WEEK 8 SCHEDULE
NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ethan Greenwood, LIU
Quarterback, Redshirt Sophomore, 6-0, 195 lbs., Baldwin, NY/Kellenberg Memorial (The Citadel)
Week 7 Stats: 3-12 completions, 57 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 interception, 184 rushing yards, 26 rushes, 1 rushing TD
Greenwood, a redshirt sophomore, played a pivotal role in leading LIU to its first win of 2024 by way of a 31-7 final against visiting Stonehill on Saturday. Single-handedly outrushing the Skyhawks by 120 yards, the Empire State product ran for the most yards by an NEC quarterback this season — and the second-most in a single game by any player in the league — after he racked up a game- and career-high 184 yards on the ground. In addition, his game-leading 26 carries were also the most by a conference signal caller, and the second-most among all NEC players in 2024. Just two other quarterbacks in the FCS have surpassed Greenwood’s rushing yard total from Saturday’s game this season: Dante Chachere from Portland State (202 rushing yards vs. Idaho State) and Beau Brungard from Youngstown State (194 rushing yards vs. Valparaiso). Opening the game with a 32-yard touchdown run to give the Sharks the early edge in the first quarter, Greenwood connected with senior Michael Love for a 16-yard pass to put LIU in front for good with 9:48 to go until halftime. This is his first career weekly award from the NEC, and LIU’s second NEC Offensive Player of the Week honor this season.
NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DQ Watkins, LIU
Outside Linebacker, Senior, 6-3, 255 lbs., Oxford, MS/Lafayette (Northeast Mississippi CC)
Week 7 Stats: 2 tackles (1 solo), 1.5 tackles-for-loss (9 yards), 1.5 sack (9 yards), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 1 quarterback hurry
Watkins was all over the field in what was a historic outing for LIU on Saturday. The senior was the anchor of a defense that held visiting Stonehill to just seven points, marking a program-best defensive performance for the Sharks since they joined the NEC for the 2019 campaign. An outside linebacker from Oxford, MS who arrived in Brookville by way of Northeast Mississippi Community College, Watkins registered a quarterback hurry, a pair of tackles and 1.5 sack for a loss of nine yards to lead the Sharks past the Skyhawks, 31-7, for their first win of the season. Most impressively, he accounted for two of LIU’s three live-ball turnovers after he forced and recovered a fumble on the opening drive of the game and intercepted a pass late in the second quarter. The senior ranks second on the team in tackles-for-loss (4.0) and is tied for first with 3.0 sacks. Watkins is the second Shark to garner NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors, joining Taveon Wheeler, who earned the first award of the season on Sept. 2.
NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bailey Marzola, Wagner
Punter, Senior, 5-11, 170 lbs., Adelaide, South Australia/Monroe College
Week 7 Stats: 5 punts, 255 yards, 51.0 yards per punt, 2 50+ yard punts, 1 touchback, 1 inside 20
Marzola booted five punts for 255 total yards and averaged 51.0 yards per attempt in Wagner’s setback to Columbia on Saturday. Pinning the Lions inside their own 20-yard line one time while blasting a pair of punts for 50-plus yards, including a 67-yarder that was good for a touchback, the senior Australian limited the opposition to just two punt returns with a pair of fair catches. His 67-yard boot was a season-best mark and the fifth-longest punt in the circuit this season. With Marzola’s first career award, Wagner became the first program in NEC history to have two different punters earn NEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the same season. Joshua Brown took home the accolade following a standout Week 5 performance on Sept. 30.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Wayne Coleman, Central Connecticut
Defensive Lineman, Redshirt Freshman, 6-1, 270 lbs., Mount Vernon, NY/Archbishop Stepniac
Week 7 Stats: 4 tackles (2 solo), 2.5 tackles-for-loss (8 yards), 0.5 sack (2 yards)
Coleman, a redshirt freshman, enjoyed a career day on Saturday against Mercyhurst, a 38-20 triumph for the Blue Devils. The defensive lineman had two solo stops and a pair of assisted tackles to finish with a career-high four on the afternoon. In addition, the Mount Vernon, NY product pushed the Lakers back a total of eight yards on a personal-best 2.5 tackles-for-loss that included his first career half sack in the third quarter. Coleman is the first Blue Devil to garner NEC Rookie of the Week honors this season.
AROUND THE NEC IN 8 SENTENCES
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT‘s defense, which leads the nation with 3.33 sacks per game and is eighth with 7.3 tackles-for-loss per contest, ranks ninth in the FCS with 14 turnovers gained on five interceptions and nine fumble recoveries (t-1st in FCS).
DUQUESNE, which is off to a 2-0 start in NEC play for the second straight season and the fifth time in the past six seasons, owns a four-game winning streak for the second consecutive year.
LIU‘s 31-7 win over Stonehill was a historic one, as the seven points marked the fewest allowed by the Sharks since they joined the NEC in 2019.
MERCYHURST quarterback Adam Urena, who has thrown 18 touchdowns to rank second in the FCS, went 233-straight minutes without throwing a pick in a streak that ended at Central Connecticut on Saturday.
ROBERT MORRIS pitched a shutout against a Division I opponent for the first time since the 2017 campaign, when the Colonials defeated VMI by a 23-0 final on Sept. 16.
SAINT FRANCIS U redshirt junior Aidan Cirulli is just one of three players in the FCS this season to have two 68-plus yard punts to his name this season.
STONEHILL looks to rebound from back-to-back league setbacks when it takes on Commonwealth State opponent Merrimack in North Andover on Saturday.
WAGNER became the first program in NEC history to have two different punters (Joshua Brown and Bailey Marzola) earn NEC Special Team Player of the Week honors in the same season.
TWO-SENTENCE GAME SUMMARIES
DUQUESNE 38, SAINT FRANCIS U 7
Mounting a pick six, a pair of fourth-down stops and five tackles-for-loss — including two sacks — in the first half, Duquesne built a 21-0 lead at the break and never looked back against Keystone State rival Saint Francis U. With the 38-7 win, the Dukes improved to 2-0 in NEC play for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
LIU 31, STONEHILL 7
LIU got it done on both ends of the gridiron on Saturday as the Sharks earned their first win of 2024 by way of a 31-7 decision over Stonehill in Brookville. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ethan Greenwood paced a Sharks’ running game that racked up a season-high 353 yards with a career- and game-best 184 rushing yards and a touchdown.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 38, MERCYHURST 20
Two players ran for 100-plus yards while junior Brady Olson threw for three touchdowns to spearhead a Central Connecticut offense that put up a season-best 38 points against Mercyhurst on Saturday. Junior Elijah Howard racked up season-high 169 yards and graduate student Jadon Turner added a season-best 114 for the Blue Devils, who outran the Lakers by a 301-17 margin in the 18-point home win.
Columbia 24, WAGNER 6
Wagner pitched a shutout in the second half but dropped its penultimate non-conference game of the season on Saturday to visiting Columbia. The Seahawks held a 207-76 advantage in receiving yards, but the Lions did most of their damage on the ground in the 24-6 win with 228 rushing yards and a pair of rushing scores.
ROBERT MORRIS 23, Delaware State 0
Robert Morris’ defense clamped down to keep Delaware State off the scoreboard for the entire 60-minute duration of the game on Saturday. Redshirt senior Anthony Chiccitt had an efficient outing for the Colonials, going 25-of-31 for 224 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 23-0 shutout.
SLANT ROUTES
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT’s defense, which leads the nation with 3.33 sacks per game and is eighth with 7.3 tackles-for-loss per contest, ranks ninth in the FCS with 14 turnovers gained on five interceptions and nine fumble recoveries (t-1st in FCS).
DUQUESNE, which is off to a 2-0 start in NEC play for the second straight season and the fifth time in the past six seasons, owns a four-game winning streak for the second consecutive year. LIU’s 31-7 win over Stonehill was a historic one, as the seven points marked the fewest allowed by the Sharks since they joined the NEC in 2019.
MERCYHURST quarterback Adam Urena, who has thrown 18 touchdowns to rank second in the FCS, went 233-straight minutes without throwing a pick in a streak that ended at Central Connecticut on Saturday. ROBERT MORRIS pitched a shutout against a Division I opponent for the first time since the 2017 campaign, when the Colonials defeated VMI by a 23-0 final on Sept. 16.
SAINT FRANCIS U redshirt junior Aidan Cirulli is just one of three players in the FCS this season to have two 68-plus yard punts to his name this season. STONEHILL looks to rebound from back-to-back league setbacks when it takes on Commonwealth State opponent Merrimack in North Andover on Saturday.
WAGNER became the first program in NEC history to have two different punters (Joshua Brown and Bailey Marzola) earn NEC Special Team Player of the Week honors in the same season.
TEAM REPORTS
CCSU BLUE DEVILS (3-3, 1-0 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • Central Connecticut put up a season-high 38 points in Saturday’s win over Mercyhurst. • For the first time this season, and the first time since a 51-44 win over Delaware State on Oct. 7, 2023, the Blue Devils had two running backs rush for 100-plus yards in the same game (Elijah Howard – 169 yards; Jadon Turner – 114 yards) against the Lakers. • Forcing five interceptions and recovering nine fumbles, Central Connecticut is tied for ninth in the FCS in turnovers gained. The nine fumble recoveries are tied for first in the nation with Alcorn. • The Blue Devils also lead the nation with 3.33 sacks per game while their 7.3 tackles-for-loss per contest are good for eighth in the FCS. • Averaging 1.8 sack per game, Jalen Howard is tied for sixth in the FCS in the category. • The Blue Devils’ offensive line has allowed just 0.67 sacks per game to rank fourth in the FCS. Three times this season, Central Connecticut has not allowed a sack against Fordham, Saint Francis U and UMass.
UP NEXT: The Blue Devils conclude non-conference play with a tilt at Dartmouth at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
DUQUESNE DUKES (4-2, 2-0 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • With consecutive wins over #20 Youngstown State, West Virginia Wesleyan, LIU and Saint Francis U, Duquesne has strung together a four-game winning streak for the second time in as many years. • The Dukes are off to a 2-0 start in NEC play for the fifth time in the past six seasons. • Duquesne’s rushing game is tops in the conference at 168.5 yards per game. • Holding NEC opponents to a league-best 14.0 points and 84.5 rushing yards per game, the Dukes are outscoring conference opponents by an average of 28.5 points per game. • Tying the NEC record for most scores accounted for in a game (6) earlier this month against LIU, senior Darius Perrantes threw for five touchdowns against the Sharks. He is just one of 11 signal callers in the nation to have five-or-more touchdown passes in a single game. • Redshirt junior JaMario Clements leads all NEC running backs with 96.7 rushing yards per game and 580 total rushing yards.
UP NEXT: After a bye week, Duquesne looks to make it five wins in a row and a 3-0 start to NEC play when it heads to Stonehill on Oct. 26.
LIU SHARKS (1-6, 1-1 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • LIU posted its first win of the season on Saturday with a 31-7 triumph over visiting Stonehill. • The win was a historic one for the Sharks, as they conceded the fewest points in a game in program history since joining the NEC in 2019. LIU held Stonehill to just 23 rushing yards on 23 carries. • LIU posted a season-high 353 yards on the ground, the most since joining the NEC. • Redshirt sophomore Ethan Greenwood singlehandedly outrushed Stonehill in the game, producing the third-most rushing yards by an FCS quarterback this season with 184. • Senior Michael Love is ranked fifth among conference leaders with 58.3 receiving yards per game, while his six touchdown catches are good for second in the conference. • LIU’s six-point loss at No. 16 UAlbany back in August marked the program’s slimmest margin of defeat to a nationally-ranked FCS opponent in program history.
UP NEXT: LIU looks to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this season when it heads to Robert Morris on Saturday.
MERCYHURST LAKERS (2-5 OVERALL)
FIRST DOWNS: • With 18 touchdown passes, including eight to graduate student Cameron Barmore, senior Adam Urena is tied for second in the FCS in the category. • Barmore’s eight touchdown catches are tied for third-most in the FCS. • Urena threw a pick at Central Connecticut for the first time since tossing an interception in Mercyhurst’s defeat at Robert Morris on his team’s opening drive. He had gone nearly 233 minutes without an interception. • Despite putting just 20 points on the scoreboard — the team’s lowest offensive output against an FCS opponent this season — Mercyhurst continues to lead the NEC in points per game (28.4) and total touchdowns (28).
UP NEXT: Mercyhurst has a bye week before it returns to the Nutmeg State to face Sacred Heart on Oct. 26.
ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (3-3, 1-0 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • With Saturday’s 23-0 home victory, Robert Morris became the third NEC squad to take down Delaware State this season, joining Wagner and Saint Francis U. • The Colonials pitched a shutout against a Division I opponent for the first time since the 2017 campaign, when Robert Morris defeated VMI by a 23-0 final on Sept. 16. • Ranking second in the conference with 351.8 total yards per contest, Robert Morris’ passing offense is just one of two in the NEC to put up 200-more yards in the air per game this season (217.5). • Entering the league ranked third in rushing yards per game (81.0) and total rushing yards (486), Tyvon Edmonds Jr. is tied for first in the circuit with four running scores. • Returning to the league in 2024 after a five-year hiatus, Robert Morris seeks its first 2-0 start in NEC play since taking down Monmouth and Saint Francis U on consecutive dates in 2011.
UP NEXT: The four-game homestand continues for Robert Morris, as the Colonials jump back into their NEC slate with a 12 p.m. tilt against LIU on Saturday.
SAINT FRANCIS U RED FLASH (2-4, 0-2 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • The Red Flash were held to a season-low 29 rushing yards in Saturday’s conference tilt against Keystone State rival Duquesne. • The Dukes have held the upperhand in the series as of late with back-to-back victories and wins in five of the past seven meetings. • Saint Francis U is 0-2 in league play for the first time since 2018 when it dropped its first two NEC games to Wagner and Duquesne. • Allowing 25.5 points per game (3rd in the NEC), the Red Flash are limiting opponents to a league-leading 285.8 yards per game, including a league-best 101.8 rushing yards per contest. • Blasting a 68-yard punt — the third longest in the NEC this season — redshirt junior Aidan Cirulli is just one of three players in the FCS to have two 68-plus yard punts this season. He racked up 395 punting yards in Saturday’s game vs. Duquesne,
UP NEXT: A trip to Wagner is next for Saint Francis U on Saturday. The Red Flash seek their fifth straight win against the Seahawks in the NEC clash.
STONEHILL SKYHAWKS (1-4, 0-2 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • Stonehill dipped to 0-2 for the first time since joining the NEC for the 2022 campaign after falling at LIU on Saturday. • The Skyhawks’ running game has struggled since the start of league play. After averaging what was then a league-leading 225.0 yards over their first three games, they have produced just 75 yards on the ground in two NEC games, including a season-low 23 in Saturday’s defeat to LIU. • Junior Jack O’Connell made his first career start for Stonehill against LIU on Saturday and completed 8-of-13 passes for 112 yards and a 66-yard touchdown.
UP NEXT: Stonehill’s takes the short trip to North Andover, MA to take on Merrimack in a non-conference tilt. Kickoff between the two Commonwealth State squads is set for 1 p.m.
WAGNER SEAHAWKS (3-4, 1-1 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS: • For the first time in NEC history, two punters from the same team were named NEC Special Teams Players of the Week in the same season. Joshua Brown took home the award on Sept. 30 before Bailey Marzola earned the honor on Oct. 14. • Reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Week Jaylen Bonelli caught for 100-plus yards for the third time this season in Wagner’s defeat to Columbia on Saturday. The sophomore added a touchdown catch to push his season total to five. • Wagner is one win away from matching last season’s total, which marked the program’s most fruitful season since going 4-7 in 2018. • Holding opponents to 22.3 points per game, Wagner’s defense is allowing the fewest points since 2016 (21.1 ppg). Last season, the Seahawks allowed 29.8 ppg. • Defense has been the team’s calling card, as the Seahawks are tied for 17th in the FCS with seven picks.
UP NEXT: Wagner looks to move above .500 in conference play on Saturday when it plays host to Saint Francis U at 12 p.m.
