WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 16
Robert Morris at Central Connecticut 12:00 p.m.
Saint Francis U at LIU 12:00 p.m.
Wagner at Duqeusne 12:00 p.m.
Stonehill at Lafayette 12:30 p.m
NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
John Erby, Duquesne
Wide Receiver Gr. | 5-10 | 180 lbs. Chester, SC Chester (Rhode Island)
Week 11 Stats: 126 receiving yards / 6 receptions 21.0 yards per reception 3 receiving TDs
Week 11 Notables: Erby waited for the most opportune time to have a career day. The graduate wide receiver made key — and timely — offensive contributions in what was a battle of the NEC’s two remaining undefeated teams on Saturday. A native of Chester, SC who transferred to Duquesne from Rhode Island, Erby scored a career-best three touchdowns — all in the first half — to put the Dukes up 21-0 at the break against crosstown rival Robert Morris. Duquesne would go on to win the first meeting between the two foes since 2019 by a 31-6 final to take sole possession of first place in the NEC standings with a 4-0 record. Erby closed out the game with 126 yards on six receptions for an average of 21.0 yards per catch. It marked the second time in the past three games that he eclipsed the 120-yard mark. In addition, Erby is the only NEC receiver to have three touchdown catches in a game, and he is the first Duke to do so since 2016. All six of his touchdown catches have come against NEC foes this season. With the wide receiver’s first honor of the season, Duquesne has had a stranglehold on the NEC Offensive Player of the Week award as of late with winners in each of the past three weeks.
NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Ty Howard, Duquesne
Linebacker Jr. | 6-0 | 200 lbs. Cleveland, OH Villa Angela-St. Joseph
Week 11 Stats: 9 tackles (5 solo) 1.0 TFL (12 yards) / 1.0 sack (12 yards) 1 interception
Week 11 Notables: Howard powered a stifling defense that led first-place Duquesne to a 31-6 win over crosstown rival Robert Morris on Saturday. Limiting the Colonials to just one touchdown, Howard and the Dukes took sole control of first place and remained undefeated in NEC play after handing Robert Morris its first loss in conference play this season. The Buckeye State product paced Duquesne in tackles for the third time in the past five outings, finishing with nine while adding 1.0 sack. Most impressively, for the second straight game, Howard came away with a key pick inside the red zone that ended a Robert Morris 57-yard drive late in the third quarter. He is the second Duke this season to win an NEC Defensive Player of the Week award, joining Luke Miller (Sept. 16).
NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jadon Turner, Central Connecticut
Running Back Gr. | 5-10 | 180 lbs. Rochester, NY Irondequoit (Stony Brook)
Week 11 Stats: 137 all-purpose yards 113 KO return yards / 4 KO returns 24 rushing yards / 9 rushes
Week 11 Notables: Turner became the fifth NEC kick returner this season to eclipse the 100-yard mark in Central Connecticut’s win at Stonehill on Saturday. Receiving four kickoffs, the graduate running back totaled a season-high 113 yards to average 28.3 yards per kickoff. Included in that was a game-long 35-yard return, which alone surpassed the total of any other returner on the afternoon. The Rochester, NY native’s return efforts helped the Blue Devils to an average starting position of their own 39-yard line. In addition, Turner rushed for 24 yards on nine carries to finish with a season-best 137 all-purpose yards. Turner is the third different Blue Devil player to garner NEC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades this season. He joins place kicker Jack Barnum, a four-time winner, and punter Aidan Clark, a two-time recipient of the honor.
NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Charles Battaglia, StonehillLinebacker So. | 6-1 | 225 lbs. Massapequa, NY Chaminade
Week 11 Stats: 13 tackles (5 solo) 1.0 TFL (5 yards) 1 forced fumble
Week 11 Notables: Battaglia, a first-year linebacker, received NEC Rookie of the Week honors for the second time in three weeks, and a league-leading third time this season, after he turned in an impressive effort against NEC title contender Central Connecticut on Saturday. A native of Massapequa, NY, Battaglia was the Skyhawks’ leading tackler in the hard-fought 21-17 defeat. Hitting double digits for the first time in his career, he led all players with 10 stops, including three solo tackles and 1.5 for a loss of five yards. In addition, Battaglia forced a fumble on a goal-line stand to prevent a Blue Devils’ score at the end of the opening half. He ranks among the NEC’s top tacklers this season, as his 6.4 per game rank eighth overall and lead all conference rookies. Battaglia has been even more impressive against league foes, upping his number to 7.8 tackles per contest.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS (WEEK )
AROUND THE NEC IN 8 SENTENCES
TWO-SENTENCE GAME SUMMARIES
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 21, STONEHILL 17 – Junior Brady Olson delivered the final blow in a back-and-forth battle at Stonehill with a 30-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back Donny Marcus with 8:54 left in the fourth quarter to lead Central Connecticut to a 21- 17 win on Saturday. Improving to 3-1 in NEC play for the first time since 2019, the last time they won the league, the Blue Devils held a 175-75 advantage in rushing yards on the afternoon.
No. 24/25 DUQUESNE 31, ROBERT MORRIS 6 – Duquesne took control of first place in the NEC standings and improved to 4-0 in conference play for the second straight season with a commanding 31-6 win over then undefeated and crosstown rival Robert Morris on Saturday. Graduate student John Erby, who caught six balls for 126 yards, was on the receiving end of three of senior Darius Perrantes’ four touchdown throws on the afternoon.
LIU 28, Sacred Heart 7 – Opening the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 6:56 left in the opening quarter, redshirt sophomore Ethan Greenwood put the finishing touches on LIU’s convincing 28-7 win over former conference mate Sacred Heart with a 55-yard scamper in the final seconds of the third quarter. The Sharks, who made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season, delivered a dominant performance on both ends of the gridiron with a 505-177 advantage in total offense.
MERCYHURST 66, Lincoln 0 – Senior quarterback Adam Urena threw for a season-high six scores as Mercyhurst blanked visiting Lincoln by a 66-0 final. Hitting four different receivers for touchdown passes — including multiple touchdown throws to graduate student Cameron Barmore and senior Mike Pappas — Urena completed 88.9 percent of his attempts (16-of-18) for 215 yards.
SLANT ROUTES
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT’s quarterbacks have gone six games without being sacked as the Blue Devils’ offensive line leads the FCS after allowing just 0.40 sack per game.
b looks to make it 10 wins in a row against Wagner on Saturday when it puts its undefeated NEC record and current seven-game win streak on the line. LIU quarterback Ethan Greenwood is just one of three FCS signal callers to have three-or-more 100-yard rushing games to his name.
MERCYHURST senior Adam Urena, matched a season-best effort with six scores in Saturday’s win over Lincoln, is second in the FCS with 28 touchdown throws.
ROBERT MORRIS has won eight straight games at home against NEC opponents.
SAINT FRANCIS U is the only team in the circuit that is holding opponents to 100 rushing yards or fewer this season (92.9 rushing yards per game).
STONEHILL first-year linebacker Charles Battaglia, a three-time NEC Rookie of the Week honoree, leads all conference rookies with 6.4 tackles per game.
WAGNER ‘s defense is 13th in the FCS in total defense (297.9 yards per game), ninth in team passing efficiency defense (111.7) and 21st in interceptions (10).
TEAM REPORTS
CCSU BLUE DEVILS (5-5, 3-1 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• Central Connecticut is in control of its own destiny as the Blue Devils face Robert Morris (3-1 NEC) and Duquesne (4-0) in its final two games of the season. • The Blue Devils are 3-1 in league play for the first time since 2019, the last time they won the conference. • Four of Central Connecticut’s five setbacks have been decided by four points or fewer this season. • In each of their past three setbacks, the Blue Devils drove into enemy territory on their final possession but came up empty-handed. • With 10 fumble recoveries, the Blue Devils are second in the nation in the category. • In addition, Central Connecticut is fifth in the FCS in sacks per game (3.20) and 10th in tackles-for-loss per game (7.2). • The Blue Devils’ offensive line has allowed just 0.40 sacks per game to lead the FCS. Six times this season, Central Connecticut has not allowed a sack against Fordham, Saint Francis U, UMass, Dartmouth, LIU and Stonehill.
UP NEXT:
Central Connecticut closes out the season with back-to-back home games against two of the top teams in the league in Robert Morris and Duquesne.
DUQUESNE DUKES (7-2, 4-0 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• Duquesne, which is 4-0 in NEC play for the second consecutive season, looks to go 5-0 for the first time since joining the NEC in 2008. • Against Wagner, their next opponent, the Dukes have won nine-in-a-row dating back to the 2014 season. • Coming off his fifth 100+ rushing yard game of the season, JaMario Clements is the lone NEC running back averaging 100 yards per game (107.8). He is ranked ninth in the FCS in rushing yards per game. He is the only running back in the nation with multiple 75-yard touchdown runs this season. • Darius Perrantes is just one of four FCS quarterbacks to have multiple games with five-or-more touchdowns this season (vs. DI opponents). His 21 passing touchdowns are good for ninth in the FCS. • Since falling at Toledo and at FBS opponent Boston College, the Dukes have won seven-straight games. Their rally, which is the program’s longest since a five-game win streak in 2017, began with a win at then-ranked #20 Youngstown State. • Holding NEC opponents to 13.0 points while leading the circuit with 41.0 points per game, the Dukes are outscoring conference opponents by an average of 28.0 points per game.
UP NEXT:
Duquesne looks to remain undefeated in league play on Saturday when it hosts Wagner at noon.
LIU SHARKS (3-7, 2-2 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• Defeating Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart, LIU has strung together consecutive wins for the first time this season. • The Sharks held a commanding 505-177 advantage in total yardage against the Pioneers after holding them to 73 rushing yards and 104 receiving yards, the fewest allowed in a game this season. • With 52 passing yards, 46 receiving yards and 140 rushing yards, quarterback Ethan Greenwood accounted for nearly half of the Sharks’ total yards in the win. • Greenwood is ranked second among FCS signal callers behind Youngstown State’s Beau Brungard (83.6) in rushing yards with 71.4 per game. • He is just one of three FCS quarterbacks to have three 100-plus rushing yard games to his name (184 yards vs. Stonehill; 147 against Robert Morris; 140 vs. Sacred Heart). • Greenwood has had a hand in 10 of the Sharks’ last 18 touchdowns.
UP NEXT:
LIU jumps back into NEC play on Saturday when it plays host to Saint Francis U at 12 p.m.
MERCYHURST LAKERS (3-7 OVERALL)
FIRST DOWNS:
• With 28 touchdown passes, including 11 to graduate student Cameron Barmore, senior Adam Urena is second in the FCS in the category. • Barmore’s 11 touchdown catches are tied for third-most in the FCS. • The NEC’s most targeted receivers with 63 receptions, Barmore leads the circuit with 78.4 receiving yards per game. • Coming off his second six-touchdown outing of the season against Lincoln on Saturday, Urena paces the conference with 253.3 passing yards per game, 247 completions and 2,533 passing yards. His 67.3 percent completion rate is good for second among fellow conference signal callers.
UP NEXT:
Mercyhurst has a bye week before it concludes the regular season against Saint Francis U.
ROBERT MORRIS COLONIALS (6-4, 3-1 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• Robert Morris boasts the most shutouts in a single season (3) since 1996. • The Colonials saw their longest win streak since 2019 — a four-game rally — get snapped against Duquesne in what was a battle of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the circuit. • Robert Morris was held to just one score and a season-low six points against the Dukes. • Averaging 28.8 points per game against league foes this season, the Colonials rank second in the NEC behind Duquesne’s 41.0 ppg. • Noah Robinson is second in the NEC in receiving yards per game (70.5), while Tyvon Edmonds Jr. is third in rushing yards per game (79.3) • The Colonials have won eight straight games against NEC opponents at home, dating back to 2019.
UP NEXT:
Another pivotal NEC game is on the docket for Robert Morris, as the Colonials head to Central Connecticut, which also sports a 3-1 record in conference play.
SAINT FRANCIS U RED FLASH (3-6, 1-4 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• After suffering back-to-back shutout losses to Wagner and Robert Morris, Saint Francis U rebounded for a 34-0 win over Stonehill earlier this month. • The shutout was the Red Flash’s first against an NEC opponent since a 30-0 win over LIU on Oct. 19, 2019. • In addition, Saint Francis U’s 34 points against Stonehill marked a season-best output in scoring • The Red Flash defense continues to stand strong, conceding 20.4 points per game to rank second in the circuit. • Holding Stonehill to negative passing yards last time out, Saint Francis U conceded a season-low 30 yards in the win.
UP NEXT:
Saint Francis U returns from a bye week to face LIU on the road on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
STONEHILL SKYHAWKS (1-8, 0-5 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• Three-time NEC Rookie of the Week Charles Battaglia has been a bright spot for Stonehill’s defense. Recently named to the 2024 Jerry Rice Award Watch List last week by Stats Perform, and is the lone NEC player to appear on the organization’s midseason watch list. • Battaglia is making a strong case to run away with the NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He ranks eighth overall and is first among NEC rookies in tackles per game (6.4). • Stonehill’s rushing game ranks fourth in the NEC at 144.3 yards per contest. • Stonehill has been playing without starting quarterback Ashur Carraha for the past four games. In the Skyhawks’ first five games, he averaged 94.2 passing yards and 28.2 rushing yards per game.
UP NEXT:
Stonehill steps out of conference play when it heads to Lafayette on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. tilt.
WAGNER SEAHAWKS (4-6, 2-2 NEC)
FIRST DOWNS:
• With a 4-6 overall record, Wagner has matched last season’s win total. One more triumph would mark the Seahawks’ most fruitful season since going 6-5 in 2016. • Defense has been Wagner’s calling card in NEC play, as the Seahawks rank first at 13.0 points per game. • The Seahawks are 13th in the FCS in total defense (297.9 yards per game), ninth in team passing efficiency defense (111.7) and 21st in interceptions (10). • Wagner held Saint Francis U scoreless last month for its first shutout since Sept. 10, 2016 (Concordia, 38-0) and its first against an NEC opponent since Nov. 3, 2012 (UAlbany, 30-0). • Jaylen Bonelli is third in the conference in receiving yards per game (70.3). The sophomore has 633 receiving yards and five touchdown catches on 40 receptions.
UP NEXT:
Wagner looks to rebound when it heads to first-place Duquesne for its final road game of 2024 on Saturday.
