Complete Game Notes as a PDF

HOMECOMING ON THE HORIZON
Coming off a thrilling last second win over AIC on Saturday, the Southern Connecticut State University football team returns back to Jess Dow Field for the annual Homecoming contest on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Stonehill. Fans who can't make it to the game can follow all of the action with live video with Don Boyle on the call at www.sportingnewsct.com. Live Twitter updates will also be available through www.southernctowls.com, with live stats available through the SCSU athletics website.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior quarterback Kevin Lynch hit junior wide receiver Willie Epps for their third touchdown connection of the day with just three seconds left, as the Southern Connecticut State University football team completed a furious fourth quarter rally to defeat American International on Saturday, 48-47.
• The Owls were trailing 47-35 with 4:59 remaining and had the ball back at their own 14 after forcing a fumble with the Yellow Jackets on the verge of going up by three scores.
• From there, SCSU put together a 13-play, 86-yard drive over the next 3:28, culminated by a 5-yard strike from Lynch to Epps. However, the PAT was no good.
• AIC recovered the ensuing onside kick and drove to the SCSU 30, but the Owls stopped the Yellow Jackets by inches on a 4th and 2 to get one more crack at it with 1:07 remaining. Southern Connecticut then marched 70 yards in seven plays with Lynch hitting Epps on a low strike with 3 seconds left to even the score at 47-47. Christopher Hazelton then added the PAT to provide the margin of victory.
• Senior running back Rashaad Slowley finished with 141 yards on 30 carries and scored four touchdowns to set a new SCSU single-season mark. The old record was 25, set by Rashaan Dumas in 1998. Slowley now has 26 touchdowns (24 rushing, two receiving) on the year.
• Lynch finished 25-of-39 for 430 yards and three touchdowns. He finished just 13 yards shy of the single-game yardage record that he established last year. In the process, he also set a new single-game mark for total offense with 438 yards.
• Epps had seven catches for 118 yards and three touchdowns, while Andre Privott totaled six catches for 169 yards and also had 86 return yards on the day.

COMEBACK KIDS...AGAIN
For the third time in four weeks, the Owls rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to come away with a win. The Owls were down 10 points at the break against Bentley and 13 at intermission against AIC. SCSU was down 14 points at Assumption earlier in the year before securing a 38-24 win. The Owls have actually trailed in five of their six victories so far this season, the lone exception being the 61-0 win over Pace.

OWLS FARE WELL IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
As a team, the Owls are currently ranked No. 11 in Division II in scoring offense (40.4 points/game), No. 12 in average punt return yardage (16.1), No. 17 nationally in rushing defense (104.4 yards per game), No. 18 in turnover margin (+0.88) and No. 24 in total offense (452.3).
•Slowley had four more touchdowns on Saturday against AIC to set a new single-season record with 26 touchdowns and maintain his spot atop the Division II scoring chart. Slowley also ranks No. 3 in the nation in rushing yards per game (149.6) and No. 10 in all-purpose yards (177.4).
• Privott is ninth in all-purpose yards (180.1) per contest and in average yards/punt return with 16.2. He is also 20th in receiving yards/game with an average of 92 per contest and 25th in receptions/game with 6.1.

STANDING ABOVE THE REST
Rashaad Slowley now leads all of college football, at all four levels, in scoring with 26 touchdowns and 156 points, at an average of 19.5 points per game.
Here's a look at the leaders at all levels:
• FBS - Montee Ball, Wisconsin, 19 touchdowns, 108 points
• FCS - Terrance West, Towson, 14 touchdowns, 84 points
• Div. II - Rashaad Slowley, SCSU, 26 touchdowns, 156 points
• Div. III - Michael Zweifel, Dubuque, 21 touchdowns, 126 points

REGULAR SEASON ROAD TRIP IN THE BOOKS
Southern Connecticut concluded the road portion of its regular season schedule on Saturday at AIC. The Owls finished the stretch with a 5-1 mark, including five straight wins to close out the slate.

THREE OWLS EARN WEEKLY HONORS
For their play against AIC on Saturday, Lynch, Epps and Slowley were all named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll.

ALL-TIME AGAINST STONEHILL
Southern Connecticut leads the all-time series against Stonehill by a 14-0 margin.

EPPS, SLOWLEY HONORED BY BCSN
Willie Epps and Rashaad Slowley were also selected as Offensive Players of the Week by the Beyond College Sports Network for their play against AIC on Saturday.

OWLS CLINCH 11TH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON
Southern Connecticut clinched its 11th straight winning season with a victory over AIC on Saturday. The Owls have now posted 18 consecutive seasons with a final record at or above the .500 mark. In all, head coach Rich Cavanaugh has posted 19 winning seasons with the Owls.

LYNCH BESTS OWN TOTAL OFFENSE MARK
Senior quarterback Kevin Lynch broke his own total offense mark set last year against Merrimack in the game against AIC on Saturday. Lynch had 432 yards last year against the Warriors and registered 438 yards (430 passing, eight rushing) against AIC. Lynch now also has the two of the top three single-game passing efforts in school history - 443 yards against Merrimack last year and 430 against AIC this year. Steve Armstrong finished with 436 yards in a 2005 game against Bryant.

SLOWLEY STANDS ALONE
Thanks to a four touchdown showing against AIC last time out, Rashaad Slowley moved into first place on the SCSU all-time single-season touchdown and scoring charts. Rashaad Dumas had 25 touchdowns and 150 total points in 1998. Slowley now has 26 scores on the year (24 rushing), but still has some work to do to to get to the NCAA Division II record, as Danny Woodhead of Chadron State (2006) and Xavier Omon of Northwest Missouri State (2007) each tallied 38 touchdowns in a campaign.

MR. 3000
Rashaad Slowley has moved into fifth place on the school's all-time career rushing list with 3,073 yards. Last time out, he moved past Brandon Toles, who had 3,035 yards in his career. Next up on the list is Shawn Harris with 3,190 yards. In addition, Slowley is also now third all-time in career touchdowns with 42 and total points with 254. He passed Jarom Freeman in both categories last time out, and now trails Jim Lukowiak for second place all-time in touchdowns (44) and points (266).

SLOWLEY CONTINUES TO SHINE
Senior running back Rashaad Slowley eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his collegiate career and has 1,197 yards on the year entering Saturday's game. Earlier in the year, he rushed for a career-high 288 yards on 34 carries and scored four touchdowns in the win over Assumption on Oct. 1. The 288 yard effort was the third-highest single-game showing in school history. Jarom Freeman's 418 yards against Bryant in 2007 is a NCAA Division II record, while Ellis Robinson also rushed for 303 yards against AIC in 1994.

SLOWLEY JUST MISSES NCAA DIVISION II RECORD
The 236 yard effort in the second half of the win over Assumption by senior running back Rashaad Slowley was the second-highest single-half total in NCAA Division II history. Jarom Freeman rushed for 251 of his 418 yards in the first half of the 2007 game against Bryant.

288 YARDS GOOD FOR SECOND-BEST
Slowley's 288 yards against Assumption is the second-highest single-game total in Division II this year. Jonas Randolph of Mars Hill rushed for 331 yards against Catawba on Oct. 15.

OWLS NO. 7 IN FIRST NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
The first NCAA Super Region One rankings are out, and the Owls occupy the No. 7 position. These rankings are used to determine NCAA playoff selection. The Owls are looking to reach the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time in seven years this fall.   

Div. II Overall
1 New Haven  7-0 7-1
2 Bloomsburg  8-0 8-0
3 West Virginia Wesleyan 8-0 8-0
4 Winston-Salem State 7-0 8-0
5 Elizabeth City State 6-1 6-2
6 Slippery Rock  7-1 7-1
7 Southern Connecticut 6-1 6-2
8 Kutztown  7-1 7-1
9 Indiana (Pa.)  5-2 5-2
10 Edinboro  6-2 6-2

SCSU NO. 7 IN ECAC LAMBERT POLL
The Owls also remained No. 7 in this week's ECAC Lambert Meadowlands poll. It's the third week in a row that SCSU has been ranked and the second straight week in the No. 7 spot.

THE DYNAMIC DUO DOES IT AGAIN
For the second time in their careers, wide receivers Willie Epps and Andre Privott both surpassed 100 receiving yards in the same game. Last time out, Privott had 169 yards and Epps tallied 118 in the Owls' win over AIC. Previously, the duo accomplished the feat on Sept. 11, 2010 against West Liberty when Epps had 151 receiving yards and Privott, 100.

PRIVOTT POSTS NEW CAREER-HIGH
With 169 receiving yards last time out, Andre Privott set a new career-high in that department, breaking the mark of 155 he set earlier in the year against Saint Anselm.

FORTE DOES A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
Sophomore J.W. Forte showed his versatility last time out against AIC. He finished with four rushes for 17 yards as the Owls rallied in the fourth quarter, while also tallying one kickoff return for 25 yards and adding three tackles on special teams.

MANDICH MEANS BUSINESS
Junior tight end Nick Mandich has now registered six catches over the last two games after posting just four in the first six games of the year. He is coming off a four-catch effort for 31 yards against AIC on Saturday.

KEEPING IT GOING
Rashaad Slowley has now been honored by the Northeast-10 Conference for seven consecutive weeks dating back to Sept. 12, including two selections as Northeast-10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

HAZELTON MOVES ATOP ALL-TIME PAT LIST
With five extra points on Oct. 1, senior Christopher Hazelton became the school's all-time leader in that department. He now has 129 PAT's and moved past Paul Boulanger, who had 114 in his SCSU career.

THAT TIME OF YEAR
SCSU has posted a 35-5 mark in its last 40 regular season games that take place on or after Oct. 1.

A ONE-POINT SWING
Saturday's one-point win over AIC was the first such victory for the Owls since 1995, a 24-23 win over C.W. Post. SCSU had dropped its last two one-point decisions - last year to New Haven (23-22) and a 2008 contest to AIC (13-12).

THE LAST GAME AGAINST STONEHILL
The Southern Connecticut State University football team outscored Stonehill by a 32-0 margin in the second half and cruised to a 45-21 win over the Skyhawks on Oct. 23, 2010 at W.B. Mason Stadium. The Owls trailed 21-13 at halftime, but used a 25-point third quarter to seize control of the contest. Kevin Lynch finished 15-of-27 for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Andre Privott led the receivers with seven catches for 110 yards.

THE PICK SIX TREND
The Owls have returned an interception for a touchdown three times in the last 11 games dating back to last season. Most recently, Kamal Mgaresh went 53 yards for a pick six against Assumption on Oct. 1. Earlier in the year, Steven Teague did the honors against West Liberty. Last year, Josh McWilliams accomplished the feat against Stonehill on Oct. 30, 2010. Prior to that, however, SCSU had not returned an interception for a touchdown since the 2007 season.

NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE
The 61 point margin of victory in the shutout over Pace was the largest margin in any Owls' shutout in school history. SCSU defeated Geneva, 60-0, in 1961, for the old mark.

PICK 'EM
Southern Connecticut has already recorded 16 interceptions in the first eight games of the 2011 season, which surpasses the team's total of 11 from all of last year. Steven Teague and Michael Escobar each have three interceptions to lead the way.

PITCHING ANOTHER SHUTOUT
The shutout against Pace was the 86th in program history, but the first since 2008 for the Owls, when they blanked St. Anselm. In all, SCSU had gone 27 games between shutouts.

SACK IT TO ME
Southern Connecticut has tallied 15 sacks thus far on the season, including five in the win over Pace. Senior Ikponmwosa Igbinosun leads the team with five sacks thus far on the year.

A TOTAL DEFENSIVE EFFORT
Sixteen players have already recorded double digit tackles on the season for the Owls, with 11 posting at least 20 tackles so far on the year and nine with 30 or more stops. Davel Campbell leads the way with 52 stops, while Jack Petion is next with 51 tackles and Sam-uel Johnson has 50.

IT HAD TO HAPPEN EVENTUALLY
Southern Connecticut finally merited its first rushing touchdown of the year in the game against Assumption.

JABLONSKI SEES STREAK END
Over the course of the New Haven and Assumption games, sophomore quarterback Jacob Jablonski had completed 8-of-8 passes for 84 yards. He was 3-of-3 for 35 yards against Assumption and finished 5-of-5 for 49 yards against New Haven. However, that consecutive completion streak came to an end with an incompletion on his only attempt against Bentley.

QUARTERBACKS EFFICIENT AGAINST PACE
The quarterback duo of Kevin Lynch and Jacob Jablonski were effective in the Owls' win over Pace. Lynch completed 13-of-15 passes for 213 yards and a season-best four touchdowns, while Jablonski set new career-highs in completions, attempts and yards after a 5-for-9, 79 yard effort.

SLOWLEY SETS NEW SINGLE-GAME TD MARK
Senior running back Rashaad Slowley etched his name in the SCSU record book with a school single-game record six touchdowns in the win at St. Anselm. He scored on runs of 11, 7, 4, 12, 5 and 3 yards. Five different individuals - Larry Kane, Rashaan Dumas (twice), Darrin Davis, Brandon Toles and Jarom Freeman - had all previously scored five times in a game. Slowley finished with 205 yards on a career-high 35 carries.

HAZELTON MATCHES, SETS CAREER HIGHS
Senior placekicker Christopher Hazelton matched a career-high with 13 points in the win over Pace. He hit on 7-of-8 extra points and field goals of 33 and 44 yards. The 44-yarder was a career-high, easily outdistancing the old mark of 37 yards. He also scored 13 points against Pace last year.

INTO DOUBLE DIGITS
Rashaad Slowley has now registered a touchdown in 10 consecutive games dating back to last year. He found the end zone in the final two games of the 2010 campaign and has done so in all eight games this year. Slowley has actually posted nine straight multiple touchdown showings going back to last year's regular season finale against St. Anselm.

MAGEE MAKES AN IMPACT
Sophomore running back Vaughn Magee set a new career-high with 110 yards on just six carries in the win over Pace. He also scored two touchdowns in the contest.

TWO TALLY FIRST COLLEGIATE CARRIES
Redshirt freshmen Jack Mallis and Brian Wilcox each made the most of their first collegiate career carries against Pace. Mallis totaled four rushes for 20 yards, while Wilcox had three carries for 20 yards. Mallis also posted three special teams tackles in the game.

WILLIAMS DOES IT AGAIN
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Zach Williams tallied his second interception in the last three games in the contest against Pace.

OWLS NAMED DIVISION II DEFENSE OF THE WEEK
SCSU was recognized as the 'Defense of the Week' by the Beyond College Sports Network after forcing eight turnovers in the 27-19 win at West Liberty.

PRIVOTT HEATING UP
Wide receiver Andre Privott set new career-highs with 10 receptions and 155 receiving yards in the win against St. Anselm. His effort against the Hawks marked the first time that an Owls' wide receiver had double digit receptions since Marcus Ganthier hauled in 11 passes against Bryant in 2006. He followed that up with an eight-catch, 136 yard effort in the win over Pace that included a touchdown.

AND FOR HIS EFFORTS...
Privott was named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Sept. 19.

WE LIKE IKE
Ikponmwosa Igbinosun recorded a team-high seven tackles, including 2.5 for loss, along with a sack, in the win at St. Anselm.

WEST VIRGINIA'S GOOD FOR WINS
Southern Connecticut has ventured to West Virginia twice in the last four years and has returned with wins on both occasions. In 2008, the Owls defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, while this year, SCSU defeated West Liberty.

A GREAT SHOWING, BUT NOT THE RECORD
It may be hard to believe, but the Owls six interceptions against West Liberty did not set a new school record. SCSU has twice tallied eight interceptions in a game - against Brooklyn in 1951 and Fordham in 1980. Four of those interceptions in the 1980 Fordham game were recorded by Steve Bush, currently a member of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff.

SLOWLEY ECLIPSES 2,000 YARD MARK
Thanks to his effort against West Liberty, senior tailback Rashaad Slowley went over the 2,000 yard mark for his career. He now has 3,073 yards heading into this weekend.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Eight different receivers tallied receptions in the win at West Liberty, including the first collegiate catch for Vito Fornarelli. Seven different receivers caught passes in the opener at CCSU. The Owls also had seven different players record a catch against St. Anselm and Pace.

ZACH ATTACK
Redshirt freshman Zachary Williams made a key impact in the win at West Liberty. He tallied both his first collegiate sack and first collegiate interception in the contest.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Graduate studente Dy'onne Crudup made his presence felt in his Owls' debut against West Liberty. He totaled 77 yards on returns as well as one catch for 15 yards. Crudup, a New Haven native, played his first three years at Temple. Crudup has recorded nine catches for 121 yards on the year to go with with 10 total returns for 164 yards.

HOLT STEPPING UP
Wide receiver Jayson Holt is currently third on the club with 23 receptions so far this year. He has tallied 189 receiving yards for the Owls.

EPPS CONTINUES TO DO THE JOB
Willie Epps has moved into the second spot on the team in receptions. He's currently hauled in 35 passes for 624 yards and nine touchdowns, which ranks tops among wideouts.

PRIVOTT CONSISTENT THUS FAR
Senior Andre Privott posted nearly identical performances in the first two games of the 2011 season. He had six catches for 61 yards in the opener at CCSU and followed that up with six catches for 63 yards against West Liberty. The reception and yardage figures were team-highs in both contests. Privott leads the Owls with 49 receptions and 736 receiving yards so far this year.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Sophomore defensive back Mustaqiim Plair recorded his first collegiate interception in the opener at CCSU.

IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are now 35-28-1 all-time in season openers. The 2011 season opener was the 64th in program history.

SCSU PICKED SECOND IN NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were selected second in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll, one point out of the top spot. SCSU had been picked as the preseason favorite in each of the previous four seasons.

A PRESENCE IN THE AFCA POLL AGAIN
Southern Connecticut received 14 votes in the first American Football Coaches Association poll of 2011.

ALL-AMERICA HONORS COMING ALREADY
Two Owls - senior Kevin Lynch and junior Willie Epps - were named preseason All-Americans by various media organizations. Both took home honors from Consensus Draft Services, while Lynch was also recognized by www.d2football.com.

FIVE OWLS NAMED ALL-ECAC
The Owls had five student-athletes - William Chaffin, Willie Epps, Sam-uel Johnson, Richard Kirkland and John Wiechman -  recognized with year-end honors from the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference as Division II Football All-Stars in 2010.

SEVEN NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE; FOUR RETURN
Seven members of the Southern Connecticut State University football team - Daniel Allen, William Chaffin, Willie Epps, Sam-uel Johnson, Richard Kirkland, Andre Privott and John Wiechman - were tabbed for the All-Northeast-10 Conference team at the conclusion of the season.

OWLS FINISH STRONG
The Owls won their final three games of the 2010 season and scored at least 45 points in each of the three contests.

CHARETTE TABBED FOR ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE
Junior offensive lineman Spencer Charette was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Football All-Academic Team for his work in the classroom. It was the second year in a row that he earned the honor.

OWLS FARE WELL IN THE CLASSROOM
Twenty-five student-athletes were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for their work in the classroom during the fall, 2010 semester.

LYNCH BACK UNDER CENTER
Kevin Lynch fared well in his first full season under center in the fall. As a junior in 2010, he threw for 2,468 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 59.7 percent of his passes.

NOTHING BULLISH ABOUT THIS DEFENDER
Sam-uel Johnson enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2010 that saw him earn All-ECAC and All-Conference honors. He led the club with 76 tackles (40 solo), while also posting three sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

YOU THROW IT...THEY'LL CATCH IT
The Owls have their top five receivers, and six of the top seven from a  year ago, coming back for 2011. Willie Epps was second in the league in receiving yards (970) and touchdown receptions (nine) and led the league with an average of 26.9 yards per catch. Andre Privott tallied 35 catches for 561 yards. Jerome Cunningham, Nick Mandich and Sean Donelly all had at least 14 receptions last year.

SLOW (LEY) AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
Tailback Rashaad Slowley has led the Owls in rushing in each of the past two seasons. An All-Conference pick in 2009, Slowley finished with 871 yards in 2010. He entered the 2011 season with 1,876 career rushing yards.

A RECORD SETTING DAY AGAINST MERRIMACK
The Owls' record book underwent a bit of a transformation on Nov. 6 thanks to several outstanding individual efforts against Merrimack. Junior quarterback Kevin Lynch threw for a school record 443 yards and matched a school mark with six touchdowns. Steve Armstrong had held the mark of 436 yards, set back in 2005 against Bryant. Armstrong and Mike Abate both also previously tossed six touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Willie Epps tallied 254 receiving yards in the contest as well, which broke the old mark of 241 yards set by Jeff Cupe in 2003. The duo also hooked up on a 97-yard touchdown reception, which broke the old mark of 92 yards set earlier this year.

AERIAL ASSAULT BY LYNCH
Junior quarterback Kevin Lynch etched his name in the Owls' record books against West Liberty. He set a new Southern Connecticut single-game record with 30 completions in the game. Lynch finished the day with 376 passing yards and three touchdowns on the day. Steve Armstrong held the old mark of 28 completions, set against Merrimack in 2007.

ON DECK
After a bye week, the Owls conclude the 2011 regular season on Nov. 12 with a home game against Merrimack.