Complete Game Notes as a PDF

THE REGULAR SEASON FINALE
A win over Merrimack in the regular season finale on Saturday is a necessity for the Southern Connecticut State University football team in its quest for a fifth NCAA Playoff appearance in the last seven years. The Owls come into the contest against the Warriors with a 7-1 mark in Division II action and sit No. 8 in the NCAA Super One Region rankings. 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 running back Rashaad Slowley rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown and senior Andre Privott returned a punt for a touchdown, as the Southern Connecticut State University football team claimed a 16-6 win over Stonehill on Homecoming. The Owls' defense forced three turnovers and held the Skyhawks to 228 yards of total offense in a strong snowstorm.
• Both teams tried to establish momentum in the early going, but found rough sledding through the developing storm. However, the Owls used a special teams touchdown to open the scoring when Privott scampered 35 yards for a score with 6:07 left in the first quarter. Christopher Hazelton added the PAT to make it 7-0.
• Stonehill put together a 12-play, 64-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown early in the second quarter. However, Gavin Nelson blocked the PAT, and Sam-uel Johnson picked it up and went the distance the other way for two points to give the Owls a 9-6 lead.
• Later in the half, Southern Connecticut put together a six-play, 40-yard drive that concluded with a 20-yard touchdown run by Slowley. Hazelton's PAT made it 16-6 at intermission.
• Both teams had opportunities to score points in the second half, but turnovers and strong defense resulted in no additional points posted on the scoreboard.
• Chevar Rankins had 10 tackles to lead the defense in that department. Nelson finished with seven tackles, a sack, a blocked PAT and forced a fumble on the day.

SENIOR SENDOFF
The Owls will honor 18 student-athletes prior to Saturday's game. Over the course of the past four years, the group has helped the Owls post 27 wins, one NCAA playoff appearance and one Northeast-10 Conference championship heading into Saturday's contest.

RANDOM STAT OF THE WEEK
Coming into Saturday's game, the Owls are 41-21-1 all-time in regular season finales, including eight consecutive wins.

OWLS FARE WELL IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
As a team, the Owls are currently ranked No. 12 in scoring offense (37.7 points/game), No. 12 in average punt return yardage (16.1), No. 14 nationally in rushing defense (103.4 yards per game) and No. 22 in turnover margin (+0.89).
• Slowley leads all of college football, at all three levels, in scoring with 27 touchdowns and 162 points, an average of 18.0 points per game. Slowley also ranks No. 3 in the Division II and No. 7 in all of college football in rushing yards per game (151.7) and No. 8 in Division II in all-purpose yards (176.3).
• Privott is ninth in average yards/punt return with 16.2 and 13th in all-purpose yards (165.6) per contest.

SLOWLEY A HARLON HILL AWARD NOMINEE
Senior running back Rashaad Slowley has been nominated for the 2011 Harlon Hill Award, given annually to the top Division II football player in the nation.

STANDING ABOVE THE REST
Rashaad Slowley now leads all of college football, at all four levels, in scoring with 27 touchdowns and 162 points, at an average of 18.0 points per game.

OWLS AGAIN RECEIVING VOTES IN AFCA POLL
For the fourth time this season, and the second week in a row, SCSU received votes in this week's American Football Coaches Association poll.

HAZELTON RECOGNIZED ONCE AGAIN
Senior placekicker Christopher Hazelton was recognized for his performance during the month of October by the Fred Mitchell Award selection committee. For the month, he scored 35 points on 5-of-7 field goals and 20-of-21 PAT's.

TWO OWLS EARN WEEKLY NE-10 HONORS
Seniors Gavin Nelson and Rashaad Slowley were honored by the Northeast-10 Conference for their play in the Owls' 16-6 win over Stonehill. Nelson was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Week, while Slowley was selected to the weekly honor roll. Nelson had seven tackles (six solo), blocked a point after attempted that resulted in a successful Owls two-point run the other way, forced a fumble and had a sack in the contest against Stonehill. Slowley rushed for 168 yards on 29 carries and scored a touchdown in the Owls' win.

PRIVOTT TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE
Andre Privott had a 35-yard punt return touchdown last time out against Stonehill. It marked the first such occurrence for the Owls this season. The last occurred in the 2010 regular season finale by J.W. Forte.

SAFETY DANCE
The Owls recorded their first safety in 16 games last time out against Stonehill. Gavin Nelson's blocked PAT was scooped by Sam-uel Johnson and returned the other way for two points. The last time the Owls had a safety was in the West Liberty game last year when Ikmonwmosa Igbinosun had a sack in the Hilltoppers' end zone.

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.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MERRIMACK
Southern Connecticut leads the all-time series against Merrimack by an 8-5 margin.

SCSU JUMPS TO NO. 4 IN ECAC LAMBERT POLL
Despite being idle last week, the Owls jumped up three spots into a three-way tie for fourth place in this week's ECAC Lambert Meadowlands poll.

THE LAST MEETING WITH MERRIMACK
It was a record setting day for the Southern Connecticut State University football team on Nov. 6, 2010, as the Owls posted a  49-32 win over Merrimack. Kevin Lynch set a new school record with 443 passing yards and tied a school mark with six touchdown passes. Sophomore wide receiver Willie Epps set a new single-game record with 254 receiving yards – and together, the duo hooked up on a 97-yard touchdown strike that also established a new school record.
• The old mark of 436 passing yards was set by Steve Armstrong in a game against Bryant in 2005. Armstrong and Mike Abate also tossed six touchdowns in a game in 2007 and 2003, respectively. Jeff Cupe's mark of 241 receiving yards had stood since 2002.
• Lynch finished 22-of-31 on the day. In addition to Epps' nine catches, Andre Privott had five catches for 75 yards. Nathan Tyler led the defense with eight tackles.

OWLS CLINCH 11TH STRAIGHT WINNING SEASON
Southern Connecticut clinched its 11th straight winning season with a victory over AIC on Oct. 22. 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 Oct. 22. 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, 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 27 scores on the year (25 rushing).

MR. 3000
Rashaad Slowley has moved into fourth place on the school's all-time career rushing list with 3,241 yards. Last time out, he moved past Shawn Harris, who had 3,190 yards. Next up on the list is Jarom Freeman (3,360 yards). In addition, Slowley is also now third all-time in career touchdowns with 43 and total points with 260. He 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 1,365 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.

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 in the game against AIC on Oct. 22. 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.

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.

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. 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 against AIC, 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 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 eight catches over the last three games after posting just four in the first six games of the year. He was the only Owl to have multiple receptions last time out against Stonehill.

KEEPING IT GOING
Rashaad Slowley has now been honored by the Northeast-10 Conference for eight 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 131 PAT's and moved past Paul Boulanger, who had 114 in his SCSU career.

THAT TIME OF YEAR
SCSU has posted a 36-5 mark in its last 41 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).

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.

THE PICK SIX TREND
The Owls have returned an interception for a touchdown three times in the last 12 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.

PICK 'EM
Southern Connecticut has already recorded 17 interceptions in the first nine games of the 2011 season, which surpasses the team's total of 11 from all of last year. Steven Teague, Davel Campbell 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 16 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
Eighteen players have already recorded double digit tackles on the season for the Owls, with 12 posting at least 20 tackles, nine with 30 or more stops, eight with at least 40 tackles and four with 50 or more. Davel Campbell and Sam-uel Johnson lead the way with 56 stops, while Jack Petion is next with 55 tackles and Chevar Rankins has 51.

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 11 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 nine games this year. Slowley had actually posted nine straight multiple touchdown showings going back to last year's regular season finale against St. Anselm. However, that string was stopped last time out when he scored just once against Stonehill.

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. Magee then stepped in against Stonehill and recorded 48 yards on 10 carries.

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 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 3,241 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 24 receptions so far this year. He has tallied 194 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.

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
The Owls will need to win their regular season finale to have an opportunity at the NCAA playoffs, which begin on Nov. 19.