A look back at the week that was around the college football landscape.
-THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT! THEY BEAT A TEAM THAT IS A BOWL SUBDIVISION TEAM! The Boston College Eagles proved they COULD beat a team that wasn’t UMass with a 28-17 win over Maryland. Granted, the Terps aren’t exactly the world’s greatest football team, but for Boston College fans, it was a breath of fresh air during a season where they began turning prematurely gray-haired when they lost to Duke. Rolandan “Deuce” Finch ran for 243 yards on 39 carries as head coach Frank Spaziani took the reigns of his offense away from Chase Rettig. Finch put the ball on the ground a few times, but he scored two touchdowns in leading the Eagles in a sleety, rainy, snowy mess.
-As for Rettig, he attempted just 12 passes, due in no small part to the weather. Having struggled for much of the season with the Eagles’ offense (which isn’t exactly the greatest scheme on the planet to begin with), the weather dictated that Boston College would morph into the 1970s-era Oklahoma Sooners, running nearly every single play with running backs, wide receivers, and whoever else could get their hands on the ball. That also shortened the game and kept Maryland’s offense off the field, as the Eagles dominated time of possession with 36 minutes to just under 24.
BC ran Deuce...then ran him again...then ran him again...then ran him ag--you get the idea.
-Danny O’Brien attempted 35 passes and completed 14 in a situation that made sense to absolutely nobody, especially where David Meggett (son of the former Patriot and Giant running back) averaged under six yards a carry. But Maryland also spent most of the game behind, dictating that they throw the ball because their defense couldn’t stop Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey.
-Brown University recorded its second consecutive home shutout with a 6-0 win over Penn. Alex Norocea kicked two field goals (39 and 42 yards) as neither offense really got going. Kyle Newhall-Caballero did throw for 140 yards, but the Quaker offense barely got any yardage as Billy Ragone went just 6-for-15 with 32 yards passing (and three picks). For Brown, it’s the first time they’ve recorded back-to-back home shutouts since the Woodrow Wilson administration (we think), and we’re pretty sure there is no recorded paper statement to back us up or prove us wrong when we say that.
-But Brown was outshone by the Harvard Crimson, who continue to roll towards the Ivy League title. Penn, Brown, and Yale are all now 3-1 in the Ivy League with the Elis 16-13 win over hapless Columbia at Wien Stadium. Harvard remains undefeated in Ancient Eight play with a 41-10 win over the Dartmouth Big Green at Harvard Stadium. The Crimson, who dropped at least 41 points in four consecutive games in wins over Cornell, non-league opponent Bucknell, Princeton, and now Dartmouth, still have to play Penn and Yale down the stretch. Assuming they beat winless Columbia next week in New York, it’ll be a four team race for the Ivy title. Brown essentially needs to beat Yale next, hope Penn lost to either Princeton or Cornell, and hope both Penn and Yale beat Harvard in order to win the Ivy title outright. We’re not diving into what Yale and Penn need, since they both play Harvard.
-In the end, let’s just say the Ivy League Championship will be decided in the last two weeks of the season when Harvard hosts Penn and then travels to Yale for The Game.
-Last point on the Ivy race. Harvard really has the scheduling gods on their side. They play Brown on a Friday night at home and win because Newhall-Caballero throws a couple of picks. They also get to play Penn, the other big Ivy League rival, at home, and not at historic Franklin Field. The conference games they do play on the road are against Cornell, who isn’t that great, and Columbia, who’s terrible. Of the teams challenging them, the only one they play on the road is Yale. But The Game is so big that it draws alumni from both teams and is widely recognized to have equal parts support at times. Here’s to hoping the Yale Bowl resembles more blue than crimson for the veritas to hurt a little bit.
-Bentley outgained Pace, 326-51, in the first half(!!) in a snow-covered game down out in Pleasantville, New York. Bryant Johnson threw three touchdowns and Bobby Tarr had 101 yards. The Falcons had a 28-0 lead at halftime and never looked back, winning by the same score. Johnson’s three touchdowns came on just seven completions, going 7-for-10 for 156 yards. Meanwhile, the Setters failed to muster 100 yards on the day, passing for a net of 46 and rushing for a net of 36. It was an ugly display on an ugly day, one Pace surely hopes to forget and one Bentley was glad to get out of with the win. The Falcons ended a three-game losing streak and host Assumption College in their final game on Saturday.
-The 8-1 New Haven Chargers have a chance to wrap up at least a share of the Northeast-10 championship next weekend when they host Pace. The Chargers defeated Merrimack on Saturday, 44-35, to pull within one game of the championship they failed to win outright last year. UNH actually trailed, 28-24, at halftime to Merrimack, after James Suozzoran for two touchdowns and threw another one to Isaiah Voegeli to the tune of 40 yards. But Jason Thompsontook a six yard touchdown pass from Ryan Osiecki with eight ticks left in the first half to give the Chargers momentum. Still, the Warriors held them off through the third when Artis Holt ran the opening kickoff of the second half back 81 yards for paydirt. But two Mike DeCaro touchdowns in the fourth quarter allowed the Chargers to squeak by and escape North Andover with their perfect NE-10 season intact.
-Assuming they handle Pace (and there’s no reason to think otherwise), it sets up a grudge match in New Hampshire against St. Anselm on November 12th for the NE-10 championship. St. A’s is 1-5 in NE-10 play and 1-7 overall, so arguably the favor is in New Haven’s court. But football’s a tricky sport, and all the Chargers had to do last year was win the last game of the season…and they lost. So don’t hold out hope if you’re a Southern Connecticut fan, sitting pretty at 7-2 overall and 6-1 in NE-10 play with a bye week this week and a November 12th season finale on tap at home against Merrimack.
-UMass-Dartmouth forced 10 turnovers and scored three defensive touchdowns to dominate the Curry College Colonels, 33-7, on the road at Walter Katz Stadium on Saturday. The Corsairs, who improved to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in New England Football Conference play have just a home game on Saturday against WNEC remaining. The Corsairs, who lost to Endicott College in their grudge match last week, will be facing a team that upset Endicott and ruined the Gulls’ perfect season with a 40-37 win.
-For Endicott, the loss knocked them out of the top slot in the Boyd Division, ceding the position to WNEC. A UMD win, coupled with an Endicott win, creates a tie. WNEC wins the division anyways, having wrapped it up by virtue of the head-to-head, but at least it’s nice to say that the Corsairs have a chance to cost WNEC a perfect season in conference play.
-The Golden Bears will play the Framingham State Rams in the NEFC Championship. The Rams own the best record in the Bogan Division with a perfect 6-0 record, a full two games up on both Bridgewater State and Worcester State. The two teams will meet on November 12th in Springfield with league supremacy and a trip to the Division III tournament on the line.
October 31, 2011
NCAA Football