Northeast Conference Football Weekly Release (10/3) 10/3/2016 Click Here for PDF Release NEC Offensive Player of the Week: Wayne Capers, DUQ NEC Defensive Player of the Week: Lorenzo Jerome, SFU NEC Special Teams Player of the Week: James Cooper, WAG NEC Rookie of the Week: AJ Hines, DUQ Previous NEC Releases: Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason Poll Release | #NECFB on ESPN3 Schedule NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK WAYNE CAPERS, DUQUESNE WR, Sr., 6-1, 211 lbs., Pittsburgh, PA/Chartiers Valley WEEK 5 STATS: 9 receptions, 235 receiving yards, 4 TD, 26.1 ypc Capers accounted for eye-popping numbers during Duquesne’s 54-35 road win over Pioneer League member Jacksonville. Putting forth a performance rarely seen in NEC circles, the senior receiver pulled in nine passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. The 235 receiving yards, which are the third-most in a single game by a FCS player this season, stand as the highest single-game total by a NEC receiver since November 12, 2005 when Robert Morris’ Tyjuan Massey went for 272 yards against Sacred Heart. Averaging 26.1 yards per catch, Capers recorded either a first down or a touchdown on all nine of his grabs. He scored on receptions of 11, 65, 44 and 15 yards. NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK LORENZO JEROME, SAINT FRANCIS DB, Sr., 6-0, 195 lbs, Sunrise, FL/J.P. Taravella WEEK 5 STATS: 9 total tackles (4 solo), 1.0 sack, INT, QBH, 2 PBU Jerome continued his impactful play during Saint Francis’ stifling defensive effort against Division II Malone. Playing in front of his home crowd for the first time this season, Jerome logged a team-high nine tackles to lead a defense that limited its opponent to an average gain of 3.0 yards per play. Four of the stops he made while defending the run limited to ball carrier to two yards or fewer. The senior safety wreaked havoc when dropping back in pass defense as well, making an interception and record-ing two pass break-ups. Jerome's diving pick, which came of Malone’s first possession of the fourth quarter, gave SFU the ball at the Malone 28 and the Red Flash went on to extend their lead to 38-10 with a touchdown four plays later. The decorated 5-foot-11 defensive back was a force rushing the passer at times, too. Jerome forced an incompletion with a quarterback hurry late in the first quarter before derailing a second-quarter drive by making a solo sack. Jerome’s 16 interceptions are the most amongst active Division I FCS career leaders. NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK JAMES COOPER, WAGNER PK, Gr., 6-1, 195 lbs., Linwood, NJ/Mainland Regional WEEK 5 STATS: 9 points, 2-for-2 FG, 52 Long, 9 kickoffs, 61.2 kickoff avg., 4 touchbacks Cooper tallied nine points and boomed four kickoffs for touchbacks during Wagner’s triumphant conference opener against previously-unbeaten Sacred Heart. The Temple transfer made both of his field goal attempts in the 45-20 victory, including the longest conversion by a Seahawks’ kicker since 2009. Cooper turned a 12-6 lead into an 18-6 advantage over a 4:49 span in the second quarter. After nailing a 39-yard attempt five seconds into the second period, Cooper connected on a 52-yard try that gave Wagner a double-digit lead with 10:06 remaining in the first half. Surpassing the 51-yarder that Bryant’s Ricky Perez booted at Montana State in Week 2, Cooper produced the longest field goal in the NEC thus far this season. Handling the kickoff duties, too, Cooper averaged 61.2 yards per booth while sending four of his nine kickoffs for touchbacks. NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AJ HINES, DUQUESNE RB, Fr., 5-11, 220 lbs., Wilson, NC/Fike WEEK 5 STATS: 145 yards from scrimmage, 28 carries, 134 rush yards, 1 receptions, 11 receiving yards, TD Hines has not slowed down since a breakout, three-touchdown performance against Bucknell in Week 2. En-route to his fourth consecutive NEC Rookie of the Week honor, the freshman running back totaled 145 yards from scrimmage during the Dukes’ road rout of Jacksonville. Hines rushed 28 times for 134 yards and also pulled in an 11-yard touchdown reception. Finding paydirt for the sixth time this season, Hines recorded his first non-rushing TD, an 11-yard catch, to give Duquesne a 20-14 advantage with 00:41 remaining in the first half. The Dukes remained in the lead from that point forward in the eventual 54-35 triumph. AROUND THE NEC IN SEVEN SENTENCES BRYANT, which has twice seen a 21-0 lead evaporate in eventual setbacks this season, has three losses and all three have come by one-score margins. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT, which comes off a Week 5 bye to visit Pennsylvania on October 8, leads the NEC in two important special teams categories – punt return average (18.6 ypr) and kickoff coverage (44.4 net avg.). DUQUESNE, which will enjoy a Week 6 bye, closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule by tallying its highest single-game scoring output in more than 10 years during a 54-35 road win over Pioneer League member Jacksonville (DUQ beat La Salle, 56-14, on Nov. 5, 2005). ROBERT MORRIS boasts the NEC leader in quarterback sacks this season as freshman linebacker Gee Stanley has logged 5.5 QB takedowns over his first five games. SACRED HEART, which limited its opponents to a total 44 points over the season’s first four games, still leads the NEC in scoring defense (17.8 ppg allowed) after giving up 45 points during a Week 5 loss at Wagner. SAINT FRANCIS owns conference-high marks in quarterback sacks (18) and takeaways (11) thus far this season. WAGNER, a charter member of NEC Football, upped its record to 12-9 all-time in Northeast Conference openers. TWEET SHEET @CCurti_Trib (Oct 2) G. Ferguson and J. Uhatafe of @RMUFootball had 10 tackles each in a loss to Liberty. @HossWagner (Oct 1) Great effort by our guys tonight! @WagnerGameday (Oct 1) Congratulations to Robb Memorial Trophy Offensive MVP Matthias McKinnon & Lia Trophy Defensive MVP Santoni Graham @SIAdvanceSports (Oct 1) Wagner College footballers win Homecoming! @JBaker_WTAH (Oct 1) SFU Wins Home Opener @CurtDudley (Oct 1) Maine overcomes Bryant in 4th quarter for 35-31 win. Congrats on first coaching win @UMaineCoachH @astockeyWTAE (Oct 1) Buechel with 6 TDs as @GoDuquesne beats Jacksonville #wtae @jaxdotcom (Oct 1) Duquesne QB Dillon Buechel had what amounted to target practice Saturday against short-handed Jacksonville. @BREAL412 (Oct 1) Two WPIAL guys - Dillon Buechel and Wayne Capers - tie school single-game touchdown records today. @mattrandall_ (Oct 1) Just like that, Bryant drives the field for another Sewall TD. His third of the day makes it 31-14 Bulldogs. #mesports @PaulPabst (Oct 1) Bryant vs Maine. Good one. Directv 608. @MikeLowePPH (Oct 1) Bryant’s Dalton Easton picking @BlackBearsFB D apart, 2nd TD pass of game already, this one a 25-yarder to Matt Sewall. 14-0. @ChrisShanafelt (Oct 2) Interception #4 on the season for @SFU_Football DB Lorenzo Jerome... Even when QBs try to avoid him, he still finds a way. . @Mike_Tilley (Sep 29) Like Liberty, the Colonials have had QB and OL challenges. RMU has had to start a R-Freshman QB this year - 4th QB on depth chart. (Oct 3) Solid win for @LibertyFootball Saturday over NCAA Div 1 FCS opponent Robert Morris of NEC. WAGNER MAKES STATEMENT IN #NECFB GAME OF THE WEEK Despite one month of football in the rear-view, the so-called experts were having difficulty assessing Wagner’s status within the Northeast Conference. The Seahawks posted a 2-1 record during September, but the two wins came in lop-sided fashion against sub Division I opponents while the loss was a 42-10 road setback to ACC member Boston College. Those results were not helpful for someone trying to determine how Wagner stacked up against the first Division I FCS foe it would face this season – Sacred Heart. Following Saturday evening’s NEC opener against the previously-unbeaten Pioneers, one thing is quite clear – Wagner doesn’t plan on finishing in last place like the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll suggested. Jason Houghtaling’s team, which did not record its first conference win last season until November 14, has already eclipsed its 2015 win total. Winning for the third time at home this season, the Seahawks ferociously flew to a wire-to-wire 45-20 triumph over a SHU team that was pegged for a second-place NEC finish and was only one week removed from a signature road win over CAA member Stony Brook. Seizing control early on, Wagner exploded for 39 points and 405 yards of total offense during the first half and SHU never recovered. Wagner quarterback Alex Thomson and running back Matthias McKinnon each played a feature role in what was the #NECFB on ESPN3 Game of the Week. Averaging 9.9 yards per attempt, Thomson threw for career highs in yards (276) and touchdowns (3). Meanwhile, receiving his heaviest workload as a Seahawks, McKinnon ran 24 times for a career-high 157 yards and two scores. Before resuming NEC play with a road date at Central Connecticut on October 15, Wagner will welcome Ivy League member Columbia to Grymes Hill. The fellow NYC inhabitants will kick off at 6:00 pm ET on October 8 in what will be Wagner’s annual Hall of Fame Game. Aerial Barrage Results in Historic Day for Duquesne QB It wasn’t anything Dillon Buechel hadn’t done before, but it resulted in history being made. Duquesne’s veteran signal caller passed for 394 yards and six touchdowns during a road win at Jacksonville. In the process of doing so, he leapt over two former NEC greats to become the conference’s all-time career passing leader. Buechel, who entered the 2016 season ranked fourth all-time amongst NEC career passing leaders with 7,455 yards, moved into second place in league annals during the first quarter of the Dukes’ victory at Jacksonville. Completing his first of six touchdowns on the day, an 11-yard strike to Wayne Capers with 4:08 left in the opening period, Buechel moved past former Saint Francis signal caller Anthony Doria. After throwing for 8,544 yards during his career with the Red Flash and serving a stint in the Arena League, Doria took up coaching and currently serves as Duquesne’s offensive coordinator. With Doria looking on during the second half of Saturday’s barrage on the JU Dolphins, Buechel proceeded to surpass Sacred Heart’s Dale Fink (8,803) for first place in NEC history. With 8,901 yards and at least six games remaining, Buechel has the potential to become the NEC’s first-ever 10,000-yard passer. Buechel, who had completed 16 consecutive pass attempts against Jacksonville until a fourth-quarter interception, exceeded the 300-yard passing mark for the 12th time in his career during the Week 5 triumph. His only career 400-yard performance came in the form of 423 yards and six touchdowns at CAA member William & Mary in the 2015 NCAA FCS playoffs. Noel Not Far Behind Sacred Heart’s RJ Noel entered the season as the seventh leading passer in NEC history and has since moved up to No. 4 on the list of all-time greats. Noel (8,129) needs 416 more yards to pass the aforementioned Doria for third place. Although he’s chasing Buechel for the passing mark, Noel already owns the conference career record for total offense (9,933). He surpassed the former all-time leader, Sacred Heart alumnus Dale Fink (8,595), during the final game of the 2015 season. Noel is ahead of Buechel in terms of touchdown passes, too. The fourth-year SHU starter has raised his total to 73 scoring strikes, three behind second-place occupant Tim Levick (RMU) and nine off of Fink’s all-time league record. Bryant senior signal caller Dalton Easton is also amongst the conference’s all-time leaders in passing TDs. Easton, who entered 2016 with 42 career TD passes, has thrown for a NEC-high 14 touchdowns this season. His four-touchdown performance at Maine in Week 5 moved him past former RMU QB Erik Cwalinski (53) and into ninth place in conference annals. PASSING YARDS 1. 8,901, Dillon Buechel, DUQ, 2013- 2. 8,803, Dale Fink, SHU, 2007-10 3. 8,544, Anthony Doria, SFPA, 2003-06 4. 8,129, RJ Noel, SHU, 2013- 5. 7,812, Brian Boland, MON, 2003-06 TD PASSES 1. 82, Dale Fink, SHU, 2007-10 2. 76, Tim Levcik, RMU, 1998-01 3. 73, RJ Noel, SHU, 2013- 4. 63, Sean Patterson, DUQ, 2009-12 63, Dillon Buechel, DUQ, 2013- 6. 61, Anthony Doria, SFPA, 2003-06 7. 58, Brian Boland, MON, 2003-06 8. 57, Jeff Sinclair, RMU, 2010-13 9. 56, Dalton Easton, BRY 10.53, Erik Cwalinski, RMU, 2005-08 FINE LINES (WEEK 5) The following players earned “NEC Prime Performer status” after accounting for some fine statistical lines... ALEX THOMSON (WAGNER) The junior quarterback produced 290 yards of total offense and 3 first-half TDs in Wagner’s runaway win over Sacred Heart. DALTON EASTON (BRYANT) The senior signal caller threw for 318 yards and 4 TDs in a road game at CAA member Maine. WAYNE CAPERS (DUQUESNE) The explosive receiver totaled 235 receiving yards, the most by a NEC player since 2005, and 4 TDs in the Dukes’ road rout of Jacksonville. MATTHIAS McKINNON (WAGNER) The running back made for a Happy Homecoming on Grymes Hills, running for a career-high 157 yards and 2 TD (on 24 carries) vs. SHU. DILLON BUECHEL (DUQUESNE) Recording his 12th career 300-yard passing performance, the senior QB threw for 394 yds & 6 TDs at Jacksonville. LORENZO JEROME (SAINT FRANCIS) The senior safety wreaked havoc to the tune of 9 TT, 1 INT, 1 QBH & 2 PBU in a win over Malone. AJ HINES (DUQUESNE) The rookie RB totaled 145 yards from scrimmage and a TD in a road win over a PFL foe. JYMERE JORDAN-TONEY (SAINT FRANCIS) In his first career start, the backup RB rushed for 156 yards and 4 TD in a runaway win. SANTONI GRAHAM (WAGNER) The gritty defender made a game-high 11 stops (8 solo) against previously-unbeaten SHU. JESSE NEMEROWICZ (BRYANT) The rookie LB logged a season-high 14 tackles at Maine, the most by a Bryant freshman since 2012.