressure.

Another First

Stonehill has been rewriting the record books all season long. So with the win on Saturday over Merrimack, it was just a natural that the Skyhawks would add another first to their program's history.

Entering the game, Merrimack was a perfect 8-0 at Stonehill. But a late field goal and forced fumbled gained Stonehill their first win at home over Merrimack by the score of 22-20. The win improved the Skyhawks to 4-3 overall and 4-2 in the league this year.

Stephen Grzywacz drilled his third field goal of the game with 5:36 left in the game and the Stonehill defense came up big with two forced fumbles over the final six minutes of the game. The defense also held one of the league's best offenses in check.

The win stopped a two game losing streak for Stonehill and keeps them perfect at home in NE-10 games this year. They lost to Bloomsburg in the opening weekend at home but have taken care of business in league play.

The perfect home record will face its largest challenge of the season this Thursday night.

National TV

Speaking of this Thursday night, New Haven and Stonehill will have a short week to prepare for their nationally televised match-up on CBS Sports Network. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8 PM.

This game is great exposure for the NE-10 as it has been a couple of years since the league was in the game of the week. That game featured AIC and Southern Connecticut back in 2010 in which the Owls were victorious.

First Win

When two winless teams met up, one of the teams will get their first victory of the season and that is exactly what happened to St. Anselm on Saturday. The Hawks broke open a close game in the second half to beat Pace 48-21 on their homecoming weekend.

Stephen Cuipa returned under center for St. Anselm but it was the running game that helped to jump start the Hawks. The Hawks had 267 rushing yards in the game and were able to set a record for points scored at Grappone Stadium.

Keith Charles was also explosive for St. Anselm as he had 288 all-purpose yards in the game. He has been a big part of the offense and one of the few steady members for the Hawks this year.

For Pace, it is another frustrating loss for a young team. They seem to be able to play well for short periods of time but not able to put together enough to win a game this year.

Second Half Again

AIC did the same thing that they have been doing all season long. They stormed out the locker room and scored 27 points in the second half to stay undefeated in the league. In fact, they scored 34 straight points to beat Southern Connecticut 34-7 for their fifth straight win.

The Yellow Jackets continue to be one of the top teams in the league and they have a formidable schedule in the final three weeks. Two of their three final games will help to decide who is playing in the NE-10 championship game as they entertain 5-1 Bentley this weekend and 6-0 New Haven in the final regular season weekend. In between those games, they travel to St. Anselm.

Championship Weekend

We are just three weeks away from the first ever NE-10 championship weekend. Besides the championship game, the top eight teams in the league will be in action that weekend to close out the season.

Besides the top two teams playing each for the title, three other games will be played. The sixth seed team will play at the third seeded team. The seventh seed will play at the fourth seed and the eighth seed will travel to the fifth seed.

Based on the current standings and if the season ended today, here are the potential match-ups:

2. AIC @ 1. New Haven (Both teams are tied and they are playing on 11/3)
6. Southern Connecticut @ 3. Bentley (They also play on 11/3)
7. Assumption @ 4. Stonehill (Stonehill beat Assumption earlier this year)
8. St. Anselm @ 5. Merrimack (They are playing this weekend)

Right now, there are two tiebreakers in place. Since Merrimack beat Southern Connecticut, they move up to the fifth seed and are the final host team. Also, Assumption beat St. Anselm so they move up to the seventh slot but both appear headed on the road that week.

With their loss to St. Anselm, it appears that Pace will not play that weekend. For them to play, they would need to win their final two games (Assumption and Stonehill) and also have St. Anselm drop their final two games in the league (Merrimack and AIC).