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I had to double check my records but Pace is now 3-0 at home this year. That is because they defeated Bentley 20-17 last Saturday to improve their overall record to 3-2, 2-2 in the NE-10.

Bentley had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds but the field goal attempt was no good. The Falcons had 467 yards of total offense but were not able to find the end zone enough.

Pace was once again led by running Jhalen Bien-Aime who had 139 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He is the only rusher in the league averaging over 100 yards per game (142.6 YPG) and is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with four.

The Setters have answered all the doubters this year with their amazing turnaround. Head coach Andy Rondeau and his staff are pushing all the right buttons at the moment. They have a team believing that they can beat anyone at any time and that has not happened in Pleasantville in some time.

Since 2003, Pace has won at least three games in a season three times with a four-win season in 2008 and have not had a winning season since 1999. The late 1990's was the best stretch for the Setters as they had five straight seasons at .500 or better.

Pace will look to continue their resurgence with a trip to Merrimack in two weeks.

Elm City Trophy

It will have the same address for the next 12 months again as New Haven defeated Southern Connecticut 31-17. The Chargers will retain the Elm City Trophy for the next year and stretched their winning streak to nine straight over their cross-town rivals.

Running back Ryan McCarthy was solid for the Chargers as he amassed 140 yards and a score in the victory. Quarterback Ajee Patterson overcame some bumps and bruises to convert two key fourth down tries into touchdowns that were the difference in the game.

"I was pretty comfortable that we were going to call a good play," New Haven head coach Chris Pincince said. "I was comfortable that Ajee was going to execute it as we had some success with it earlier. It all falls on the kids right there. If we don't get it, our defense holds them out. That is what our feeling is right there."

Punter/Kicker Danny Stock was a big part of the victory. He helped to flip the field a couple of times in the first half as he had punts of 60 and 55 yards. He also added a 31 yard field goal and was four for four on extra points.

"He is tremendous," Pincince said of his senior kicker. "He is one of our best players. He is one of our six seniors that play football for us. He has won a hell of a lot of games for us. If Danny gets another opportunity to win the game for us, I know that he will make it for us."

New Haven is now 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the NE-10. They are a missed field goal away from being undefeated as the young team has gelled and playing like Charger champion teams of the past.

New Haven will host Stonehill in two weeks.

Two in a Row

American International has quietly pieced together a two-game winning streak after shutting out St. Anselm 19-0. The Yellow Jackets were the first victims of the Pace resurgence but have bounced back nicely.

After an ugly win over Southern Connecticut, the defense once again flexed their muscles as they frustrated the St. Anselm offense the entire afternoon. They allowed a mere 226 yards and were in the face of Eric Fairweather the entire game.

The Yellow Jackets scored in nearly every way possible. They opened with a running touchdown, then added a safety, a field goal and finally finished off the scoring sheet with a pick six.

American International will try to move the streak to three when they travel to Bentley in two weeks.

Two in a Row, Part 2

Another team that enters the bye week on a high note is the Stonehill Skyhawks. That is because they won their second straight as they defeated Merrimack 45-21 last Saturday night on the road.

The Skyhawks traded scores in the first 20 minutes of the game before they broke a 21-21 tie with 24 unanswered points to grab their second league win of the season.

"We were on our heels in the first quarter but I really liked the way that we buckled down in the final three quarters," Stonehill head coach Eli Gardner said.

Once again, it was the Matt Foltz and Andrew Jamiel show. The duo hooked up six times for 67 yards and two scores. Jamiel continues to be a nightmare for opposing secondary members.

"He is a guy who mentally is a senior," Gardner said. "He asks intelligent questions. He is more of a technician than any other receiver I think we have ever had here."

"In terms of route running and in terms of understanding coverage, he is very polished. It is not because he showed up that way. He works his tail off. He approaches every day like game day when he steps on the field. And that is why he is who he is on Saturdays."

Stonehill will travel to New Haven looking for three straight in two weeks.

Bye Week

For the first time in league history, all the NE-10 teams will have a bye week in the middle of the season. The league voted to postpone the championship weekend this year and have a break right in the middle of the season.

Most of the coaches that I have spoken to it really like the bye week in the season. They started the preseason camp in early August and have been going nonstop since. 10 straight weeks of football has taken its toll on the players as well as the coaching staffs. They welcome the break and time away from football.

"We are absolutely exhausted right now," New Haven head coach Chris Pincince said. "We are playing with 48 players that never played college football before. We hit a wall last week and we going to take the next week to recover and watch film. It will go back to camp mode and teach them again."

LIU Post head coach Bryan Collins does not like the break in the middle of the season.

"We can evaluate everything in a long day," Collins said whether he would rather play this week or not to avenge the loss. "I don't like the whole bye week thing. I am not a big fan of the championship game either but that is what it is."

The coaches were not big fans of the championship weekend format. Two teams playing for the championship was fine but the other four games were essentially meaningless. If you were not involved in a title game, it was just a filler on the schedule for those coaches and players. Some coaches even mentioned that the top two teams play each other while the rest of the league is off.

All the coaches are dealing with mounting injuries halfway through the season so the break is good for them to get rest and get those players time to heal for the stretch run.

"We have enough guys nicked up," Assumption head coach Bob Chesney said. "To throw the bye in the middle of it to me, it is something that it really, really good."

"Going 11 games in a row is a bear, "Stonehill head coach Eli Gardner said. "I think it is good. I like the thought of it but ask me after it. Everyone can hit the refresh button and we can focus on the fundamentals of us. We can get healthy and come out strong in the second half."

If your team is struggling, some coaches would have preferred to play this week and not have two weeks to think about the loss.

"To be honest, I wish we could play next week," Southern Connecticut head coach Tom Godek said if he would rather play next week to right the ship. "But we are banged up right now like everyone else. It is going to be good just to get away for a couple of days and getting a hard look at LIU Post."

It is good that the teams will get to press the refresh button midway through the season. Injuries have time to heal and young players will get some film study with their coaches. We will see if this will be a permanent thing for the league or if they will change things up again for the coming seasons.