Running Back U

Southern Connecticut has had a long history of developing quality running backs. And Friday night was the latest example why they are called "Running Back University."

Junior running back John Moscatel scored four times and had 159 yards on the ground as the Owls crushed Pace 47-18. The win moves Southern to 3-2 overall and now tied for second place in the NE-10 with a 3-1 league record.

Moscatel took over for the injured Vaughn Magee during the Merrimack victory on September 20th. He finished that game with 116 yards and has not slowed down since.

He improved his performance with a 139 yard game at St. Anselm and found the end zone twice. For the season, he is only one of two running backs with an average of over 100 yards per game. He is also tied for the league lead with nine touchdowns with Merrimack receiver Jere Brown. He leads all runners with those nine scores.

Southern Connecticut has always recruited solid running backs that follow the holes made by their massive and talented offensive lines. Moscatel is just another back in the long line of skilled players to wear the Owl uniform.

Leader of the Pack

Many fans left them for dead after week one. But guess who is first place of the NE-10 after four weeks of league play. That is right, the New Haven Chargers are 4-0 in the league and in sole possession of the top spot.

The Chargers were tested last Friday night but escaped Assumption with a 21-18 victory. They did not play the sharpest game but did enough to win the game. They were penalized 10 times including wiping out a kickoff return for a touchdown by Mike DeCaro.

New Haven showed that the defense is up to par and held Assumption in check most of the night. After allowing three drives of 50 plus yards in the first half, the Chargers yielded one drive over 30 yards that resulted in a field goal. The front line was solid and the corners shut down the passing game.

New Haven has now won 20 consecutive league games dating back to 2011. They might not have the same fire power of years past but they know how to win football games. As the season continues, that is a good trait for a team to have.

Nasty

They were knocked down and struggling. After falling to Assumption and allowing too many points the past couple of weeks, the American International defense finally showed up Saturday afternoon. The pass rush was unstoppable and the defense was very physical. That resulted in a 31-10 victory over Stonehill.

The Yellow Jackets allowed just 189 yards of offense. The front four of AIC were in the face of Stonehill quarterback Logan Meyer all afternoon and eventually drove him out of the game in the fourth quarter with a crushing hit.

If you eliminate a late 70 yard scoring drive, it was a complete dominating effort for AIC. They moved the ball and scored when they had the chance. The defense was all over the field and punished everyone associated with the Stonehill offense.

AIC is now tied for second place in the league with a 3-1 record and poised to get back into the running for a league championship game. They still have a number of roadblocks on the schedule but if the defense played like they did on Saturday, nobody will be able to stop them.

Merrimack loves NY

Merrimack has announced that they cancelled the rest of the season unless the team is located in the state of New York. The Warriors are 2-0 in the state this year and 3-0 against teams located there. That is after they defeated LIU Post 26-21 on Saturday.

Coupled with a win at Wagner the opening weekend and a run away win over Pace two weeks ago, Merrimack owns teams from the Big Apple. It was usually Joe Clancy with the game ball but the defense stepped up their game against Post.

They allowed just 36 yards over the final three drives by Post after allowing a score early in the fourth quarter. It is a huge step forward for a team that struggled to stop anyone in the first four weeks of the season.

Joe Clancy also played well and continued his magical season. He tossed for 381 yards and three scores to increase his season total to 25. He is among the Division II leaders in total offense.

The Warriors face their biggest challenge of the season next weekend as they entertain first place New Haven. Their defense will need to play well again to slow down all of the weapons of the Chargers and then find a way to slice up their suddenly hot defense.

Kicker U

If Southern Connecticut is "Running Back University", then Bentley should be known as "Kicker U." They have produced a number of quality place kickers over the years and their current one tied a school record last Saturday.

Michael Baron kicked four field goals in helping the Falcons beat St. Anselm 32-27. That tied a school record for field goals in a game with former great Tyler McNamara. Baron is currently seven for 10 on the season in field goal attempts and a perfect 11 for 11 on extra points.

All four of his field goals were the result of long drives by the Bentley offense that stalled deep in St. Anselm territory. Baron only missed a 25 yard attempt but connected from 24, 27, 31 and 18 yards.

Baron's leg was key for getting Bentley back to .500 in league play at 2-2 and still holding out hope for a chance to play in the championship game. They will need to win out and get some help along the way. But if it comes down to a kick, they have a solid chance to win the game.

Tough Road

Stonehill is hoping to turn the clock back to September. They were 3-1 and looking like a team ready to compete for a NE-10 title. Now the clock has changed to October, they don't like what they see.

It started with a 31-10 loss at the hands of AIC. Now they make consecutive trips down Route 95 to the greater New Haven area for games against Southern Connecticut and New Haven. They finish the month out with a home date against LIU Post.

The Skyhawks were in a golden position last week to make some noise in the league. But allowing the opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown and having no answer for the AIC defense, Stonehill will need to play much better over the next three weeks in they are going to have a shot at playing for a title in mid November.

Logjam

You have one team at 4-0 and two teams at 0-4. Then you have a bunch of teams with 3-1 and 2-2 records in the league right now.

AIC, Stonehill and Southern Connecticut are all 3-1 after the first four weeks of league play. Bentley, Merrimack and Assumption are all 2-2 and still in striking distance for a shot to play for the NE-10 championship. That group will need to win out and get some help for the three teams ahead of them.

LIU Post is in the middle of a three game losing streak after playing a tough stretch of games. First, they lost at Bentley and then lost at New Haven. The latest loss was at home to Merrimack. This week, they are traveling to Springfield to take on AIC. The Pioneers need to find some magic to win on the road but they are very familiar with the surroundings at AIC. They played there in non-conference games after they left for the PSAC in 2007.

The parity in the league is good for players and fans but not as good for the playoff picture. Since the teams keep beating each up, it is going to be tough to a top seed and a home playoff game for the NE-10 champion. New Haven looks like they are in the best position right now but there is still plenty of football to be played in the next month and a half.

Buckle up your chinstrap and enjoy the ride.