Worcester, Salve salvage weekend
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In my preview column, I said that the Fitchburg State-Western Connecticut game was a game to watch, and it most certainly was exciting for fans of Western Connecticut’s aerial attack. Colonial quarterback Joe Dimeglio, a transfer from Division II New Haven, certainly felt at home in his new offense as he completed 23 of 43 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns in Western Connecticut’s convincing 31-17 win. The Fitchburg defense surrendered 544 yards of total offense in the loss, which was less lopsided than it otherwise could have been thanks to three Fitchburg interceptions — one of which was returned for a touchdown.
The Falcons struggled offensively as Corey Hetherman only completed 14 of 30 pass attempts for a paltry 144 yards. Fitchburg’s lone offensive touchdown came off of a 7-yard run by Cedric Carvalho with just over three minutes to play in the first half. That play actually cut the Colonial advantage to four points, but Dimeglio directed an 87-yard touchdown drive in response at the very close of the half to put Western Connecticut back in the driver’s seat.
Things don’t get any easier for Fitchburg next week, as the Falcons are obliged to pay a visit to reigning NEFC champs Curry this Saturday at noon. Meanwhile, Western Connecticut will once again try its luck with an NEFC team; this time, the Colonials will take on Salve Regina.
After posting a stalwart 4-5 record in its first season of intercollegiate football, and with most of its key cogs from last year’s attack returning to campus this autumn, Endicott figured to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in New England this season; unfortunately, little of that excitement was on display in the Gulls’ showdown this past Saturday at Worcester Polytech. After a slow start offensively, WPI found its rhythm and churned out a very impressive 47-2 victory.
Endicott played three quarterbacks who combined to go 12-for-36 with three interceptions and 126 yards in an abysmal offensive performance. The visiting team never once even managed to enter the WPI red zone. The Gulls will have their home-opener this Saturday when they entertain RPI.
The most exciting game in New England this weekend took place in Newport, R.I. in a contest between Salve Regina and Husson — the first ever meeting of these two schools. Salve Regina managed to hold on for a thrilling 35-28 victory in a game that proved that intense, historic rivalries are not the only way to produce excitement in college football. The story of this game was the remarkable rushing attacks that both teams unveiled. Salve Regina and Husson combined for 646 yards rushing as seven different players gained at least 50 yards on the ground.
After the teams entered the half with the score at 21 apiece, Husson seemed poised to take the lead early in the third quarter until Brave tailback Jason Jack coughed up the ball at the Salve 2-yard line. The Seahawks quickly reversed direction and methodically marched 98 yards over 14 plays to take a seven-point lead of their own. Salve Regina seemed to have the game won when Carl Frye increased the Brave deficit to 14 on a 16-yard scamper with just under six minutes to play in the ballgame. But less than 90 seconds later, the score was within seven once again, 35-28, courtesy of a 52-yard touchdown run by Husson tailback Matt Hilton. This would be as close as the game would get though, as the Braves were unable to stop the Seahawks from running out the clock in their final possession.
Sean Peters led Salve Regina with 131 yards on 19 carries, while Husson’s Mike Prentiss rushed for 129 yards on just 16 carries.
Worcester State was the other NEFC team to record a win this past weekend, besting conference (though not division) foe Nichols by a 16-8 margin. Nichols produced a measly 20 yards rushing and only 191 yards of total offense. The Bison’s only touchdown came with just 12 seconds left in regulation, as the Lancers of Worcester State dominated play throughout.
Game of the Week
WPI at Worcester State, Friday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.: Both teams will enter this feature game with identical 1-0 marks. WPI earned its win with an overpowering performance on both sides of the football, but its offense will surely be tested by a Lancer defensive unit that surrendered fewer than 200 yards of total offense to Nichols. While the transitive property of equality certainly does not hold in college football, it will be interesting to see if Worcester State can play WPI competitively, unlike its NEFC compatriot Endicott. WPI soundly defeated Worcester State, 44-19 last year.
Other games to watch
Fitchburg State at Curry, Sept. 11, noon: The defending NEFC champions open their season by hosting a Fitchburg team looking to improve upon a disappointing performance last week.
Bridgewater State at Nichols, Sept. 11, 1 p.m.: Another interesting game that should help gauge how the Bogan and Boyd divisions stack up against one another.