Football Heads to Bentley for 2 p.m. Game Saturday

MERRIMACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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WARRIORS VISIT BENTLEY UNIVERSITY SATURDAY

Game 6 - Merrimack College Warriors (3-3) vs. Bentley University Falcons (3-4)
Saturday, October 18, 2008, Bentley Football Field

UPDATE
Merrimack looks to bounce back from last week’s upset loss to Saint Anselm College against rival Bentley University Saturday. Both teams are 2-2 in the conference and are tied for fourth.

SERIES
The Warriors are 4-10 lifetime against the Falcons. Bentley has won the last four meetings, with the Warriors’ last win on September 17, 2004 in Waltham.

UPDATING THE RECORD BOOK
Merrimack set a school record with 647 total offensive yards in the 48-42 loss to Saint Anselm. The Warriors tallied 358 yards rushing and 289 passing. The 358 rushing yards rank fourth all-time in school history for a single game.

SUOZZO A DOUBLE THREAT
Freshman James Suozzo threw for 289 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 132 and three scores against Saint Anselm. Against Pace, the freshman threw for 246 yards and scored three touchdowns while rushing for 59 yards and an additional score. For his efforts against Pace, he was named the Northeast-10 Freshman and Player of the Week. In just two games, Suozzo has scored four passing and four rushing touchdowns.

JOHNSON AND SUOZZO RACK UP THE RUSHING YARDS
Richard Johnson and James Suozzo rushed for 160 and 132 yards respectively against Saint Anselm, getting 292 of the team’s 358 total rushing yards. Johnson has a team-high 412 rushing yards this season, fourth in the conference, while Suozzo has 191 in two games.

NUMEROUS PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
Through six weeks, Merrimack players have received seven Northeast-10 weekly awards, four ECAC awards, and two D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week honors. See page 3 for details.

OFFENSIVE LINE GETS ITS DUE
Merrimack’s offensive line has not allowed a sack in its last two games. They have allowed just eight sacks this season, third fewest in the conference.

O’BRIEN NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mike O’Brien became the second Warrior to be named the D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week this season, joining J.D. Wild. O'Brien posted two interceptions in the fourth quarter win over Pace. His second interception came on Pace's final drive and halted their progress with 28 seconds left.

WATTS LIGHTS IT UP
With Chris Laham out for the remainder of the season, junior wideout Jeremiah Watts has stepped in and stepped up.Watts leads the Warriors with 42 catches for 585 yards and five touchowns. He totaled nine catches for 131 yards against Saint Anselm and added two scores at Pace and 60 receiving yards. Against Assumption, he brought in a career-best 12 catches for 184 yards and a 37-yard touchdown pass. Watts is second in the conference in total receptions and first in receptions per game.

RANKINE, BROWN, AND WILD RACK UP THE TACKLES
Shane Brown leads the Warriors with 55 tackles (5th in NE-10) and has added 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Right behind him is Jordan Rankine who has 54 tackles, including 12 and a fumble recovery at Bryant. After getting 16 tackles against Saint Anselm, J.D. Wild is third on the team with 51 tackles.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Merrimack’s defense was very instrumental in the win over Pace. The Warriors notched eight sacks, led by 2.5 from Daniel Sherr and two from Chuck Manthei. They also forced two interceptions, both by Mike O’Brien. O’Brien’s second pick came in the game’s final minute with Pace driving on a possible game-winning drive. The Warriors are tied for the conference lead with 23 total sacks.

JACKSON A TRIPLE THREAT
Preseason All-American Andrew Jackson has emerged as a triple threat. He has excelled on defense, tallying 34 tackles, two interceptions , one fumble recovery and one sack and was named the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week after getting two INTs at Bryant. On special teams, Jackson has returned one punt and one kick off for touchdowns this season. Against Southern Connecticut, he made his 2008 debut on offense, catching five passes for 31 yards.

SHERR AND JOHNSON AFTER THE QUARTERBACK
Daniel Sherr leads the Warriors with 4.5 sacks this season, after getting two at Pace. Right behind him is freshman Tony Johnson, who has four sacks. Johnson was named the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week after getting three sacks against Husson.

SMALLS IS BIG
Freshman tailback Anthony Smalls rushed for a career high 135 yards on 25 carries in the 30-28 win over Assumption. Smalls scampered to the end zone from 32 yards out for his first collegiate touchdown. The Natick native was named the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week for his efforts.

HOW TO REPLACE LAHAM
The Warriors’ uptempo offense will have to find a way without injured senior captain WR Chris Laham. Laham, who is tied for the school record for career TD receptions, will be replaced by Ryan DiGregorio. DiGregorio will join Watts and Jawara Loftis in the starting lineup, with Jake Manning, Omari Mobley and Chris McNeill also seeing time.

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.

CAUSING TURNOVERS
The Warriors forced four turnovers at Bryant on September 13. In addition to Jackson’s two interceptions, captain J.D. Wild forced two fumbles, which were recovered by Anthony Taylor and Jordan Rankine.

LEONE ATTACKS THE RECORD BOOKS
Taking advantage of the no-huddle, shotgun offense, sophomore QB Kurt Leone has thrown for over 300 yards twice in three games, moving into fourth and fifth place in Merrimack history for passing yards in a game.

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.

LAHAM MAKES HISTORY
With his 69-yard TD reception on the first play of the game against Assumption, senior captain Chris Laham tied Elfren Quiles for the school record for career TD receptions with 23. Laham is second all-time for most career TDs at Merrimack with 25. He posted 13 scores in 2007, one short of Quiles’ record for a single season.

RECORDS WATCH:
Laham tied Elfren Quiles for the school record of 23 career TD receptions. Right behind Laham and Quiles is Chris McNeill who has 16 career TD catches. Laham also needs 24 more points, which equals four touchdowns, to tie Calvin Bryant’s record of 168 career points. He needs three touchdowns to tie for the most total scores in school history.

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 fifth 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.

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 an 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.

COMING UP:
Merrimack continues its two-game road trip at Stonehill next Saturday. They will wrap up conference games against unbeaten American International on Nov 1 in North Andover.

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 BENTLEY:
Bentley had its two-game winning streak snapped by Southern Connecticut 47-14 last Friday in New Haven. The Falcons are 3-4 overall, 2-2 in the Northeast-10. Sophomore Bryant Johnson made his first career start against the Owls at quarterback. With All-Conference tailback Luis Cotto sidelined by injury, Matt Welch has been Bentley's top rusher in NE-10 contests.

LAST MEETING:
Merrimack nearly overcame a 28-7 halftime deficit, but fell one score short, in a 31-26 loss to Bentley College at Warrior Field. With the loss, the Warriors dropped to 0-3 on the season, 0-2 in conference. Playing catch-up for virtually the entire second half, QB Colin Temple anchored the offense, completing 20 of 36 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns. Trailing 28-7, the Warriors marched down the field to start the second half and completed the drive when Temple found Chris Laham in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass. It was Laham’s second touchdown of the game and brought the score to 28-13 after the PAT failed. The Warriors cut the lead to 28-20 three minutes into the fourth quarter when Laham connected with Chris McNeill on a 58-yard pass for his third touchdown pass of the game. Bentley responded with a field goal by Tyler McNamara, but Temple led his squad right down the field again. For the third time this game, he found Laham in the end zone, from 33-yards out, cutting the lead to 31-26. The Warriors had one last chance to win the game when they got the ball back after John White was intercepted by Randy Hurley at Merrimack’s 33 with 2:56 to play. Temple would connect with Jawara Loftis on a third and four for five yards, moving the ball to Bentley’s 37. But Merrimack’s drive would end there as Temple threw three incomplete passes, barely avoiding Bentley’s tenacious pass rush, before being intercepted on fourth down by Paul Tetzel. White had a strong day for the Falcons, connecting on 25 of 35 passes for 289 yards. White also rushed for 42 yards on nine carries. Running back Luis Cotto weaved in-and-out of the Warriors’ defense all day, especially in the first half, rushing for 124 yards on 32 carries.

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. 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 17-for-50 for 227 yards and four 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.

WEEK 3 RECAP - MERRIMACK 30, ASSUMPTION 28
Jeremiah Watts caught a career-high 12 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown leading Merrimack to a 30-28 win over Assumption College. Merrimack led 30-14 midway through the third quarter, but Assumption stormed back to get within two with under a minute left after Joey Fabiano sprawled out in the end zone for a 19-yard diving touchdown catch. Trailing 30-28, the Greyhounds went for two to tie it, but the Warriors prevented a possible game-tying two point conversion as Shane Brown and Tony Johnson took advantage of the defensive blitz and hurried quarterback Josh Ratacik forcing his throw to be wide of the intended receiver. The Warriors started the game with a bang as the offense ran a double reverse, pitched it back to Leone, and the quarterback found Chris Laham downfield for a 69-yard touchdown pass on the very first play of the game. Following a 40-yard field goal from Sean Garvey, freshman tailback Anthony Smalls scampered 32 yards to the end zone as he reversed fields at the 20 extending the Warriors’ lead to 16-7. Woodard continued his excellent day returning a punt 85 yards for the score, setting the Greyhound record for the longest punt return in school history. The Warriors began the second half with an eight-play, 88-yard drive capped off with an eight yard touchdown rush from Richard Johnson. Assumption (0-3, 0-1 NE-10) did not quit as Woodard added his third score of the game, rushing in from three yards out to cap off a 14-play drive and cutting the lead to 30-22 after a two-point conversion. That set the stage for Assumption’s final drive as they had the ball at their own 30 with 2:54 remaining. On third and 11 at their own 29, Batacik found Gately, who broke numerous tackles and eventually was forced out of bounds after a 48-yard gain. Batacik executed another third down as he found Fabiano in the end zone bringing Assumption within two of the tie and overtime. But the Warriors’ defensive blitz eliminated any chance of an extra period. Leone finished 21-for-35 for 364 passing yards and two touchdowns. Smalls rushed for a career-high 135 yards on 25 carries.

WEEK 4 RECAP - SO. CONNECTICUT 40, MERRIMACK 26
Merrimack saw its two-game home winning streak snapped by Southern Connecticut State 40-26 Saturday afternoon at a rainy homecoming Saturday at Warrior Field. Southern Connecticut built a 20-0 lead in the first 11:38, as John Wiechman picked up two one-yard touchdown runs for the 14-0 lead. After a Richard Johnson fumble which was recovered by Jerome Pinckney, Chris Roberts found Chris Bergeski from 18-yards out giving the Owls the quick 20-0 lead after the extra-point failed. After Merrimack’s next drive was stalled, the Warriors forced the Owls to punt for the first time and preseason All-American Andrew Jackson went untouched, returning the punt 75-yards for Merrimack’s lone score of the first half. It was Jackson’s second punt return for a score this season. Following a field goal from Chris Hazelton and another Johnson fumble, the Warriors went into the locker room at halftime trailing 23-7, as Southern Connecticut racked up 271 yards to just 105 for the Warriors. Following a 58-yard kickoff return from Johnson to start the second half, Kurt Leone connected with Jawara Loftis for an 18-yard touchdown pass, cutting the score to 23-14. After Roberts found Bergeski again in the end zone, this time from 41-yards out, the Warriors responded once again, as Leone and Jeremiah Watts hooked up for a one-yard TD score. Trailing 33-20 in the fourth, Johnson rushed in the end zone from one-yard out, after Leone hit Chris McNeil for a 63-yard pass that got the offense down to the one. The Warriors had one last chance, trailing 33-26 at their own 25, but Leone fumbled on the first play of the drive, ending any possibility of a homecoming victory. Merrimack’s defense had no answer for Wiechman who rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 43 carries. Roberts was 20-for-34 for 262 yards, while Bergeski pulled in seven catches for 125 yards and two scores. Leone was 27-for-63 for 284 yards and was sacked four times. The Warriors gained just 56 net yards rushing. Watts continued his excellent season, catching 10 balls for 80 yards. Making his first appearance on offense this season, Jackson totaled five catches for 31 yards.

WEEK 5 RECAP - MERRIMACK 31, PACE 28
Making his first collegiate appearance, freshman quarterback James Suozzo threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 59 yards and a score, as Merrimack defeated Pace 31-28 Saturday afternoon. The Warriors jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the game’s first 20 minutes, behind a 32-yard field goal from Sean Garvey, a 21-yard TD run from Suozzo, and a four-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Watts. Pace wideout Eric Ortega cut the lead to 17-14 as he tallied two receiving touchdowns in the second quarter, the second with 1:25 remaining to halftime. But Suozzo engineered a six-play, 56-yard drive, capped off with a 19-yard touchdown to Quavari Jackson, his first collegiate score, which sent the Warriors to the locker room with a 24-14 advantage. The Setters scored first in the third as Andrew Kulak hauled in a 14-yard TD pass just :54 seconds into the second half, but the Warriors again responded as Suozzo and Watts connected on a 33-yard score with time winding down in the third quarter. Pace cut the lead to 31-28 as Nathaniel Ford rushed in for six from two yards out with 4:40 remaining, but Merrimack iced most of the clock away, giving the ball back to the Setters on their own one-yard line after a excellent 36-yard punt from Pedrom Tand. Pace moved the ball to its own 35-yard line, but Ray Gregg was intercepted by Mike O’Brien for the second time to seal the win for the Warriors. Suozzo was 21-of-42 for 246 yards and three passing touchdowns to go with 59 rushing yards and one score. Watts caught four passes for 60 yards, while Jawara Loftis added a team-best six catches for 63 yards. Merrimack rushed for 119 yards on the ground, led by 61 from Richard Johnson, while the Setters managed just 14 rushing yards. O’Brien had two interceptions while the Merrimack defense tallied eight sacks, led by 2.5 from Daniel Sherr and two from Chuck Manthei. The Merrimack offensive line was outstanding, meanwhile, allowing zero sacks on the day.

WEEK 6 RECAP - SAINT ANSELM 48, MERRIMACK 42
The Merrimack football team was upset by Saint Anselm College 48-42 Friday night at Warrior Field. The victory snapped a 34-game losing streak for the Hawks that began on September 3, 2005. Merrimack trailed by as much as 21, at 42-21 in the third quarter, but they cut the lead to one score as James Suozzo connected with Patrick Easley from 24 yards out in the final minute of the third. Four minutes later, Suozzo dashed into the end zone from nine yards out and just like that, it was a one score game, at 42-35. Saint Anselm responded immediately as Luke St. Marie rushed 45 yards for the touchdown on just the second play of the drive, extending the lead to 48-35 after the extra point failed. Again, Merrimack responded as Suozzo connected with Jeremiah Watts on fourth and 21 for 53 yards, setting up a first and goal, where the freshman quarterback raced into the end zone for his third touchdown rush of the game, this time from five yards out. Merrimack failed to recover the onside kick but got the ball back on its own 20 after the Hawks went three and out, and punted into the end zone for the touchback. The Warriors nearly pulled off the incredible comeback as Suozzo found Omari Mobley for a gain of 13, getting the ball to the Hawks’ 29 with less than three minutes remaining. But after three incomplete passes and an intentional grounding call, Merrimack was faced with a fourth and 25 at the 42. Suozzo launched it to the end zone, but Ryan DiGregorio could not come down with it, ending any hopes of the comeback. St. Marie set the school record for rushing yards in a game with 241 yards on 28 carries. Wilson led the way at quarterback with 181 rushing yards and 114 passing yards. Saint Anselm set a number of single-game records as a team, including most team rushing yards in a game (439), most yards of total offense (553), total offensive plays (98), most team rushing attempts (69) and most points in a game (48). Suozzo rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns, and threw for 289 yards on 23-of-49 passing with one score. Johnson tallied 160 yards on the ground on 20 carries and caught six balls for 60 yards. Watts, who leads the conference in catches, added nine more for 131 yards. There were exactly 1,200 total yards in the game, including 439 on the ground from Saint Anselm to 358 for Merrimack.