Complete Game Notes as a PDF

THE ELM CITY TROPHY ON THE LINE
Bragging rights and the Elm City Trophy are at stake on Friday as the Southern Connecticut State University football team hosts the University of New Haven in a 7 p.m. start. Fans who can't make it to the game can follow the action with live video and stats through www.southernctowls.com.

ALL-TIME AGAINST NEW HAVEN
The Chargers lead the all-time series against the Owls by a 18-6-1 margin. UNH has won five of the six games since the Chargers joined the NE-10 in 2009, including five in a row.

BRAGGING RIGHTS AND MORE...
The Elm City Trophy is on the line on Friday when Southern Connecticut State University takes on New Haven. There will be a post-game presentation to the winner by the New Haven Gridiron Club.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR'S GAME
A run of 20 unanswered points proved to be the difference in the football game as Southern Connecticut State University dropped a 27-14 decision to the University of New Haven on Oct. 11, 2014.
• Freshman Shaquan Hall made an impact with 149 all-purpose yards (31 receiving, 130 return, eight rushing) and one touchdown on the afternoon. Quarterback Raymond Catapano completed 19-of-30 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown. Gary Williams paced the wide receivers with team-highs of six catches and 62 yards.
• Brian Wilcox registered 13 tackles to lead the defense, while Michael Cerisano had 11 stops.
• New Haven opened the scoring with an 11-play, 85-yard drive that took up most of the first quarter. The drive concluded with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Joey Bradley to Jonathan Badyna. The PAT made it 7-0.
• Hall then returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to give the Owls great field position. They cashed in four plays later when Julian Hayes scampered 15 yards for a touchdown. Jeff Groth added the PAT to even the score after the opening frame.
• The Chargers regained the lead on their next possession, marking the start of a run of 20 straight points. Trevor Officer's 20-yard touchdown run just 75 seconds into the second quarter made it 14-7 after the PAT. That was the score at halftime.
• The only scoring of the third quarter came on a controversial 17-yard pass from Bradley to Ty Headley, a play in which he appeared to fail to keep a foot in bounds for the score.
• The final UNH touchdown was a 53-yard strike from Bradley to Courtney Moshood just over four minutes into the final frame for a 27-7 cushion.
• Southern Connecticut added one late score at the end of a seven-play, 50-yard drive. Catapano found Hall on a six-yard catch and run for the touchdown. Groth's PAT made it a 27-14 final.

TURNOVERS HAVE MADE IT TOUGH
SCSU could easily be 2-1 through its first three games if not for some trouble with turnovers. The Owls have eight giveaways (five fumbles, three interceptions) on the year. 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 most recent contest on Saturday.

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

AMONG THE NE-10 LEADERS
• Devante Jenkins is tied for the NE-10 lead with four touchdown receptions.
• Jenkins also ranks fifth in the league with 19 receptions.
• Jamie Holbrook and Kameron Tedder are both tied for fifth in the league with two sacks.

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

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. He also earned the same honor for his play in the game at Bentley.

LAST TIME OUT
Wide receiver Devante Jenkins finished with 11 receptions, one shy of the school single-game record, but the Southern Connecticut State University football team was unable to hold on to a fourth quarter lead in a 15-13 loss to Bentley on Saturday.
• Jenkins finished with 110 receiving yards and a touchdown reception. Robert Thomas had 70 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Robert Nittolo completed 14-of-26 passes for 159 yards.
• Jamie Holbrook had nine tackles and half a sack to pace the defense.
• The Owls led 13-7 going into the fourth quarter and had the ball with the opportunity to extend its lead on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, a failed punt attempt resulted in an Owls' safety that trimmed the SCSU advantage to 13-9. Bentley then took the ensuing kickoff and marched down the field for the game-winning touchdown, a 15-yard pass from Matt Montalto to Chris Calvanese.
• Bentley scored the only touchdown of the first half. The Falcons had a short field after an Owls' fumble and cashed in on a seven-yard pass from Montalto to Alex Farkes. The PAT made it 7-0.
• SCSU took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 90 yards in 10 plays. Thomas capped the drive with a one-yard plunge, and Mike McNally added the PAT to even the score at 7-7.
• On Bentley's next play from scrimmage, Vasilios Grigorakos intercepted a pass and gave the Owls the ball at the SCSU 48. Nittolo closed that drive with a 15-yard strike to Jenkins to put SCSU in front at 13-7.

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. 3 for a road game at Stonehill.