Game Notes as a PDF

A BRIEF HOMESTAND CONCLUDES
The second and final game of a brief two-game homestand takes place on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Southern Connecticut State University football team welcomes St. Anselm to Jess Dow Field. The Owls have won three in a row heading into the contest. There will be a variety of events in conjunction with the game, including Take A Kid To The Game Day, Faculty Appreciation Day and the CHET College Kickoff, an event for youngsters in grades K-6. Fans can catch all of the action live at www.sportingnewsct.com. The pre-game show with Don Boyle begins at 12:30 p.m. The SCSU athletic department will also be hosting a food and personal care item drive for the Connecticut Food Bank. Fans attending the game can drop off items at Jess Dow Field on Saturday.

OWLS MOVE UP IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
After checking in at No. 10 in the first NCAA super regional rankings of the year, the Owls have moved up one spot to No. 9 in this week's Super Region One rankings. The rankings are used to eventually determine participants in the NCAA playoffs. Last year, the Owls were No. 12 in the first rankings before eventually playing their way into the post-season. The top six teams from each region qualify for the NCAA's.

SCSU DEBUTS IN ECAC LAMBERT MEADOWLANDS POLL
SCSU is ranked No. 8 in the first ECAC Lambert Meadowlands Division II poll of 2008. Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East.

NEW HAVEN SACK EXCHANGE
The Owls totaled nine sacks in the win over Bentley last time out, led by two each from Andrew Pratt and Eric Holter.

WIECHMAN CONTINUES TO CHURN OUT YARDS
Sophomore tailback John Wiechman was named as both the ECAC and Northeast-10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks on Tuesday. Wiechman rushed for a career-high 229 yards on 32 carries and scored four touchdowns in the win over Bentley. Two weeks ago, he rushed for 212 yards on 43 carries in the contest and scored three touchdowns against Merrimack.

MAKING UP GROUND IN A HURRY
Despite only seeing significant carries in each of the last four games, John Wiechman leads the Northeast-10 in rushing yards (693) and yards/game (138.6).

PRATT TABBED FOR WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Thanks to a fine individual effort that included six tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup, junior linebacker Andrew Pratt was named to this week's Northeast-10 weekly honor roll.

RUNNING WILD
John Wiechman became the first Owl in two years to record at least 40 carries in a game when he was handed the ball 43 times against Merrimack. Brandon Toles was the last to hit the 40 carry mark in a game, as he had 41 against Central Connecticut in 2006.

SLOW STARTS, STRONG FINISHES 
In each of the past three seasons, the Owls have had to rally late in order to qualify for the post-season. SCSU started the 2005 season with a 1-2 mark before rolling off seven straight wins. In 2006, the Owls were 2-3 before winning the final five games of the regular season. Last year, the Owls were also 2-3 before winning the final six games of the regular season.

EFFECTIVE WHEN IN THE LINEUP
Senior wide receiver Chris Bergeski returned to the Owls' rotation against Merrimack after missing two straight games and three of the first four. Bergeski had tallied 19 catches for 312 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.

THE MARSHALL DID IT
Senior wide receiver Ty Marshall leads the Owls with 30 catches and 535 receiving yards. He ranks fourth in the conference in total receiving yards.

ROBERTS ANSWERING THE BELL
Senior Chris Roberts has enjoyed a nearly seamless transition since taking over as the starter at quarterback. In his last three outings, both starts, Roberts is 46-of-76 (60.5%) for 717 yards and five touchdowns. For his efforts, Roberts was named to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll on Sept. 29 and Oct. 13.

NEW BACK, SAME RESULT
The Owls continue to have success in the backfield, as evidenced by the recent play of John Wiechman. Wiechman has averaged 207 yards per game over the last three outings in a starting role.

LESS THAN A TOUCHDOWN AWAY FROM PERFECTION
The Owls have lost their two games by a combined four points so far this season.

A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE
The back-to-back losses earlier this year marked just the second time in program history that the Owls have lost consecutive games by three points or less. The other occurrence took place back in 1969, when SCSU dropped back-to-back games to Bridgeport (17-16) and Glassboro State (19-17).

ROBERTS EMERGES IN AN EMERGENCY ROLE
After redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Lynch was forced from the AIC game due to injury, senior Chris Roberts stepped in admirably under center for the Owls. Seeing his first action at the position since the 2006 season, Roberts finished 4-of-8 for 47 yards and marched his team down on a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

MARSHALL STEPS UP IN A BIG WAY
Senior wide receiver Ty Marshall caught seven passes for a career-high 203 yards in the game against Bryant. Two of those catches went for touchdowns. It was the first time that a SCSU receiver had tallied at least 200 receiving yards since Jim Lukowiak amassed 220 against Bryant on Nov. 5, 2005. 

IN THE NATIONAL PRESEASON POLLS
Thanks to another strong campaign in 2007, the Owls were ranked in three national preseason polls in 2008. Lindy's tabbed the Owls for No. 14 in their college football preview, while the Sporting News picked them No. 21. The club was also ranked No. 24 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason poll.

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICANS
Three Owls earned preseason All-America honors heading into the 2008 campaign. Quarterback Steve Armstrong, running back Jarom Freeman and wide receiver Chris Bergeski all were tabbed as preseason All-Americans by Consensus Draft Services. In addition, Freeman was also named a preseason All-American by the Sporting News.

IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2008 Northeast 10 title during the league's annual Media Day at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 5. It marked the second straight year that the Owls were named the preseason favorite.

SEASON STREAKS ON THE LINE
The Owls will look to maintain their standard of success as has been established in recent years. Coming into the 2008 season, SCSU has posted 14 straight seasons with records at or above .500 - the longest such streak in program history. In addition, the program has also recorded six straight campaigns with at least seven victories.

ON DECK
The Owls are back in action on Saturday, October 25 for a road game against Pace.