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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.
Another Try vs. Lehigh
A Northeast Conference member will take on the best that the Patriot League has to offer for a second consecutive week. One week after Monmouth took Lehigh down to the wire, Central Connecticut will face the two-time defending Patriot League champion. The Blue Devils will welcome No. 16 Lehigh to New Britain for their home opener on Saturday. The game will be Central’s second in a row against a nationally-ranked FCS foe. CCSU opened at No. 17 Stony Brook last Saturday.
Duquesne and Dayton Meet Again
In what has become an annual non-conference tradition, Duquesne will face local rival, and Pioneer League member, Dayton at Rooney Field on Saturday. The Dukes have faced the Flyers, who are perennially in the hunt for the PFL title, every season since joining the NEC in 2008. Returning home to Pittsburgh after opening on the road at No. 7 Old Dominion, Duquesne will look to shake off last week’s disappointing second half (the Dukes led ODU 20-10 at the break before falling 57-23) and post a win over Dayton for the third consecutive season. The Dukes are 3-1 in their last four games against UD.
Hawks Home Opener vs. CAA Opponent
Monmouth will look to defeat a CAA member for the second consecutive year when Rhode Island visits the Jersey Shore in Week 2. The Hawks’ first win of 2011 came at Villanova last September 17. The victory over Villanova was one of five road wins for a 2011 Monmouth team that was 0-6 at home. While the Hawks will be looking to snap an eight-game home losing streak, the visiting Rhody Rams will be looking for their first road victory in eight tries.
Wagner to Play First of Two vs. Patriot League
Two Patriot League members and a FBS team comprise the list of non-conference opponents for Wagner this season. Walt Hameline’s Seahawks opened at FBS member Florida Atlantic and almost upset the Sun Belt Conference member as they took a 3-0 lead into the fourth quarter of an eventual 7-3 defeat. Now, they will head to our nation’s capital for a bout with Georgetown. Wagner lost to Georgetown on Staten Island last year, but won the 2010 meeting on the road in overtime. The Seahawks’ other contest against a Patriot League member will come on November 10 when Holy Cross visits Grymes Hill.
Preseason Favorite Opens League Play
After kicking off the season by rolling past Patriot League member Colgate, Albany travels to Robert Morris where it will open its 14th season as NEC member. The Great Danes, who have won or shared a total of five conference titles since 1999, are 10-3 all-time in NEC openers, including a 6-1 mark on the road. One common thread linking their five championship seasons together is the fact they won their NEC opener each of those years.
One Side Will Be Missing Its Star
Bryant and Saint Francis (PA) both entered the 2012 season with All-American candidates as their starting running backs. Unfortunately, the fans in attendance at DeGol Field when Saint Francis hosts Bryant this weekend will only have the chance to see one of those two men perform. Earlier this week, Saint Francis announced that senior Kyle Harbridge, who rushed for 1,430 yards in 2011, will miss the entire 2012 season due to injury. Meanwhile, Bryant senior Jordan Brown, a Walter Payton Award candidate who rushed for 1,815 yards last year, will be looking to rebound in Loretto after being bottled up by the Marist defense during Week 1.
The Bulldogs’ Keystone State Success
Bryant will open its NEC schedule on the road in Week 2, but will do so in what has been a friendly environment for the Bulldogs since they began their move into the NCAA FCS ranks. Bryant has won five of six games played in the state of Pennsylvania since it began scheduling FCS opponents in 2008. The Bulldogs are 10-2 all-time against the NEC’s Keystone State contingent -- Robert Morris, Duquesne, and Saint Francis (PA) – with both defeats coming at the hand of the Dukes. Bryant will look to continue that success against a Saint Francis team that has yet to beat the Bulldogs in three tries.
Familiar Faces, New Roles
In addition to it being the home opener, Robert Morris’ game against NEC preseason favorite Albany will be a homecoming of sorts. No, it won’t be Homecoming Weekend at Joe Walton Stadium, but two former Robert Morris stars will stand before the Colonials’ faithful for the first time as coaches. Myles Russ and Alex DiMichele, both of whom were vital contributors to Robert Morris’ NEC championship run in 2010, have returned to the program as assistant coaches. Russ, the 2010 NEC Offensive Player of the Year and third all-time leading rusher in league history, is a graduate assistant coach responsible for tutoring the running backs. DiMichele, who became the 2010 NEC Defensive Player of the Year after transferring to RMU from Temple, has “traded his helmet for a whistle” as he professed on his Twitter account last week.
Early-Season Bye for Pioneers
Sacred Heart will be idle during Week 2 of the 2012 schedule. Coincidentally, the bye week comes after the Pioneers played the longest game in their program’s history at Morgan State in Week 1. Sacred Heart wound up on the short end of a 30-27 decision in the season opener, but interim head coach Mark Nofri pointed to the positives. “I am proud of the way we fought. It was back and forth. We just need to learn to finish,” said Nofri following the heartbreaking defeat.
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Albany (1-0, 0-0)
at
Robert Morris (0-1, 0-0)
Location
Moon Twp, PA (Joe Walton Stadium)
Kickoff
Saturday at 12:00 pm
Bryant (0-1, 0-0)
at
Saint Francis (PA) (0-1, 0-0)
Location
Loretto, PA (DeGol Field)
Kickoff
Saturday at 12:00 pm
Central Conn. St. (0-1)
vs.
No. 16 Lehigh (1-0)
Location
New Britain, CT (Arute Field)
Kickoff
Saturday at 12:00 pm
Duquesne (0-1)
vs.
Dayton (0-1)
Location
Pittsburgh, PA (Rooney Field)
Kickoff
Saturday at 12:10 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch Live ($) - Live Stats
Monmouth (0-1)
vs.
Rhode Island (0-0)
Location
W.Long Branch, NJ (Kessler Field)
Kickoff
Saturday at 1:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch Live ($) - Listen - Live Stats
Wagner (0-1)
at
Georgetown (1-0)
Location
Washington, DC (Multi-Sport Field)
Kickoff
Saturday at 1:00 pm
Multimedia Links
Watch Live ($) - Live Stats
*All times EST.
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