Huskies on the road at UMass Saturday
Nov. 2, 2009
Boston, Mass.

Northeastern Football 2009

Huskies at Massachusetts
Saturday, Nov. 7
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium (Amherst, Mass.)
12 p.m.

• Game notes (PDF)

On the Air:
Huskies Radio, 1550 AM, with Mike Logan & Gavin Potter
WRBB Radio, 104.9 FM, with Andy Towne & Patrick McHugh


NORTHEASTERN:
The Northeastern Huskies look to get back on track this week as they head west to Massachusetts. This will be the 39th all-time meeting between the in-state rivals, and the Minutemen have a 29-8-1 series advantage, winning six straight. NU’s last win over UMass came in 2002, the year the Huskies won the conference championship. NU has particularly had some trouble in Amherst, having not won there since 1958, a span of 14 games. The Huskies are 3-16 all-time at UMass. The Huskies have struggled to put points on the board against the Minutemen on the road. They average 15.6 points against UMass away from Parsons Field and have been blanked five times. The Huskies hope to catch a break this week by playing a Minutemen team that has lost three of its last four. In each of the last four contests between these two teams, Massachusetts has been nationally ranked. This week, the Minutemen fell out of the Top 25 polls. Head coach Rocky Hager looks to break a winless streak vs. UMass. He is 0-for-5 against the Minutemen during his tenure at Northeastern. With three games remaining, the Huskies will try to avoid a third-straight losing season during conference play. NU’s last winning season during conference play came in 2003. The team posted .500 4-4 records in 2004 and 2006. Last week, the Huskies dropped a 48-21 decision to New Hampshire. The game was a tight contest early on, and the score was tied 7-7 after one quarter. The momentum shifted in UNH’s favor on a 3rd-and-11 play when Scott Sicko made a one-handed grab down the right sideline for a 21-yard completion. On the next play, Chad Kackert ran into the end zone from 22 yards out, his second score of the day, to put the Wildcats up 14-7. UNH scored 27 unanswered points to go up 34-7 before the Huskies responded with Jordan Batts’ 28-yard touchdown pass from Matt Carroll. Batts now has an NU rookie record 41 receptions. He is 226 yards away from Dave Klemic’s NU receiving yards record. Carroll was in the game after Alex Dulski suffered a wrist injury. Carroll threw for 110 yards, but also threw an interception. Lloyd Clarke scored his first career touchdown on a two-yard pass from Dulski in the first quarter. John Griffin had 132 rushing yards on 25 carries, including a nine-yard touchdown run late in the contest. The Huskies struggled all day against the UNH rushing attack, which produced 281 yards, 176 by Kackert alone. However, Jason Vega did have a nice day for NU, producing a career-high 2.5 sacks. David Akinniyi added a sack and three tackles for a loss.

MASSACHUSETTS:
The Massachusetts Minutemen come into today’s game struggling, having lost three of their last four contests, including last week’s 19-9 defeat at Maine. UMass cruised past Albany, Stony Brook and Rhode Island and then knocked off a top-five ranked New Hampshire team. However, UMass fell to FBS’ Kansas State and then to Delaware and No. 1 ranked Richmond. The Minutemen will need to win out to have any hope for a playoff bid. UMass also is looking to remain undefeated at home this season. UMass is 22-2 at McGuirk Stadium since the start of the 2006 season. UMass is transitioning this season after losing star quarterback Liam Coen to graduation and losing head coach Don Brown, who became the defensive coordinator at Maryland. Now at the helm is first-year head coach Kevin Morris, who was Brown’s offensive coordinator for nearly 10 years. Morris led the offense at UMass from 2004-08 and was NU’s offensive coordinator under Brown from 2000-03. While at Northeastern, Morris coordinated an offense that led the Atlantic 10 in scoring during the 2002 season, when the Huskies won the conference championship. This season, UMass has run an offense that leans towards the pass. The Minutemen have gained 1,954 yards in the air to 1,042 yards on the ground. Star running back Tony Nelson has missed time this season and has only 407 yards so far. Sophomore Jon Hernandez has fared much better, gaining 476 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. Replacing Coen as the signal caller is junior Kyle Havens, who transferred to UMass from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. After a strong start, including earning CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 20, Havens has struggled mightily. For the season, he has completed 54.3 percent of his passes for 1,633 yards, eight touchdowns and a conference-leading 14 interceptions. Despite the quarterback struggles, UMass does lead CAA Football in passing offense. That is thanks in large part to an outstanding receiving corps, led by Victor Cruz, who has a conference-best 614 receiving yards. He also has four touchdown catches. The UMass defense has multiple impact players. Sophomore linebacker Tyler Holmes has had an oustanding season. He has 87 tackles and four interceptions to go with five pass breakups and 5.0 tackles for a loss. Senior end Michael Hanson leads the team with 8.0 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Also in the discussion are senior Eric Dickson (70 tackles, five pass breakups) and senior Jeromy Miles (46 tackles, two interceptions).

Huskies vs. Minutemen: This is the 39th all-time meeting between Northeastern and Massachusetts on the football field. The Minutemen have a 29-8-1 series advantage and have won six straight in the series. The Huskies’ last win over UMass came in 2002, a 42-17 triumph at Parsons Field. NU has struggled mightily in Amherst. The Huskies have not won there since 1958, a span of 14 contests. NU is 3-16 all-time at UMass. The Huskies have struggled to put points at McGuirk Stadium in recent years. They have scored seven points combined there over the last two games. They have been shutout five times at McGuirk and they average just 15.6 points a game there. Head coach Rocky Hager has yet to beat UMass during his tenure, winless in five tries. This will be Kevin Morris’ first appearance against NU as a head coach, but he is very familiar with the program. He served as UMass offensive coordinator from 2004-08 and was the Huskies’ offensive coordinator under Don Brown from 2000-03.

Last Time vs. Minutemen: On Oct. 11, 2008, the Huskies and Minutemen locked horns and battled until the final minutes, but UMass came out on top 28-24. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Huskies hold a lead four different times. Alex Broomfield started the scoring with a 22-yard TD run in the first, answered by UMass’ Tony Nelson six minutes later. Anthony Orio then launched an 80-yard TD pass to Rob Theoudele to put the Huskies up 14-7. As time expired in the first half, Mat Johnson put NU up again 17-14 with a 37-yard field goal. In the third quarter, UMass went up 21-17, but the Huskies responded with Orio’s eight-yard TD run near the end of the third quarter to go up 24-21. UMass then went back up 28-24 with Liam Coen’s touchdown dash. The Huskies looked to take the game with less than six minutes left, but Orio’s pass to Theoudele over the middle was fumbled and UMass recovered. The Minutemen were on the verge of scoring when Phil Higgins forced Tony Nelson to fumble at the goal line, giving the ball back to NU. The Huskies drove, but were forced into a fourth down situation, which Orio fumbled the snap and gave up the ball. The Minutemen then ran out the clock for the victory. Orio finished that game with 179 passing yards. Broomfield had a career-high 169 rushing yards. Nelson had 175 rushing yards for UMass and Coen had 265 passing yards, 139 of which went to Victor Cruz.

Last Time Out: The Huskies dropped a 48-21 decision to New Hampshire despite holding the potent Wildcats offense to just seven points in the first quarter. With the score knotted at 7-7 in the second, the game changed when Scott Sicko made a one-handed, 21-yard grab down the sideline on 3rd-and-11. On the next play, Chad Kackert scored his second touchdown of the day, putting UNH up 14-7. The Wildcats scored 27 unanswered points to put away the game. The Huskies did salvage some points by scoring twice in the fourth quarter. Matt Carroll, who replaced an injured Alex Dulski, threw a 28-yard TD pass to Jordan Batts, and John Griffin rushed for a nine-yard touchdown. It was too little, too late as Northeastern struggled with UNH’s run game that produced 281 yards, including 176 by Kackert alone. Griffin finished with 132 yards, and Batts had 55 yards on five catches. On defense, Jason Vega had a career-high 2.5 sacks, and David Akinniyi had 3.0 tackles for a loss.

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 (82.1) ypg, Phil Higgins is ninth in tackles (7.9 tpg), Jason Vega is sixth in sacks (4.5) and David Akinniyi is seventh in tackles for a loss (9.5).

National Rankings: Darryl Jones is tied for 42nd in the nation in interceptions, John Griffin is 31st in the country in rushing, Jordan Batts is tied for 44th in the country in receptions per game, Jason Vega is tied for 54th in the nation in sacks and David Akinniyi is tied for 43rd in the country in tackles for a loss.

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 287-363-17 (.443).

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.

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 will host Hofstra in their home finale. It will be Homecoming Day and Senior Day, as the Huskies will honor their 27 departing seniors.

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
A Streak Begins: Griffin had his second consecutive century mark rushing game, gaining 132 yards and scoring a touchdown at New Hampshire Oct. 31.
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
Top Rookie Catcher: With 41 catches, Batts has the most receptions ever by an NU rookie receiver. He had five grabs for 55 yards and a touchdown at New Hampshire Oct. 31.
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 second all-time at NU in career punting average at 38.3 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 42 games he’s appeared in since joining the team.

David Akinniyi
Making Negative Yards: Akinniyi had a season-high three tackles for a loss at New Hampshire Oct. 31, including an 11-yard sack. He leads the team with 9.5 tackles for a total loss of 41 yards.

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 63.
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
Sacking the Wildcat: Vega set a career high with 2.5 sacks against New Hampshire Oct. 31.
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
What a Month: Hunte had his second interception of the season, picking off R.J. Toman at New Hampshire Oct. 31. For the month of October, the true freshman had 17 tackles, two interceptions and a sack.
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 16-for-16.

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.