NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TOMMY STUART, DUQUESNE
QB, Gr., 6-0, 205 lbs, Baltimore, MD/Boise State
STAT LINE: 304 yards total offense, 2 Rush TD, 2 Pass TD, 8.2 yards per pass attempt
Stuart directed the offense to a productive day at perennial Pioneer League contender Dayton. With the Dukes averaging 5.8 yards per play as a unit, the dual threat quarterback accounted for 304 yards and four touchdowns in the 28-23 road win. Stuart, who has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of his first three starts as the Duquesne signal caller, went 19-of-31 passing for 253 yards and two scores while adding 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. After the host Flyers jumped out to a 7-0 lead, Stuart found Nehari Crawford for a 58-yard scoring strike to pull the Dukes even with 4:38 remaining in the opening quarter. Duquesne took a 14-7 lead when Stuart, who ran for two first downs during the drive, capped a 12-play, 80-yard march with a one-yard touchdown rush 10:00 before halftime. After a punt return touchdown allowed Dayton to tie it up late in the first half, Stuart executed the 2:00 drill to perfection and broke a 14-14 deadlock by hitting Kellon Taylor for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 00:32 to go in the quarter. Stuart gave the Dukes’ defense a little breathing room in the fourth quarter, engineering an 81-yard touchdown drive. After passing for first downs on back-to-back plays to set up a 1st-and-Goal from the 6, the Boise State transfer kept it on the ground and took it in himself for a 28-17 lead with 9:06 remaining.
NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
GERALD FERGUSON, ROBERT MORRIS
LB, Sr., 6-2, 220 lbs., Delray Beach, FL/West Boca
STAT LINE: 5 total tackles (5 solo), 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sack, FF, FR
Ferguson was a driving force behind Robert Morris’ first shutout since 2010. The versatile veteran made five solo stops, including 3.0 TFL, in the 23-0 triumph over Virginia Military Institute at Joe Walton Stadium. He also had a hand in two key takeaways. Ferguson’s first noteworthy moment came midway through the first quarter when he pounced on a fumble at the VMI 48-yard line, setting the scene for a RMU touchdown drive. With the visitors looking to cut into a 14-0 deficit and facing a 3rd-and-1 near midfield, Ferguson laid a hit on the ball carrier and forced a fumble that gave the Colonials possession of the ball at VMI 48 two plays into the second quarter. On VMI’s second possession of the second quarter, Ferguson dropped the quarterback for a five-yard loss on a second down play in RMU territory. He derailed a third-quarter possession with a solo sack on first down.
NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
WARREN ROBINSON, ROBERT MORRIS
WR, Jr., 5-9, 165 lbs, Delray Beach, FL/American Heritage
STAT LINE: 3 punt returns, 73 PR yards, 24.3 PR avg.
Robinson’s contributions to Robert Morris’ 23-0 victory over VMI extend beyond his five pass receptions. The third-year Colonial, who scored punt return touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, used his runback ability to put the offense in favorable starting position on three occasions. Robinson averaged 24.3 yards per punt return, gaining no fewer than 13 yards on any of his three attempts. The Colonials earned scoring opportunities (2 FGA, 1 TD) on all three possessions following a Robinson return. He returned the game’s first punt 22 yards, giving RMU a drive start at midfield. In the second quarter, his 13-yard runback gave the Colonials a 1st-and-10 at their own 39. With VMI punting following a three-and-out on the opening possession of the second half, Robinson produced his longest return of the day – 38 yards – to give RMU a short field en-route to a touchdown.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
ERIC SILVESTER, WAGNER
P, Fr., 5-11, 185 lbs, Lincolndale, NY/Somers
STAT LINE: 6 punts, 41.0 avg, 2 Inside 20, 2 FC
Silvester was busy during the first half of Wagner’s visit to Ivy League member Columbia, punting six times for a 41.0 yards per punt average. None of his kicks went into the end zone and two of them were downed inside the Lions’ 20-yard line. Only one of his six punts was returned by Columbia, resulting in a four-yard gain. Two of the boots resulted in fair catches. The Lions’ average drive start following Silvester’s punts was inside of their own 25. After Wagner came up one yard shy of a first down on its opening possession, the rookie boomed a 64-yard punt that pinned Columbia at its own 2-yard line. His 44-yard second-quarter kick was fielded by Columbia at the 6-yard line and returned to the 10.
PRIME PERFORMERS (WEEK 3)
The following athletes earned #NECPrimePerformer status for their effort this past week...
JIMMY WALKER (ROBERT MORRIS)
Making his third start under center for RMU, he accounted for 291 yards passing and all three of the team’s touchdowns in the win over VMI.
GERALD FERGUSON (ROBERT MORRIS)
Spearheading RMU’s shutout effort against VMI, the senior linebacker recorded five solo tackles and 2.0 sacks while having his hand in two takeaways.
DELONDO BOYD (SAINT FRANCIS)
The veteran safety accounted for a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a sack and seven stops vs. CAA member Towson.
TOMMY STUART (DUQUESNE)
The Dukes’ signal caller totaled four touchdowns and piled up 304 yards of offense in a road win over Dayton.
RYAN FULSE (WAGNER)
Setting the conference’s single-game season rushing high, the tailback went for 153 yards and two touchdowns on the ground at Columbia.
PRICE WILSON (BRYANT)
The Louisiana Tech transfer completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 387 yards at Ocean State rival Brown.
SANTONI GRAHAM (WAGNER)
The hard-hitting linebacker logged 11 tackles, including 2.0 sacks in the Seahawks’ heartbreaker at Columbia. He also made an interception.
STEPHAN OSONG (DUQUESNE)
The senior defender made eight stops, including a fourth-quarter forced fumble that denied Dayton in the redzone.
TWEET SHEET
@blufftalk
(Sep 16) Duquesne > Dayton in football. The natural order of things.
@pitsportscastle
(Sep 17) Duquesne University Football now has a 2-1 record after their victory against Dayton.
@KDPomp
(Sep 16) Congrats to @DuqFB Its Duquesne 28 Dayton 23... Nice win for Jerry Schmitt
@BrianMacWriter
(Sep 16) Dayton vs. Duquesne - two programs that could win their conferences this year and go to the FCS playoffs. Tied at 7 early on.
@PGSportsNow
(Sep 17) Robert Morris posts first shutout since 2010 in a 23-0 victory against VMI
@timesscores
(Sep 16) Jimmy Walker was dy-no-mite for @RMUFootball in the #Colonials 23-0 shutout of VMI
@vinoron
(Sep 16) It wasn’t pretty but Columbia won their first football game of the year- 17-14 over Wagner.
@RedditCFB
(Sep 16) Columbia beats Wagner 17-14 with a FG as time expires, wins Battle for NYC
@IanSteeleABC6
(Sep 16) Perry Bowl goes Bruno’s way after late rally from James Perry’s Bulldogs. Brown HC Phil Estes & Perry can now go back to being close friends
@BillKoch25
(Sep 16) Dewey Jarvis with his fourth sack and Price Wilson is intercepted on the game’s final play. Brown holds off Bryant, 28-23, in a thriller.
@KevinMcNamara33
(Sep 14) A meaningful reunion when Brown plays Bryant (Via ProvJournal)
@CraigHaley
(Sep 17) Aidan O’Neill has kicked the game-winning field goal to end two of the last four @Towson_FB games. Beat @SFUathletics tonight.
@TheWizOfOz11
(Sep 16) Villarrial uses a timeout. Towson is setting up for a 41-yard field goal. SFU leads 14-13
@JohnBrush_SID
(Sep 16) Towson turns the ball over for the third time tonight and the second on a fumble. Timeout Saint Francis. 9:38 2Q. The Red Flash lead 7-0.
@TheWizOfOz11
(Sep 16) Kamron Lewis with an unbelievable catch over a defender on a 2-yard fade. Saint Francis leads 7-0 with 13:29 left in the 2nd
@ValleyFootball
(Sep 16) Youngstown State Ties Rushing Touchdown Record in 59-9 Win Over CCSU
@NewsdaySports
(Sep 17) Joe Carbone, Stony Brook get payback against Sacred Heart with 45-7 win
AROUND THE NEC IN 7 SENTENCES
BRYANT, which set a single-game program record by running 102 offensive plays in Week 3 at Brown, leads the NEC in passing offense, averaging 345.7 yards per contest through the season’s first three weeks.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT has converted all four fourth-down attempts it has taken this season while also averaging the lowest amount of penalty yardage (55.3 ypg) on the circuit.
DUQUESNE, which snapped Dayton’s 14-game regular season home winning streak, managed 184 rush yards during the 28-23 road win despite being without the services of sophomore AJ Hines, the 2016 Jerry Rice Award winner who led the NEC in rushing as a freshman.
ROBERT MORRIS, which tops the circuit in passing defense (139.3 ypg), has surrendered an average of 13.3 points per game through the season’s first three weeks, all against Division I competition.
SACRED HEART, which saw its eight-game non-conference win streak snapped by CAA member Stony Brook, will complete a three-game road swing at Bucknell in Week 4 as Mark Nofri’s squad battles a Patriot League team for the second time this season (SHU won, 38-24, at Lafayette in Week 2).
SAINT FRANCIS, which has not yet allowed a passing touchdown this season, leads the NEC in pass defense efficiency (86.3) and interceptions (5).
WAGNER, which lost to Columbia on a last-second field goal for the second straight year, wraps up its three-game road trip against MAC member Western Michigan, which is only eight months removed from its Cotton Bowl appearance.
QUOTABLE
JAMES PERRY (BRY), Head Coach
“I was very proud of the way the kids played. It was good to see some things but there will be some things we’ll look at tomorrow to get better on. We made some huge strides this week in practice and I was very happy with that end of it. Now we’ll make sure we make the corrections necessary so when we get in those close games against very good football teams in the future we’ll win them.”
- following a 28-23 road loss to Ocean State rival Brown, Perry’s alma mater
JASON HOUGHTALING (WAG), Head Coach
“Overall, I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids for what they did today. I think whenever you’re faced with adversity, guys are put into roles that they haven’t been put into before, and to have them respond the way they did today...they’re hurting now, but, again, I couldn’t be any prouder than I am of the team that’s sitting in the that locker room who left it all out there on the field for each other.”
- after the Seahawks, who were playing without preseason all-NEC quarterback Alex Thomson and trailed by 14 at halftime, dropped a 17-14 decision at Columbia on a last-second field goal.
JERRY SCHMITT (DUQ), Head Coach
“When you play a tough team like Dayton, a win’s good. When you beat them on the road, it’s really good. I’m really proud of our football team. We had a number of starters that were injured and didn’t play today and guys just stepped up. It was a true team win.”
- after Duquesne, which was without the injured AJ Hines amongst other players, outlasted Dayton, 28-23, at Welcome Stadium.
STEEL CITY TEAMS SHINE DURING WEEK 3
Robert Morris and Duquesne have more in common than being members of the NEC’s Keystone State contingent.
The cross-town rivals are both 2-1 in non-conference play thus far this season and each team has taken its turn defeating perennial Pioneer Football league power Dayton.
Their only losses have come courtesy of top-10 teams in the FCS as Duquesne dropped its opener at No. 4 South Dakota State while Robert Morris was blanked by No. 6 Youngstown State in Week 2.
The Steel City-based programs both experienced noteworthy success through the air during Week 3 victories. Duquesne’s Tommy Stuart threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-23 road win over Dayton while RMU’s Jimmy Walker went for 291 yards and three touchdowns passing in a 23-0 shutout of SoCon member VMI.
Robert Morris, which shut out its opponent for the first time since 2010, is off to a 2-1 start for the first time since that NEC championship season seven years ago. The Colonials’ 297 net passing yards against VMI on Saturday marked the program’s best day throwing the football since September 28, 2013 when RMU totaled 321 yards through the air (that game was also against VMI).
The Colonials defense also posted its first shutout since the Northeast Conference championship season in 2010, a 38-0 victory over Albany (Oct. 16, 2010). RMU forced three turnovers, came up with four sacks and had nine tackles for loss while holding VMI to 182 yards, including just 49 yards in the second half and three in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Duquesne closed out its season-opening three-game road swing in Dayton, securing its first win at Welcome Stadium since 2011.
The Dukes, who outgained the Flyers by a 437-262 margin in the win, received a 100-yard receiving performance from junior Nehari Crawford for the second week in a row. Crawford, who has made at least one touchdown catch in each of the season’s first three games, caught six passes for 125 yards and one touchdown.
In his first month as Duquesne’s starting signal caller, Stuart, a Boise State transfer, has logged at least two TD passes in all three games. The Dukes are idle in Week 4 before opening the home portion of the 2017 schedule on Saturday, Sept. 30 hosting West Virginia Wesleyan.
STREAKS, MILESTONES & MORE
Highlighting noteworthy statistical streaks, firsts and milestones from around the NEC...
KAMRON LEWIS (SAINT FRANCIS)
The reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Year made two touchdown receptions in the last-second loss to Towson. He has logged at least three receptions in 15 consecutive games and has found the end zone at least once in each of his last seven outings.
PRICE WILSON (BRYANT)
The Bulldogs’ starting quarterback set single-game program records for completions (37) and attempts (54) during a 28-23 setback at Brown. Wilson also became the quickest QB to reach 1,000 passing yards in a season in program history. He has thrown for 1,026 yards (342.0 avg.) through three games.
SAINT FRANCIS DEFENSE
The Red Flash, which rank fourth amongst FCS team leaders in scoring defense (8.3 ppg), have yet to allow a passing touchdown this season.
QUINTIN HAMPTON (WAGNER)
The junior linebacker has at least 1.0 sack in each of the Seahawks’ first three contests. Hampton and Bryant LB Tom Costigan are two of only seven players in the FCS with at least 4.0 sacks at this point in the season.