GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: September 25, 2021
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LOCATION: Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium
West Haven, Conn. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE LEAD
There is a trophy on the line this weekend and it is one that has resided in West Haven since October 9, 2010 as New Haven rides a 10-game win streak in the battle of the Elm City. With a year off in the annual rivalry game due to the CoVID-19 pandemic, the excitement for today's game is at levels higher than many can recall over the last decade.
SCOUTING THE NEW HAVEN CHARGERS
The Chargers met a defense last week that tested their resolve and it came at a perfect time, one week before opening Northeast-10 Conference play against their crosstown rival. New Haven turned the ball over three times against No. 24 Bowie State and that proved to be the difference as they dropped a 27-13 decision to the visiting Bulldogs. The Chargers will once again put graduate quarterback Connor Degenhardt (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) under center to open up league play. The Westford, Mass. native has completed 43 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns, while in the running game he has two more TD's to his credit, a 26-yard run in the season opener and a 1-yard up the gut score as time expired against Bowie State. In addition to Deggenhardt, much of the offense will run through junior running back Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./Erasmus Hall High School) who is averaging 77 yards per game and 4.8 yards per rushing attempt. Defensively, New Haven took care of the Bulldogs offensive line last week, breaking through for five sacks which resulted in 44 yards lost, while they also finished with 11 tackles for loss. Leading the way on the season is Ryan Hodgins (Flanders, N.J./Mount Olive) who has 15 tackles to his credit, one of four players with double digit tackles on the year.
SCOUTING THE SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT OWLS
Including a season opening road win over Division I Central Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut enters DellaCamera Stadium with a 2-1 overall record, opening up Northeast-10 play with a 34-31 victory over Saint Anselm last weekend in their home opener. Most of the Owls offense this season has come from its passing game where sophomore quarterback Jackson Ostrowsky has completed over 60% of his pass attempts, racking up 757 yards and seven touchdowns across three games. On the ground, the Owls average just 66.7 yards per game, with nearly three quarters of their total net yards coming from junior T.J. Gardner.
RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Running back Shamar Logan (Brooklyn, N.Y./Erasmus Hall High School) picked up in 2021 right where he left off in 2019, racking up 100+ yards for the sixth time in his career in week one with 104 net yards on 20 attempts against Franklin Pierce. Right out of the gates in game one, Logan found his feet, getting the ball on the first three plays of the game where he quickly secured the first first down of the season just two plays in. Among his 20 attempts, four went for 10 or more yards, including one for 20+ and the longest of the day, a 30-yard gain that set up at 48-yard TD pass on the next play.
ONE DEGREE ISN'T ENOUGH
With a master's program in sport management, an MBA program and a renowned school of criminal justice it is no wonder so many students call New Haven home when it comes to postgraduate degrees. This season is no different as the Chargers boast 27 grad students on the roster, which according to a new release from the National Football Foundation is the most in Division II. A total of 296 schools responded to a request for information regarding graduate students on current rosters. Two-hundred seventy-nine of those schools listed at least one graduate student and all combined a total of 3,284 collegiate football players will take the field despite having already earned an undergraduate degree.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
If you haven't visited North Campus recently you haven't seen the construction taking place adjacent to Charger Gymnasium. The site is the future home of the Peterson Performance Center, a state of the art facility that will house strength and condition, sports medicine, a new football locker room and meetings space with the ability to be tailored for the many different needs of all 18 varsity Charger athletic teams. The entire facility will measure 7,000 square feet and house 20 Olympic style weightlifting racks and a 60-yard turf agility and conditioning area. To learn more visit ChargerAthleticsFund.com.
NEXT ON TAP
New Haven will head on the road for the first time in 2021 when they open the month of October at Pace University on Saturday, October 2. The Setters will be entering that game off of their bye week after dropping a 32-21 road decision at Assumption on September 18. Kickoff from Pace Stadium in Pleasantville, N.Y. is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. with all of the action available live on NE10 NOW.
