Football Hosts Pace in Conference Opener Saturday at 1 p.m.
MERRIMACK FOOTBALL
Game #3 vs. Pace University, Saturday, September 17, 2011, 1 p.m.
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UPDATE
Merrimack opens conference action against Pace University on Saturday.
SERIES
Merrimack is 10-0 lifetime against the Setters. Under John Perry, they have defeated the Setters 31-28, 46-14 and 46-14 over the last three seasons.
MERRIMACK SUFFERS FIRST LOSS AT EDINBORO SATURDAY
Merrimack looks to rebound from a 49-19 defeat at Edinboro. The Warriors surrendered 501 yards to the Scots (but netted 380) and trailed 35-13 at halftime.
MOBLEY SHINES IN DEFEAT
Omari Mobley was one of Merrimack's bright spots in the loss to Edinboro, as the senior receiver had eight receptions for 117 yards.
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 43 tackles to tie the all-time mark of 325 (Jimmy Festa, 1996-99) after getting 12 at Edinboro. Loiseau needs 120 tackles to match the all-time Northeast-10 mark of 402 (Steve Sheeler, Stonehill, 2000-03).
MERRIMACK TALLIES RECORD-BREAKING 60 POINTS ON OPENING NIGHT
The Warriors opened the season with a school-record 60 points in a 60-3 rout of WPI on September 3 in front of 2,146 at Warrior Field. Suprassing the previous school record of 55 points (October, 2007 against Saint Anselm), the Warriors racked up 540 total yards and forced six turnovers.
VOEGELI NAMED NORTHEAST-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Isaiah Voegeli earned his first-ever weekly honor, being named the NE-10 Player of the Week after the WPI win. Voegeli had five catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns.
SUOZZO CONNECTS WITH VOEGELI, FERGUSON IN WPI WIN
Senior quarterback James Suozzo was 15-for-24 with 306 passing yards and four touchdowns. He connected twice on touchdowns with both Isaiah Voegeli and Shane Ferguson. Voegeli totaled 177 yards on five catches and had three touchdowns, while Ferguson had three catches for 51 yards and two scores. All five touchdown passes hauled in by the wide receiver duo traveled at least 15 yards, highlighted by a 57-yard catch by Voegeli in the second quarter.
SPREADING OUT THE WEALTH
Nine receivers had catches in the WPI win, including Ethan Weaver, who had a career-high three catches for 50 yards. Suozzo and Joe Clancy combined for 366 passing yards and five touchdowns.
RUSHING GAME ALSO SOLID
Against WPI, the Warriors were solid both in their passing game and on the ground, racking up 174 rush yards, led by 89 from Jimon Hill. Hill, Suozzo and Quinn McDonough all scored on the ground, with McDonough netting his first career score on a 50-yard touchdown run.
DEFENSE SHINES ON OPENING NIGHT
Merrimack's defense allowed just 215 yards and forced six turnovers in the win. Leading the way was Matt Tripicchio, who returned his first collegiate interception 36 yards for his first career score. Preseason All-American Shawn Loiseau totaled a team-high nine tackles, while Michael Wiggins had seven, three for a loss. Sophomore Vincent Gallo recovered a fumble in the third, the first of his career, while sophomore Jimmy Holland grabbed his first career pick in the first quarter.
NEWCOMERS HAVE AN IMPACT LATE
Playing in their first collegiate game, Carl Brescia forced and recovered his first fumble, while Nick McDaniels picked up his first interception. Chris Unis had two tackles, one for a loss and a sack, while Shaun Reiss (four) and AJ Roberto (three) combined for seven tackles. Offensively, Zach Ingalls had one reception for 16 yards, while Nick Zwaan had five extra points.
TRIO OF CAPTAINS LEADS 2011 SQUAD
Merrimack's 2011 squad is unquestionably led by its trio of captains, linebackers Tony Johnson and Shawn Loiseau and quarterback James Suozzo. All three will arguably go down in school history as the top player at their position.
LOISEAU, JOHNSON PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Loiseau and Johnson were both named preseason All-American by numerous outlets. Loiseau, a first-team selection on three squads, is the only Northeast-10 player on any first team.
FAST START IS KEY
With its three final games against New Haven, AIC, and Southern Connecticut, a fast start is essential if Merrimack hopes to compete for its third-ever NE-10 Championship.
MERRIMACK THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
The Warriors were picked third in the NE-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, behind New Haven and Southern Connecticut. They received one first-place vote and 47 overall.
PERRY'S HIGH-SCORING OFFENSE RETURNS
John Perry will look to lead the conference in scoring, passing offense and total offense for the fourth straight season. In 2010, Merrimack averaged 34.8 points per game, 312.2 passing yards per game, and 461.7 total yards per game, which ranked ninth in the country.
DEFENSE LOOKS FOR IMPROVEMENT
On the defensive side of the ball, Merrimack surrendered 34.7 points per game last season, 7th in the conference and 126th nationally. Led by new defensive coordinator Mike Gennetti, eight defensive starters return looking to dramatically improve on last season's results.
TOUGH AT HOME
Although Merrimack lost its final two home games of 2010, it won seven straight prior.
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 16 touchdowns, 1,506 passing yards, 126 completions, and 253 attempts for the school record for a career. He has an outside shot at the career rushing records, needing 215 attempts and 1,270 yards this season.
OFFENSIVE LINE DOMINANT FOR 3RD STRAIGHT YEAR
Merrimack was tied for second in the league in fewest sacks allowed with 12 last season, ranking in the top-two in the NE-10 for the third straight season.
SACK LEADERS
Merrimack's defense, led by Tony Johnson who had .8 sacks per game, most in the league, was tied for second in the league with 21 sacks last year.
LOISEAU 2ND NATIONALLY IN TACKLES IN 2010
Shawn Loiseau led the NE-10 and was second nationally with 13.3 tackles per game. In the NE-10, Loiseau was tied for first in fumbles forced, was third in tackles for a loss, and was tied for fourth in sacks per game.
MAJOR HONORS FROM 2010
Loiseau was the 2010 NE-10 and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Defensive Player of the Year, while Johnson was the NE-10 Defensive Lineman of the Year. Suozzo and Desjardins earned NE-10 second team honors.
JOHNSON ALREADY ALL-TIME SACK LEADER
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 this year with 28.5 career sacks, most in school history.
THE OPPONENTS:
Team This Week Record/Last Week
WPI @ Becker 0-2/Lost to Worcester St 21-14
Edinboro vs. Cheyney 2-0/Beat Merrimack 49-19
Pace at Merrimack 1-1/Beat Stonehill 23-20 OT
Saint Anselm vs. SCSU 0-1/Idle
Bentley at Stonehill 1-1/Lost to WVA Wesleyan 28-23
Assumption at AIC 1-1/Beat Seton Hill 28-21 OT
Stonehill vs. Bentley 1-1/Lost to Pace 23-20 OT
New Haven at William & Mary 2-0/Beat St. Augustine's 50-14
AIC vs. Assumption 1-1/Lost to Bryant 27-16
So. Connecticut at St. Anselm 1-1/Beat W. Liberty 27-19
Overall: 10-9 overall
LEADER AMONG TACKLES FOR A LOSS
Tony Johnson led the Northeast-10 in tackles for a loss with 1.45 per game in 2010.
FOR OPENERS
Merrimack improved to 10-6 all-time in season openers and 2-2 under John Perry. They are 7-3 all-time in NE-10 openers and 3-0 under Perry.
SCORING STREAK: 106 GAMES AND COUNTING
Merrimack has scored in 106 consecutive games, which is the 20th-longest active streak in Division II. Valdosta St. holds the current record having scored in 232 straight games while Bentley (126) and Southern Connecticut (118) are among the top-20.
CAPTAINS
The Warriors will have three captains for 2011, Shawn Loiseau, Tony Johnson and James Suozzo.
MERRIMACK RANKED 3rd IN NE-10 POLL
Merrimack was ranked third in the 2011 Northeast-10 Coaches' Preseason Poll, finishing with 47 total votes and 1 first-place nod, behind New Haven and Southern Connecticut.
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
LAST MEETING
November 13, 2010, Merrimack 46, Pace 14
In the 2010 season finale, the Merrimack offense racked up a school record 690 total yards while Shawn Loiseau broke his own school record for tackles in a season as the Warriors cruised to a 46-14 victory over Pace. Pace took the early 6-0 lead, but the Warriors rattled off four straight touchdowns and racked up 46 points in two and a half quarters, as James Suozzo passed for a career high 397 yards on 19-of-29 passing and four touchdowns. Isaiah Voegeli also had a career day, catching eight balls for 222 yards, which ranks third in school history. Voegeli caught a pair of third quarter touchdowns, one for 71 yards and another for 67 yards. Loiseau totaled a team-high 10 tackles and added a sack in the victory. The Warrior defense racked up five sacks in all, led by two from Tony Johnson, while picking off three Setter passes, two of them from Michael Jones and Ryan McCarthy. Jimon Hill also had a career day, rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Michael Wheeler chipped in with 66 yards on 10 carries, while Suozzo totaled 33 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
LAST GAME RECAP - EDINBORO (Week 2 - 9/10/11)
September 10, 2011, Edinboro 49, Merrimack 19
The Merrimack football team suffered its first loss of the season in a 49-19 defeat to Edinboro University in non-conference action. The Warriors took the early 7-0 lead as James Suozzo hit Shane Ferguson from 20 yards out for the touchdown 5:29 into the game. But the Scots recovered, and quickly, scoring three times in a 4:06 span, with Cody Harris throwing touchdown passes from 22 and 49 yards. Quinn McDonough netted his second career touchdown in as many games, scoring from 17 yards out to open the second quarter and cutting the deficit to eight at 21-13, but Harris threw two more touchdown passes in the second, a 14 yard pass to David Bostic and a 54 yard pass to Marcus Johnson, giving the hosts the 35-13 lead at halftime. Omari Mobley picked up five catches for 90 yards in the first half, tops among six receivers who had first-half catches for the Warriors. But Suozzo and Joe Clancy combined for three first-half interceptions, which the Scots scored off of two of them. Edinboro took the second-half kickoff and marched down the field in eight plays, capped off with a 19 yard run from Harris. Brian Davis put the game away for the Scotts with a seven-yard rush, capping a 12-play, 87-yard fourth-quarter drive, extending the lead to 49-13. The Warriors added a late touchdown as Jimon Hill rushed into the end zone from one-yard out after Suozzo hit Isaiah Voegeli for a 54-yard completion inside the Edinboro five-yard line. Suozzo passed for 220 yards on 11-of-27 passing, while Clancy finished nine-of-12 for 97 yards. Both quarterbacks threw two picks in the loss. Mobley totaled a game-high eight receptions for 117 yards, while Ethan Weaver had four catches for 56 yards. Voegeli and Ferguson had just two receptions each, while Hill rushed for just 12 yards on six carries, with Suozzo finishing as Merrimack's leading rusher with 28 yards. Harris had 236 passing yards at halftime and finished 21-for-28 for 330 yards and four touchdown passes. Bostic led the Scots with six receptions and 126 yards, while D'Andrea Vaughn (65 yards) and Drew Harrell (55 yards) combined for 120 yards on the ground. All-American Shawn Loiseau led the way defensively with a game-high 12 tackles to go with 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack, while Justin Marsan, Ryan McCarthy and Michael Wiggins each had seven tackles. Jesse Fowler picked up an interception in the third quarter. Merrimack's quarterbacks were sacked seven times, with Keir Jeter getting three sacks, while the Scots had 13 tackles for a loss. The teams combined for 881 total yards, 501 by Edinboro, and 647 combined passing yards, 317 from the Warriors.
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.
