Football Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of NE-10 Championship Team Saturday vs. New Haven
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College football team will look to secure its first victory in nearly a month against the University of New Haven on Saturday afternoon at Martone-Mejail Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The day will also double as a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the 2006 football team, which won the Northeast-10 Conference title for the first time in school history a decade ago; alumni from that fateful squad in attendance will be honored during a special halftime celebration, as well as other events throughout the weekend.
Inside the Series
- Merrimack and New Haven are meeting only for the seventh time after the Chargers joined the league in 2009.
- Merrimack won the first meeting that fall (48-20) at home, but lost five straight before posting an upset win on the road last October for the program's first-ever win at DellaCamera Stadium.
- Trailing by three points in the second half, the Merrimack defense came up with two takeaways before eventually scoring late in the fourth quarter on a Nick Davis-to-Jere Brown touchdown pass-and-catch. New Haven had a chance to tie or take the lead on its last possession of the game, but the defense came through again to force a turnover on downs to clinch the win.
- Overall, the Warriors own a 2-5 all-time mark the Chargers, with a 1-2 record on the road and a 1-3 record at home.
Last Time Out:
- Merrimack scored on its first possession of the game but host Stonehill scored the next 31 points, as the Warriors dropped a 31-6 decision against the Skyhawks last Saturday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium.
- Senior quarterback Nick Davis connected with first-year sophomore Brenton Martin for a 29-yard gain to move into the red zone before Davis took it in himself for the opening score on the Warriors' first drive of the game.
- Stonehill, however, scored late in the first quarter to take a lead it would never relinquish; the Skyhawks added a field goal and another touchdown in the second quarter to open up a 17-6 halftime advantage, and then found the end zone again in the third and fourth quarter, respectively, to settle for the final margin of defeat.
- Merrimack was held to only 147 yards of total offense in defeat, including only 41 total rushing yards, while senior Josh Hill led the way defensively with a career-high 11 tackles (4 solo) while contributing a sack.
A Merrimack Win Would:
- Account for Merrimack's third win all-time against New Haven and first at home since the 2009 season.
- Even Merrimack's October record at 1-1 while moving its conference record to 2-3.
'Mack Facts:
- Senior Josh Hill is the NE-10's leader in sacks with five, while the Warriors as a team sit tied for second in the conference with nine sacks.
- Defensively, Merrimack ranks sixth in the NE-10 in terms of yards allowed per game (371.8) but owns the league's third-best passing defense (176.0) but just the ninth-best rushing defense (195.8).
- Merrimack has lost just one fumble on the year, good for sixth nationally.
- Also at the conference level, the Warriors rank seventh in total offense (334.4) and eighth scoring offense (17.4).
Scouting the Chargers:
- After losing its first two games of the year – including a three-point heartbreaker on the road at perennial PSAC power Slippery Rock and a 43-20 loss at home against undefeated LIU Post – New Haven has won the last three by at least two possessions and sits in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings.
- Dual-threat senior quarterback Ajee Patterson ranks second in the league leaderboards in passing yards per game (258.2), passing touchdowns (13) and rushing yards per game (89.4) while ranking tied for first in rushing touchdowns (6).
- Classmates Ty Headen and Rishawn Harris have been two of Patterson's favorite targets, as the two rank second and fourth, respectively, in the league in receiving touchdowns; Headen also ranks second in averaging receiving yards per game (92.6).
- Senior linebacker Tyler Condit has become one of the all-time great defensive players in league history and leads the conference with 10.4 tackles per game (52 total); four different Chargers have recorded an interception, as well.
- As a team, New Haven ranks second in the conference in scoring (37.2) and total offense (439.4), while defensively the team ranks fifth in points allowed (27.2) and eighth in yards allowed (401.4).
Up Next
Merrimack will hit the road and head to Pace University a week from Saturday (Oct. 15) for a 12 p.m. kickoff.
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