Logjam

The NE-10 standings have been stuck in a logjam for the past couple of weeks. Some teams have tried to pull away, only to be brought closer to the pack. Other teams seemed like they were out of it, only to make a run and be right back in it.

Welcome to the 2015 NE-10 football season. It is a lot like the New England weather. If you don't like it, wait a minute and it will change.

Nobody forecasted this season to be like this but it is. We saw a lot of close games last year and the same is true of this year. Nothing is decided until the final whistle and that makes for a great brand of football. Anyone can beat anyone week in, week out.

Right now, nine teams are within two games of first place. Assumption sits at 4-1 in the league right, one game ahead of a slew of teams. Remember when Stonehill and New Haven were ahead of them two weeks ago. They had entered the month of October undefeated in the league but have both lost consecutive weeks to fall behind Assumption.

Stonehill had a favorable October schedule with four of their five games at home but have lost the first two home games. That leaves them in a tough position as they have their only road game this month at New Haven this week.

While the Chargers also entered the month undefeated, they fell at home to Merrimack and lost a tough one to Assumption last Friday night. Both teams would love to turn the clock back to September and forget the last two weekends.

LIU Post, American International and Bentley all have 3-2 records in the league right now along with Stonehill and New Haven. If you blink, the standings will change again.

And don't count out the 2-3 teams. Merrimack, Southern Connecticut and St. Anselm have shown glimpses this season and could easily be 3-2 or 4-1 right now if things went a little differently.

So who is going to win the NE-10 regular season title and who is going to play in the title game on November 14th? I would be the smartest guy in the world if I could tell you.

Things are going to shake out over the next four weeks. Just be prepared for the unexpected.

Stats Lie

Assumption won the scoring battle against New Haven last Friday night but they definitely did not win the stats battle. The Greyhounds were able to make enough plays to win the game 23-17 but looking at the box score, it looks like they were not the better team on the field that night.

Assumption had just 189 yards of total offense in the game and had a lot of trouble moving the ball like they have shown all season long. They allowed New Haven to chalk up 443 yards of offense including 307 yards through the air. It was not what the Greyhounds were accustomed to but it was the big plays that allowed them to win the game.

Bakari Blunt picked off a pass early in the fourth quarter and took it 76 yards for the touchdown that eventually provided the margin of difference in the win. Assumption continues to be able to make the big plays at the right time and that is a big reason why they are in first place in the league right now.

Despite not playing their best football under the lights, they still were able to win the game. That is a sign of good things to come for the Greyhounds. They still have a tough schedule down the stretch as they travel to Southern Connecticut and American International over the next two weeks.

Defense

The American International defense came to play in the team's 14-6 victory on the road over Stonehill. They allowed just 196 yards and completely frustrated one of the better offenses in the league all afternoon long.

The Yellow Jackets were all over the field and allowed nothing to be easily earned. They pressured the quarterback and walked away with eight sacks in the game. They bottled up the middle of the field and limited Stonehill to just 45 yards on the ground.

"It is a great defense," American International head coach Art Wilkins said. "When our defense has had problems, our offense has compromised them terribly. At one point, we were giving up 17 points per game. It looks like the defense's fault but not so much."

And of course, Daquan Holmes intercepted another pass. It was his program tying 14th interception of his career and hauled a drive from Stonehill that got the ball inside the 10 yard line.

"I kidded with him that he was not going to get it today," Wilkins said. "And of course, it prompted him to get it. It was a great play in the red zone."

Wilkins credited the success of the defense to the opening week against Division 1 FCS member Bryant. They played well in that game despite coming up short. He likes to challenge his team with those type of games and then it shows in the league.

That is always bad news for the rest of the NE-10.

Excitement

Maurice Easterling might be the most exciting player in the NE-10 this year. When American International puts the ball in his hands, you just need to sit back and watch.

Easterling had two long touchdown runs that were the difference in the Yellow Jackets' 14-6 victory over Stonehill. He broke off runs of 70 and 57 yards for scores that just seemed to be where he left off the week prior.

He has now rushed for 542 yards in the past three weeks and found the end zone five times against three solid defenses. He is now tied for first in total rushing yards in the NE-10 and has put a struggling offense on his back.

"He has had some big weeks," Wilkins said. "The offensive line did their job and we came out of halftime saying that is what we were going to do and that is what we did."

Easterling leads the NE-10 with a 7.8 yard per attempt. When he has the ball in his hands, defenses cringe and AIC fans cheer.

Close Wins

Last year, Bentley struggled in close games and opened the conference portion of their schedule with five straight losses. After suffering a blowout loss to Merrimack on September 26th, the Falcons seemed like they would be in for a long season.

That has not been the case. Bentley has now won two games in a row and is very much in the mix for the NE-10 title. They have won three close games within the conference and sit tied for second place right now in the standings.

The latest close victory was courtesy of a late touchdown that helped them defeat St. Anselm 19-14. The Falcons trailed most of the second half but a late drive was the difference. 91 yards in just 1:40 was capped off by a George Craan touchdown run to make Bentley to 3-2 in the NE-10.

The Falcons have a very formidable schedule over the next four weeks as they will play the iron of the league. They will entertain American International before hitting the road for visits to Stonehill and Assumption. They close out the season with a visit from LIU Post.

They will control their own fate for the season as they are playing the teams tied and ahead of them in the standings. It will be a good test for the Falcons to see if they are able to continue to win those close games.