Success breeding itself at Curry
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The Curry College Colonels have enjoyed ridiculous success, carving out a 51-3 conference record over the last five years and setting a school record with 12 wins in 2007. Coach Skip Bandini has no doubt all of that experience with winning helped his team pull out the opening week's 28-21 victory over Worcester State.
"This team has been in these overtime games before. This team believes in themselves and I know that helped us," Bandini said.
Bandini could sense from the mood on the bus ride back to Milton that his players felt there was room for improvement.
"I'm not taking anything away from Worcester State because they did a great job. But we can play better," Bandini said.
And when he gathered the players the next day to show the video, there were some specific plays he made sure to elaborate on.
"We like to say that a game comes down to four or five opportunities. We wanted to show them on film those four or five plays where they could have put the game away," he said. "There are those five plays in every game and usually a Curry team makes those plays.
"We have a lot of good players on this team and we have high expectations for all of them."
One who fulfilled those expectations Friday night was Scott Driscoll. The junior pulled in two interceptions.
"He has had a great career for us," Bandini said. "Without his play we might not have been on the winning side of the score."
Bandini knows this is likely not the last down-to-the-wire the Colonels will have to survive this season if they are to win a sixth straight New England Football Conference championship.
"All of the NEFC is trying to get to the next level," Bandini said.
"It's Curry's championship to lose. They have been the top dog for a long time. But I think there is a lot more parity on our side (the Boyd Division)," Endicott coach J.B. Wells said.
"The first three teams we play all have outstanding quarterbacks," Bandini said. "Pat Good is a legitimate player."
The Worcester State quarterback certainly demonstrated that in the loss by completing 23 of his 47 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
Will Earley also was a big piece of the Lancers' attack as he ran for 89 yards and caught four passes.
"He's another great player. We recruited him," Bandini said.
But in the end it was something the NEFC has become accustomed to as Curry got the win when quarterback Ryan Van De Giesen hooked up with Joseph Freeman for a 22-yard touchdown pass in overtime.
Van De Giesen had a phenomenal ratio of 30 touchdown passes to nine interceptions last year and he was not intercepted on this night.
"The guys have to be happy to win. They should be glad. It takes a lot to win a football game," Bandini said.
Maybe more than it ever did in the NEFC.
The Lancers have a the rivalry game with Worcester State this week and Curry will face another challenge from another good quarterback in Fitchburg State's Jim Miller.
Fitchburg opened with a 55-27 loss to the Empire 8's Springfield, but Miller threw for 292 yards and four touchdowns.
Collecting real estate
Marlon Thornton rolled up 225 yards on 25 carries for Fitchburg State and Plymouth State's Jeff Mack joined the 200-yard club with 204 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers' 36-28 victory over Division II St. Anselm.
The big game
Western New England has its home opener this week against nearby Westfield State.
This is an intriguing matchup as WNEC has high hopes but will be trying to rebound from a 63-37 thumping at Hartwick and Westfield will be trying to build on momentum from a 13-10 victory over Nichols.
The Owls defeated Nichols on a school-record 95-yard touchdown pass from Dan Cohen to David Benoit in the fourth quarter.
The Owls bring an offensive weapon into this game with kicker Chris Stengel. He made both field goal tries, of 29 and 33 yards, to give Westfield a 6-0 lead.
WNEC had its own record-setting moment. Junior Justin Walz became the first Golden Bear QB to throw for more than 3,000 yards in his career.
Walz had a nice day by going 19-for-31 with two touchdowns, but the other QB had a monster day. Hartwick's Jason Boltus tied a school record with seven touchdown passes.
The Greater Springfield rivalry between Westfield and WNEC has some sizzle this year.
What a debut
It didn't take new Becker coach Bill McDonald long to bring that winning feeling from Curry where he was an assistant for 10 years. Becker defeated Utica 26-13 as quarterback Gabriel Prophet hit seven different receivers while completing 14-of-23 passes for two touchdowns.
While Prophet spread the ball around, Jacques Fablas and Acie Johnson had three catches each.
Becker will try to get to 2-0 against 0-1 Maine Maritime.
Mike Landers was not as fortunate in his debut as the head coach at Mount Ida. The Mustangs fell 36-28 to Norwich University and are now 0-9 against the Cadets.
They will get plenty more chances, though. Next season the Cadets and Mustangs will be in the new North Atlantic Conference together.
Another charter member of the NAC will be SUNY-Maritime and the Privateers did open with a win, beating Massachusetts Maritime 24-14 in the Chowder Bowl.
The waiting game
The New England Small College Athletic Conference teams only reported to camp on Aug. 29 and do not open their seasons until Sept. 20.
Middlebury is the defending champion after going 7-1 in 2007.
"We are telling the players that every team we play is going to have a different view of us," Middlebury coach Bob Ritter said. "We are going to have to raise our level to compete.
"The championship doesn't give us any wins this year and, if anything, it makes it harder.
"The guys are working hard and competing for spots."
You can be sure that does not include quarterback where Don McKillop is a fixture, returning after earning the NESCAC Rookie of the Year honor.
He should be better as a sophomore after a year in the offense.
"That's a huge help," Ritter said. "Last year he was doing things for the first time. He did a tremendous job of picking up the playbook. It has increased his comfort level."