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| Leondre Simmon and St. Lawrence have a chance to challenge for the Liberty League title. St. Lawrence athletics photo by Tara Freeman |
Greetings! Welcome to the first edition of the Around the East. This is the first season that I will be writing this column which covers the goings on in the Empire Eight, Liberty League, Middle Atlantic Conference and New Jersey Athletic Conference.
I spent four seasons (2008-2011) writing the Around the South, covering the mostly the American Southwest and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, so I’ll try to shake off the rust.
There have been some major changes to both the NJAC and E8 and given the quality and depth of all four conferences I am finding it difficult to limit myself to only ten. Heck, there are five games in the region that I want to see this weekend alone.
So first, let’s take a look at all the top nonconference games, most of which occur within the next couple weeks, and then discuss the games that could possibly determine the conference championships as October and November roll around. Hopefully, this will generate discussion. The Liberty League and Empire Eight post boards already produce a tremendous amount on Post Patterns. You can also find some great opinions from the MAC and NJAC posters. Here we go:
Best nonconference matchups
Salisbury (NJAC) at Albright (MAC), Sept. 4: These two faced off last November in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl, a 48-27 victory for the Sea Gulls. Despite winning traditions, neither is considered the front runner in their conference race. Albright returns an experienced receiving corps, but will be young in front of quarterback Mike Knight, a redshirt freshman. A win here could give the Lions a boost into their next games against MAC powers Widener and Lycoming. Salisbury has eight starters back on their triple option offense.
St. Lawrence (LL) at Morrisville State (E8) Sept. 4: Many feel that the Saints are ready to challenge Hobart for the LL title because of the nine starters returning on both sides of the ball and a close loss to the Statesmen a year ago. Morrisville enters its first season in the E8 coming off a share of the NJAC title but loses a difference-maker in quarterback Lemar Johnson to graduation. Returning 10 starters on defense could soften that blow for the Mustangs.
St. John Fisher (E8) at Thomas More (PAC) Sept. 5: A matchup of two of the best teams that stayed home at playoff time last season (though the Cards did win an ECAC bowl game). Fisher must replace quarterback Tyler Fenti but running backs Tony Fusco and James Chambers combined to rush for over 1,700 yards a year ago. A veteran receiving corps also returns. They’ll face a stiff challenge in the Saints who return eight starters on an offense that ranked third in D-III last year but do lose All-American running back Dominique Hayden.
Rowan (NJAC) at Widener (MAC) Sept. 5: The Profs return seven starters on a defense that ranked among the best in the nation (16th) during last year’s shared NJAC title. They feature one of the top running backs around in Withler Marcelin. If Rowan gets more production at quarterback this season, they’ll be tough for anyone to beat. Widener benefitted from a slew of turnovers in last year’s 19-7 win over the Profs. Junior quarterback Seth Klein returns is his third season as the starter for the Pride without graduated All-American receiver Anthony Davis. End Stacy Sunnerville and defensive back Sean Titus are proven playmakers on the Widener defense.
Montclair State (NJAC) at Delaware Valley (MAC) Sept. 5: I know, the Aggies return only two starters on offense and lose some of the most productive players in the school’s history. But this program has been too good, for too long for me to think that they won’t in the thick of the MAC race. They’ll be tested by a Red Hawk squad that returns eight starters on both sides of the ball. If MSU is going to stay atop the NJAC, they must be more productive on offense. They ranked 207th in 2014.
Hobart (LL) at Ithaca (E8) Sept. 19: A bragging rights game, as the last year’s champions of the E8 and LL square off. This is Hobart’s most challenging nonconference game since they beat St. John Fisher back in 2011. Both teams are breaking new quarterbacks but return key parts on stout defenses.
RPI (LL) at MIT (NEFC) Sept. 19: A battle between Engineers. The Liberty League variety will already have played Alfred, but a win over a team that reached the second round of the playoffs last season could give us clues as to whether they are ready to move from the middle of the LL pack. RPI comes off an ECAC bowl appearance with nine starters back on offense. Jeff Avery returns from injury at quarterback for a unit that finished second in total offense in the LL a year ago.
Wesley (NJAC) at North Central (CCIW) Sept. 26: Two historically top-ten caliber teams square off. The winner could be looking at a high playoff seed. The loser, if competitive, has a good case for an at large bid even if it should stumble once during conference play. This is a game you hope lives up to its billing.
Liberty League game to watch
Springfield at Rochester, Sept. 26: Both these teams a hoping to rise from the middle of the pack in the Liberty League. The Yellow Jackets may have the best chance as they return 11 starters on offense, including conference rookie of the year Dan Bronson at quarterback and 10 on defense. The Pride have 11 starters back on defense including All-East linebacker Max Nacewicz and senior quarterback Tom O’Brien, who will step in as a starter for the first time.
St. Lawrence at Hobart, Nov. 7: The Statesmen score in the final minute last year to eke out a 29-27 and haven’t lost a LL game since 2011. With the loss of NFL-bound tackle Ali Marpet and Tyre Coleman on the defensive line, it will be interesting to see if they can continue that dominance. At any rate, the winner likely takes home the LL title.
Empire Eight games to watch
Morrisville St. at Utica, Sept. 19: These two combined for 93 points the ECAC North Central Bowl game won by the Mustangs. The Pioneers are experienced at receiver but breaking a new quarterback and running back. There are so many solid teams in the E8, these two are the dark-horses in a league that could just beat the heck out of each other. It’s going to be really interesting to see who steps up.
Brockport St. at St. John Fisher, and Alfred at Ithaca, Sept. 26: Brockport and Alfred are dark horses themselves. If either is going to make a statement in the conference race this will be the week. Saxon QB Tyler Johnson is one of the top dual threats in the east. Though they return just eight seniors, the Golden Eagles return 16 starters, including eight on defense and workhorse running back Dan Andrews. Beating Fisher or Ithaca could turn some heads.
Cortland St. at Buffalo St, Oct. 10: The Bengals will have already played Alfred, Morrisville St. and St. John Fisher by this point. If they can go 2-1 over that stretch they’ll still be in the running for the E8 title coming into this game. The Red Dragons could be at least 2-1 depending on how they fair against St. John Fisher in September. The winner stays alive.
St John Fisher at Ithaca, Oct. 31: Our kickoff preview says the winner of this one will likely take home the automatic bid and E8 title, but I have a funny feeling it’s going to be a whole lot more complicated than that. Could we see it come down to a tiebreaker on Nov. 14?
Ithaca at Cortland State, Nov. 14: You just can’t leave this game off any games to watch list---it’s for the Cortaca Jug and one the best rivalries on the D-III level. This year, it could send one of them to the playoffs by determining the E8 title. Cortland is enjoying five-game win streak over the Bombers.
MAC games to watch
Lycoming at Stevenson, Sept. 12: The Warriors will have a new quarterback and return just nine starters in all from a year ago. All-East rusher Craig Needhammer has graduated, though Blake Bowman showed promise in a backup role. Now he’ll have to be the man. All-region receiver Ryan Umpleby will be counted on heavily. The Mustangs are riding high after winning an ECAC bowl and posting an eight-win season, the program’s first winning season. They return 1,000-yard rusher Trey Lee and veterans at quarterback and receiver. Are they ready to challenge the MAC big boys? We’ll find out this week.
Stevenson at Delaware Valley, Oct. 10: The winner stays in the hunt. The loser is probably looking at a trip to an ECAC Bowl game. The Aggies have outscored Stevenson 168-60 in the last four meetings but as previously mentioned lost quite a from last season’s high-scoring unit.
Widener at Stevenson, Oct. 24: This could be the game that determines the MAC champion. The experience of Klein may give the Pride the edge. Only a junior, he enters his third season as a starter.
Lycoming at Widener, Oct. 31: Over the years, this game has featured some crazy finishes. Widener has won three of the last four meetings.
NJAC games to watch
Salisbury at Montclair State, Sept. 19: Who will challenge Wesley for the NJAC? We could find out after this early-season matchup.
Christopher Newport at Wesley, Sept. 19: The Captains, who won a playoff game last year, will travel to Dover. RB Daquan Davis is a dual threat out of the backfield that could give a Wolverine defense that has a lot of new faces this season problems.
Montclair State at Rowan, Sept. 26: Look for a hard-hitting, physical affair to be played between two of the NJAC’s best defenses. Special teams and turnovers could determine a tight game low-scoring game. Winner gets a shot at Wesley within the next two weeks.
Rowan at Wesley Oct. 24: The Profs will need to pressure Wesley QB Joe Callahan, something they’ve had success with over the past two years. But unless they get some punch more from the offense, it may be hard to slow down one D-III’s best signal callers. Last season Profs didn’t get a first down until the third quarter.
Wesley at Montclair State, Oct. 31: The Hawks lead the all-time series 3-1 but the teams haven’t met since the 2010 playoffs, a 44-7 Wesley win in the second round. This game could determine the NJAC title but while Wesley is the clear favorite entering the season, Salisbury, Montclair State, CNU and Rowan are all capable of giving the Wolverines a loss. Of the four challengers, the Hawks may have an edge with Salisbury, Christopher Newport and Wesley all at home.
Contact
Feel free to send me your comments at jason.bowen@d3sports.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. (Both @d3jason.)
