SCHEDULE/RESULTSWEEK 2

Friday, September 7CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 55, Lincoln 0

Saturday, September 8SAINT FRANCIS 45, Delaware State 14

DUQUESNE 23, Valparaiso 21ROBERT MORRIS 22, Virginia State 19

Syracuse 62, WAGNER 10SACRED HEART 30, Bucknell 14#24 Stony Brook 50, BRYANT 21

WEEK 3Thursday, September 13

Richmond 35, SAINT FRANCIS 27#2 James Madison 73, ROBERT MORRIS 7

Saturday, September 15DUQUESNE 31, Dayton 26

Montana State 47, WAGNER 24Columbia 41, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 24

BRYANT 37, Marist 27Open Date: SACRED HEART

WEEK 4Saturday, September 22

ROBERT MORRIS at BRYANT (ESPN3) 1:00 pmCENTRAL CONNECTICUT at Fordham 1:00 pmSACRED HEART at WAGNER 6:00 pmSAINT FRANCIS at Albany 7:00 pmDUQUESNE at Hawai’i 11:00 pm

WEEK 5Saturday, September 29

WAGNER at Monmouth 1:00 pmSACRED HEART at Cornell 1:00 pmWest Virginia Wesleyan at SAINT FRANCIS 4:00 pmCENTRAL CONNECTICUT at Lafayette 6:00 pmDUQUESNE at Hawai’i 11:00 pm

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2018 NEC FOOTBALL STANDINGSTHRU SEPTEMBER 15, 2018 SCHOOL NEC PCT. OVERALL PCT. STREAK HOME AWAY NEU. Sacred Heart 0-0 0.000 2-0 1.000 W2 1-0 1-0 0-0 Duquesne 0-0 0.000 3-1 0.750 W3 3-0 0-1 0-0 Bryant 0-0 0.000 2-1 0.667 W1 2-0 0-1 0-0 Central Connecticut 0-0 0.000 1-2 0.333 L1 1-1 0-1 0-0 Robert Morris 0-0 0.000 1-2 0.333 L1 1-0 0-2 0-0 Saint Francis U 0-0 0.000 1-2 0.333 L1 1-1 0-1 0-0 Wagner 0-0 0.000 1-2 0.333 L2 1-0 0-2 0-0

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2018 NEC FOOTBALL

2018 NEC PRESEASON POLL1. Central Connecticut (5)2. Duquesne (1)3. Bryant (1)4. Saint Francis5. Wagner6. Sacred Heart7. Robert Morris (First-place votes in parentheses)

NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEKNEHARI CRAWFORD, DUQUESNE WR, Sr., 5-11, 175 lbs, Fort Pierce, FL/Fort Pierce CentralWEEK 3 STATS: 11 receptions, 223 receiving yards, 2 TD receptions, 3 rush yardsCrawford had his way with Dayton’s defense in Duquesne’s 31-26 triumph on Rooney Field. In addition to scoring a pair of touchdowns, the Preseason All-American recorded career highs in receptions (11) and receiving yards (223). On the way to compiling the fourth-highest single game receiving total in the FCS this season, the senior made a 47-yard reception on the first snap of the day.

NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEKBRETT ZANOTTO, DUQUESNELB, Jr., 6-1, 215 lbs, Murrysville, PA/Maryland

NEC ROOKIE OF THE WEEKSHELTON McNEAL, BRYANTWR, R-Fr., 5-10, 159 lbs, Lakeland, FL/Kathleen WEEK 3 STATS: 106 all-purpose yards, 4 receptions, 81 receiving yards, TD receptionBryant’s first-ever night game at Beirne Stadium was a memorable one for McNeal. The redshirt freshman receiver piled up 106 all-purpose yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown in a victory over PFL member Marist. McNeal made four receptions for 81 yards to go along with a five-yard rush and a 20-yard punt return. He also recorded a tackle on special teams.

WEEK 3 STATS: 10 total tackles (9 solo), 2.0 TFL, PBUZanotto recorded 10 total tackles (9 solo) against PFL member Dayton and delivered three key stops with the game’s outcome hanging in the balance. With the Dukes protecting a 31-26 lead in the final four minutes of regulation, Zanotto logged tackles on three consecutive plays in the red zone.

NEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEKDENZEL KNIGHT, WAGNERKR, Sr., 6-2, 220 lbs, Rochester, NY/Salisbury SchoolWEEK 3 STATS: 224 all-purpose yards, 3 kick returns, 160 KOR yards, 98-yard KOR TDKnight totaled 224 all-purpose yards, the bulk of which came on kick returns, during Wagner’s visit to Big Sky member Montana State. The senior running back gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead only 13 seconds into the contest, returning the game’s opening kickoff 98 yards to pay dirt. After Montana State took a 14-7 advantage on a 10-play touchdown drive with 00:19 left in the first quarter, Knight put Wagner in position to level the score with a 48-yard runback.

NEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEKRYAN FULSE, WAGNERRB, Sr., 5-11, 195 lbs, Fort Meade, FL/Monroe CollegeWEEK 3 STATS: 251 scrimmage yards, 25 rushes, 181 rush yards, 2 rush TD, 5 receptions, 70 receiving yardsFulse put his dynamic running ability on display in Big Sky country, totaling 251 yards from scrimmage during Wagner’s setback at Montana State. The senior, who averaged more than 8.3 yards per touch out of the backfield, rushed 25 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He also accounted for team highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (70).

NEC FOOTBALL REPORT/PRESEASON

1. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (8-4, 6-0)The defending champions return plenty of all-NEC talent from a team that went 6-0 vs. conference opponents last fall.

2. DUQUESNE (7-4, 4-2)The Dukes, who came within one point of another conference crown in 2017, feature two of the more accomplished offensive weapons in the FCS – senior receiver Nehari Crawford led the na-tion with 15 TD receptions last season while junior RB AJ Hines takes aim at a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaign.

3. BRYANT (6-5, 4-2)Optimism is abound for head coach James Perry’s second season in Smithfield as QB Price Wilson returns to lead an offensive unit that paced the circuit in pass yards and touchdown passes in 2017.

4. SAINT FRANCIS (5-6, 3-3)The Red Flash return six starters from the NEC’s top-ranked de-fense and should benefit from even more continuity on the offen-sive side of the ball with FBS transfer Bear Fenimore calling the signals for the second year in a row.

5. WAGNER (4-7, 2-4)The Seahawks have an abundance of defensive playmakers with 10 starters returning to the unit. Meanwhile, RB Ryan Fulse, the nation’s fourth-leading rusher last year, brings proven production to an offense that lost its two starting tackles to the NFL.

6. SACRED HEART (4-7, 2-4)The Pioneers, who will welcome eight new starters on defense, feature a battle-tested QB-WR tandem with fifth-year senior Kevin Duke and Andrew O’Neill leading the way.

7. ROBERT MORRIS (2-9, 0-6)First-year head coach Bernard Clark, who spent the past four sea-sons at Albany, has re-energized the Colonials’ fan base. The for-mer NFL linebacker has a pair of all-NEC selections – Adam Wollet (LB) and Amir Fenwick (DL) -- at the foundation of his defense.

EXTRA POINTS...• Each of the past two seasons, Duquesne has finished one win shy of capturing NEC’s automatic FCS playoffs bid. Last Novem-ber, CCSU posted a 28-27 victory over the Dukes in a Week 11 winner-take-all matchup. In 2016, Saint Francis’ 14-10 triumph over Duquesne proved to be the difference in the race for the post-season berth.

• Central Connecticut placed a league-high seven athletes on the 27-member Preseason All-NEC Team. Bryant was second with six selections.

• Matching the largest on-air package in league history, ESPN3 will be the exclusive carrier of eight selected NEC games.

• With NFL training camps popping up around America, six NEC alumni have professional contracts this summer - Wagner’s Ju-lian Stanford (Bills), Wagner’s Matt Diaz (Titans), Robert Morris’ Marcelis Branch (Falcons), Duquesne’s Larson Graham (Steelers), Saint Francis’ Lorenzo Jerome (Seahawks) and Wagner’s Greg Senat (Ravens).

Defending Champ CCSU Tops Coaches’ PollCentral Connecticut captured the Northeast Conference football crown last fall and the league’s head coaches foresee the possibility of a repeat in 2018.

The defending NEC champion Blue Devils earned five first-place votes to finish atop the annual preseason coaches’ poll. CCSU, which went 6-0 against conference foes in 2017, finds itself as the conference’s preseason favorite for the first time since 2011.

Duquesne, which suffered an one-point defeat to Central Connecticut in a de facto NEC title game last November, pulled in one top nod and took second place in the predicted order-of-finish. The Dukes have not owned a preseason ranking lower than second since 2010.

Bryant, which ended the 2017 campaign on a four-game win streak, garnered the lone remaining first-place vote and climbed to third in the coaches’ poll.

Saint Francis was slotted fourth, one spot ahead of Wagner. Sacred Heart (sixth) and Robert Morris (seventh) rounded out the preseason rankings.

The NEC unveiled the preseason poll results, along with a 27-member Preseason All-Conference Team, on July 24 at MetLife Stadium as part of the fourth annual #NECFB Social Media Day.

Although it has proven to have value over the years, the preseason poll hasn’t exactly been the best predictor of the NEC’s automatic FCS playoffs qualifier.

Only once (Sacred Heart in 2014) has the preseason favorite gone on to capture the league’s automatic bid to the national championship tournament.

In 2017, CCSU went on to win the outright NEC title after being pegged for a fourth-place finish in the preseason poll.

The Blue Devils return 13 of 22 starters from the team that was responsible for the NEC’s first undefeated run in nearly a decade. Preseason all-NEC quarterback Jacob Dolegala will take snaps behind an offensive line that features two all-league selections – junior J’Von Brown and reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year Connor Mignone.

The CCSU defense lost six starters to graduation, but there are still all-NEC honorees at each level of the unit. Lineman Chris Tinkham, linebacker Kenny Keen and defensive back Tajik Bagley all earned preseason all-conference status.

PRESEASON SNAPSHOTS

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NEC FOOTBALL REPORT/PRESEASON

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2018 NEC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE/RESULTS

BRYANT (2-1, 0-0 NEC)S 01 New Haven ............................... W, 41-31S 08 @ #24 Stony Brook ....................L, 50-21S 15 Marist ....................................... W, 37-27S 22 ROBERT MORRIS ......................1:00 pmO 06 @ DUQUESNE ..........................12:00 pmO 13 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ...........1:00 pmO 20 at Fordham .................................1:00 pmO 27 @ SACRED HEART .....................1:00 pmN 03 @ SAINT FRANCIS ...................12:00 pmN 10 WAGNER ....................................1:00 pmN 17 @ Howard .........................................TBA

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (1-2, 0-0 NEC)A 30 @ Ball State ..................................L, 42-6S 07 Lincoln ....................................... W, 55-0S 15 Columbia ....................................L, 41-24S 22 @ Fordham ................................1:00 pmS 29 @ Lafayette .......................................TBAO 06 @ ROBERT MORRIS ................12:00 pmO 13 @ BRYANT .................................1:00 pmO 20 SACRED HEART .........................1:00 pmO 27 WAGNER ..................................12:00 pmN 10 @ SAINT FRANCIS ...................12:00 pmN 17 DUQUESNE ..............................12:00 pm

DUQUESNE (3-1, 0-0 NEC)A 25 @ Massachusetts .......................L, 63-15S 01 Lock Haven ................................ W, 45-0S 08 Valparaiso ................................ W, 23-21S 15 Dayton ..................................... W, 31-26S 22 @ Hawaii ..................................11:00 pmO 06 BRYANT ...................................12:00 pmO 13 ROBERT MORRIS ......................7:00 pmO 20 @ SAINT FRANCIS ...................12:00 pmN 03 @ WAGNER .............................12:00 pmN 10 SACRED HEART .......................12:00 pmN 17 @ CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ....12:00 pm

ROBERT MORRIS (1-2, 0-0 NEC)S 01 @ Dayton ...................................L, 49-28S 08 Virginia State ............................ W, 22-19S 13 @ #2 James Madison ...................L, 73-7S 22 @ BRYANT .................................1:00 pmO 06 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ...........1:00 pmO 13 @ DUQUESNE ...................................TBAO 20 Central State ............................12:00 pmO 27 SAINT FRANCIS .......................12:00 pmN 03 @ SACRED HEART ...................12:00 pmN 10 @ Eastern Kentucky ...................1:00 pmN 17 WAGNER ..................................12:00 pm

SACRED HEART (2-0, 0-0 NEC)S 01 Lafayette .................................... W, 35-6S 08 @ Bucknell ............................... W, 30-14S 22 @ WAGNER ...............................6:00 pmS 29 @ Cornell ...................................1:00 pmO 06 Pennsylvania ..............................3:00 pmO 13 @ Dartmouth .............................6:00 pmO 20 @ CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ......1:00 pmO 27 BRYANT .....................................1:00 pmN 03 ROBERT MORRIS ....................12:00 pmN 10 @ DUQUESNE ..........................12:00 pmN 17 SAINT FRANCIS .......................12:00 pm

SAINT FRANCIS U (1-2, 0-0 NEC)S 01 @ Lehigh ....................................L, 21-19S 08 Delaware State ......................... W, 45-14S 13 Richmond ..................................L, 35-27S 22 @ Albany ....................................7:00 pmS 29 West Virginia Wesleyan .............4:00 pmO 13 @ WAGNER ......................................TBAO 20 DUQUESNE ..............................12:00 pmO 27 @ ROBERT MORRIS ................12:00 pmN 03 BRYANT ...................................12:00 pmN 10 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT .........12:00 pmN 17 @ SACRED HEART ...................12:00 pm

WAGNER (1-2, 0-0 NEC)A 30 Bowie State .............................. W, 40-23S 08 @ Syracuse ................................L, 62-10S 15 @ Montana State ........................L, 47-24S 22 SACRED HEART .........................6:00 pmS 29 @ Monmouth .............................1:00 pmO 06 @ Campbell ................................2:00 pmO 13 SAINT FRANCIS ......................12:00 pmO 27 @ CENTRAL CONNECTICUT ....12:00 pmN 03 DUQUESNE ..............................12:00 pmN 10 @ BRYANT .................................1:00 pmN 17 @ ROBERT MORRIS ................12:00 pm

Date Matchup TimeSep. 22 Robert Morris at Bryant 1:00 pmOct. 13 Saint Francis at Wagner 12:00 pmOct. 13 Robert Morris at Duquesne 7:00 pmOct. 20 Sacred Heart at CCSU 1:00 pmOct. 27 Bryant at Sacred Heart 1:00 pmNov. 3 Duquesne at Wagner 12:00 pmNov.10 CCSU at Saint Francis 12:00 pmNov. 17 WILDCARD 12:00 pm

NEC FOOTBALL ON ESPN3 NEC VS...Big Sky 0-1Big South 0-0Colonial 0-3FBS 0-3Ivy 0-1MEAC 1-0Missouri Valley 0-0Sub-DI 5-0Ohio Valley 0-0Patriot 2-1Pioneer 3-1Southern 0-0Southland 0-0SWAC 0-0Total 11-10