Complete Game Notes as a PDF

CONFERENCE PLAY CONTINUES
A road trip to the Bay State is next on the docket for the Southern Connecticut State University football team as the Owls head to Easton, Mass. to face Stonehill in a Northeast-10 Conference contest on Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

ALL-TIME AGAINST STONEHILL
Southern Connecticut leads the all-time series with Stonehill by a 17-2 margin.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR'S GAME
Brian Wilcox returned his second interception of the day 25 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to provide the margin of victory for the Southern Connecticut State University football team to a 17-14 win at Stonehill on Oct. 25, 2014.
• Southern Connecticut forced four interceptions on the day and allowed only one defensive touchdown en route to the win. Wilcox became the first Owl since Jack Cooper in the 2012 season finale at Stonehill to return a pick for a score. Kayjuan Bynum and Jonathan Balcacer also added interceptions.
• Quarterback Raymond Catapano completed 14-of-20 passes for 138 yards and added 17 rushes for 50 yards. Donald Thomas paced the ground attack with 70 yards on 17 carries. Gary Williams had six catches for 39 yards to lead the receivers.
• The Owls struck first with an impressive 16-play, 98-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes of the first quarter. The drive concluded with a one-yard touchdown run from Robert Thomas. Jeff Groth added the PAT to make it 7-0.
• Stonehill answered right back on its next possession with a 3-yard pass from Tom Sydeski to Colin Smith, and the successful PAT tied the score.
• Groth then followed with a career-long 41-yard field goal with only 26 seconds left in the first half to give the Owls a 10-7 lead at the intermission.
• There was no scoring in the third quarter. Wilcox then made it a two score game when he picked off a Sydeski pass and took it 25 yards for the score and a 17-7 lead after Groth's PAT.
• Stonehill closed the gap to three in the final minutes. Groth lined up for a 47-yarder, but the field goal was blocked and returned for a touchdown by the Skyhawks. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Southern Connecticut State University football team jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead, but New Haven scored all 28 points of the second half to claim a 28-14 victory on Sept. 25, 2015.
• After a scoreless first quarter, the Owls struck just eight seconds into a second quarter to conclude a 16-play, 86-yard drive. Robert Thomas converted on a fourth-and-1 play with a 9-yard touchdown run. Mike McNally added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
• Later in the frame, SCSU went 50 yards in seven plays to take a two score lead. Robert Nittolo connected with Devante Jenkins on an 8-yard touchdown pass. McNally's PAT made it 14-0.
• The Chargers cut the Owls' lead in half with a six-play, 82-yard drive midway through the third quarter. Ty Headen hauled in a 22-yard pass from Ajee Patterson. Danny Stock's PAT followed to cut the gap to 14-7.
• New Haven evened the score late in the third quarter when Andre Anderson found the end zone from 21 yards out. The score remained tied at 14 through three quarters of play.
• The only points for the fourth quarter were scored by the Chargers. Anderson closed an eight-play, 65-yard drive with a two-yard run to make it 21-14 after the PAT. Then, just over three minutes later, Anderson broke through from 55 yards for the final score of the game.
• Thomas rushed 14 times for 72 yards on the night to lead the Owls' rushers. John Moscatel totaled 173 all-purpose yards (40 rushing, 17 receiving, 116 return). Nittolo was 17-of-33 for 122 yards. Shaquan Hall led the receivers with five catches for 46 yards.

MOSCATEL MAKES A STRONG RETURN
John Moscatel's last appearance as an Owl came in the second-to-last game of the 2013 season against AIC. After being sidelined due to injury since then, he returned for the New Haven game and picked up right where he left off. In total, he registered 173 all-purpose yards (40 rushing, 17 receiving, 116 return) on the evening.

OWLS SPREADING IT AROUND
Ten different receivers have recorded a reception for the Owls through the first four games of the year.

TURNOVERS MADE IT TOUGH
SCSU could have easily been 2-1 through its first three games if not for some trouble with turnovers. The Owls had eight giveaways (five fumbles, three interceptions) in those games. Two fumbles in the opener against Gannon directly led to 13 points for the visitors. Two more fumbles, including an errant snap that resulted in a safety, led to all 15 Bentley points in the game on Sept. 19.

AMONG THE NE-10 LEADERS
• Devante Jenkins is tied for the NE-10 lead with five touchdown receptions.
• Jenkins also ranks fourth in the league with 23 receptions.
• Rob Nittolo is third in the league with five touchdown passes.
• Jamie Holbrook and Kameron Tedder are both tied for second in the league with three sacks.

A FORMER OWL MAKING GOOD
Jerome Cunningham registered his first catch with the New York Giants in the Sept. 20 game against the Atlanta Falcons.

JENKINS NARROWLY MISSES SCHOOL MARK
Wide receiver Devante Jenkins hauled in 11 receptions against Bentley, one shy of the school record. He finished with 110 yards, including a touchdown.

MAKING A QUICK IMPACT
A quick look at the final stats from the 2015 season opener reveals plenty of new faces who fared well in their Owls' debuts.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Rob Nittolo, a transfer from James Madison, completed 24-of-38 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns.
• Junior Devante Jenkins, a transfer from El Camino College, hauled in a team-high seven catches, along with three touchdowns. He led the Owls with 84 receiving yards.
• Sophomore linebacker Vasilios Grigorakos, a transfer from Maine, had a team-high seven tackles along with  half a sack.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE...
The Owls accomplished several feats that hadn't taken place in several years in the opener against Gannon.
• With three touchdown receptions, Devante Jenkins became the first Owls' player to catch three touchdowns in a game since Willie Epps did it against West Liberty in 2010.  
• The three touchdown passes from Robert Nittolo marked the first time an Owls' quarterback tossed three touchdown passes in a game since Jacob Jablonski did so against Pace in 2012.
• The blocked extra point by Ahmed Hourani was the first for an Owl since 2011, when Gavin Nelson did it against Stonehill.

RUNNING AT A HIGH TEMPO
Southern Connecticut ran 90 offensive plays in the opener, the first time that the Owls hit that number since a 2006 contest against Central Connecticut.

JENKINS NAMED TO NE-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Devante Jenkins was named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll for his efforts in the season opener. He also earned the same honor for his play in the game at Bentley.

THE CAPTAINS
Southern Connecticut State University football coach Tom Godek has announced team captains for the 2015 season. Wesley Crowell and Kameron Tedder will serve as captains, with Vasilios Grigorakos, Louis DiRienzo and Devante Jenkins serving as alternate captains. 

IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are now 35-32-1 all-time in season openers. The 2015 season was the 68th in program history.

IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Southern Connecticut State University football team has been selected No. 9 in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches.

1. LIU Post - 74 (4)
2. AIC - 74 (2)
3. Assumption - 65 (2)
4. New Haven - 62 (2)
t-5. Saint Anselm - 41
t-5. Stonehill - 41
7. Bentley - 38
8. Merrimack - 29
9. So. Connecticut - 20
10. Pace - 10

OWLS WELL-REPRESENTED IN NFL RANKS
Southern Connecticut continues to figure prominently within the National Football League. With regards to current players, Jerome Cunningham (New York Giants) is on the team's 53-man roster, while Carlif Taylor (Dallas) and Ike Igbinosun (Jacksonville) were both in preseason camps this summer. In addition, three former Owls are currently serving as coaches – Chris Palmer (Senior Offensive Assistant, Buffalo Bills), Jeff Stoutland (Offensive Line Coach, Philadelphia Eagles) and Tim Holt (Assistant Offensive Line Coach, Oakland Raiders).

THE 2015 SCHEDULE
The Owls currently have 11 games scheduled for the 2015 campaign. The year opens with a home game against Gannon on Sept. 5. In total, the opponents have been set for the first 10 dates of the year, with SCSU playing five home and five road games. In addition, the Northeast-10 Conference will once again host its championship weekend on Nov. 14.

WILLIAMS NAMED ALL-ECAC
Defensive lineman Zachary Williams named All-ECAC for his play during the 2014 season. Previously an All-Northeast-10 Conference selection, Williams registered a career-high 51 tackles in his final season as an Owl and lead the team in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (19). He ranked second in the Northeast-10 in tackles for loss and third in sacks.

FIVE EARN CONFERENCE HONORS
Five members of the Southern Connecticut State University football team – senior Carlif Taylor, Zachary Wiliams, Brian Wilcox and freshmen Raymond Catapano and Shaquan Hall were awarded with year-end honors from the Northeast-10 Conference, as selected by the league's coaches. Taylor, Williams and Wilcox were named All-Conference, while Catapano and Hall were tabbed for the All-Rookie Team.

FOUR OWLS SELECTED TO NATIONAL BOWL GAME
Kyle Empey, A.J. Marsiglia, Carlif Taylor and Brian Wilcox were selected to play in the National Bowl Game on December 7 in Miami. 

HALL NAMED FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
Shaquan Hall was named a Freshman All-American by USA College Football for his performance on the gridiron this past fall. Previously named a Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie Team selection, Hall made an impact on special teams and at wide receiver. He had 13 receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns, along with eight rushes for 77 yards and a rushing touchdown. As a return man, he had 25 total returns for 512 yards.

AMONG THE KEY OFFENSIVE RETURNERS
The Owls will mix old and new faces when looking to find the end zone. At the quarterback position, Raymond Catapano and Michael Eckrote both have seen significant time in their careers thus far, but will be pushed for time by redshirt freshman Rob Nittolo, a transfer from James Madison. Donald Thomas is the leading returning rusher, as his 4.8 yards per carry last year was tops among running backs. Shaquan Hall (13 catches) and Robert Thomas (12) catches are the top returning receivers.

AMONG THE KEY DEFENSIVE RETURNERS
Southern's leading tackler a year ago, Michael Cerisano (98 tackles) returns as a key part of the Owls' defense. The defensive line remains strong with the return of Jamie Holbrook and Kameron Tedder. In addition, key secondary returners include Gavin Harley (38 tackles), Justin Potts (33 tackles) and Brandon Martin (27 tackles).

ON DECK
The Owls are back in action on Oct. 10 for a home game against Pace.