Sep 19, 2008

Football Hosts Assumption in Conference Opener Friday Night (7 p.m.)

MERRIMACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME NOTES
September 19, 2008

Live Stats / Video / Complete Game Notes

WARRIORS HOST ASSUMPTION IN CONFERENCE OPENER

Game 3 - Merrimack College Warriors (1-1) vs. Assumption College Greyhounds (0-2)
Friday, September 19, 2008, Warrior field

UPDATE
Merrimack takes on the Assumption College Greyhounds Friday night in the Warriors' conference opener. The next seven games will be Northeast-10 games. Merrimack suffered its first defeat on Saturday, losing to Bryant 20-7.

SERIES
The Warriors are 10-2 against Assumption since the football program was reinstated in 1996. They are 13-3-1 dating back to 1986. Merrimack has won six of the last seven meetings including a 33-20 victory in Worcester last season.

DEFENSE IN THE RED ZONE
Facing a Division I Bryant offense that racked up 35 and 39 points in its first two games of the season, Merrimack limited the Bulldogs to just 20 points. Bryant was just 4-for-7 in red-zone opportunities, scoring a touchdown twice. Andrew Jackson had two interceptions in the end zone.

CAUSING TURNOVERS
The Warriors forced four turnovers at Bryant on Saturday. In addition to Jackson's two interceptions, captain J.D. Wild forced two fumbles, which were recovered by Anthony Taylor and Jordan Rankine.

RANKINE RACKS UP THE TACKLES
Senior defensive back Jordan Rankine posted 12 tackles at Bryant on Saturday and recovered a fumble. The senior leads the conference (and the team) with 25 tackles (14 solo) on the season. Right behind him is Shane Brown, who has 18 total tackles, fourth highest in the conference.

INTO THE NIGHT
Merrimack was 1-2 on Friday nights in 2007, including a win over Southern Connecticut State University, who advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, in New Haven. They were 0-2 at home, including a 37-34 OT loss to Bryant. They will host Saint Anselm on October 10 under the lights.

LAHAM PICKS UP RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Senior captain Chris Laham, who was a two-time NE-10 Player of the Week in 2007 and a first-team all-conference selection, excelled against Husson College in the September 6 season opener, catching 11 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. After hauling in a 31-yard touchdown pass at Bryant, the wide receiver needs just one more receiving touchdown to tie the school record for career TD receptions. Laham caught 33 balls in 2007, scoring 13 times. More record information is available below.

LEONE DEBUTS IN STYLE
Making his first collegiate start, sophomore quarterback Kurt Leone debuted in style, as he was 25 for 34 with 362 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Husson. For his efforts, Leone was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week. Running the no-huddle offense, Leone threw for 334 yards in the first half. Leone's 362 passing yards rank fourth all-time in Merrimack history for yards in a game. Leone replaced Colin Temple, who was the first quarterback in school history to appear in every game in each of his four seasons.

MORE RECEIVERS
While Laham was Leone's favorite target against Husson, the sophomore also found six other receivers, including Jawara Loftis, who caught five balls for 85 yards, including a 24 yard TD pass. Jeremiah Watts had four catches for 61 yards and a 25 yard TD catch.

RECORDS WATCH:
Laham needs one more receiving touchdown to tie Elfren Quiles for the school record of 23 career TDs. Laham, who currently has 22 TDs by way of the reception, posted 13 in 2007, one short of Quiles' record for a single season. Right behind Laham is Chris McNeill who has 16 career TD catches, seven behind Quiles. Laham also needs 30 more points, which equals five touchdowns, to tie Calvin Bryant's record of 168 career points. He needs four touchdowns to tie for the most total scores in school history.

STRONG RUNNING GAME
While the passing game got most of the credit, the rushing game also excelled against Husson. Merrimack rushed for 193 yards as a team, including 99 from Richard Johnson, who rushed 79 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Freshman Anthony Smalls debuted in the second half and racked up 78 yards on the ground on 12 carries.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Merrimack sacked Husson quarterback James McCandless six times, led by three from freshman linebacker Tony Johnson. Johnson, who was named the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week, was one short of the school record of four in a game set by Matt Mikaitis in 2003. Merrimack limited the Eagles to just 50 total yards in the first half and 174 in the game.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN:
Defensive back/kick returner Andrew Jackson was named to the Consensus Draft Services Preseason Division II All-American first team as a kick returner. Jackson, who has two INTs and a 81-yard kick return for a touchdown already this season, was a Northeast-10 Conference first team selection, an All-Region second team honoree, a New England Football Writers selection, and an ECAC all-star in 2007. Jackson is one of only five Northeast-10 Conference players to be named to the CDS squads and is the lone first team selection. Southern Connecticut State had three players named to the team, led by second team selection Jermon Freeman, while Assumption's Dustin Zitzmann was an honorable mention.

NEW FACES:
This is the first season for head coach John Perry. Hired in late December, Perry has recruited 36 newcomers, 34 of which are freshmen, to join a Warrior team just two years removed from a co-conference championship and the first playoff victory in school history in the NCAA Tournament.

TRI-CAPTAINS:
Seniors J.D. Wild, Jackson and Laham will serve as the captains for the 2008 season. Jackson was also a captain last season as a junior.

VETERANS ON D:
Eight starters from last season's defense, as well as other key reserves, return to headline this year's defense. Merrimack teams have historically been offensively based, but this year's squad will have to limit the opponent's offense to be successful. Besides Jackson, last year's secondary of Mike O'Brien, Sam Blevines, Jordan Rankine and Anthony Taylor all return. Wild headlines the linebacker core, but Shane O'Connor, Rhandy Audate and Shane Brown join him. Up front, seniors Joe Jolicoeur, Daniel Sherr and Chuck Manthei lead the way and are joined by Wilson Perjuste and Bernard Cooper.

THE DEPARTED:
Joining Temple on the 2007 graduate list are last season's starting WR D.J. Dolan, TE Ryan Salter, C Brian Frazier, LG Chris Troisi, DT Chris Cotter, DE Jon Herook, and S Randy Hurley. Last year's starting RB Mike Young is no longer attending Merrimack.

ABOUT ASSUMPTION:
Junior wide out/captain David Canney is among the best at his position in the conference and also excels on special teams. Sophomore strong safety Keith Bates was one of the conference's under appreciated performers last year. Senior wide out Joey Fabiano is another of the unsung players with 61 career receptions. Postgraduate tight end Jake Longenecker is within distance of 100 receptions and 1,000 yards. Senior/captain defensive back Chris Martino and junior Bernard Scott are among the top defenders in the conference. Junior Dustin Zitzmann and senior Mitchell Welch are two of the more productive linebackers in the region and sophomore WR Herbert Woodard caught everyone's attention as the top freshman in the region with nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2007.

LAST MEETING:
Colin Temple threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns to lead Merrimack to a 33-20 come-from-behind victory. Trailing 20-17 midway through the third quarter, Temple connected with Jawara Loftis for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Warriors ahead 24-20. Sean Garvey followed with his second field goal of the game 2:40 into the fourth quarter to extend the lead, and then Mike Young rushed for a two-yard touchdown to distance the lead at 33-20. Trailing 7-3 with time winding down in the first, Sam Blevines intercepted a David Canney pass and returned it 34 yards for the touchdown. Chris Laham scored his 11th touchdown, tenth offensively for the season, catching a 39-yard pass from Temple at the end of the first quarter for the score. Laham went over the 100 yard mark in receiving yards as he caught seven balls for 152 yards. He added 62 yards on special teams, finishing with 214 total yards. Richard Johnson rushed for 67 yards, and combined with Young for 96 rushing yards. Loftis added four catches for 36 yards, as Temple completed passes to eight different receivers. Blevines and Jordan Rankine posted 11 tackles each, while the defense posted two sacks and two turnovers.

COMING UP:
Merrimack will host the preseason conference favorite Southern Connecticut State next Saturday at 1 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend. The Owls, who will be without QB Steve Armstrong for the remainder of the season, were upset 13-12 by AIC in their conference opener last weekend.

WARRIORS ON THE AIR:
The Merrimack Athletics Department has teamed up with B2 Networks to deliver live broadband broadcasts. Warrior games that will be streamed online include all home football, basketball and hockey broadcasts beginning with the September 19 game against Assumption College. Games can be purchased on a season or single game basis.

WEEK 1 RECAP - MERRIMACK 42, HUSSON 7
Making his first career start, Kurt Leone threw for 334 yards in the first half as Merrimack routed Husson College 42-7 Saturday afternoon at a humid Warrior Field. The win is head coach John Perry's first as Merrimack's head coach. Using a no-huddle attack, Leone connected with six different receivers in the first half, including four for passing touchdowns, two of them to Chris Laham. The Warriors took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field as Leone connected with Jawara Loftis on a 24-yard pass to cap off an eight play, 63-yard drive. Moments later, Leone found Jeremiah Watts in the end zone from 25 yards out, and it was quickly 14-0 Merrimack just 5:54 into the first quarter. Leone then found Laham for two scores, one for 22 yards and the other for 29 yards, before Richard Johnson raced 79 yards down the right sideline to give the Warriors a 35-0 lead heading into halftime. After Justin Lindle got Husson on the board with a one-yard rush, preseason All-American Andrew Jackson answered right back returning the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for the touchdown. Laham finished with 153 yards receiving on 11 catches. He tied Elfren Quiles on the Merrimack all-time scoring list with 23 career touchdowns. Johnson rushed for 99 yards on 11 carries, while freshman Anthony Smalls debuted with 78 rushing yards. Loftis finished with five catches for 85 yards.

WEEK 2 RECAP - BRYANT 20, MERRIMACK 7
Seven turnovers doomed the Merrimack football team as Division I Bryant handed the Warriors their first loss 20-7 Saturday afternoon in front of 5,530 fans at Bulldog Stadium. Down 20-0 in the fourth quarter, J.D. Wild forced his first of two fumbles off a Jerrell Smith carry, which was recovered by Jordan Rankine. On the ensuing play, backup quarterback Mike Sarnese connected with Chris Laham in the end zone from 31 yards out to get Merrimack on the board. On Bryant's next drive, Wild forced a fumble off a Lindsey Gamble carry and Anthony Taylor returned it all the way to Bryant's 11-yard line. But Sarnese was picked off in the end zone by Andre Whyte, ending Merrimack's hopes of a comeback.
Merrimack's defense was excellent all day, limiting Bryant to just four scores (two touchdowns) in seven red-zone opportunities while forcing four turnovers. Preseason All-American Andrew Jackson had two interceptions and nine tackles, while Shane Brown tallied 13 tackles. Rankine (12 tackles) and Mike O'Brien (11 tackles) also were in double figures. Merrimack's downfall was on offense, as Kurt Leone and Sarnese were a combined 16-for-50 for 227 yards and five interceptions. Against a Bryant defense that has forced 14 turnovers in its last two games, the running game managed just 51 yards on 21 attempts. With today's touchdown, Laham is one receiving score shy of tying the all-time school record of 23 touchdown receptions.


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The next seven games will be Northeast-10 games. Merrimack suffered its first defeat on Saturday, losing to Bryant 20-7. SERIES The Warriors are 10-2 against Assumption since the football program was reinstated in 1996. They are 13-3-1 dating back to 1986. Merrimack has won six of the last seven meetings including a 33-20 victory in Worcester last season. DEFENSE IN THE RED ZONE Facing a Division I Bryant offense that racked up 35 and 39 points in its first two games of the season, Merrimack limited the Bulldogs to just 20 points. Bryant was just 4-for-7 in red-zone opportunities, scoring a touchdown twice. Andrew Jackson had two interceptions in the end zone. CAUSING TURNOVERS The Warriors forced four turnovers at Bryant on Saturday. In addition to Jackson's two interceptions, captain J.D. Wild forced two fumbles, which were recovered by Anthony Taylor and Jordan Rankine. RANKINE RACKS UP THE TACKLES Senior defensive back Jordan Rankine posted 12 tackles at Bryant on Saturday and recovered a fumble. The senior leads the conference (and the team) with 25 tackles (14 solo) on the season. Right behind him is Shane Brown, who has 18 total tackles, fourth highest in the conference. INTO THE NIGHT Merrimack was 1-2 on Friday nights in 2007, including a win over Southern Connecticut State University, who advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, in New Haven. They were 0-2 at home, including a 37-34 OT loss to Bryant. They will host Saint Anselm on October 10 under the lights. LAHAM PICKS UP RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF Senior captain Chris Laham, who was a two-time NE-10 Player of the Week in 2007 and a first-team all-conference selection, excelled against Husson College in the September 6 season opener, catching 11 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. After hauling in a 31-yard touchdown pass at Bryant, the wide receiver needs just one more receiving touchdown to tie the school record for career TD receptions. Laham caught 33 balls in 2007, scoring 13 times. More record information is available below. LEONE DEBUTS IN STYLE Making his first collegiate start, sophomore quarterback Kurt Leone debuted in style, as he was 25 for 34 with 362 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Husson. For his efforts, Leone was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week. Running the no-huddle offense, Leone threw for 334 yards in the first half. Leone's 362 passing yards rank fourth all-time in Merrimack history for yards in a game. Leone replaced Colin Temple, who was the first quarterback in school history to appear in every game in each of his four seasons. MORE RECEIVERS While Laham was Leone's favorite target against Husson, the sophomore also found six other receivers, including Jawara Loftis, who caught five balls for 85 yards, including a 24 yard TD pass. Jeremiah Watts had four catches for 61 yards and a 25 yard TD catch. RECORDS WATCH: Laham needs one more receiving touchdown to tie Elfren Quiles for the school record of 23 career TDs. Laham, who currently has 22 TDs by way of the reception, posted 13 in 2007, one short of Quiles' record for a single season. Right behind Laham is Chris McNeill who has 16 career TD catches, seven behind Quiles. Laham also needs 30 more points, which equals five touchdowns, to tie Calvin Bryant's record of 168 career points. He needs four touchdowns to tie for the most total scores in school history. STRONG RUNNING GAME While the passing game got most of the credit, the rushing game also excelled against Husson. Merrimack rushed for 193 yards as a team, including 99 from Richard Johnson, who rushed 79 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Freshman Anthony Smalls debuted in the second half and racked up 78 yards on the ground on 12 carries. DEFENSE, DEFENSE Merrimack sacked Husson quarterback James McCandless six times, led by three from freshman linebacker Tony Johnson. Johnson, who was named the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week, was one short of the school record of four in a game set by Matt Mikaitis in 2003. Merrimack limited the Eagles to just 50 total yards in the first half and 174 in the game. PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Defensive back/kick returner Andrew Jackson was named to the Consensus Draft Services Preseason Division II All-American first team as a kick returner. Jackson, who has two INTs and a 81-yard kick return for a touchdown already this season, was a Northeast-10 Conference first team selection, an All-Region second team honoree, a New England Football Writers selection, and an ECAC all-star in 2007. Jackson is one of only five Northeast-10 Conference players to be named to the CDS squads and is the lone first team selection. Southern Connecticut State had three players named to the team, led by second team selection Jermon Freeman, while Assumption's Dustin Zitzmann was an honorable mention. NEW FACES: This is the first season for head coach John Perry. Hired in late December, Perry has recruited 36 newcomers, 34 of which are freshmen, to join a Warrior team just two years removed from a co-conference championship and the first playoff victory in school history in the NCAA Tournament. TRI-CAPTAINS: Seniors J.D. Wild, Jackson and Laham will serve as the captains for the 2008 season. Jackson was also a captain last season as a junior. VETERANS ON D: Eight starters from last season's defense, as well as other key reserves, return to headline this year's defense. Merrimack teams have historically been offensively based, but this year's squad will have to limit the opponent's offense to be successful. Besides Jackson, last year's secondary of Mike O'Brien, Sam Blevines, Jordan Rankine and Anthony Taylor all return. Wild headlines the linebacker core, but Shane O'Connor, Rhandy Audate and Shane Brown join him. Up front, seniors Joe Jolicoeur, Daniel Sherr and Chuck Manthei lead the way and are joined by Wilson Perjuste and Bernard Cooper. THE DEPARTED: Joining Temple on the 2007 graduate list are last season's starting WR D.J. Dolan, TE Ryan Salter, C Brian Frazier, LG Chris Troisi, DT Chris Cotter, DE Jon Herook, and S Randy Hurley. Last year's starting RB Mike Young is no longer attending Merrimack. ABOUT ASSUMPTION: Junior wide out/captain David Canney is among the best at his position in the conference and also excels on special teams. Sophomore strong safety Keith Bates was one of the conference's under appreciated performers last year. Senior wide out Joey Fabiano is another of the unsung players with 61 career receptions. Postgraduate tight end Jake Longenecker is within distance of 100 receptions and 1,000 yards. Senior/captain defensive back Chris Martino and junior Bernard Scott are among the top defenders in the conference. Junior Dustin Zitzmann and senior Mitchell Welch are two of the more productive linebackers in the region and sophomore WR Herbert Woodard caught everyone's attention as the top freshman in the region with nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2007. LAST MEETING: Colin Temple threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns to lead Merrimack to a 33-20 come-from-behind victory. Trailing 20-17 midway through the third quarter, Temple connected with Jawara Loftis for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Warriors ahead 24-20. Sean Garvey followed with his second field goal of the game 2:40 into the fourth quarter to extend the lead, and then Mike Young rushed for a two-yard touchdown to distance the lead at 33-20. Trailing 7-3 with time winding down in the first, Sam Blevines intercepted a David Canney pass and returned it 34 yards for the touchdown. Chris Laham scored his 11th touchdown, tenth offensively for the season, catching a 39-yard pass from Temple at the end of the first quarter for the score. Laham went over the 100 yard mark in receiving yards as he caught seven balls for 152 yards. He added 62 yards on special teams, finishing with 214 total yards. Richard Johnson rushed for 67 yards, and combined with Young for 96 rushing yards. Loftis added four catches for 36 yards, as Temple completed passes to eight different receivers. Blevines and Jordan Rankine posted 11 tackles each, while the defense posted two sacks and two turnovers. COMING UP: Merrimack will host the preseason conference favorite Southern Connecticut State next Saturday at 1 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend. The Owls, who will be without QB Steve Armstrong for the remainder of the season, were upset 13-12 by AIC in their conference opener last weekend. WARRIORS ON THE AIR: The Merrimack Athletics Department has teamed up with B2 Networks to deliver live broadband broadcasts. Warrior games that will be streamed online include all home football, basketball and hockey broadcasts beginning with the September 19 game against Assumption College. Games can be purchased on a season or single game basis. WEEK 1 RECAP - MERRIMACK 42, HUSSON 7 Making his first career start, Kurt Leone threw for 334 yards in the first half as Merrimack routed Husson College 42-7 Saturday afternoon at a humid Warrior Field. The win is head coach John Perry's first as Merrimack's head coach. Using a no-huddle attack, Leone connected with six different receivers in the first half, including four for passing touchdowns, two of them to Chris Laham. The Warriors took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field as Leone connected with Jawara Loftis on a 24-yard pass to cap off an eight play, 63-yard drive. Moments later, Leone found Jeremiah Watts in the end zone from 25 yards out, and it was quickly 14-0 Merrimack just 5:54 into the first quarter. Leone then found Laham for two scores, one for 22 yards and the other for 29 yards, before Richard Johnson raced 79 yards down the right sideline to give the Warriors a 35-0 lead heading into halftime. After Justin Lindle got Husson on the board with a one-yard rush, preseason All-American Andrew Jackson answered right back returning the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for the touchdown. Laham finished with 153 yards receiving on 11 catches. He tied Elfren Quiles on the Merrimack all-time scoring list with 23 career touchdowns. Johnson rushed for 99 yards on 11 carries, while freshman Anthony Smalls debuted with 78 rushing yards. Loftis finished with five catches for 85 yards. WEEK 2 RECAP - BRYANT 20, MERRIMACK 7 Seven turnovers doomed the Merrimack football team as Division I Bryant handed the Warriors their first loss 20-7 Saturday afternoon in front of 5,530 fans at Bulldog Stadium. Down 20-0 in the fourth quarter, J.D. Wild forced his first of two fumbles off a Jerrell Smith carry, which was recovered by Jordan Rankine. On the ensuing play, backup quarterback Mike Sarnese connected with Chris Laham in the end zone from 31 yards out to get Merrimack on the board. On Bryant's next drive, Wild forced a fumble off a Lindsey Gamble carry and Anthony Taylor returned it all the way to Bryant's 11-yard line. But Sarnese was picked off in the end zone by Andre Whyte, ending Merrimack's hopes of a comeback. Merrimack's defense was excellent all day, limiting Bryant to just four scores (two touchdowns) in seven red-zone opportunities while forcing four turnovers. Preseason All-American Andrew Jackson had two interceptions and nine tackles, while Shane Brown tallied 13 tackles. Rankine (12 tackles) and Mike O'Brien (11 tackles) also were in double figures. Merrimack's downfall was on offense, as Kurt Leone and Sarnese were a combined 16-for-50 for 227 yards and five interceptions. Against a Bryant defense that has forced 14 turnovers in its last two games, the running game managed just 51 yards on 21 attempts. With today's touchdown, Laham is one receiving score shy of tying the all-time school record of 23 touchdown receptions.