MIT photo by DS Pics; WNEU photo by Bill Sharon, SpartanSportshots

Even those who worship at the altar of Hal Mumme, Sid Gillman and Mouse Davis know there is a place for the running game.

And in the Northeast as October fades into November that running game can become indispensable. Many are of the thought that when the coldest days make throwing and catching a challenge, the ground game grows in importance.

There are certainly teams in this part of the country whose calling card is a ground-and-pound attack and who have blue chip backs and talented offensive lines to move the chains and eat up the clock.

Norwich has one of the best in Al Georgio. He is a small (5-6, 165) but very explosive package. Cadet coach Mark Murnyack says the key is getting him to the second and third level where he is stronger than most linebackers and defensive backs. "Probably pound for pound he is our strongest player," Murnyack said.

The last two weeks he has been piling up the yards. He followed up the 247 yards he gained on 38 carries against Mount Ida with 193 rushing yards in this week's 37-20 win over Becker.

Westfield State coach Pete Kowalski loves his back and it's no wonder. Mike Mercadante is good for a 100-yard game nearly every week and this time it was much more. Mercadante had 228 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in a 32-16 win over Mass. Maritime.

MIT and Western New England have two of the best backs you can find. This week they meet head-on but they are only a subplot, The bigger picture is that WNE and MIT are both undefeated making it a huge game in the New England Football Conference.

MIT's Justin Wallace is another of those guys who punishes defenses by putting 100-yard games in the book just about every week.

Western New England's Kevin Cook has become his school's all-time leading rusher with nearly 3,500 yards. He eclipsed the mark of 3, 401 by Marvin Langley.

When Keith Emery was recruiting Cook he knew he was pretty good. He had no idea how good. Emery went into New Jersey wanting one of Cook's high school classmates more than he wanted Cook.

"We liked both of them but we liked his teammate a little better," Emery said.

Emery's top choice did not come to WNE, but Cook did and he made an immediate impression.

"He came in as a freshman and was impressive immediately," Emery said. "He won the job, beating out an all-conference player and a captain."

Now, as a senior the good times are really rolling for Cook and the Golden Bears who are 6-0 after beating Union.

Cook is not fancy. He believes in getting the job done effectively and quickly.

“I have focused on speed and agility. One cut and I get to the hole," Cook said. "Everyone is fast in college. You can't dance around."

It was WNE from the beginning for Cook. "There really wasn't any other school in the picture as far as football is concerned," the criminal justice major said. "WNE was my top choice the whole time. I took a visit and it was a real short one. They gave me a tour and it felt right."

The chemistry on this team is better than ever, said Cook. "Everyone is close. Everyone is buying in, even the freshmen," he said. "The leadership is great. It's a good group of seniors."

And now the big one is at hand.

"We all know this is a huge game," Cook said. "MIT's offense is similar to our offense."

Both teams can run and throw. Wallace churned out 162 yards in this week's 52-10 lacing of Nichols but MIT quarterback Pete Williams also threw five touchdown passes.

Emery says his quarterback has been the surprise of the season. Tyler Ward has been putting up passing yardage every week to complement Cook and the run game.

"Tyler missed a good chunk of camp," Emery said. Then, the first-string quarterback was out with a stomach ailment against Springfield in the opener. Ward still was not the starter but the plan was for him to get some time against the city rival.

"He came in and made a couple of great plays," Emery said.

And he has been making plays as the starter ever since.

Viencik, Hippert key lancers

Another MASCAC game turned into a classic as Worcester State outscored UMass-Dartmouth. Pat Viencik threw for 376 yards and five touchdowns but teammate Casey Hippert had the numbers that really jump off the page. You rarely see a receiver collecting 243 yards worth of receptions in a game but that is what Hippert had for his 11 catches.

Also in the MASCAC, Mercadante drove the offense for Westfield, but Greg Sheridan was equally important on the defensive side with seven tackles and two interceptions.

Tate Doehler was in the middle of Bridgewater State's shutout. He had eight tackles, including three for a loss, in the 24-0 win over Plymouth.

Now there are two

The NESCAC is down to two undefeated teams as Amherst edged Wesleyan 33-30 in overtime in that battle of unbeaten teams.

Trinity kept pace by raising its record to 5-0 as they rallied for 14 points in the fourth quarter to beat Bowdoin 17-10.

Trinity's Henry Foye had 247 passing yards.

Middlebury rolled past Bates 35-6 as Matt Milano fired four touchdown passes with Matt Minno grabbing two of them.

Tufts went to 3-2 by edging Williams 27-20 as Jack Doll tossed two TD passes.

Colby routed Hamilton 47-14 in the other NESCAC game with Gabe Harrington throwing four scoring passes and Jason Buco picking off two of the Continentals' passes.

Husson stays perfect

The legendary baseball coach John Winkin was involved in a few 12-6 games in his sport. The Husson Eagles edged Gallaudet 12-6 at the Winkin Athletic Complex to stay perfect in league play. Joe Seccareccia threw a TD pass to Ryan Stroud and John Smith ran for the other score as Husson set up a showdown at Castleton against the Spartans who are 2-1 in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference.

Mount Ida pinned that first league loss on Castleton, 26-21 as Melquan Pinkney rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Zach March had 13 tackles and returned an interception 62 yards for the Mustangs who are also 2-1 in the league,

Georgio was the headliner on offense for Norwich, but Matt LeFevre was immense on the other side of the ball for the Cadets. He had 12 tackles and returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown.

SUNY-Maritime rolled past Anna Maria 40-12 as Zack Chilcott rushed for two touchdowns and Chris Klass picked off two passes.

Mariners pick off Bears

Maine Maritime intercepted four passes in beating Coast Guard 13-7,

Salve Regina had everything its way against Curry as the Steven Wilken had three TD passes to lead the Seahawks to a 49-6 victory.

The big games

The biggest of all is at MIT. We don't get that many meetings between unbeaten teams when we get to this stage of the campaign. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. on Saturday. It's going to be tough to wait.

"This is why you play the game," Emery said. "This is for the players and why they play the game."

Emery and MIT coach Chad Martinovich go way back. Emery was on the staff at Johns Hopkins when Martinovich was at Swarthmore.

"He runs a great program. He has done an incredible job of recruiting at MIT. They have a talent base that is phenomenal," Emery said.

Colby visits Bates. Forget the records. This is big to alumni and fans throughout Maine. It is one leg of the fight for the CBB (Colby-Bates-Bowdoin) Trophy.

Gallaudet's long trip to Norwich and Husson's lengthy excursion to Castleton are pivotal games in the ECFC race.

Worcester State's trip to Western Conn. and Bridgewater's contest at Westfield State look like the most tasty items on the MASCAC menu.