After meeting twice last season, this week's game marks the 20th overall meeting between New Haven and American International. The teams first met in 1983 and the Chargers hold a 13-6 record against the Yellow Jackets. AIC opened the series with six wins in the first nine meetings, but UNH has since rattled off 10-straight victories since 1992. Last season, New Haven defeated AIC in back-to-back weeks to claim the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Championship. UNH won 37-6 in the last week of the regular season and then 37-12 in the inagural NE-10 Championship Game one week later.
1983: American International - 22 | New Haven - 20 (Springfield, Mass.)
1984: New Haven - 27 | American International - 24 (West Haven, Conn.)
1985: American International - 13 | New Haven - 10 (Springfield, Mass.)
1986: American International - 28 | New Haven - 14 (West Haven, Conn.)
1987: New Haven - 38 | American International - 14 (Springfield, Mass.)
1988: American International - 51 | New Haven - 21 (West Haven, Conn.)
1989: New Haven - 34 | American International - 27 (Springfield, Mass.)
1990: American International - 20 | New Haven - 16 (West Haven, Conn.)
1991: American International - 35 | New Haven - 34 (Springfield, Mass.)
1992: New Haven - 66 | American International - 7 (West Haven, Conn.)
1993: New Haven - 63 | American International - 10 (Springfield, Mass.)
1994: New Haven - 59 | American International - 7 (West Haven, Conn.)
1995: New Haven - 23 | American International - 13 (Springfield, Mass.)
1996: New Haven - 20 | American International - 12 (West Haven, Conn.)
2009: New Haven - 28 | American International - 25 (West Haven, Conn.)
2010: New Haven - 13 | American International - 0 (Springfield, Mass.)
2011: New Haven - 34 | American International - 20 (West Haven, Conn.)
2012: New Haven - 37 | American International - 6 (Springfield, Mass.)
2012: New Haven - 37 | American International - 12 (West Haven, Conn.) *NE-10 Championship Game
COMMON OPPONENTS
New Haven and American International have six common opponents this season, all Northeast-10 Conference foes: Pace, Saint Anselm, LIU Post, Assumption, Merrimack and Stonehill. The Chargers and the Yellow Jackets both hold a 5-1 record against the teams. New Haven holds an average margin of victory of 23.5 points (+141 total points), while the Yellow Jackets hold an average margin of victory of 15.3 points (+92 total points). Both teams have wins over Pace, Saint Anselm, LIU Post and Merrimack. Both teams' losses come by only a field goal as AIC lost 26-23 to Assumption, and New Haven dropped a 29-26 game to Stonehill.
|
New Haven |
Common Opponent |
American Int'l |
|
W, 65-0 (9/14) |
Pace |
W, 48-27 (09/21) |
|
W, 70-26 (9/20) |
Saint Anselm |
W, 41-21 (10/26) |
|
W, 48-23 (9/28) |
LIU Post |
W, 21-0 (10/12) |
|
W, 21-18 (10/4) |
Assumption |
L, 26-23 (09/27) |
|
W, 48-41 (10/12) |
Merrimack |
W, 62-50 (09/13) |
|
L, 29-26 (10/19) |
Stonehill |
W 31-10 (10/05) |
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
The Chargers must continue their winning ways against American International this week to keep their hopes of a NE-10 Championship and spot in the NCAA playoffs alive. Senior quarterback Ronnie Nelson currently leads the team with 322.8 yards of total offense per game. He chips in with 2,089 yards and 21 touchdowns on 124-of-206 passing, while amassing 493 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 86 carries. Mike DeCaro leads the rushing attack with 76.0 yards per game and seven rushing touchdowns this season. He also contributes 43.2 receiving yards per game and three receiving touchdowns. Rookie tight end Michael Flacco leads the receiving corps with 460 yards and seven touchdowns on 23 catches this season. Defensively, New Haven is anchored by rookie cornerback Najae Brown with a team-high 54 tackles and three interceptions. Senior linebacker Matthew Fallico adds 50 total tackles while 10 other Chargers have at least 20 tackles this season.
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New Haven Special Teams Key to the Game:Â The New Haven special teams made steps to improve last week at Southern Connecticut State with two blocked punts which were returned for touchdowns and two field goals. This week, UNH will need to continue to improve on special teams in order to win.
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New Haven Offensive Key to the Game: Saturday's game has all the ingredients for a very close, hard fought game at DellaCamera Stadium and in close games, turnovers always play a large part on the outcome. The UNH offense will need to limit its turnovers on Saturday in order to come away with a victory. The Chargers currently ranked third in the NE-10 and 25th in Division II in turnovers lost with just 11 this season. The team also ranks fourth in the NE-10 and 43rd nationally with a +0.5 turnover margin.
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New Haven Defensive Key to the Game: The UNH defense will have its hands full on Saturday with AIC's multi-talented junior quarterback Kevin Arduino and they will need to contain him in order to be successful. Last season, Arduino was held in check by the Chargers' defense in both meetings as they allowed him to amass 212 and 211 yards of total offense with just one touchdown.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
American International was picked as the 2013 favorites in the NE-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll nearly two months ago and enter week nine of the regular season tied for first place with a 6-1 record in conference play. American International has won four-straight games with their only NE-10 loss coming to Assumption in week four. The Yellow Jackets have quality wins over Merrimack (62-50), Stonehill (31-10) and Bentley (42-14). In its only non-conference game, AIC lost 21-14 to East Stroudsburg on opening weekend. Most recently, the Yellow Jackets defeated Saint Anselm 41-21 last week on homecoming day in Springfield, Mass.
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The American International Offense: The AIC offense is all about junior quarterback Kevin Arduino. The Cornwall, N.Y. native leads the Yellow Jackets in both passing and rushing with nearly 300 yards of total offense per game. Arduino has 1,756 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while adding a team-best 607 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. After starting running back Terrell Williams went down with a season-ending injury in week three, Arduino's abilty to run has become more crucial to AIC's success. He leads an offense which is averaging 35.25 points per game and 459.9 yards per game. Arduino's top receiver is Matt Brown who has 31 catches for 394 yards and two touchdowns this season.
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The American International Defense: The Yellow Jacket defense is anchored by junior middle linebacker Jaquawne Simpkins. He's amassed 72 total tackles, 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks and one interception. The 4-3 front for AIC is holding opponents to 112.8 rushing yards and 274.9 passing yards per game. Sophomore defensive end Andrew Justice leads the team with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks. Eight different players have intercepted passes this season for the Yellow Jackets, including two by both Justice and Daquan Holmes.
ANOTHER BLOCK PARTY
The Chargers have four blocked kicks this fall with Cory Jasudowich leading the way with two blocks, both coming last week at SCSU. The blocks marked the third-straight season UNH blocked at least one kick by the Owls. Earlier this season, the Chargers also recorded blocks against Saint Anselm and Assumption.
NE-10 ROOKIE AND SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
North Branford, Conn. native Cory Jasudowich was named the Northeast-10 Conference Special Teams Player and Rookie of the Week this week after helping the Chargers to a 40-21 victory at Southern Connecticut State last week. The special teamer blocked two punts, both of which led to New Haven touchdown returns and also totaled two special teams tackles. It was the first time the same player blocked two kicks which were returned for touchdowns since the program returned in 2009.
THE CARDIAC CHARGERS
The Chargers have played a number of very close games this season. During a three-game stretch, each game was decided by one score (eight points or less) and in two cases, the final play of the game. New Haven was on the winning side of close games at Assumption in week five and at Merrimack in week six, but fell short against Stonehill in week seven. The three-game stretch decided by one score is the first since 2001 when four-straight games came down to one possession.
STREAK ENDING LOSS
In New Haven's loss to Stonehill in week seven, a number of different streaks came to an end for the Chargers. A record 21-game Northeast-10 Conference winning streak and an 18-game October winning streak both ended with the 29-26 defeat. New Haven had also won 14-straight regular season games at the Blue and Gold turf of DellaCamera Stadium. Stonehill's win was the first over UNH since the teams began their series in 2009.
"THE BLENDER"
Preseason All-America selection and senior running back Mike DeCaro has put together one of the most impressive all-around performances of any Charger this season. He became the third ranked rusher in New Haven history against Merrimack by surpassing Corey Jones on the all-time rushing yards list. His career total now stands at 2,474 yards and he stands alone in third place on the rushing list, behind only Roger Graham (5,953) and A.J. Livingston (2,904). DeCaro became the fifth player in New Haven football history to rush for 2,000 career yards in week three at Saint Anselm. He adds 28 career rushing touchdowns, also ranking third behind Graham (66) and Livingston (50) in the record book. DeCaro is also a threat to catch the ball and return kicks as he's amassed 5,446 all-purpose yards during his career. This season, he's averaging 193.0 all-purpose yards per game, ranking him eighth in NCAA Division II and third in the NE-10. He's also scored 1.4 touchdowns per game and is one of only two NE-10 players with a rushing, receiving and return touchdown this season.
CALLING HIS OWN NUMBER
Senior quarterback Ronnie Nelson has led the UNH offense throughout the 2013 season as he's picked apart defenses through the air and on the ground. He currently ranks seventh in Division II and first in the NE-10 with a 174.2 passing efficiency rating. Nelson's numbers include 2,089 yards, 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions on 124-of-206 passing. In 10 games as the starting quarterback in his career, he is 176-for-281 for 2,860 yards with 36 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. The only 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in New Haven football history, Nelson's career numbers include 3,585 passing yards and 1,217 rushing yards. The senior put together one of the most impressive individual performances in Charger football history against Saint Anselm in week three. He set a record for total offensive yards in a game and was the first quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards and rush for more than 100 yards in a game. He also threw for a career-best 364 yards on 18-of-25 in week four against LIU Post.
DEFENSIVE STANDS
The New Haven defense has come up huge in critical moments this season. Last week, senior cornerback Rodney Lanham intercepted his second pass of the season as Southern Connecticut State was driving into New Haven territory midway through the third quarter. The resulting UNH offensive drive helped put the Chargers ahead by 30 points. Against Stonehill, Najae Brown was the deciding factor in keeping Stonehill out of the endzone on its final series of the first half. He intercepted a pass at New Haven's own goal line and kept UNH ahead 20-14 at halftime. Leading by seven late in the fourth quarter at Merrimack, the Chargers kept the Warriors out of the endzone twice to ensure the victory in week six.
CAREER HIGH
Senior linebacker Jaylen Johnson has stepped into the lineup for New Haven in week six and helped anchor the second level until suffering a season-ending injury against Stonehill. He boasted a career-best 12 total tackles at Merrimack, while recording eight solo stops and applying the pressure to Merrimack quarterback Joe Clancy on the final play of the game, forcing an intentional grounding penalty and giving the Chargers possession with under one minute remaining. This season, the Linden, N.J. native made two starts and amassed 32 total tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT ROOKIE
One of the team's leading tacklers and a two-time Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week, Najae Brown has made his presence known this season as a freshman cornerback. He leads the team with 54 total tackles and 40 solo stops. Against Stonehill on Oct. 19, the Mount Vernon, N.Y. native recorded seven tackles and halted one Skyhawk drive inside the UNH red zone with his third interception of the season. He tied his early season total of 11 tackles and set a new personal best with 10 solo stops in the Chargers' win at Merrimack on Oct. 12.
FROM THE DIAMOND TO THE GRIDIRON
Tight end Michael Flacco currently leads the team with 23 receptions, while boasting seven touchdown catches. The sophomore from Audobon, N.J. hasn't always caught passes on the football field. Flacco spent the last four seasons in the baseball minor league system. A quarterback in high school, Flacco transitioned to his tight end position during the 2013 preseason.
COMING OUT OF NOWHERE
Sophomore Courtney Moshood, in his first year of eligibility, has emerged as one of the Chargers' top offensive threats this season and for his efforts in week five, he was named the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week. Despite missing the two games in the middle of the season, Moshood has 300 yards and three touchdowns off eight catches. The emergence of Moshood becomes even more astonishing given the fact he was on the defensive side of the ball as recently as the 2013 preseason.
PROGRAM FIRSTS
Two players will become the first players in program history to accomplish very elite numbers. Quarterback Ronnie Nelson, became the first 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in program history in week six against Merrimack, while Mike DeCaro is on pace to be the only Charger with 2,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. He needs 169 receiving yards to accomplish the feat this season.
SCORING SPREE
One of just four teams in NCAA Division II with at least two 65-plus point performances this season, New Haven scored 65-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time and tied the highest two-game scoring total in program history in weeks two and three. The 135 points scored against Pace and Saint Anselm tied a two-game stretch from 1992 against Virginia Union and Central Connecticut. On the season, The Chargers rank 18th in NCAA Division II and second in the NE-10 in scoring offense with 41.5 points per game.
SPREADING OUT THE SCORES
Fifteen different players have scored for UNH this season, including eight players with 18-or-more points and 13 players have scored touchdowns. During a three-week stretch from week two to week four, the Chargers had six different players score touchdowns in each of their three wins. Against Southern Connecticut State, five different players scored touchdowns, including Brandon Ruberti and DeeJay White who both scored their first collegiate touchdowns.
ICE-BERG ANCHORS D-LINE
Senior defensive tackle Sean Berglund has stepped in to the starting role and excelled throughout the 2013 season. Despite missing one game due to injury, he leads the defensive line with 32 total tackles and 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks. He posted a career-high seven total tackles in each of the first two games this season. He registered a career-best 4.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks against Pace in week two, while also forcing a fumble and recovering another loose ball on his way to being named the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week. At Assumption in week five, he blocked his first career field goal and in the meantime set up a Chargers' scoring drive.
A SPECIALIST
Junior kicker Anthony Greenfield has boasted impressive numbers throughout the first half of the 2013 season. He's averaged 41.3 yards per punt and pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line nine times. In week three at Saint Anselm, Greenfield came one extra point short of tying New Haven's all-time record of 11 conversions. He connected on 10-of-10 attempts. In week two against Pace, Greenfield booted a 64-yard punt late in the fourth quarter to seal the late-game shutout for UNH. The punt was the longest of his career and the first punt over 60 yards since the Chargers returned to the gridiron in 2009. The last punt longer than 64 yards came in 2002 when Lars Anderson kicked a 65-yard punt on Sept. 21 at Indiana (Pa.). The Chargers' longest punt ever belongs to John Cerra, who booted a 75-yard punt against Southern Connecticut State in 1996.
THE COACHES
The 2012 Liberty Mutual Division II Coach of the Year and three-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year, Peter Rossomando is in his fifth season as head coach for the Chargers, although he was hired in January of 2008 to start rebuilding the program. In four short years, Rossomando has brought the Charger football program back into the national spotlight as one of the premier programs in Division II. He previously spent seven seasons at the University at Albany and five seasons at UNH, as an assistant under current Oakland Raiders offensive line coach Tony Sparano. Art Wilkins is in the midst of his 20th season as head football coach at American International College, a position he has held since 1994. Wilkins is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a career record of 119-76 (.610), which includes a 100-39 (.719) mark in conference play. He recorded his 100th career victory with a 41-13 win over Merrimack College October 24, 2009 and earned his 100th career conference victory was a 37-34 win at Saint Anselm College October 26, 2012.
THREE OF A KIND
Head coach Peter Rossomando has gradually worked his way up the all-time wins list at the University of New Haven over the last five seasons. With last week's win, the fifth-year head coach became the third coach in program history to cross the 40-win plateau. Mark Whipple (1988-93) is the winningest coach with a 48-17 record in his six seasons, while Tony Sparano (1994-98) is second on the list, and now just one ahead of Rossomando, with a 41-14 all-time record.
|
Coach |
Wins |
Losses |
Ties |
Pct. |
Years |
|
Mark Whipple |
48 |
17 |
0 |
0.738 |
1988-93 |
|
Tony Sparano |
41 |
14 |
1 |
0.741 |
1994-98 |
|
Peter Rossomando |
40 |
12 |
0 |
0.769 |
2009-Pres. |
GAMEDAY FORECAST
Rain is forecast to move through the West Haven, Conn. area on Friday which will give way to partly cloudy skies on Saturday at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. Temperatures are forecast in the mid 60s with a light breeze out of the west.
UP NEXT
New Haven returns to Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium for its 2013 regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 9 against Bentley. It will be military appreciation day and senior day for the Chargers who kickoff against the Falcons at 1 p.m.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The University of New Haven football coaches will be selecting Players of the Week every week throughout the 2013 season. Head Coach Peter Rossomando and his assistants chose five student-athletes for the week eight awards:
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Offensive Player of the Week: Ty Headen
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Defensive Player of the Week: Sherwood Jonathas
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Special Teams Player of the Week: Cory Jasudowich
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Offensive Scout Player of the Week: Stephen Rossi
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Defensive Scout Player of the Week: Jordan Dunn
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The Beyond Sports Network (BSN) recognized the New Haven offensive line and running back Mike DeCaro as national players of the week during week four. Punter Anthony Greenfield and defensive back Carlos Lozada were both named to the teams during week three. BSN recognizes national award winners for the top performances in the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA. The Beyond Sports Network staff hands out awards for Offensive Line of the Week, Defense of the Week, Offensive Players of the Week, Defensive Players of the Week, and Special Teams Players of the Week.
THREE-TIME AS GREAT
Against Pace in week two, Ronnie Nelson, Anthony Greenfield and Joey Bradley all threw touchdown passes in the Chargers' 65-0 victory - the first time three different players threw scoring strikes since Nov. 5, 2011. Ryan Osiecki, Ronnie Nelson and Brice DeRosa helped lead UNH to another 60-plus point performance and win over Pace. This season, four different players have thrown passes for the Chargers, including DeeJay White who tossed a 41-yard strike against LIU Post.
THE REMAINING SCHEDULE
The November schedule includes two NE-10 regular season home games for the Chargers. American International travels to West Haven on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. The Chargers and Yellow Jackets have met 18 times since 1983 with UNH holding a 12-6 advantage in the series. Bentley University will round out the regular season for the Chargers on Saturday, Nov. 9 at DellaCamera Stadium. UNH and Bentley have also met every year since 2009 and the Chargers hold a 3-1 record against the Falcons. For the second straight season, the NE-10 Conference will host a championship weekend on Saturday, Nov. 16. The top seeded team will host the second seed in a true championship game format. The remaining teams will also play games in the final weekend of the regular season. The third, fifth, sixth and seventh seeded teams will host the fourth, eighth, ninth and 10th seeded teams, respectively. The NCAA Division II Football Championship tournament begins on Saturday, Nov. 23 with the first round, while the Division II Champion will be crowded on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala.
A WIN FOR THE AGES
In week three's 70-26 victory at Saint Anselm, the Chargers set one program record, but many more numbers were the most since 2009 when the Chargers' return to the gridiron. The win also ranked among the best in NCAA Division II this season, tying for fifth place in points scored, coming in second in total offense and third in rushing yards. Here's a complete list:
Individual
 Most rushing yards - Mike DeCaro, 205
 Most total offensive yards gained - Ronnie Nelson, 483 (*all-time record)
 Most all-purpose yards - Mike DeCaro, 286
 Most extra point conversions - Anthony Greenfield, 10
Team
 Most rushing yards - 509
 Most yards per rush (min. 20 attempts) - 9.6
 Most rushing touchdowns - 7
 Most total offensive yards - 821
 Most all-purpose yards - 907
 Most points scored - 70
 Most touchdowns - 10
NE-10 PRESEASON RESULTS
The No. 12 University of New Haven football team has been selected to finish second in the Northeast-10 Football Coaches' Preseason Poll, which was released today by the conference office. The nationally-ranked Chargers received three of 10 first-place votes. The three-time defending Northeast-10 Champion, New Haven garnered 73 total points on the preseason ledger. American International was tabbed as the favorite by the conference's 10 head coaches, collecting five first-place tallies to edge the Chargers with 75 total points. Bentley nabbed 61 points, LIU Post had 60 – including the two remaining first-place votes – and Merrimack rounds out the top half of the poll with 44 points. Southern Connecticut, Stonehill, Assumption, Saint Anselm and Pace rounded out the preseason poll.
2013 Northeast-10 Football Coaches Preseason Poll
    1. American International – 75 (5)
    2. New Haven – 73 (3)
    3. Bentley – 61
    4. LIU Post – 60 (2)
    5. Merrimack – 44
    6. Southern Connecticut – 42
    7. Stonehill – 41
    8. Assumption – 24
    9. Saint Anselm – 21
    10. Pace – 9
    * - first-place votes in parentheses
COMPLETE NEW HAVEN GAME NOTES (PDF)
