RecordsLast Second Victory

Bentley had a fourth quarter lead against LIU Post and seemed to be well on their way to the victory. Then the Pioneers rallied to take a late lead after a successful two point conversion before the Falcons scored with four second to go to escape with a 30-28 victory.

They drove 43 yards in just 20 seconds to set up the game winning kick. Michael Baron drilled the 31 yard field goal and Bentley won the game. Baron made up for a miss earlier in the game. It was also the 29th field goal for Baron who had been honored earlier during Senior Day.

Bentley finishes with a 5-4 record in the league and will face Post again this weekend in the 5/6 match up.

Last Second Victory, Part 2Regular Season

The NE-10 just finished one of their best regular seasons ever. The games were very competitive and any team could win any game that they played in. The league has come a long way from the days that two teams dominated it.

It is nice to see all of the teams investing in their programs and the results are showing on the field. The players are better than years before and the recruiting base has increased outside of the New England area.

Plus look at all of the Division I transfers that are all over the rosters. It is another sign that the league continues to get better and when you are able to recruit top notch talent, it shows.

With two teams in the top eight of the regional rankings, it shows that the rest of the region is taking notice. The victories in the first week of the season were just the tip of the iceberg for the 2015 season.

No Buzz

For the first time since the NE-10 started up the championship game, American International will not be in the game. For the past three years, the Yellow Jackets have participated in the game, winning the 2013 championship.

They lost at New Haven in 2012 before topping Stonehill in 2013. They fell last year to LIU Post for the title after finishing in first place in the regular season. American International hosted the past two championship games on their home turf.

AIC struggled this year and finished seventh in the regular season. The defense was solid while the offense struggled week to week. They showed some life at times especially scoring 44 points against LIU Post on October 3rd. They managed just 45 points over the next five games.

If history is any indication, they will be back near the top of the standings next year.

Championship Weekend

Going into last weekend, we knew the one, nine and ten seeds for the NE-10 championship weekend. The other seven positions were up for grabs based on the results of the games.

New Haven will travel to Assumption for the NE-10 championship game. The Chargers are making their first appearance since the inaugural game in 2012 that they won. The Greyhounds are making their first appearance and will host the game on Saturday.

Merrimack came out of nowhere to finish third in the league and will host Stonehill in the 3/4 game. Stonehill finished tied with Bentley and LIU Post but won the tiebreaker due to their 2-0 record against them.

Bentley is fifth based on their thrilling victory over LIU Post last Saturday. The Pioneers finish sixth after last second losses to both Stonehill and Bentley.

American International will host Southern Connecticut in a game that is always physical for the 7/8 game. And Pace will travel to St. Anselm for the 9/10 game next weekend.

In my preseason picks, I had the first and last teams correct and then chaos erupted in between that.

Five more games this weekend and one of them will crown the champion. Buckle up your seat belt for one more crazy weekend of football in the NE-10.