NEW HAVEN, Conn. – There were no words of motivation needed as the members of the University of New Haven football team made their appearance at Jess Dow Field on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

The previous nine graduating classes hung up their pads having never lost to rival Southern Connecticut State and this group of departing players were determined to make it a perfect 10.

Unlike the first meeting of the season between the Chargers and Owls when Southern Connecticut threatened to end its losing ways against New Haven, this one was over quickly.

The Chargers scored touchdowns on three of their first eight offensive plays and rolled to the 54-14 victory.

"It is great to end the regular season like this," said receiver Dev Holmes (Troy, N.Y./Troy), who had three catches for 150 yards including touchdowns of 65 and 50 yards. "Putting up 54 points against Southern, there is no better feeling than beating the crosstown rival."

The win allowed the 8-2 Chargers to finish 6-1 in Northeast-10 play. UNH has now won 18 of its last 19 conference games. Assumption will be recognized as the NE10 champion based on the win over New Haven even though the Greyhounds also went 6-1 in conference play.

Holmes was far from the only star in the game.

Sophomore running back Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) ran 25 times for 191 yards. He opened the scoring with a 59-yard run on the third play of the game.

Hunter Cobb (Sandy Hook, Conn./Newtown) later had a 76-yard run and finished with 82 yards on just three carries.

Quarterback Connor Degenhardt (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) was 7 of 10 for 184 yards. He threw for three scores and ran for two others.

Linebackers David Onyemem (Dracut, Mass./Central Catholic) and Damon Burton Jr. (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas Institute) had interceptions. It was Burton's sixth interception of the season, one shy of the program record. Onyemem also had a sack as did Joseph Vitale and Mazon Walker (Huber Heights, Ohio/Anthony Wayne).

The offensive line of John Tyrrell (Bronx, N.Y./Iona Prep), Xavier Bryson (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover / Fork Union Military Acad.), Will Ayers, John Thomas (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) and Neil Brown (Woodbridge, Conn./Amity Regional) with some help from tight ends Kevin Foelsch (Ramsey, N.J./Ramsey) and Cole Modestow (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug) paved the way for New Haven to run for 374 yards, the most by a New Haven team since rumbling for 420 yards against Saint Anselm on Nov. 7, 2015.

"They did a great job," New Haven coach Chris Pincince said of the offensive line. "The two seniors in John Tyrrell (Bronx, N.Y./Iona Prep) and Will Ayers, we have a senior in Cole Modestow (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug) as a tight end and from the beginning, they did such a wonderful job of creating some space. We have some really talented running backs, all three of those guys are really good players."

Ais becomes just the fourth New Haven player to have more than 1,000 rushing yards in a season since the program was restored in 2009.

"It is nice, it is really fun because everybody gets touches and everybody gets yards," said Ais, who also had a one-handed catch that turned into one of the Chargers' three touchdown catches. "It is a really good thing to see the running backs do the same thing.

"We knew we had to get the job done today. We had to beat the team across the street and that is what we came out here to do."

Degenhardt joins Jay McLucas, James Weir, Jesse Showerda, Jason Barnett and Ajee Patterson as the only Chargers with back-to-back seasons with 2,000 passing yards.

The win was important so the Elm City Trophy stays with the Chargers.

"The players take this game very seriously," Pincince said. "It is fun to see these guys play so hard, it is a very important game for our football program and our school and we showed that 14 times in a row."

The game was also about New Haven keeping alive its hopes of earning a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

New Haven entered the game ranked ninth in the Super Region One rankings and only seven get spots in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

They got some help as three teams ahead of them lost. The biggest result was Gannon falling 35-28 in overtime to Shippensburg. Slippery Rock lost to Kutztown and Indiana (Pa.) topping Shepherd 24-21.

Shepherd entered as the No. 1 ranked team in the region so that result won't impact the Chargers' playoff hopes, but the Gannon win is a huge result for the Chargers.

"All we are asking for is a chance," Holmes said. "If we get a chance, I know the potential this team has."

The NCAA playoff field will be announced beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday on NCAA.com.

The defense held Southern Connecticut to 231 yards in offense, including 23 rushing yards.

"[The emotion] is up pretty high right now, this could be our last ride so we wanted to go out with a bang," senior defensive back Khyon Fitzpatrick (Union, N.J./Paramus Catholic) said.

MORE FOOTBALL LEFT FOR FITZPATRICK

Fitzpatrick, the defensive captain, tied for the team lead with seven tackles in his final regular-season game for the Chargers.

Obviously, he is hoping to have more games to play with the Chargers.

He knows there is at least one more game in his future as he has accepted an invitation to the FCS Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida.

"It means a lot that coming from a small school you get some good recognition out in the world," Fitzpatrick said. "I will just try to show what the University of New Haven is all about and put us on the map."