Huskies look to tame Wildcats Saturday
Oct. 26, 2009
Boston, Mass.

Northeastern Football 2009

Huskies at New Hampshire
Saturday, Oct. 31
Cowell Stadium (Durham, N.H.)
12 p.m.

• Game notes (PDF)

On the Air:
Huskies Radio, 1550 AM, with Rob Rudnick & Bill Doherty
WRBB Radio, 104.9 FM, with Keith Lavon & Patrick McHugh

On the Web:
UNHWildcats.TV

NORTHEASTERN:
The Northeastern Huskies hit the road for the first time in more than a month as they face off with New Hampshire. This will be the 56th all-time meeting between two teams that are about 70 miles apart. This is Northeastern’s second-longest active series, trailing only its series with Rhode Island. Those two teams will play their 57th game together later this season. NU and UNH have played each other every season since 1962 with the exception of 2003. The Wildcats hold a 40-14-1 advantage over the Huskies, but NU has won eight of the last 13 meetings and two of the last three. Northeastern has struggled in Durham, N.H., with just a 4-23-1 record there, but NU did win in its last visit, 31-13 in 2007. NU is coming off its first victory of the season, a 27-7 rout of Towson at Parsons Field. The Huskies dominated on both offense and defense, rushing for a season-high 233 yards and holding Towson to just eight rushing yards in the game. The defense also intercepted Tigers quarterbacks five times, the most interceptions in a game for NU since having five vs. New Hampshire in 2001. John Griffin led the attack with a career-high 200 rushing yards and a touchdown, NU’s first 200-yard rushing game since Maurice Murray at UNH in 2007. Griffin also set a new program record with 166 rushing yards in the first half alone. He had two long runs in the game, a career-long 70-yarder for a touchdown and a 53-yarder that set up a field goal. Both runs represent the two longest by a Husky this season. Griffin is the first CAA Football player this season to crack the 200-yard plateau and was named CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Even more impressive than Griffin’s running was the defense’s domination of Towson. The Huskies got on the scoreboard thanks to aggressive defense. Kyle Hunte blitzed Towson quarterback Tommy Chroniger, who rushed a screen pass that was intercepted by Mike Lukenda, who took the ball back 20 yards for a touchdown. The defense had four more interceptions in the fourth quarter, two by Darryl Jones, who also had two pass breakups, and one by Jocquez Fears and Mike Laperriere. Hunte also made a big play with a 14-yard sack of Towson quarterback Jeremy Jayne, which took the Tigers out of the redzone and forced a field goal attempt, which Towson missed. That earned the true freshman CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors. The Huskies have now won four straight over Towson and are undefeated against the Tigers at Parsons Field (5-0). Griffin’s big day catapulted him to third in the league in rushing, averaging 75.0 yards a game.

NEW HAMPSHIRE:
New Hampshire comes into today’s matchup with a 6-1 record, 3-1 in CAA Football. The Wildcats once again are challenging for a CAA Football championship and another berth into the NCAA FCS Championship playoffs. UNH has been to the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. New Hampshire has 12 conference championships and has won three North Division titles since the divisional split in 2004. This season so far, UNH has defeated St. Francis, Ball State, Dartmouth, Towson, Villanova and Hofstra with its lone loss coming two weeks ago at Massachusetts. The win over Ball State gave the Wildcats their fifth consecutive victory over an FBS opponent. They have also beaten Rutgers, Northwestern, Marshall and Army in that span. New Hampshire is 21-7 at home since 2004, one of the losses coming to Northeastern in 2007. The Wildcats come into today’s game ranked No. 8 in the Sports Network poll, No. 7 in the FCS Coaches poll. UNH is led by 11th-year head coach Sean McDonnell, who has a 76-51 lifetime record with the Wildcats. His offense ranks fourth in CAA Football in scoring and his defense ranks second in the league in total yards allowed. The offense is led by the dynamic duo of quarterback R.J. Toman and tight end Scott Sicko. Toman has accumulated 1,185 passing yards and seven touchdown passes to go with two TD runs. He is coming off second-team All-CAA Football honors and was the preseason favorite for Offensive Player of the Year this season. Sicko was an All-American last season and a preseason All-American this season. He is on his way to earning more awards as he has a team-leading 29 catches for 411 yards and four touchdowns. The passing offense has accounted for 1,439 yards to the ground game’s 965 yards. The bulk of the hand-offs have gone to Sean Jellison and Chad Kackert. Jellison has 73 carries for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Kackert has 81 carries for 280 yards and four scores. The strong New Hampshire defense has numerous playmakers, including linebacker Sean Ware, who leads the team in tackles with 57. Linebacker Devon Jackson and defensive lineman Kayle Maroney have also dominated with three sacks apiece. Maroney leads the squad with 6.5 tackles for a loss. The secondary is led by Dino Vasso, who has three interceptions and is third on the team in tackles with 47. Terrence Klein leads the team with four picks. On special teams, Tom Manning kicked a New Hampshire-record 54-yard field goal at Hofstra last week. He is second in the CAA in field goal percentage.

Huskies vs. Wildcats: This is the 56th all-time meeting between Northeastern and New Hampshire on the gridiron. This is Northeastern’s second-longest rivalry behind only Rhode Island, whom NU has played 56 times and will play No. 57 later this season. The two teams have met every season since 1962 except for 2003. The two teams even played twice in one season in 1998. The Wildcats have a sizeable 40-14-1 lead in the series, but the Huskies have won eight of the last 13 meetings and the two teams have split the last six meetings. In recent affairs, these have been high-scoring affairs. Both teams have scored at least 21 points in each of the last five contests. NU is averaging 30.7 points against UNH since 2001, and the Wildcats are averaging 26.9 points in the same span. The Huskies have not faired well in Durham, sporting a 4-23-1 record there. However, the Huskies did win in their last appearance there, 31-13. The last two NU wins over UNH have been memorable. In 2007, Maurice Murray rushed 55 times for 206 yards as the Huskies completely dominated New Hampshie. In 2006, the Huskies came away with a 36-35 overtime win when NU went for a two-point conversion and successfully completed a pass. Head coach Rocky Hager is 2-3 all-time against New Hampshire, and Sean McDonnell is 5-4 all-time against the Huskies.

Last Time vs. Tigers: On Oct. 18, 2008, Homecoming Day for Northeastern, the Huskies got out to a 21-3 lead on nationally ranked New Hampshire, but the Wildcats picked up steam in the second half and scored 30 unanswered points to win 33-21. Alex Broomfield got the Huskies the lead with his career-high three touchdowns, all in the first half. UNH had nothing going in the first half, but got a nibble of momentum at the end of the second quarter when the Wildcats got the ball with 24 seconds left and got two big passing plays to get into field goal position, where Tom Bishop connected on a 37-yard try to make it 21-6. From there, the Wildcats produced 222 yards in the second half, and R.J. Toman threw three touchdown passes. The NU offense stalled out, never making it past the UNH 40-yard line in the second half. Broomfield finished with 155 all-purpose yards and Anthony Orio was 28-for-41 passing for 236 yards. Toman was 25-for-36 for 277 yards for New Hampshire.

Last Time Out: The Huskies picked up their first victory of the season with a 27-7 rout of Towsn, thanks in large part to John Griffin’s 200 rushing yards and the defense’s five interceptions. The first interception directly led to seven points. Towson’s Tommy Chroniger was forced to throw by a blitzing Kyle Hunte. The attempted screen pass was picked off by Mike Lukenda, who took it back 20 yards for a touchdown. The Huskies then took advantage of a punt gone wrong when a high snap left Towson punter Bill Shears a sitting duck. He was tackled at the Towson 10, and Elijah Harris scored for NU on the next play. Griffin made it 21-0 in favor of the Huskies with a career-long 70-yard run. He racked up 166 rushing yards in the first half alone, setting a new Northeastern mark. The defense took care of the rest, intercepting Towson four times in the fourth quarter to crush any hopes of a comeback. Darryl Jones had two picks to go with two pass breakups. Jocquez Fears and Mike Laperriere each added interceptions. Kyle Hunte had a big 14-yard sack that led to a missed Towson field goal attempt. In addition to the pass defense’s success, the Huskies held Towson to just eight yards rushing. Mat Johnson scored nine points on the day, including nailing the team’s first two field goals of the season on distances of 32 and 35 yards.

CAA Football Honorees: For their efforts in the 27-7 win over Towson Oct. 24, John Griffin and Kyle Hunte were named CAA Football Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Griffin had 200 rushing yards, a season high in the conference, and Hunte had a 14-yard sack to go with four tackles.

CAA Football Rankings: John Griffin ranks third in rushing (75.0) ypg and Phil Higgins is eighth in tackles (8.4 tpg).

National Rankings: Darryl Jones is tied for 29th in the nation in interceptions, John Griffin is 45th in the country in rushing, Jordan Batts is tied for 40th in the country in receptions per game, and Phil Higgins is tied for 59th in the nation in tackles per game.

A Return for the Ages: Tony Lott’s 76-yard punt return for a touchdown vs. Youngstown State Sept. 19 was Northeastern’s first punt return for a score since Quintin Mitchell had a 63-yard TD return against Rhode Island on Nov. 24, 2001. Lott’s return was also the longest punt return by yards since Andy Alsup’s 86-yard return against Maine on Nov. 11, 2000.

Black Bear Blocks: Each of the Huskies’ last two field goal blocks have come against Maine. In 2009, Jason Vega blocked Jordan Waxman’s 40-yard attempt. In 2008, Erik Lichter blocked Brian Harvey’s 37-yard attempt.

Huskies vs. the FBS: After a 54-0 loss at Boston College, Northeastern is now 2-67 all-time against FBS opponents. The Huskies defeated Connecticut in 2000 and Ohio in 2002. They fell to Boston College in 1999, Navy in 2004, Virginia Tech in 2006, Northwestern in 2007 and Ball State and Syracuse in 2008.

More to Come: The Huskies will continue to play FBS teams in the years to come. They will play Connecticut on Sept. 11, 2010. They are also slated to play Boston College again in 2013.

Tough Schedule: Once again, the Huskies are faced with one of the most difficult schedules in all of Football Championship Subdivision. The Huskies will take on three teams that advanced to last season’s playoffs (Maine, Villanova, New Hampshire), a team that played in a FBS bowl game (Boston College) and another team that came within one game of its conference championship (Holy Cross). Seven of NU’s 11 opponents had winning records last season.

Travel Light: Though the schedule is tough, NU will leave New England just once this season. They have six home games, and four of their five home games are within 100 miles of Boston.

All-Time History: This is the 74th season of Huskies football, and the team has an all-time record of 287-362-17 (.444).

Captains: Senior linebacker Craig Kenney and senior wide receiver Tony Lott will captain the Huskies in the team’s 74th season of competition. Kenney was selected in a team vote held during fall camp in Winchendon, Mass., and Lott was named co-captain on Sept. 3.

Senior Roster: The Northeastern roster breakdown: 27 seniors, 14 juniors, 20 sophomores, 13 redshirt freshmen and 19 true freshmen.

Advocates for Bone Marrow: The Huskies were one of eight CAA Football teams to participate in Villanova head coach Andy Talley’s “Get In the Game and Save a Life” National Bone Marrow Registration campaign. Aided by the efforts of the football team, Northeastern signed up 400 potential donors for the second consecutive year.

Preseason Honors: The Huskies have racked up multiple individual preseason accolades. Leading the way is junior safety Nate Thellen, who was named to the Sports Network and College Sporting News preseason All-America second team. He was also selected to Phil Steele’s preseason All-CAA Football second team and was named Consensus Draft Services preseason All-America honorable mention. Senior linebacker Phil Higgins was named College Sporting News preseason All-America third team and Consensus Draft Services preseason All-America honorable mention. Senior punter Ron Conway was named College Sporting News preseason All-America honorable mention and selected to Phil Steele’s preseason All-CAA Football second team. Senior offensive lineman Kevin Newhall was named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-CAA Football second team. Sophomore linebacker Mike Laperriere was named College Sporting News preseason All-America honorable mention.

Honor Roll: The Huskies return three All-Conference players from last season. Offensive tackle Kevin Newhall, who was third-team All-CAA Football, returns to anchor the offensive line. Third-team defensive back Nate Thellen returns in the secondary, and third-team linebacker Phil Higgins returns to his inside position. In five seasons, head coach Rocky Hager has led 29 players to All-Conference honors.

Academic Honor Roll: The Huskies also return eight members of the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team, including Zack Abrams, David Akinniyi, Ron Conway, Jay Bornstein, Kevin Newhall, Greg Niland, Nate Thellen and Jason Vega. In five seasons, head coach Rocky Hager has mentored 33 players to the Academic All-Conference team.

Up Next: The Huskies face a big challenge next weekend when they travel to Massachusetts to play the Minutemen Saturday at 12 p.m.

PLAYER NOTES

Alex Dulski
Now a Threat: Dulski has proven himself a passing threat after his Sept. 19 game against Youngstown State. In just his second collegiate game, Dulski threw for 208 yards and a touchdown, a 35-yard strike to Greg Abelli. He’s also proven to be an apt scrambler, producing 50 yards on the ground as well.
First Time: Dulski finally made his collegiate debut after three years waiting on the sidelines. He was 4-for-6 passing for 21 yards and had five rushes for 19 yards at Boston College.

Matt Carroll
In the Big Time: Carroll, again starting for an injured Alex Dulski, made a big impression on everyone with 32-of-44 passing for 248 yards and three touchdowns against Holy Cross Oct. 3. His 32 completions rank second all-time in NU single-game history.
First Start: In place of an injured Alex Dulski, Carroll made his first collegiate start on Sept. 12 vs. Maine and completed 15 of 24 passes for 112 yards, but also threw two interceptions.
First Time: Carroll relieved an injured Alex Dulski last week at Boston College and was 4-for-8 passing for 28 yards in his collegiate debut. He also had 10 rushes for 17 yards.

John Griffin
Ripping Off Big Runs: Griffin had a big day carrying the ball against Towson Oct. 24. He rushed for a career-high 200 yards and scored on a 70-yard touchdown run. His 166 first-half yards are the most in NU history and he is the first back with 200+ rushing yards since Maurice Murray at New Hampshire in 2007. Griffin now has CAA Football’s season-high for individual rushing yards.
All-Purpose Pickup: Griffin led the Huskies with 116 all-purpose yards against William & Mary Oct. 10. He had a career-high 75 receiving yards, including a 43-yarder on a screen pass from Matt Carroll.

Tony Lott
A True 76er: Lott had a 76-yard punt return for a TD on Sept. 19 and then had a 76-yard reception for a touchdown on a pass from Matt Carroll against William & Mary Oct. 10.
Taking It All the Way: Lott had an exciting moment in the Youngstown State game Sept. 19. On Northeastern’s first touch of the game, Lott took a Penguins punt back 76 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest punt return of his career.

Jordan Batts
Breaking Records: Batts made a Northeastern-record 13 catches against Holy Cross Oct. 3. It surpassed Cory Parks’ previous mark of 12, set on Oct. 30, 2004. Batts had 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Going Long: Batts made a big impression on the team at Villanova Sept. 26. The true freshman made seven catches for a career-high 92 yards and a touchdown. His TD was a 48-yard pass from Alex Dulski, the longest reception by a Huskies rookie since Tony Lott’s 80-yard touchdown catch at Ricmond in 2006.

Greg Abelli
Making Strides: Abelli had a big game vs. Youngstown State Sept. 19. The junior receiver caught a career-long 35-yard touchdown and finished with a career-high 76 receiving yards.
In Reverse: Abelli scored his first touchdown of the season on a 33-yard reverse run against Maine Sept. 12. For the versatile junior receiver, it was his second career rushing touchdown.

Adhir Ravipati
Career Long: Ravipati had a career-long 34-yard reception vs. Maine on Sept. 12.

Ron Conway
Double Duty: Conway has been an excellent punter for the Huskies over the last two seasons, but look for him to see a bigger role on offense at wide receiver. In his freshman season, Conway had six catches for 74 yards and showed flashes of excellence on the field. He has deep-ball potential.
Going for the record: Conway is currently tied for first all-time at NU in career punting average at 38.7 yards per punt. His 40.3 yards per punt in 2008 was second-best all-time at NU in a single season.

Kevin Newhall
Versatile Athlete: Newhall displayed his athleticism against William & Mary Oct. 10 when he played three different positions on the offensive line. He started at center, the first time he had ever played center at any level, then moved to right tackle and then to right guard to cover for injuries.
Rock Solid: Newhall continues to anchor what is one of the most solid offensive lines in the nation. A two-time All-Conference pick, Newhall has started all 41 games he’s appeared in since joining the team.

Mike Lukenda
The Enforcer: Lukenda forced two fumbles that led to turnovers in NU’s game vs. Maine Sept. 12. His first fumble force led to a touchdown run on the next play by Greg Abelli.

Chad Parham
Successful Switch: Parham moved from linebacker to the defensive line this season, and the move is already paying dividends. He recorded his first career sack on Sept. 12 vs. Maine.

Craig Kenney
Back with a Vengeance: Against Youngstown State Sept. 19, Kenney had his best game since returning from a knee injury. He had nine tackles, a nine-yard sack, a big tackle for a loss on third down and a pass breakup.
The Return: Kenney has returned after not seeing game action since October 2007. He injured his knee against Maine that season and then had to sit out all of 2008 after an injury setback. A hard worker who gives maximum effort, Kenney was named team captain for 2009.

Phil Higgins
On the Nose Again: Higgins once again is in the top 10 in the conference in tackles. He had a 15-tackle effort against William & Mary Oct. 10 and now has a team-high 54.
Top Tackler: Higgins led all of CAA Football and was tied for 18th in the nation in tackles last season with 122, which was fifth-best all-time in NU single-season history. This season he will team with Craig Kenney on the inside to wreak havoc for opposing offenses.

Jason Vega
Tackling the Tribe: Vega tied a career high with eight tackles and added a sack against William & Mary Oct. 10.
On the Block: Vega had a big week vs. Maine on Sept. 12. He blocked a Jordan Waxman field goal attempt just before halftime and then deflected Waxman’s punt in the fourth quarter that caused it to go just 16 yards.

Mike Laperriere
Intercepting Kind of Day: Laperriere made his first career interception against Towson Oct. 24.

Kyle Hunte
Rookie Honors: Hunte was named CAA Football Rookie of the Week after recording a 14-yard sack against Towson Oct. 24. He also contributed towards a touchdown when he blitzed Towson quarterback Tommy Chroniger, who then threw an interception to Mike Lukenda, who returned it 20 yards to the end zone.
Second Impressions: Hunte continues to progress rapidly. In his second collegiate game, he had six tackles and forced a fumble against William & Mary Oct. 10.
First Impressions: In his first collegiate game, Hunte, a Brookline High School graduate, intercepted a Dominic Randolph pass against Holy Cross Oct. 3.

Jocquez Fears
Big Game: Fears came up big in NU’s 27-7 win at Towson. He recorded his second career interception and had a team-high seven tackles.

Nate Thellen
Home Pickin’: Thellen made his first interception of 2009 in the Sept. 19 contest vs. Youngstown State. Of Thellen’s seven career picks, five have come at Parsons Field.
Three Times the Pick: Thellen had a game for the ages last season when he made three interceptions and returned one of them 92 yards for a touchdown in a 27-10 win over UC Davis. The three picks are tied for second-most ever in a Northeastern game.

Darryl Jones
Ripe for the Picking: Jones had a big day against Towson Oct. 24. He intercepted two passes and had three pass breakups.
Leading the Way: Jones led the defense in the Sept. 19 Youngstown State game with a team-high 10 tackles and an interception, his first career pick.

Mat Johnson
Perfect So Far: Johnson kicked two field goals in NU’s 27-7 win over Towson Oct. 24, the first two field goals of the season for the Huskies. Johnson is also perfect on PATs so far, going 13-for-13.

Zack Abrams
Good Job: Abrams is a nominee for the 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, a honor bestowed upon football student-athletes who make outstanding contributions in the areas of volunteerism and civic involvement. Abrams has volunteered his time at schools and hospitals in the Boston area.