Conference

CCSU Ranked 23rd in TSN I-AA Poll; Albany Receives Votes

Not only is Central Connecticut State ranked second behind San Diego in the The Sports Network Mid Major poll, the Blue Devils have now become the first team in Northeast Conference history to be ranked in The Sports Network I-AA College Football Poll, earning the No. 23 spot. CCSU improved to 3-0 for the first time in 33 years with a win at Southern Connecticut State on Saturday, a week after knocking off national power Georgia Southern at Statesboro, Georgia. Albany moved to 2-1 last Saturday with a 17-10 win over 2003 I-AA National Champion Delaware. With the win, Albany received 35 points on the TSN College Football poll.

Four NEC Teams On TSN I-AA Mid Major Top-10 Poll

With big wins against scholarship-level I-AA opponents to their credit, Central Connecticut State and Albany claim the second and third positions, respectively, in the The Sports Network Mid Major poll. One week after winning at Georgia Southern, the Blue Devils moved to 3-0 with a 29-26 win against Southern Connecticut and held on to the No. 2 spot. The Great Danes are up two positions to No. 3 after knocking off Delaware, 17-10, on Saturday. Dayton and Monmouth fall one place each and round out the top five.

With a convincing, 43-17, victory at Yale, San Diego solidified its hold on the No. 1 ranking in The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major Top 10. Winners of 11 games in a row overall, the Toreros picked up 21 of a possible 26 first-place votes and 252 total points to hold the No. 1 spot. San Diego, which is 3-0 this season, does not play this week.

Duquesne, Drake and Wagner hold steady in the next three slots. With a 2-1 record, Valparaiso earns the No. 9 ranking enters the poll for the first time since 2004. Marist rounds out the top 10. St. Francis (PA) dropped out of the rankings.

Nine of the top 10 teams are in action this week, with a key Northeast Conference battle pitting No. 2 Central Connecticut State at No. 3 Albany. No. 7 Drake visits No. 9 Valparaiso in a Pioneer Football League matchup, while Monmouth is at Colgate and Marist hosts Holy Cross.

Week Three Recap: NEC Posts 6-2 Record; Albany Tops No. 11 Delaware

NEC Football is now in its 11th season, and in just the last two Saturdays, the league has thrown together its two all-time biggest wins. Last Saturday, Central Connecticut State dropped six-time I-AA National Champion and No. 13 Georgia Southern on the road, and this Saturday night, Albany toppled No. 11 Delaware on the road, a program which captured an NCAA title three short years ago. The Great Danes jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and held on the beat the Blue Hens, 17-10. Albany (2-1) quarterback Daniel Bocanegra threw a 38-yard touchdown to Josh Furnas in the first quarter and ran one in himself late in the second quarter. On Friday night Central Connecticut State (3-0) traveled to New Haven and improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1973 with a 29-26 win over the Owls. Fittingly next Saturday, Albany hosts CCSU in the most anticipated NEC opener in league annals. Combined this week, the NEC was 6-2 and finished the pre-NEC slate with a 14-10 non-conference record, including a 2-2 mark versus top-25 I-AA opponents. Also improving to 3-0 this week were Monmouth and Wagner. The Hawks knocked off Saint Peter's, 36-12, while Wagner trounced Marist, 38-7. Sacred Heart (1-2) and Robert Morris (1-2) picked up their first wins of the seasons on Saturday as the Pioneers earned a win over Iona, 27-16, and the Colonials walloped Butler in Indianapolis, 35-14. Saint Francis (PA) (1-2) dropped its second straight, falling to Duquesne, 41-10. Stony Brook (0-3) had the toughest matchup of the weekend, meeting top-ranked New Hampshire at Durham. The Wildcats downed the Seawolves, 62-7.

Quick Notes

• For the first time in league history, the NEC beat an Atlantic 10 opponent as Albany knocked off Delaware, 17-10, on September 16.

• Saint Francis (PA) senior Anthony Doria became the second quarterback in NEC history to pass for 7,000 career yards. With 7,040 for his career, Doria needs just 216 more yards to become the NEC’s all-time leading, passing Robert Morris signal caller Tim Levcik (1998-2001), who many consider the best quarterback in NEC history.

• With 226 yards in a win over Saint Peter’s on September 16, Monmouth’s Brian Boland became the fourth quarterback in league history to throw for 6,000 career yards. Boland now stands in fourth behind Robert Morris’ Drew Geyer (6,129), SFPA’s Anthony Doria (7,040) and RMU’s Tim Levcik (7,255).

• Albany junior linebacker Colin Disch gained some revenge for the Disch family as the Great Danes beat No. 11 Delaware on September 16. Colin’s brother, Ryan, started at linebacker for Colgate in the 2003 I-AA National Championship loss to Delaware.

• saint Francis (PA) tailback Todd Harris now ranks sixth on the all-time career NEC rushing list with 2,441 yards. Harris stands behind RMU’s Archie Wannamaker, who rushed for 2,462 from 1996-98.

Palko Leads Nation In Catches

Saint Francis (PA) senior wide receiver is now the NCAA Division I-AA active career leader in receptions with 217 after grabbing five balls versus Delaware State two years ago. Palko’s three receptions in Week 1 jumped him from No. 2 to No. 1 in that category. Last week in a 41-10 loss to Duquesne, Palko failed to catch a pass for the first time in his career.

NEC 2006 Football Television Package

The Northeast Conference began the first part of this year’s three-game television package to air on regional outlets throughout the Northeast.

The first game of the package aired onSeptember 9 when Robert Morris fell to local rival Duquesne, 27-7, at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, PA. Fox Sports Atlantic aired the game live at 1:00 pm, while Fox Sports-Pittsburgh will aired the contest on tape delay at 4:00 pm.

On September 30, Western Pennsylvania counterparts Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA) meet in Loretto for a 4:00 pm kickoff on Fox Sports-Pittsburgh. The package wraps up with a Fox Sports-New York broadcast on October 28 as Monmouth hosts defending NEC champion Central Connecticut State at 12:00 pm. The game will also be televised in Connecticut and Rhode Island by Cox Cable.

The 2006 season marks the fourth straight that the NEC has aired football games as part of its extensive regional sports package. This coming winter, the league will air approximately 25 men’s and women’s basketball games.

Albany (2-1, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Albany 17, No. 11 Delaware 10
Next Game: Sept. 23 vs. No. 23 Central Connecticut State, 4:00 pm\

• The Great Danes knocked off an Atlantic 10 Conference program for the first time in eight tries at the I-AA level with last Saturday's 17-10 win over No. 11 Delaware … For the win, UA received 35 points on The Sports Network I-AA National poll ... Albany had dropped its previous seven meetings with A-10 teams by an average margin of 37.9 points … Albany also picked up its second win against a top-25 club, having defeated No. 21 Duquesne in the 2002 ECAC Championship … The Great Danes played before the largest crowd in the program's history with a capacity crowd of 22,016 in attendance at Delaware Stadium, the 14th consecutive sellout … The previous mark was 19,511 in the 2002 opener at Montana … Albany's defense in among the NCAA leaders in rushing yards against (10th), total yards allowed (13th) and scoring defense (14th) … Linebacker Colin Disch (North Plainfield, NJ / North Plainfield) had 15 tackles, including 10 unassisted, as his team held Delaware to 270 total yards and totaled four sacks … The Great Danes allowed 420-plus yards against three Atlantic 10 opponents last year (Hofstra 424, UMass, 444 & Maine 424) … Disch, who moved to sixth on the school's all-time tackles list with 286, recorded double-figures hits for the 20th time in his career … Cornerback Rashad Barksdale (Hudson, N.Y. / Hudson) picked off two passes, including an interception at the goal line with 29.1 seconds remaining … Delaware had defeated 13 straight non-league opponents, dating back to a 2000 playoff loss against Georgia Southern … Free safety Eric Neugebauer (Sayville, N.Y. / Sayville) and linebacker Tommy Genovesi (East Greenbush, N.Y. / Columbia) each recorded career-highs with 10 and 7 tackles, respectively … Safety Dave Nicomini (Newton, N.J. / Kittatinny Regional), who had five tackles, made his first appearance of the season after fracturing his thumb in a preseason scrimmage … Albany's offense rushed for 182 yards after combining for 187 in the first two games … Fullback Dan Beigel (Clinton, N.Y. / Clinton Central) ran for a career-best 71 yards … Tailback Marcus Allen (Fayetteville, N.C. / Seventy-First) added 13 carries for 68 yards and caught four passes for 39 … Quarterback Daniel Bocanegra (Daly City, Calif. / Junipero Serra) regrouped from three first-half interceptions last week to throw a 38-yard scoring pass on a flea-flicker in the first quarter … He added a one-yard dive over the top in the second stanza for his first career rushing touchdown … Albany's opening three games have been decided by seven points or less for the first time since 1987.

No. 23 Central Connecticut State (3-0, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Central Connecticut State 29, Southern Connecticut State 26
Next Game: Sept. 23 at Albany, 4:00 pm

• Central Connecticut improves to 3-0 for the first time since 1973 after a comeback 29-26 victory over state-rival Southern Connecticut on the road on Friday night. The win is the second straight road win this season for CCSU who will play two more road games before returning home on Saturday, October 7 ... CCSU has now won three of the last four games in the series with the Owls ... Senior running back Justise Hairston (New Britain, CT/New Britain) had the most productive game of his career in a 29-26 win over Southern Connecticut. Hairston rushed 22 times for a career-high 241 yards and a career-high three TD as the Blue Devils. Hairston scored on runs of 11, 23, and 68 and upped his rushing total to 419 yards in three games with the Blue Devils, including two 100+ yard performances. Hairston also had 43 return yards giving him 284 all-purpose yards in the game. On the season Hairston has 628 all-purpose yards (209.3 yards per game) in three games and has scored four touchdowns ... Senior defensive back Farod Muhammad (Buffalo, NY/Hutchinson Central Tech) had the best performance of his career on Friday night. The senior defensive back had a career-high and game-high 18 tackles including 13 solo stops as the Blue Devils improved to 3-0 for the first time in 22 seasons. Perhaps Muhammad's biggest play of the game came in the form of a blocked punt in the second quarter. Down 10-0, Muhammad blocked a punt and gave CCSU possession at the SCSU 20 yardline, 3 plays later the Blue Devils cut the lead to 10-7. He also added a pass break-up as the Blue Devils won for the 18th time in their last 24 games ... The Blue Devils are looking to move to 4-0 at Albany on Saturday for the first time since 1970 ... Sophomore wide receiver Jermaine Roberts (Bridgeport, CT/Bridgeport Central) caught his second touchdown pass in as many games over 50 yards on Friday night ... Junior quarterback Ryan Holmes (Union, NJ/Lackawanna JC) hit Roberts from 58 yards for the go ahead scored in the third quarter for CCSU. The completion was the first in the career of Holmes one of three completions on the night for CCSU ... The Blue Devils rushed the ball 38 times for a season-high 297 yards on Friday night, they are averaging 263 yards rushing per game this season and have nine rushing touchdowns.

Monmouth (3-0, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Monmouth 36, Saint Peter’s 12
Next Game: Sept. 23 at Colgate, 1:00 pm

• Monmouth quarterback Brian Boland's (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) 219 total yards moved him into first place on MU's all-time total offense list. He now has compiled 6,234 yards of total offense in his four seasons as a Hawk ... DB David Jiles (Paulsboro, NJ/Paulsboro) now has nine interceptions in his career, moving him into sole possession of second place among all players to wear the Blue & White. Jiles needs two more to tie Vinnie Sasso for first ... Four different MU backs scored touchdowns against the Peacocks, including seniors Leonard Brice (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg) and Rob Lutz (New Cumberland, PA/Trinity) and a pair of freshmen in David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) and Ryan Skorupka (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) ... Wideout Adam San Miguel (North Bergen, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) caught a 96-yard touchdown pass from Boland, which would have been the school record for longest TD pass but it was called back for holding. The Hawks also had a fake punt that went for a touchdown called back ... For the third straight game Monmouth held the advantage in time of possession, holding the ball for 31:15 compared to Saint Peter's who had it 28:31 ... Monmouth scored on four-out-of six red zone chances, while the defense held Saint Peter's to one-of-three ... With a pair of interceptions and Jiles' strip, the Hawks now own a +5 turnover margin in 2006 ... With his interception on Saturday, senior linebacker Mike Castellano (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp) now leads the team with two interceptions ... San Miguel leads the Hawks with 23 catches for 321 yards, for an average of 107 yards per game. San Miguel finished last season with 51 catches for 569 yards ... The Hawks defense gave up their first passing touchdown of the season against Saint Peter's, a 41 yard bomb on the Peacocks first drive of the game. It took 124:25 of game-time for them to give up a score through the air ... Senior wide-out Michael McClelland (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) scored for the second straight game against St. Peters, grabbing a five-yard TD catch ... The Hawks racked up seven tackles-for-a-loss, with senior DB Derek Bischoff (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) leading the team with two ... Senior safety Matt Hill (Hopatcong, NJ/Hopatcong) led Monmouth in tackles with nine total, including seven solo stops. He leads the team this season with 20 total tackles (13 solo) Hill led the Hawks in tackles last season with 82.

Robert Morris (1-2, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Robert Morris 35, Butler 14
Next Game: Sept. 23 vs. Rowan, 1:00 pm

• Robert Morris snapped a school record seven-game losing streak as well as an eight-game road skid with a 35-14 victory at Butler ... The defense shined all afternoon for the Colonials, not allowing a touchdown while holding the Bulldogs to just 50 yards of total offense, including -18 rushing ... Sophomore quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside) finished 18-for-26 passing for 240 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes while not throwing an interception ... Cwalinski connected for touchdown passes with four different receivers ... Junior flanker Alvin Hill (New Kensington, Pa./Plum) notched career highs in receptions (6) and receiving yards (98) while catching a touchdown to pace the Colonial receiving corps ... Junior Mario Hines (Ecorse, Mich. / Ecorse) scored a pair of touchdowns against the Bulldogs and compiled 147 all-purpose yards ... Hines rushed for a 14-yard touchdown on an end-around in the second quarter to give RMU a 14-7 lead, then his 38-yard touchdown reception gave RMU a 28-14 advantage ... Hines finished second on the club with three catches for 71 yards against Butler ... RMU's running back by committee continued against the Bulldogs, as six different running backs received a carry, led by freshman Brian Harden's (Sunrise, Fla. / Stranahan) 11 ... Senior halfback Moises Hernandez (Miami, Fla. / LaSalle) paced the Colonials with 50 yards on nine carries, an average of 5.6 yards a rush ... The defense was led by senior defensive lineman Ray Gensler (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Keystone Oaks), who posted six tackles and a sack ... Robert Morris posted four sacks on the afternoon, as joining Gensler were senior defensive lineman Colyn Haugh (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional), sophomore defensive lineman Shannon Smoot (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) and junior linebacker Chad Wengert (Kempton, Pa. / Kutztown) ... Robert Morris closes out its 2006 non-conference slate by welcoming Division III Rowan to Joe Walton Stadium Saturday, Sept. 23, for a 1:00 p.m. tilt.

Sacred Heart (1-2, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Sacred Heart 27, Iona 16
Next Game: Sept. 23 at Duquesne, 1:00 pm

• Sacred Heart moved its all-time record against the MAAC to 16-12 with the win over Iona on Saturday. The Pioneers evened their record against the Gaels to six wins apiece....The Pioneers registered a season-high five sacks in the game by five different players....The Pioneers yielded the first defensive extra point against them in school history on Saturday when Iona's Reggie Dorsainvil blocked Nick Passalacqua's (Utica, NY/TR Proctor) extra point attempt after the first SHU score and ran it all the way for the two-pointer....Sacred Heart won the turnover battle against Iona, 4-0. Two of those turnovers were in the Pioneer red zone. Sophomore corner Jeff Hodges (Palm Beach, FL/Royal Palm) picked off Iona QB Dustin Croick in the endzone in the second quarter and Rich Marrone (E. Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep) recovered a fumble by Iona QB Michael Biehl late in the fourth quarter to thwart another...Senior receiver Alvin Franklin (New Haven, CT/Wilbur Cross) had a career-high seven receptions and a career-best 106 yards in the win. He also caught his 10th career touchdown pass, a 35-yard strike from Tyler Arciaga (Bonita, CA/Bonita Vista) in the third quarter that clinched the victory....Corey Bundy (Selden, NY/Newfield) had his second TD reception of the year, and tenth of his career, with a six-yard catch from Arciaga in the first quarter...Arciaga had two TD passes in the game, giving him 21 for his career and moving him into second place all-time at SHU behind Justin Holtfreter's 41....Arciaga continued his sharp passing, completing 18 of 33 passes without an interception. The senior hit eight different receivers in the game....Sophomore defensive back Steve Young (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverien) registered his first career interception Saturday with an acrobatic theft along the sideline in the fourth quarter....Sophomore punter Derek Marks (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) had the best day of his young SHU career sunday, averaging 40 yards on five punts, including a long of 50 and nailing on inside the Iona five-yard line....SHU will travel to Duquesne at Pittsburgh this week for a rematch of the 2001 ECAC Bowl that was the capper of the Pioneer's undefeated Mid-Major National Championship season. The Pioneers won that game over the Dukes, 31-15, in the only time the teams have ever met.

Saint Francis (PA) (1-2, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Duquesne 41, Saint Francis (PA) 10
Next Game: Sept. 23 vs. La Salle, 1:00 pm

• Senior quarterback Anthony Doria (Bethel Park, PA/Seton La Salle) became just the second player in Northeast Conference history to reach 7,000 career passing yards in SFU's 41-10 loss at Duquesne. He now has 7,040 career passing yards, 215 shy of the all-time NEC mark, held by former Robert Morris signal-caller Tim Levcik; Doria has completed 618 passes on 1,118 career pass attempts for 47 touchdowns ... Senior running back Todd Harris (Duquesne, PA/ Duquesne) has 515 (second in school history) career rushing attempts for 2,441 yards (No. 1 in school history). He scored another rushing touchdown on Saturday to give him 13 during his career, third most in program history ... Senior wide receiver Michael Caputo (Bethel Park, PA/Seton La Salle) now has 192 career catches for 2,788 yards ... Senior wide receiver Luke Palko (Imperial, PA/West Allegheny) was held without a catch for the first time in his career. Palko had caught at least two passes in every game entering this past weekend ... Junior placekicker Adam Sciulli (Pittsburgh, PA/Central Catholic) made a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter to give him 18 career field goals, second most in program history and just three shy of the school record. His 72 percent success rate is also best in program history, and he extended his PATs made streak to 62-for-62 in his career ... Junior running back Anthony Richards (Parlin, NJ/Cardinal McCray) is averaging 9.1 yards per carry with 265 yards on 29 attempts.

Stony Brook (0-3, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: No. 1 New Hampshire 62, Stony Brook 7
Next Game: Sept. 23 at No. 9 Massachusetts, 1:00 pm

• The Seawolves fell to No. 1 New Hamsphire on Saturday, 62-7 ... The game marked the first time that Stony Brook football has played a team ranked first in the nation ... Freshman Anthony Hamilton (Copiague, NY/Copiague) scored Stony Brook's only touchdown, scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run. The play, in which he took a direct snap from center, was Hamilton's first from scrimmage in 2006 ... The touchdown drive was set up by a 47-yard catch-and-run from Josh Dudash (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River) to Mike Cosentino (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s Prep) ... Freshman Tyler Santucci (New Kensington, PA/Valley) led the Seawolves in tackles with nine. He also added a sack ... Steve Austin (Tequesta, FL/WT Dwyer) led SB's ground attack with 67 yards on 10 carries ... Cosentino finished with five receptions for 71 yards ...Running back Conte Cuttino (Uniondale, NY/Uniondale) had 12 carries for 39 yards ... Andre Jean-Pierre (Irvington, NJ/Irvington and Dan Michitsch (Glendale, NY/St. Franics Prep) both recorded eight tackles ... Dudash finished 10 of 17 for 112 yards ... The Seawolves travel to face UMass next Saturday ... The game also was the first meeting between the two football programs.

Wagner (3-0, 0-0 NEC)
Last Game: Wagner 38, Marist 7
Next Game: Sept. 23 vs. Saint Peter’s, 1:00 pm