Extra Points

The kicking game is usually the difference in teams winning and losing each week. The NE-10 had some decent kickers and it has been an area that coaches have focused on recently.

Last Saturday was a tough day for the kickers especially with extra points. Three teams have multiple extra point attempts either blocked or missed. Stonehill was able to block two attempts by AIC and scooped up one of them to go 98 yards for two points. They later blocked another extra point attempt.

Southern Connecticut also struggled in the kicking game as they missed an extra point and had another one blocked. The same was true for Merrimack as they had the same scenario of a missed PAT and then a blocked one.

All three teams that had multiple PAT failures won their respective games so it did not come back to haunt them. So next time that you decide to look down at your phone or run to the bathroom during the extra point attempt, pay attention as it might result in a game deciding play.

Historical Day

St. Anselm is 3-0. Yes, that is not a misprint.

They defeated Bentley 38-34 for the first time in school history yesterday as the students rushed the field after the game to join in the historical celebration. It took 15 tries for the Hawks to beat Bentley but it finally happened on Saturday. They trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter before they rallied for the victory.

Yianni Gavalas had another solid game with 386 passing yards and two scores. Elad Covaliu had the winning touchdown for the second straight game as he scored with 2:13 left in the game. But again the story of the St. Anselm revival is their defense. They allowed just 23 yards in the final two Bentley drives after the Falcons took the 34-24 lead with 9:53 left.

They are tied for first place (yes, first place) with AIC and Merrimack with 2-0 records in the NE-10. St. Anselm is 3-0 for the first time since 2004.

Defense

The American International defense is always very good but they outdid themselves on Saturday in the 33-5 victory over Stonehill. They scored four times and basically showed up their own offensive counterparts.

It started in the first quarter as Daquan Holmes had the first of his three interceptions in the game. He picked off the pass and took it back 60 yards for the score. If that was not impressive, he did the same thing in the second quarter but this time it was for 100 yards. His third pick of the game and fifth of the season occurred in the third quarter that thwarted another Stonehill drive.

As Holmes was catching his breath, his defensive teammate Andrew Justice made the next big play. He scooped a fumble on a fourth down attempt and raced 97 yards to the end zone. Joel Bowen also got into the act later in the third quarter when he recovered a fumble and returned it 25 yards for the touchdown.

The AIC defense forced a total of six turnovers and scored on four of those opportunities. Not a bad afternoon for a defensive unit that is known for making big plays.

Defense Part 2

Merrimack is known for offense but it was their defense that won the game against LIU Post last Saturday. While the offense was not clicking as they usually do, it was their defensive counterparts taking the ball away and making big plays.

They had six takeaways during the game as they intercepted three passes and recovered three more fumbles. That is a major improvement over a unit that has traditionally struggled over the past several years.

Head coach Dan Curran and his staff have spent significant time and scholarship money to upgrade the defense to make them very competitive. Saturday was the first test of the season and they passed with flying marks.

Big Victory

One team that has traditionally played New Haven tough has been Assumption. They did it again last Saturday when they walked onto the blue turf and grabbed the victory 24-20.

They are first team in the NE-10 to win twice in New Haven since they revived their program back in 2009. It is the third victory in seven tries for the Greyhounds against New Haven. Assumption won the first two meetings in 2009 and 2010 before dropping the last four meetings prior to Saturday.

It is the first win of the season for Assumption after two tough setbacks to AIC and Sacred Heart.

Surprise, Surprise

This year in the NE-10 is one of the craziest ones in recent memory. First, you have St. Anselm undefeated and in a tie for first place with AIC and Merrimack. But the bottom of the standings are even more surprising. You have New Haven and Bentley both 0-2 and tied with Pace for last place.
New Haven might been the biggest surprise as they are winless this year and could easily be 3-0 right now. They have lost by a combined 14 points in those three games and still looking for the first win of the Chris Pincince era.

Bentley could also easily been 3-0 right now but is 1-2. They defeated Mercyhurst to open the season but then lost to Stonehill by seven and St. Anselm by four. The Bentley/New Haven match up could easily be for home field advantage as both teams could have been 3-0 right now. But instead, the loser is probably out of the NE-10 championship game hunt and the winner still needs a lot of help.

It is only September and we are just three weeks in the regular season. But this weekend and next six weekends are going to be very exciting for the league to see who emerges to play for the championship on November 15th.