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Northeast Conference Football is back for the 2012 season and so is The Whole Nine Yards. Released on a weekly basis, the piece chronicles nine storylines surrounding the NEC’s nine football members.
Blue Devils Face Old Friend
Central Connecticut will open the new season against an old foe. The Blue Devils will renew their rivalry with former NEC member Stony Brook with a road contest on Sept. 1. It has been five years since the two programs last met on the gridiron. SBU sent CCSU to a late-November loss in 2007, but the teams have split the last four meetings. Central Connecticut posted a 35-32 triumph over Stony Brook during the 2006 campaign, which was the Seawolves’ last in the NEC and head coach Jeff McInerney’s first at Central. CCSU and SBU tied atop the NEC standings in 2005, marking the Seawolves’ first, and only, title as a NEC member.
Duquesne’s Toughest Test Ever?
Duquesne has won five games in a row dating back to its NEC title run last season. If the Dukes are to run that win streak to six and open the 2012 campaign with a win, they will have to beat the highest-ranked team they have ever faced at the FCS level. Jerry Schmitt will lead his Dukes into No. 8 Old Dominion, which is set to join the FBS ranks next year (Conference USA), on Sept. 1. Duquesne last faced such a high-caliber opponent in 2010 when it fell, 30-6, at then-No. 11 Delaware. The trip will be the Dukes’ second to the state of Virginia. Their only other visit to the state was a triumphant one as they topped VMI, 57-31, back in 2000.
Seahawks Set for a NEC Second
Wagner will travel to Boca Raton, FL for a season-opening Friday night affair at Sun Belt Conference member Florida Atlantic. The game will be the second-ever between a NEC member and a FBS opponent. Central Connecticut became the first to take on a team from the Bowl Subdivision when it visited Western Michigan in 2007. While the host Owls feature a first-year head coach with Carl Pelini having taken the reins from Howard Schnellenberger, Wagner’s Walt Hameline is set for his 32nd season at the helm. Hameline is only one of eight active FCS coaches to have more than 200 career wins.
Monmouth Looks for Win Number Six at Lehigh
Kevin Callahan’s Hawks will line up against the Patriot League’s preseason favorite in Week 1. Monmouth will face Lehigh in a grudge match of the 2011 season opener, which resulted in a 49-24 win for the latter. The Hawks, who enter with a five-game road win streak, will look to avenge last year’s loss while evening their all-time record against Patriot League members in the process. Monmouth owns a 5-6 mark in games against Patriot League opponents, but two of those six defeats have come at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium.
Bulldogs’ Week 1 Opponent No Stranger to NEC
Bryant is taking one from Sacred Heart’s Week 1 playbook. The Bulldogs will kick off the 2012 season, their first of FCS postseason eligibility, against Pioneer League member Marist. It will mark the fourth consecutive season that Marist has opened against a NEC member, having taken on Sacred Heart in Week 1 of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons. Bryant and Walter Payton Award candidate Jordan Brown (1,815 rush yards in 2011) will look to win its third opener in four seasons as a NEC member.
Great Danes Hope Third Time Charm against Colgate
It will be the third time since 2007 that Albany opened its season against cross-state rival Colgate. If either of the first two contests are any indication, there will be little separating the two sides when t he dust settles on Saturday. In last season’s lid-lifter, Colgate stormed back from a 31-21 deficit to knock off the Great Danes in overtime, 37-34. Prior to the 2011 meeting, the two teams kicked off the 2007 campaign against one another with Colgate prevailing by a razor-thin two-point margin, 13-11. Both of those contests were played at Colgate’s Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, NY, but the 2012 affair is slated for Albany’s University Field.
Robert Morris Returns to Fargo
It was November 2010, and Robert Morris had a 7-6 halftime lead over North Dakota State in a FCS road playoff game. After fourth-quarter miscues cost the Colonials mightily in that postseason affair, Joe Walton’s team has only won two games since. Looking to bury the disappointment of last year’s 2-9 record in the past, Robert Morris will return to the FargoDome for its 2012 season opener. Only this time, the Colonials will be facing the defending national champions. NDSU returns 13 starters from its 2011 championship squad, but finished as the runner-up to Sam Houston State in the preseason edition of The Sports Network Top 25 Poll.
Red Flash Face Another Early Challenge
For the fourth consecutive season, Saint Francis (PA) will open its non-conference schedule by taking on a Top 25 opponent. The Red Flash will kick off the 2012 campaign, its third under head coach Chris Villarrial, at No. 5 James Madison. Last season, they traveled to eventual national champion North Dakota State for their first non-league contest. In 2010, the Flash opened at then-No. 21 Liberty one year after kicking off against then-No. 8 New Hampshire. Central Connecticut was the last NEC team to face James Madison, giving the Dukes a scare before falling, 14-9, in Harrisonburg, VA last September.
Pioneers Playing for Paul
Any on-field adversity that Sacred Heart may face during the 2012 campaign will pale in comparison to what the Pioneers experienced this past off-season. Their head coach Paul Gorham became severely ill, but eventually fought his way through and is currently on the road to recovery. While Gorham is on a medical leave of absence, long-time assistant Mark Nofri is handling the head coaching duties and will lead SHU into Saturday’s season opener at Morgan State. It will be the Pioneers’ first-ever meeting with a MEAC member. Morgan State did face a NEC opponent in 2011, edging Robert Morris, 13-12.
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Albany (0-0)
vs.
Colgate (0-0)
Location
Albany, NY (University Field)
Kickoff
Saturday at 6:00 pm
Bryant (0-0)
vs.
Marist (0-0)
Location
Smithfield, RI (Bulldog Stadium)
Kickoff
Saturday at 3:00 pm
Central Conn. St. (0-0)
at
No. 17 Stony Brook (0-0)
Location
Stony Brook, NY (LaValle Stadium)
Kickoff
Saturday at 6:00 pm
Duquesne (0-0)
at
No. 8 Old Dominion (0-0)
Location
Norfolk, VA (Ballard Stadium)
Kickoff
Saturday at 6:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Live Stats
Monmouth (0-0)
at
No. 16 Lehigh (0-0)
Location
Bethlehem, PA (Goodman Stadium)
Kickoff
Saturday at 12:30 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch - Listen - Live Stats
Robert Morris (0-0)
at
No. 2 North Dakota St. (0-0)
Location
Fargo, ND (FargoDome)
Kickoff
Saturday at 7:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch on ESPN3 - Live Stats
Sacred Heart (0-0)
at
Morgan State (0-0)
Location
Baltimore, MD (Hughes Stadium)
Kickoff
Saturday at 1:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Live Stats
Saint Francis (PA) (0-0)
at
No. 5 James Madison (0-0)
Location
Harrisonburg, VA (Bridgeforth Stad.)
Kickoff
Saturday at 6:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch - Live Stats
Wagner (0-0)
at
Florida Atlantic (0-0)
Location
Boca Raton, FL (FAU Stadium)
Kickoff
Friday at 8:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch on ESPN3
*All times EST.
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