Complete Game Notes as a PDF

CONFERENCE PLAY CONTINUES
Two teams seeking their first win of the year will hit the gridiron on Saturday as the Southern Connecticut State University football team travels to Bentley in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for 2 p.m. in Waltham, Mass.

ALL-TIME VS. BENTLEY
The Falcons lead the all-time series with the Owls by an 11-6 margin.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR'S GAME
The Southern Connecticut State University football team lost to Bentley by a final of 38-7 in the annual Homecoming contest on Oct. 18, 2014.
• Running back Julian Hayes had a game-high 70 yards on the ground on 14 carries, while Donald Thomas added 57 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Raymond Catapano  completed 8-of-16 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Gary Williams had four receptions for 39 yards. Brian Wilcox recorded seven tackles to lead the defense.
• Bentley opened the scoring on the heels of a strong punt return that gave it the ball at the Owls 33. Seven plays later, Dan Guadagnoli hit Jeff Hill on a seven yard pass for a touchdown. The PAT made it 7-0.
• The Falcons then added a 32-yard field goal from Michael Baron later in the opening quarter to pad the lead to 10-0.
• Southern Connecticut found the end zone just 11 seconds into the second quarter when Catapano hit Shaquan Hall on a 31-yard catch and run. Jeff Groth connected on the PAT to make it 10-7.
• Bentley added two more scores before the break to make it 24-7 and then tacked on two second half touchdowns for a 38-7 final.

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.

A FEW OTHER OFFENSIVE NOTES...
• Robert Thomas rushed for a career-high 50 yards against Gannon.
• Mohamed Beretey set new single-game highs with five catches and 51 receiving yards against Gannon.

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.

LAST TIME OUT
The Southern Connecticut State University football team dropped a 44-13 decision to American International College in a Northeast-10 Conference contest at Abdow Field on Saturday. 
• AIC jumped out to a 41-0 lead before SCSU scored 13 of the final 16 points of the game.
• The hosts took the opening drive and 64 yards in seven plays, capped by a two-yard touchdown run from Marcel DePina. The PAT was blocked. AIC held on to that same 6-0 lead through the opening quarter.
• The Yellow Jackets then scored 21 points in the second quarter to build a commanding 27-0 lead at the break. Kwame Jarvis hit Ju'an Williams on a 30-yard strike before following that up with a 63-yard touchdown to Evan Graham. DePina added a 35-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.
• Jarvis and Graham connected on a 75-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter before Daquan Holmes intercepted an Owls' pass and took it 46 yards for the score, which padded the lead to 41-0.
• Later in the third quarter, Robert Thomas found paydirt from a yard out to get the Owls on the board at 41-6. After an AIC field goal, Vochan Fowler capped the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run. Mike McNally added the PAT.

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 Sept. 25 for the annual Elm City Trophy game against New Haven.