Football Returns Home For a Conference Showdown With Bentley
MERRIMACK FOOTBALL
Game #4 vs. Bentley, Saturday, October 8, 2011, 1 p.m., Martone-Mejail Field
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MERRIMACK RETURNS HOME FOR SHOWDOWN WITH BENTLEY:
Game 5 - Merrimack College (3-1, 2-0 NE-10) vs. Bentley (4-1, 3-0 NE-10)
UPDATE:
Merrimack returns home for a conference showdown with the first-place Bentley Falcons.
SERIES:
Merrimack is 6-8 lifetime against the Bentley Falcons, including winning two of the last three contests.
MERRIMACK OFFENSE CONTINUES SCORING IN 58-7 VICTORY:
Merrimack looks to stay hot after a 58-7 win over Saint Anselm. The Warriors recorded 649 yards of total offense which is second in school history against the Hawks including a season-high 428 rushing yards which was also second in school history.
HILL PROPELS THE WARRIORS TO VICTORY:
Junior running back Jimon Hill recorded a season-high 165 rushing yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns in the Warriors' 58-7 victory over Saint Anselm. Hill started the day off with a seven yard scoring plunge and then later in the first quarter tacked on a two yard touchdown as he bulled his way to the end zone. Hill sprung free for a 32 yard rushing touchdown at the start of the second quarter to put Merrimack up for good. Hill accumulated all of his stats in the first half of the win on Saturday.
PERRY'S HIGH-SCORING OFFENSE RETURNS:
John Perry's high scoring offense is back at it in 2011 as they are first in the NE-10 and second nationally in total yards per game (553.25). The Warriors are also ranked first in the NE-10 and second nationally in points per game (50.0). The offense is led by junior wide receiver Isaiah Voegeli who is ranked second in the nation in receiving yards per game (142.0), seventh in total receiving yards (568) and tied for third in total receiving touchdowns (7).
VOEGELI BREAKS THE 100 YARD RECEIVING PLATEAU ONCE AGAIN:
Isaiah Voegeli tallied his third 100 yard receiving performance of the young season as he hauled in a season-high seven receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown. Voegeli recorded his seventh receiving touchdown of the season off of a 36 yard scoring strike from Joe Clancy early in the fourth quarter. Voegeli also recorded a 52 yard punt return that set the Warriors up with great field position inside the Hawks 10 yard line.
MARSAN PUTS TWO INSIDE THE ONE:
Justin Marsan led the way for the special teams unit as he pinned the Hawks inside their own one yard line on two seperate occasions. Marsan's first punt inside the one led to a team safety for Merrimack and his second led to a punt and a touchdown.
MERRIMACK SCORES 200th POINT OF SEASON:
The Warriors opened up their conference road slate with a dominant 58-7 victory at Saint Anselm. Merrimack recorded 58 points on the afternoon to bring their season total to 200 points in four games. The 50.0 points per game is tops in the NE-10 for the season. The Warriors have scored 60 or more points two times this season, which makes them the only team in the NE-10 to do so.
SUOZZO THROWS FOR 164 AND RUNS FOR 131:
Quarterback James Suozzo led the way for the Warriors as he recorded a season-high 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. Suozzo broke free and made three defenders miss on a amazing first down run early in the second quarter for 25 yards. He finished the drive with a five yard scoring plunge. Suozzo later bulled his way in for a two yard scoring rush to push his total to five on the young season. Suozzo was also 17-21 throwing the ball for 164 yards.
SPREADING OUT THE WEALTH:
Eight Warriors recorded at least one carry in the 58-7 victory. Jimon Hill led the way with 29 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns while James Suozzo carried the ball 17 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns. Senior cornerback Casey Koperniak tallied his first career touchdown on his first career carry. The eight ball carriers combined for 428 yards on the ground which was good for second most in school history.
LOISEAU LEADS DEFENSE WITH 15 MORE TACKLES:
Senior preseason All-American Shawn Loiseau was all over the field Saturday afternoon as he recorded a season-high 15 tackles and his third consecutive game of 10 plus tackles. Loiseau recorded 1.5 tackles for a loss and recorded a half sack in the dominant 58-7 victory.
DEFENSE SHINES AGAINST SAINT ANSELM:
Merrimack's defense allowed 321 total yards to Saint Anselm on Saturday with most of those yards coming in the second half of the blowout victory for the Warriors. Merrimack caused four turnovers, recorded four sacks and a safety in the 58-7 win. Tony Johnson finished the game with 2.0 sacks and Michael Wiggins chipped in with 1.5 sacks. Ian Weaver recorded two interceptions and Artis Holt recorded a interception and fumble recovery.
VOEGELI SECOND IN COUNTRY IN YARDS PER GAME:
Junior wide receiver Isaiah Voegeli is ranked second in the country in receiving yards per game with 142.0. Voegeli had 135 receiving yards and one touchdowns last week against Saint Anselm and 182 yards and three touchdowns in their previous victory against Pace. Voegeli is also tied for third in the country with seven receiving touchdowns on the season.
LOISEAU INCHES CLOSER TO SCHOOL RECORD:
After setting the all-time school mark for tackles in a season in 2009 and again in 2010, Shawn Loiseau needs 18 tackles to tie the all-time mark of 325 (Jimmy Festa, 1996-99) after getting 15 at Saint Anselm on Saturday. Loiseau has 47 tackles so far in 2011 and needs 95 tackles to match the all-time Northeast-10 mark of 402 (Steve Sheeler, Stonehill, 2000-03).
JOHNSON LEADS NE-10 IN SACKS:
Johnson leads the conference with 6.5 sacks and Merrimack leads the league as a team with 19 sacks. After setting the single-season school record in 2008 as a freshman with 11.5 sacks, which ranked second in the country, Tony Johnson enters the game this week with 35 career sacks, most in school history.
3RD DOWN DEFENSE MUCH IMPROVED:
Merrimack's defense is ranked third in the country in 3rd down efficiency at 20.0. The defense has forced third down 55 times on the young season and have only yielded 11 first downs.
CLANCY CONTINUES STRONG PLAY:
Junior quarterback Joe Clancy took over under center for starter James Suozzo early in the third quarter and the offense didn't lose a beat as Clancy finished the game 4-6 for 57 yards and one touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter Clancy connected with Isaiah Voegeli on a perfectly thrown 36 yard scoring strike to the corner of the end zone. Merrimack scored 28 points in the second half with clancy under center.
DEFENSE LOOKS STOUT SO FAR IN 2011:
The Warriors defense is allowing only 16.5 points per game so far in 2011 through four games. They have caused 12 turnovers, two defensive touchdowns and one safety on the young season. They have also recorded 19 sacks, which is good for first in the NE-10. The defense is ranked sixth nationally in sacks per game with 4.0.
TOUGH AT HOME:
Merrimack has won nine of its last 11 games in front of its home crowd at Martone-Mejail field. The Warriors are averaging 40.7 points per game in their last 11 home contests while holding their opponents to an average of 20.1 points per game.
SUOZZO NEARS NUMEROUS SCHOOL RECORDS:
Already the program's leader for touchdowns in a game, points in a game, pass attempts, yards for a season, and completions for a game and season, James Suozzo is closing in on virtually every quarterback school record. Suozzo needs 12 touchdowns, 1,183 passing yards, 106 completions, and 225 attempts for the school record for a career. He has an outside shot at the career rushing records, needing 195 attempts and 1,103 yards this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS IS KEY TO EARLY SUCCESS:
The Merrimack special teams ranks nationally in a couple of major categories including second in the country in net punting average (39.69) and punt return average (26.67).
STINGY DEFENSE IN THE RED ZONE:
The Merrimack defense has really tightened up once it has been pushed within it's own 20 yard line as they are tied for third in the country in defensive red zone efficiency with a rating of .50. They have allowed four touchdowns and one field goal in ten attempts.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS:
Seniors Shawn Loiseau and Tony Johnson were recognized by multiple sources as preseason All-Americans for the 2011 season. Loiseau set the school record for tackles in a season in 2010.
2011 NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
1. New Haven (6) – 59
2. So. Connecticut (2) – 58
3. Merrimack (1) – 47
4. Bentley – 43
5. American Int'l – 42
6. Assumption – 28
7. Stonehill – 23
8. Saint Anselm – 16
9. Pace – 8
( ) – Denotes first-place votes
THE OPPONENTS:
Team This Week Record/Last Week
WPI vs. Merchant Marine 2-3/Lost to Union 34-31
Edinboro vs. Slippery Rock 4-1/Lost to Indiana (Pa.) 19-0
Pace vs. Assumpion 1-3/Idle
St. Anselm at AIC 0-4/Lost to Merrimack 58-7
Bentley at Merrimack 4-1/Won 28-10 vs. AIC
Assumption at Pace 1-4/Lost to So. Conn. 38-24
Stonehill at Bryant 1-4/Lost to New Haven 52-23
New Haven at So. Connecticut 4-1/Won 52-23 vs. Stonehill
AIC vs. Saint Anselm 3-2/Lost to Bentley 28-10
So. Conn. vs. New Haven 4-1/Won 38-24 at Assumption
Overall: 24-24 overall
LAST MEETING
October 8, 2010, Merrimack 28, Bentley 31
The Merrimack football team nearly pulled off a second-half comeback but fell to Bentley 31-28, Friday night. The Warriors move to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the Northeast-10. The Falcons improve to 2-4 on the year and 2-2 in the league. Bentley's Bryant Johnson capped off a 68-yard opening drive with a four-yard rush into the endzone. The Falcons jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. Bentley added a second touchdown in the closing minutes of the first quarter on an 81-yard drive. Merrimack responded with a score of its own in the second quarter, pulling the score to 14-7. Jimon Hill and Anthony Smalls rushed the ball to the one for Suozzo to punch it in. Merrimack held Bentley out of the end zone on the Falcons' final drive of the game and managed to get the ball back with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Suozzo took the game's final snap and rolled out to the right to buy time for his receivers to get down field. The junior quarterback's pass attempt fell incomplete as time expired. Suozzo accrued 323 yards passing on 23-of-42 passing attempts. He also threw two interceptions in the game. Smalls finished the game with 71 yards rushing on 17 carries while Suozzo ran for 63 yards on 11 attempts. Abelli amassed 94 receiving yards on 10 catches while Mobley hauled in six passes for 82 yards. Smalls and Abelli lead the Warriors in total offense with 145 yards and 134 yards respectively. On the defensive side of the ball, Shawn Loiseau racked up 12 tackles including three for a loss. Josh Henry and Szwelicki each totaled seven tackles for Merrimack.
LAST GAME RECAP - Saint Anselm (Week 4 - 10/1/11)
October 1, 2011, Merrimack 58, Saint Anselm 7
The Merrimack football team pushed their record to 3-1 (2-0 NE-10) with a dominating 58-7 victory on the road at Saint Anselm. The Warriors defense was a presence all afternoon as they caused four turnovers and recorded 8.5 tackles for a loss. The Warriors compiled a total of 649 yards of offense on the afternoon, the second most prolific offensive output in school history. Merrimack started the afternoon out on defense with a solid stand as they forced a punt. On their first offensive drive James Suozzo led the Warriors down the field with a nice 22 yard completion to Omari Mobley. Jimon Hill capped off the opening drive with a seven yard touchdown run to put the Warriors up 7-0 with 9:50 remaining in the opening frame. The lead was extended to 30-0 on a five yard scoring plunge by Suozzo after an interception by Artis Holt. Saint Anselm responded quickly with a 64 yard touchdown reception by Eric Feehan to make the score 30-7. Saint Anselm started off the second half with an onside kick which was recovered by the Warriors at the Hawks 40 yard line. Suozzo ended the drive yet again with a two yard scoring run to push the lead to 37-7. The Warriors defense stood strong in their own end as they forced a 38 yard field goal attempt that was blocked by Jesse Fowler. On the following play Voegeli went up in a crowd and snatched a 38 yard reception which led to a six yard rushing touchdown by freshman Anthony Dicarlo. Casey Koperniak added his first career rushing touchdown to seal the deal for the Warriors who went on to the 58-7 victory. James Suozzo finished the game with 164 passing yards, 131 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Jimon Hill finished the game with 162 yards on the ground on 29 carries and three touchdowns. Isaiah Voegeli continued his hot start with seven receptions for 135 yards and a touchdown. Defensively the Warriors were given a strong performance by their Preseason All-American linebacker Shawn Loiseau who finished the game with a team-high 15 tackles.
WARRIORS ON THE AIR
Merrimack has teamed up with America One Networks to deliver live broadband broadcasts for the second straight season. Warrior games that will be streamed online include all home football, basketball and hockey broadcasts.
