Previewing the NEC [Archive] - AnyGivenSaturday.com

Lehigh Football Nation

June 10th, 2015, 04:50 PM

I decided to try something different with my "Know Your 2015 Opponents" this season. I made a mini-preview of the NEC and encompassed it with a detailed look at Lehigh's opening-day opponent, Central Connecticut State:

http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.com/2015/06/know-your-2015-opponents-central.html

I think Bryant is the team to beat in the NEC, while CCSU, if they get their act together, could challenge for the NEC title. Rossomando has them pointed in the right direction - will it be enough to compete for the title this year, it's hard to say.

Thoughts?

Go Lehigh TU Owl

June 10th, 2015, 05:12 PM

Doesn't Duquesne have to break through at some point? They always seem to post winning records yet never have anything to show for them....

Lehigh Football Nation

June 10th, 2015, 07:19 PM

Duquesne seems like they've been very close to breaking through, too. Overall the NEC race seems wide open. Again, I think Bryant is the team that's going to emerge from this group.

KPSUL

June 10th, 2015, 09:14 PM

Good preview of CCSU, , they don't seem to be afraid to schedule the tougher opponents from FCS Conferences. In addition to UNH and Lehigh, they've played games with Youngstown State, NDSU, JMU, Stony Brook, Dartmouth and W & M the last 5-6 years. I've expected them to have a break-out year the last few seasons-last year must have been a big disappointment for them. We (UNH) play them in 2015 and they seem to be our most frequent NEC opponent. I find myself pulling for them when they are not playing UNH. I don't see much about the NEC teams, we seem to have relatively few NEC fans posting on AGS. So thanks for the update.

Steve81

June 11th, 2015, 08:57 AM

This seem to be the best place to ask Wagner folks about scheduling UMass. AJerseyGuy says that Wagner is the most likely fcs team to play us at McGurk. Oct 22 would be best for homecoming.

UMass has 11 games on its schedule and few open dates and is looking to finish its schedule with a home game (homecoming) game against an FCS opponent. The most likely opponent right now appears to be Wagner.Right now, here’s what the UMass 2016 schedule looks like:
Sept 3–at Florida
Sept 10 UConn (at Foxborough)
Sept 17–at Boston College
Sept 24–Mississippi State (Foxborough)
Oct. 1–Tulane (Foxborough)
Oct. 8–at Old Dominion
Oct. 15–Louisiana Tech (Foxborough)
Oct. 22–Open
Oct. 29–at Appalachian State
Nov. 5–at Troy
Nov 12–open
Nov. 19–at BYU

Nov. 26–at Hawaii.

http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=12521

blackbeard

June 11th, 2015, 04:01 PM

I see Bryant and Duquesne battling for the title. Bryant was a good team and returns plenty, Duquesne had some of the best young talent in the league last year, returning a very good QB in Buechel and a star WR in King. SHU has to replace a lot of starters on both sides of the ball and a fall back to the middle of the pack wouldn't surprise, but these guys play with an edge.

BTW, SHU sealed the conference last year with a win over Bryant to end their regular season.

Go...gate

June 13th, 2015, 12:19 AM

This seem to be the best place to ask Wagner folks about scheduling UMass. AJerseyGuy says that Wagner is the most likely fcs team to play us at McGurk. The Oct 14 would be best for homecoming.

http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=12521

That is a very tough schedule for UMass.

Lehigh Football Nation

June 13th, 2015, 10:18 AM

That is a very tough schedule for UMass.

After looking it up, Colgate is the only PL school that has an unofficial open date on Oct. 22 for 2016. Lehigh has an unofficial open date on Nov. 12th, however it's a week before the Lafayette game.

One of my ?s about the NEC involves SFPA. Are they for real? It always seems they're on the brink of getting over the hump but then fall back to a 2-9 season or something.

Another ? involves RMU. Last year clearly was rebuilding, but it seems like they are still rebuilding again this year as well.

aceinthehole

June 13th, 2015, 10:30 AM

Go Lehigh TU Owl

June 13th, 2015, 04:49 PM

A few thoughts for the group:

Regarding the CCSU preview. QB SanGiacamo left the team after last season. RS Frosh Tavion Pauldo from Cleveland, OH is likely to be the starter. He missed last season with an injury, but Coach Ross is very high on him. I expect a better record than last season's disappointment, and CCSU might be able to sneak up on a team like Lehigh, but realistically I think the Blue Devils are at least 1 more season away from being a legit playoff (AQ) contender.

CCSU schedules very aggressively for a few reasons, but #1 is the $$$$$. We've collected paychecks from NDSU, JMU, UNH, Youngstown State, Stony Brook, etc. We've also been able to get some home/home deals with PL and Ivy league teams (Lehigh, Lafayette, Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Penn). CCSU is looking to get an FBS team on the schedule starting in 2016 or 2017.

As for the NEC, I think Bryant and the Dukes will be the favorites. SHU has to replace a lot and Wagner could be a dark horse. CCSU should move toward the middle and may could surprise a few teams, but that is being very optimistic.

Since Lehigh is coming off of their worst season in over 20 years I don't believe they'll be snuck up on in the first game of the year. Friday night, under the lights, it should be an interesting game. Both teams will come out with a lot to prove.

All I can say about Lehigh this year is they're absolutely going to be bigger. The emphasis on size in the trenches over the last two recruiting classes has paid off. They'll field a legit D1 DLine. The rumor is they're switching to a 3-3-5 defense as well. How good they'll be is literally a guess. Expectations are always pretty high.....

Is this Lehigh's first Friday game ever? I was at the Buffalo game in 2002. I can't remember if that was a Thursday or Friday. Something makes me think it might have been a Friday too.....

I have no problem with the NEC OOC games. They're opponents you might face in the playoffs and they're geographical peers for the most part with the PL. Some of the stadiums are a little dicey though....

Bill

June 13th, 2015, 06:46 PM

Is this Lehigh's first Friday game ever? I was at the Buffalo game in 2002. I can't remember if that was a Thursday or Friday. Something makes me think it might be have a Friday too.....

I was on the sidelines for the Buffalo game...and it was a Thursday night!

Go Lehigh TU Owl

June 13th, 2015, 06:56 PM

I was on the sidelines for the Buffalo game...and it was a Thursday night!

You are correct. I had to dig up my stub to double check...
https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/q85/p280x280/11401421_992483604117404_5477613536179967925_n.jpg ?oh=cc53404c0a4f407bc11e59b98d71e9f8&oe=55F10115

RichH2

June 13th, 2015, 08:38 PM

You are correct. I had to dig up my stub to double check...
https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtf1/v/t1.0-9/q85/p280x280/11401421_992483604117404_5477613536179967925_n.jpg ?oh=cc53404c0a4f407bc11e59b98d71e9f8&oe=55F10115
Seems we were all there :)

Go Lehigh TU Owl

June 13th, 2015, 09:49 PM

Seems we were all there :)

Michael Buffer, Jet Pack Man and Dustin Diamond. That was the added entertainment iirc. Shields(?) started then struggled, Schwenk came in and Lehigh couldn't be stopped. That was a really fun night....

It's hard to believe that will be 13 years ago.....xembarrassedx I can only imagine the AGS meltdown with a #2 ranked Lehigh. That's where LU climbed to after the win....

The NEC was entering it's 7th season of football then. Quite a bit has changed for the NEC over the last decade. The improvement within the league has been dramatic while the PL has really stayed about the same. The NEC has been able to survive the losses of Monmouth and SBU quite well.

Lehigh Football Nation

June 13th, 2015, 09:58 PM

I didn't go to Buffalo, but I did convince my girlfriend for us to go down to her family's house in Bucks County to watch the game on WFMZ 69. Was a great game in that Lehigh dominated most of it.

Go...gate

June 13th, 2015, 10:57 PM

After looking it up, Colgate is the only PL school that has an unofficial open date on Oct. 22 for 2016. Lehigh has an unofficial open date on Nov. 12th, however it's a week before the Lafayette game.

One of my ?s about the NEC involves SFPA. Are they for real? It always seems they're on the brink of getting over the hump but then fall back to a 2-9 season or something.

Another ? involves RMU. Last year clearly was rebuilding, but it seems like they are still rebuilding again this year as well.

Colgate - UMass would be a very interesting game.

Bill

June 14th, 2015, 12:08 AM

Michael Buffer, Jet Pack Man and Dustin Diamond. That was the added entertainment iirc. Shields(?) started then struggled, Schwenk came in and Lehigh couldn't be stopped. That was a really fun

don't forget about L. Williams' int for a TD. That play saved my job in more ways than one that night!!

Go Lehigh TU Owl

June 14th, 2015, 12:34 AM

don't forget about L. Williams' int for a TD. That play saved my job in more ways than one that night!!

I remember that play! I was actually going to mention it! Lawrence was an absolute beast! I can still picture #2 streaking down the LU sideline....

RichH2

June 14th, 2015, 09:42 AM

don't forget about L. Williams' int for a TD. That play saved my job in more ways than one that night!!
Lost my voice on that run. My W happy that LU scored and very pleased that I could no longer yell.:)

aceinthehole

June 14th, 2015, 10:57 AM

Since Lehigh is coming off of their worst season in over 20 years I don't believe they'll be snuck up on in the first game of the year. Friday night, under the lights, it should be an interesting game. Both teams will come out with a lot to prove.
...
I have no problem with the NEC OOC games. They're opponents you might face in the playoffs and they're geographical peers for the most part with the PL. Some of the stadiums are a little dicey though....

I only meant that coming off an awful season last year, the Blue Devils could still come out and surprise everyone in game 1 again. Towson wound up being a bad team last year, but that still was a good win for a limited scholly CCSU team on the road vs. a full scholly CAA team. Central has knocked of Lehigh before, so I expect there to be a fair amount of respect as an opponent, plus it is a Friday night road game for the Mountain Hawks. However, I would probably place Lehigh as a 8-point favorite going into the game today.

NEC facilities are generally lacking ambiance and any sense of history, but outside of Bryant, everyone in the league has new field turf. Bryant's new plans are very impressive and Wagner has a nice videoboard and a spectacular view of NY Harbor and the Verrananzo Bridge. These aren't the worst places in FCS by any means.

Love to get the fans feedback on Arute Field. It has been refurbished and is still on the smaller side, but I think it compares well with the current New England CAA stadiums. Lehigh fans, should not be too disappointed with a road trip. Speaking of .. for any fans making it to Hard Hittin' New Britain, here are a few recommendations:

- Capitol Lunch (http://www.capitollunch.com)
A local institution has been serving its hot dogs with its famous sauce for more than 80 years.

- East Side Restaurant (http://www.eastsiderestaurant.com)
Traditional German-Bavarian setting and food.

- "Little Poland" (Broad Street, New Britain)
One of the largest Polish neighborhoods in the U.S., check out www.staropolska.net (http://www.staropolska.net) for traditional Polish cuisine

Lehigh Football Nation

June 14th, 2015, 02:50 PM

I only meant that coming off an awful season last year, the Blue Devils could still come out and surprise everyone in game 1 again. Towson wound up being a bad team last year, but that still was a good win for a limited scholly CCSU team on the road vs. a full scholly CAA team. Central has knocked of Lehigh before, so I expect there to be a fair amount of respect as an opponent, plus it is a Friday night road game for the Mountain Hawks. However, I would probably place Lehigh as a 8-point favorite going into the game today.

NEC facilities are generally lacking ambiance and any sense of history, but outside of Bryant, everyone in the league has new field turf. Bryant's new plans are very impressive and Wagner has a nice videoboard and a spectacular view of NY Harbor and the Verrananzo Bridge. These aren't the worst places in FCS by any means.

Love to get the fans feedback on Arute Field. It has been refurbished and is still on the smaller side, but I think it compares well with the current New England CAA stadiums. Lehigh fans, should not be too disappointed with a road trip. Speaking of .. for any fans making it to Hard Hittin' New Britain, here are a few recommendations:

- Capitol Lunch (http://www.capitollunch.com)
A local institution has been serving its hot dogs with its famous sauce for more than 80 years.

- East Side Restaurant (http://www.eastsiderestaurant.com)
Traditional German-Bavarian setting and food.

- "Little Poland" (Broad Street, New Britain)
One of the largest Polish neighborhoods in the U.S., check out www.staropolska.net (http://www.staropolska.net) for traditional Polish cuisine

I may need to bookmark this when I do my official CCSU preview later in the Summer... :)

DFW HOYA

June 14th, 2015, 03:21 PM

It's hard to believe that will be 13 years ago.....xembarrassedx I can only imagine the AGS meltdown with a #2 ranked Lehigh. That's where LU climbed to after the win....

And a year later Colgate was in the final.

So what's changed in the intervening years?

Go...gate

June 14th, 2015, 08:30 PM

And a year later Colgate was in the final.

So what's changed in the intervening years?

Hell, what hasn't changed?

Not trying to be a smart-aleck - but Division I football, in general, is very different now.

Lehigh Football Nation

June 14th, 2015, 09:02 PM

Colgate's run to the championship in 2003 was one of the best stories ever, including their beating of Howard Schnellenberger's Florida Atlantic team larded with scholarship football players that couldn't identify where Colgate was on a map. Beat Buffalo, too, that season.

DFW HOYA

June 15th, 2015, 09:03 AM

Not trying to be a smart-aleck - but Division I football, in general, is very different now.

The point was why the PL in 2015 is not where it was in 2003, scholarships notwithstanding.

Has the level of play dropped from 2002-03 to 2014-15? Probably not.

Has the strength of schedule dropped? A little, but not as much.

Has Eastern football as a whole been downgraded in the eyes of the subdivision? I think so. In an era when it's NDSU and everyone else follows, the dominance the CAA once enjoyed (led by Delaware) isn't there, the brand image that Lehigh and Colgate carried in the national discussion didn't carry to later years, and the voters have all but written off the other eastern conferences. Or, much like the I-A brethren, if you're not in one of the select conferences, there's no room for you at the poll?

Imagine a team in the South or Midwest winning 14 straight and 19 of its last 20 and not being ranked in the 2015 pre-season polls. Well, that's Harvard. And I don't buy the "well, they aren't in the playoffs" excuse not to rank them--a 10-0 SWAC team wouldn't have been left out.

Or maybe the voting bloc has essentially written off private schools in this subdivision. Of the pre-season top 25, 12 have "State" in its name, and ten more are "directional" schools. By contrast, 46 of the 125 I-AA schools are private and just three are ranked.

Lehigh'98

June 15th, 2015, 09:35 AM

Since Lehigh is coming off of their worst season in over 20 years I don't believe they'll be snuck up on in the first game of the year. Friday night, under the lights, it should be an interesting game. Both teams will come out with a lot to prove.

All I can say about Lehigh this year is they're absolutely going to be bigger. The emphasis on size in the trenches over the last two recruiting classes has paid off. They'll field a legit D1 DLine. The rumor is they're switching to a 3-3-5 defense as well. How good they'll be is literally a guess. Expectations are always pretty high.....

Is this Lehigh's first Friday game ever? I was at the Buffalo game in 2002. I can't remember if that was a Thursday or Friday. Something makes me think it might have been a Friday too.....

I have no problem with the NEC OOC games. They're opponents you might face in the playoffs and they're geographical peers for the most part with the PL. Some of the stadiums are a little dicey though....

Lehigh lost another fine offensive assistant coach recently. The last guy who was part of Cecchini's core guys. It's up to Folmar now. Very hard to give the defense any benefit of the doubt after last year. If Lehigh is a -8 favorite in this game as Ace suggest, I would bet against them. Alot of fans are assuming a bounceback season for them, there's a chance things actually get worse. My glasses just don't have much rose tint on them at this point.

Lehigh Football Nation

June 15th, 2015, 10:18 AM

The point was why the PL in 2015 is not where it was in 2003, scholarships notwithstanding.

Has the level of play dropped from 2002-03 to 2014-15? Probably not.

Has the strength of schedule dropped? A little, but not as much.

Has Eastern football as a whole been downgraded in the eyes of the subdivision? I think so. In an era when it's NDSU and everyone else follows, the dominance the CAA once enjoyed (led by Delaware) isn't there, the brand image that Lehigh and Colgate carried in the national discussion didn't carry to later years, and the voters have all but written off the other eastern conferences. Or, much like the I-A brethren, if you're not in one of the select conferences, there's no room for you at the poll?

Imagine a team in the South or Midwest winning 14 straight and 19 of its last 20 and not being ranked in the 2015 pre-season polls. Well, that's Harvard. And I don't buy the "well, they aren't in the playoffs" excuse not to rank them--a 10-0 SWAC team wouldn't have been left out.

Or maybe the voting bloc has essentially written off private schools in this subdivision. Of the pre-season top 25, 12 have "State" in its name, and ten more are "directional" schools. By contrast, 46 of the 125 I-AA schools are private and just three are ranked.

It seems like regions are defined by their best team, no matter whomever else if in their region (or even their conference). What is a little strange is that the CAA hasn't exactly dropped all that far from before but they're perceived to have dropped so much, maybe because Delaware hasn't been competing for championships. UNH's been to the playoffs I think a mind-boggling eleven straight times, Villanova and UNH made deep runs in the playoffs last year, Towson was just in the finals not that long ago, and yet somehow the East is seen as chopped liver. I did not check but I'm fairly sure the CAA has the longest unbroken run of FCS semifinalist teams ever.

In fact, I'd say the CAA is being punished simply because they haven't had FCS national champions, even though as a league overall they've had more success overall than the MVFC and certainly more than the SoCon.

RichH2

June 15th, 2015, 11:52 AM

Lehigh lost another fine offensive assistant coach recently. The last guy who was part of Cecchini's core guys. It's up to Folmar now. Very hard to give the defense any benefit of the doubt after last year. If Lehigh is a -8 favorite in this game as Ace suggest, I would bet against them. Alot of fans are assuming a bounceback season for them, there's a chance things actually get worse. My glasses just don't have much rose tint on them at this point.
Not quite as sanguine '98. Last year was a perfect storm of bad.
Almost entirely new staff on both sides.
O. So many injuries very hard to rate Folmar. Not impressed with his job so far but much of that may be those injuries particularly on OL and QB. O was not terrible at all,just not good enough to overcome a D that was just atrocious. Got to remember tho D not good the prior two years either. The same problem,a bunch of DEs and no space eaters. Poor recruiting. Botts has addressed that with last two classes. New D will help IMO once guys learn system. Enough?? We'll see.
The upcoming season realistically is an enigma. My hope ,for 3rd yr in a row,is a winnig season and beating Pards

RichH2

June 15th, 2015, 02:20 PM

One caveat for the future. Not likely we can replace Coach Sawyer with as good an OL coach. Think OL will be OK this year. The big loss IMO,is his recruiting. Our coordinator and best recruiter. Wish him the best of luck in the private sector.

centennial

June 15th, 2015, 02:39 PM

It seems like regions are defined by their best team, no matter whomever else if in their region (or even their conference). What is a little strange is that the CAA hasn't exactly dropped all that far from before but they're perceived to have dropped so much, maybe because Delaware hasn't been competing for championships. UNH's been to the playoffs I think a mind-boggling eleven straight times, Villanova and UNH made deep runs in the playoffs last year, Towson was just in the finals not that long ago, and yet somehow the East is seen as chopped liver. I did not check but I'm fairly sure the CAA has the longest unbroken run of FCS semifinalist teams ever.

In fact, I'd say the CAA is being punished simply because they haven't had FCS national champions, even though as a league overall they've had more success overall than the MVFC and certainly more than the SoCon.

That's a slippery slope. I think the mid-western FCS teams have increased the level of football, while the eastern FCS has declined, though not significantly. Historically CAA is the best league but that hasn't been the case for half a decade. I think that is enough time for opinions to change. I would also argue that the CAA rode it's laurels long enough, it's time to show results again. The problem with Harvard is that they aren't playing a lot of ranked FCS teams so it's hard to judge them.
2014
MISSOURI VALLEY (AA)= 64.12

COLONIAL (AA)= 48.11

2013

MISSOURI VALLEY (AA)= 59.31

COLONIAL (AA)= 57.35

2012

MISSOURI VALLEY (AA)= 61.53

COLONIAL (AA)= 50.48

2011

MISSOURI VALLEY (AA)= 58.43

COLONIAL (AA)= 54.89

blackbeard

June 15th, 2015, 06:10 PM

NEC facilities are generally lacking ambiance and any sense of history, but outside of Bryant, everyone in the league has new field turf. Bryant's new plans are very impressive and Wagner has a nice videoboard and a spectacular view of NY Harbor and the Verrananzo Bridge. These aren't the worst places in FCS by any means.

Love to get the fans feedback on Arute Field. It has been refurbished and is still on the smaller side, but I think it compares well with the current New England CAA stadiums. Lehigh fans, should not be too disappointed with a road trip. Speaking of .. for any fans making it to Hard Hittin' New Britain, here are a few recommendations:

Love Arute field and the stadium renovation! Visited in 2011 and in 2014. Still under construction in 2011, but last year I was very impressed with the outcome. Great tailgate atmosphere also although last year the CCSU crowd was pretty slim despite a pretty nice weather day. I think they stayed home with the Devils out of contention for the conference.

Go Green

June 15th, 2015, 08:21 PM

Imagine a team in the South or Midwest winning 14 straight and 19 of its last 20 and not being ranked in the 2015 pre-season polls. Well, that's Harvard. And I don't buy the "well, they aren't in the playoffs" excuse not to rank them--a 10-0 SWAC team wouldn't have been left out.

Harvard doesn't help its cause by playing what is widely perceived to be a substandard nonconference schedule.

Nova09

June 16th, 2015, 10:09 AM

The rumor is they're switching to a 3-3-5 defense as well.

I always knew you Lehigh folk could learn a thing or two if you would just be open to trying.

Now Fran's a different story, he'll never change and we'd never want him to. Although he did shave his mustache to motivate Christmas to graduate or some bizarre rationale like that.

Lehigh'98

June 16th, 2015, 05:30 PM

Not quite as sanguine '98. Last year was a perfect storm of bad.
Almost entirely new staff on both sides.
O. So many injuries very hard to rate Folmar. Not impressed with his job so far but much of that may be those injuries particularly on OL and QB. O was not terrible at all,just not good enough to overcome a D that was just atrocious. Got to remember tho D not good the prior two years either. The same problem,a bunch of DEs and no space eaters. Poor recruiting. Botts has addressed that with last two classes. New D will help IMO once guys learn system. Enough?? We'll see.
The upcoming season realistically is an enigma. My hope ,for 3rd yr in a row,is a winnig season and beating Pards

The CCSU game will be very telling, imo. I know teams change alot throughout the year, but getting a win out of the box would make a world of difference for Coach Coen.