UnbelievableHeartbreaking

On the other sideline, LIU Post was stunned and at a loss for words. They had dominated 58 minutes of the football game but were walking away with their first loss of the season. Post head coach Bryan Collins was trying to figure out what had just happened after the game.

"We didn't finish the game," Collins said. "We will not watch this tape but use it as a rally tool to be better next week against AIC."

It was the second consecutive home game that the ball bounced the wrong way for the Pioneers. In their home opener against Assumption, they were not able to recover two onside kicks at the end of the game. The Greyhounds were flagged for a penalty on the first attempt only to try again and recover the second one. The Post defense stepped up and sealed that game with a pick six.

Post is still a good team and in contention for the league championship game. They will need to put this loss behind them and use it for motivation to finish the rest of the season strong.

Career Day

Overshadowed in Stonehill's rally was the effort of LIU Post running back Malik Pierre. The redshirt freshman gashed the Stonehill defense for 238 yards and three touchdowns. He even returned a kickoff for a touchdown that was called back due to a penalty.

"Malik did an outstanding job," Collins said. "He ran hard and will be a great player for us."

Pierre entered the game with 227 yards on the ground in three games and doubled his season output in just one game. He was a tough guy to bring down and had breakaway speed when he found a hole.

His emergence helps an already dangerous backfield with another weapon for Post to utilize going into the month of October.

Paging Cody

On Stonehill's second play of the game, Foltz completed a pass to Cody Page for the first down. It was the first catch of his career and the senior was just getting started on a career afternoon. He finished with 10 catches for 101 yards and several key first down conversions.

"Cody might not be the biggest, most physically gifted guy but he is probably the hardest worker on the team," Foltz said. "It showed today as he had some huge plays for us."

Page is a senior who had seen limited time over his career but his teammates were very happy that his hard work paid off in such a big game.

"The thing about Cody Page is that at practice, he never wants to come out," White said. "The coaches literally need to pull him off the practice field and the same thing happened in the game. Cody played so well today."

Page was one of three Stonehill receivers to go over 100 yards in the game. He worked hard to earn his spot on the field last Saturday and stepped up with a career afternoon.

Instant Classic

Someone asked me on Twitter Saturday afternoon if that was the best game that I had ever seen in the NE-10. And my answer was yes. 20 points in the final 1:02 on the road against the defending champs is something that I had not seen before.

I witnessed New Haven rally to defeat Stonehill in 2012 with a last second touchdown drive that was seen by a national television audience. That game was supplanted by the game last Saturday afternoon.

I have seen many Merrimack and American International games that which featured both teams lighting up the scoreboard. I watched online last year when St. Anselm completed a Hail Mary pass to beat New Haven in the regular season finale.

The Stonehill/LIU Post game from last Saturday right now is the top NE-10 game that I have seen.

Rallies

Besides the amazing Stonehill rally, there were two other huge comebacks over the weekend. First in the battle of the Elm City Trophy, New Haven scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to defeat crosstown rival Southern Connecticut 28-14.

The Owls were dominating the first half as they moved the ball on offense and the defense was coming up with big plays. But the Chargers found something in the locker room at halftime for the third consecutive week and turned it up a notch. Ajee Patterson and Andre Anderson fueled the offensive attack that saw New Haven move to 3-1, 3-0 NE-10.

In another amazing comeback, St. Anselm rallied from a 20-2 halftime hole to beat American International 26-20 on the road. The Hawks also used halftime adjustments to pull off their first victory over the Yellow Jackets since 1941.

Third string quarterback Eric Fairweather played a part in the comeback as he scored a rushing touchdown to go along with a 65 yards on the ground. But it was the defense that won the game for St. Anselm.

Eddie Matovu scooped up a loose ball and returned it 27 yards for the winning touchdown. That was the seventh turnover for American International as the Hawk defense recovered three fumbles and picked off four passes in the victory.

The fourth quarter in the NE-10 this year has been the most exciting part of the game. Teams that seem down and out seem to rally week in and week out. It just seems like most of the games are decided in the final minutes and it is making for a very interesting brand of football for the league.

First Win

After a couple of close losses, Merrimack finally got in the win column in a big way. The Warriors used Nick Davis to the fullest in their 41-10 victory over Bentley.

Merrimack scored early and often as Davis had a solid game. He led the team in rushing with 85 yards to go along with 286 yards through the air and three scores. His favorite targets again were Jere Brown and Cody Demers who combined for 12 catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns.

The Warriors were close in the first three games but were the better team on both sides of the ball Saturday. The defense scored the first points of the game on a pick six and that allowed the Merrimack offense time to get going.

Leaves Changing

As the first month of the season is complete, the real football starts in the month of October. Teams will need to play their best in this month as there are five games on the schedule for each team and if you want a shot at playing for the NE-10 title, this is the month to put up or shut up.

Right now, they are two undefeated teams within league and three teams with just one loss as we enter the tough stretch of the season. New Haven and Stonehill are unblemished in the league loss column and Assumption, LIU Post and St. Anselm have just one league loss.

So the league title is wide open right now. Most of those teams still need to play each so things are just getting started. Buckle up for the ride as if the first four weeks of the season were any indication, it is going to be a wild ride in the NE-10.