GAME DAY INFORMATION   DATE: September 27, 2019 LOCATION: Bentley Football Stadium | Waltham, Mass.   GAME DAY LINKS   LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO  |  TICKETS

NEWS NEWS ROSTER ROSTER SCHEDULE SCHEDULE STATS STATS GAME NOTES

THE FIRST LOOK
For the first time in 2019, the Chargers will play under the lights when they travel to Bentley on Friday night. The Chargers look to build on an NE10 opening win over AIC last weekend, while Bentley returns to the gridiron for the first time in 13 days.

HOW TO WATCH
Friday night's game is featured as part of the NCAA Division II Football Showcase and will be produced by the Niles Media Group. The game can be seen live in its entirety throughout the New Haven area on MyTV9, a sister station of the local ABC affiliate WTNH Channel 8. The game can also be seen online through the NE10 Now video portal, the Division II Twitter page and the Division II, New Haven and Bentley Facebook pages.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• New Haven and Bentley meet for the 11th time in the history of the two programs.
• The Chargers hold a 9-2 record in the previous 10 meetings, all since football returned to West Haven in 2009.
• Prior to an overtime loss in 2017, the Blue and Gold had won seven straight, with the lone loss in the initial match-up in 2009, a 25-18 decision in West Haven.
• All but three of the games between New Haven and Bentley has been decided by one possession or less, including a 22-21 nail biter in 2015 with Danny Stock (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge / Buffalo State) cementing the victory with a 34-yard FG with two seconds remaining in regulation.

A WIN OVER BENTLEY WOULD...

• keep the Chargers undefeated in the NE10 with at least one other team guaranteed to be undefeated, Stonehill who has the weekend off.
• be the third-straight win for the Blue and Gold after knocking off Stonehill in week two and AIC last weekend.
• be the second-straight win and ninth victory in the last 10 games against the Falcons in the all-time series.
• be the 252nd overall victory in the 41-plus year history of Charger Football.
• be the 221st victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.

GAME DAY FORECAST
Despite the start of autumn having officially passed, the Chargers and Falcons will meet under summer-like conditions with the forecast calling for bright sunny skies with a high temperature of 82 degrees. The low for the day is predicted at 63 degrees while there is a 15% chance of rain and a 78% humidity level after dark. Winds on Saturday will be around nine miles per hour out of the west-south-west. Sunset will be 6:31 p.m.

NEXT ON TAP
New Haven will return to DellaCamera Stadium for the second time this season when they next take the field on Saturday, October 5. That contest will feature a visit from the Pace Setters as the Chargers will host Homecoming on the Blue and Gold Turf. Kick off in the NE10 match-up is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Three touchdowns of 40+ yards, including a 58-yard pick six from Allah Sessions (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira) led the Chargers to a 37-7 win over American International to open up NE10 action last week.  Leading the way in last week's victory was quarterback Nick Robins (Nephi, Utah/Juab), one of two Division I transfers under center. Robins finished week three with a season-high 244 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns while also rushing for a TD. Under center, the Chargers have split time between Robins and Christian Lupoli (Branford, Conn./Notre Dame). Leading the way downfield for the Chargers is graduate receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) who has completed 14 catches for 209 yards with one touchdown. Overall, Robins and Lupoli have relied on seven targets. In the backfield, redshirt freshman Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) leads the team with 273 net yards, averaging 5.3 per carry. Among his 49 attempts have been a pair of touchdowns. Defensively, the Chargers are led by graduate transfer Zach Cofrancesco (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) who has 24 tackles on the season. The Chargers defense has also forced eight turnovers with junior Shawn Tafe (Bronx, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) pulling in three of the team's six total interceptions.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Following a pair of losses in the first two weeks of the season, the Falcons have enjoyed a 13-day hiatus to recoup and regroup heading into Friday night's NE10 opener. Running Bentley's offense is junior quarterback Stephen Sturm who has taken every snap this season under center, completing 64 percent of his pass attempts for an average of 182 yards per game while completing one of those passes for a touchdown. His primary targets in the first two games has been senior Drew Mahoney and junior Austin Ryan who have 19 and 12 catches, respectively. On the ground, junior running back Andrew Brazicki leads the team with 218 yards on 44 attempts, while as a team, the Falcons are allowing opponents to gain more than 202 yards per game on the ground against them. Defensively, sophomore defensive back Jailen Branch leads the team with 14 tackles, one of four players with double figure stops. 

HONOR ROLL
Rookie RB Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) and junior DB Shawn Tafe (Bronx, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) each hauled in some brass following week two earning Rookie of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. Against Stonehill, Logan ran all over the O-Line racking up 157 rushing yards on 22 carries with a pair of touchdowns. His first collegiate score came in the first quarter when he broke through the middle of the line and sprinted straight down the left hash marks to the end zone to put the Chargers on the board. He then took the ball for both plays of a two play, 19-yard drive that ended with his second touchdown of the afternoon. For the season, Logan has amassed 218 rushing yards and an average of 6.2 yards per carry. Tafe picked apart the Stonehill passing game, intercepting a pair of Skyhawk passes, returning them for a total of 33 yards. He also added five tackles.

GOING FOR DISTANCE
Through three games, the Chargers have not been shy of looking for big plays, racking up 17 plays of 20 yards or more, including six or more of 40+ yards. The longest of the season so far was a pair of 58-yard plays against American International, the first a pass from Nick Robins (Nephi, Utah/Juab) to AJ Greene (Middle Island, N.Y./Newfield) and the second a pick-six from Allah Sessions (Elmira, N.Y./Elmira). On the ground, Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Youth & Community Development) has broken through the line on a pair of occasions for 40+ yards, both of which came against Stonehill for 47 and 42 yards, the first of those going for a touchdown. Last season the Chargers finished the year with 84 plays of 20 yards or more, including six of 50-plus yards.

RETURNING IN 2019
The Chargers boast 42 total lettermen returning in 2019, including 23 on offense, 17 on defense and a pair of kicker/punters. Additionally, the Chargers return 14 starters from a year ago, including four of the five starters on the offensive line. Finally, the Chargers return six of 13 players who received all-conference honors last season, highlighted by the lone first teamer to return; wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central).

ITS ALL ON THE LINE
The Chargers offensive line was nothing but exceptional last season and this year expect much of the same as the Blue and Gold return four of their five starters. Add to that, all 10 players on the depth chart have significant playing time under their belts on the line. Last season, the Chargers O-Line contributed to 4,827 total yards on offense, the most in the NE10, which included just shy of 2,000 rushing yards. Additionally, the O-Line allowed opponents to sack quarterback Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) just three times through the 10-game regular season.

BIG BOOT
The Chargers will return a big boot in 2019 with Michael Stalenyj (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) returning as one of two kicker/punters. Stalenyj closed out his rookie campaign in 2018 a perfect 9-of-9 in field goal attempts while he was also 34-of-38 in extra point attempts. So far in 2019, Stalenyj hasn't missed, converting four field goals (21, 28, 35 & 21 yards) and nine extra point attempt.

FLIPPING THE FIELD
One area the Chargers will look to recover from a large loss is their punting game. Last season, graduate student Francis Palmer (Brewster, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling) averaged 40.4 yards on 31 punts including a pair of 50+ yard boots. He also pinned Charger opponents inside the 20 eight times with his longest punt of the season going for 59 yards. The lone Charger who returns after attempting punts last season is wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) who on seven kicks averaged 36.6 yards and pinned the opposition inside the 20 once.

WELL OILED MACHINE
Second-year transfer wide receiver Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) has quite the resume heading into his final season on the gridiron. The Springfield, Mass. native closed out his first season wearing the Blue and Gold by hauling in a single season school record 1,171 yards on 65 catches with 11 touchdowns. In addition to his yardage record, Williams' 11 touchdowns was also tied for fifth most in a single season among wide receivers in program history. So far in 2019, Williams has completed eight catches for 113 yards with one touchdown. Overall, Williams enters Friday night's game needing 552 yards to reach the top-10 in program history for receiving yards.

TRANSFER SUCCESS
Head coach Chris Pincince is hoping that last year's success of graduate transfer Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) will carry over to 2019 with the addition of five graduate transfers this season. A pair of the transfers, Zach Cofrancesco (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) and Dennis James (Hillside, N.J./St. Peter's Prep), are high up on the depth chart, both defensively. Cofrancesco hails from East Haven, Conn. transferring to New Haven after completing his undergraduate degree at LIU Post. James (St. Francis, Pa.) is one of two players transferring from Division I schools, joined by Nigel Beckford (Bridgeport, Conn./Notre Dame) (Maine). Rounding out the graduate transfers for 2019 is Mohammed Berry, a defensive back who comes from Seton Hill.

ON THE RADAR
The postseason run for New Haven didn't go unnoticed as the Chargers were among teams receiving votes in the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches poll released by the organization on August 26. New Haven garnered 65 votes in the initial poll with that total placing them 29th in the tally. Following last year's NCAA Tournament run New Haven was slated 23rd in the final AFCA poll which was released following the national championship game.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO
Among 13 players who were named to All-Conference teams following the 2018 campaign, the Chargers return six. Highlighting the group is a First Team selection in Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) who led the Chargers with 65 catches and 1,171 total receiving yards. Joining him offensively are o-lineman Osaro Eromosele (Hillside, N.J./DePaul Catholic) and Mike Zecchin (Thiells, N.Y./North Rockland). A pair of defensive players return with Scott Lavelle (West Milford, N.J./DePaul Catholic) and Markel Johnson (Jersey City, N.J./Lincoln) both earning accolades last season. Combined the pair collected 117 tackles and combined for 24 tackles for loss last season. Rounding out those returning players who were honored last year was rookie kicker Michael Stalenyj (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway) who earned a spot on the All-Rookie team. Last season, Stalenyj finished a perfect 9-9 in field goal attempts while converting 34-of-38 extra point opportunities.

UNDER THE LIGHTS & ON THE BIG SCREEN
For the second-straight season, the New Haven football team has been selected to participate in the NCAA Division II Showcase with this year's game included on the 18-game slate coming under the lights on September 27 at Bentley. The game, which is part of the hybrid model, will be available with an enhanced streaming broadcast through the NCAA's social media accounts - specifically, the Division II Facebook and Twitter pages. As did last season's game against Southern Connecticut, this year's match-up against Bentley will also air live on MyTV 9 throughout Connecticut.

LEADERSHIP IS EVERYTHING
In a vote of all active players, Gavin Dowd (Williston Park, N.Y./Herricks), Chris Liggio (Mount Laurel, N.J./Holy Cross), Christian Sullivan (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and Ju'an Williams (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) were all tabbed captains for the 2019 campaign. All first-time leaders for the Blue and Gold, Dowd, Liggio and Williams are all major components of the offense while Sullivan anchors New Haven's defensive line.

FAMILIAR FACES ON THE SIDELINES
They may not be between the white lines in 2019, but All-American Zach Voytek and four-year starting tight end Jonathan Badyna (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) return to the sidelines for the Blue and Gold as members of the coaching staff.  Voytek returns for his second season working with the Chargers tight ends after spending the 2017 NFL training camp season with the Buffalo Bills. Badyna, who completed his eligibility last fall, will serve as the Director of Football Operations.

WHAT D2FOOTBALL.COM IS PREDICTING FOR WEEK 4 (Paul Falewicz)
New Haven defeated American International 37-7 last Saturday afternoon. The offense was balanced for the Chargers and the defense continues to play well.  For the Chargers to win on the road, they will need to take the last two weeks and just repeat it.  Strong offensive game plan and a defense that swarms the ball and makes tackles. Bentley enjoyed a much-needed bye week in the third week of the season.  They are coming off tough losses at West Chester and American International to open the season. The Falcons were in both games and could easily be undefeated right now.  For the Falcons to win on their home turf, they will need to move the ball against a good New Haven defense and not allow the Charger offense to eat up time and yards with their running game. New Haven will find a way to grind down the Bentley defense. Prediction:  New Haven 27 Bentley 17

PRESEASON PROPS
Coming off of an NCAA Championship Second Round appearance last season, the Chargers have been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2019 NE10 Championship in a poll of the league's nine head coaches. New Haven racked up a total of 63 points and seven of the nine possible first place votes, finishing nine points ahead of the Assumption Greyhounds who scored the remaining two first place tallies.
2019 Northeast-10 Football Coaches' Poll
1. New Haven – 63 (7)
2. Assumption – 54 (2)
3. Pace – 49
4. Bentley – 40
4. Southern Connecticut – 40
6. Stonehill – 29
7. American International – 23
8. Saint Anselm – 18
9. Franklin Pierce – 8
(#) indicates first-place votes

GAMEDAY IMPROVEMENTS
If you haven't visited Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium since the NCAA Championship game against Slippery Rock, you are going to find a welcome addition with the construction of a permanent restroom and concession building. The new building is located on the southeast corner of the stadium, just inside the main entrance.