GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: September 23, 2022
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LOCATION: Bentley Football Field
Waltham, Mass. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE FIRST LOOK
After a home win over AIC to open Northeast-10 Conference play, the Chargers head on the road for their first league game away from home as they meet Bentley in a rematch of last season's NE10 Championship deciding contest. The Chargers and Falcons met twice last season with the first securing the first NE10 Championship since 2012 and the second in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Championship. Both games came on the Blue & Gold Turf of DellaCamera Stadium
INSIDE THE SERIES
· New Haven and Bentley meet for the 14th time in the history of the two programs.
· The Chargers hold a 10-3 record in the previous 13 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 six 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 cementing the victory with a 34-yard FG with two seconds remaining in regulation.
A WIN OVER BENTLEY WOULD...
· be the third straight win against Bentley following two against the Falcons last season.
· be the 15th straight win against a team from the NE10, dating back to an Oct. 12, 2019 loss to Saint Anselm on the road
· keep Bentley winless in NE10 play as they will open conference action this weekend
· be the 269th overall victory in the 43 plus year history of Charger Football.
· be the 239th victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.
GAME DAY FORECAST
New Haven and Bentley will meet under fall like temperatures with the high for the day at just 58 degrees and the Friday night low at 43 degrees. There is a 2% chance of precipitation and a 59% humidity level. Winds on Friday night will be around 17 miles per hour out of the northwest. Sunset is set for 6:40 p.m. while the moon is set to rise at 3:51 a.m.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
New Haven enters the rematch of last season's NE10 Championship splitting its offense rather evenly between the running and passing game. For the year, New Haven is averaging 123.3 yards on the ground and 239 yards in the air. Among the highlights in the ground game has been sophomore Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) who leads the team with 209 net yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 69.7 yards per game average is currently tied for the most in the NE10. Graduate quarterback Connor Degenhardt (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) found his rhythm last weekend against AIC, throwing five touchdowns, the most for a Charger QB since the 2019 season. For the year, he has completed 50-of-92 passes for 717 yards. Degenhardt has a number of options to rely on in the passing game as he has relied on 13 different Chargers, with his top target being graduate student Chris Carlyle (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) who returned in 2022 after suffering a season-ending injury prior to the start of the 2021 season. Defensively, New Haven is led by graduate student Damon Burton, Jr., who has 22 total tackles, two TFL, a sack, an interception, three breakups and a forced fumble. Combined, the Chargers have 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks which puts them as one of the best defenses in the NE10. As a unit, New Haven has limited opponents to just 65.7 rushing yards per game, including a season-low three years allowed to AIC last weekend. The 65.7 yards is the lowest in the NE10 and is the 12th lowest in the nation.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bentley will open its NE10 schedule on Friday night against the Chargers, entering the game with a 2-1 overall record with the wins the last two times out against Pace and Post. Through the first three games, Bentley has split its 404 yards per game average nearly down the middle between the passing and running game. On the ground, the Falcons sport two of the top-five leading rushers on the season, including quarterback Mark Waid who is currently tied for the team lead with the Chargers starting RB Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton). Following him for the Falcons is senior Nate Larkins who is averaging 69.3 yards per game and leads the team with five touchdowns, four rushing and one receiving. In the air, Waid has completed 52.5 percent of his passes for an average of 179 yards per game. Defensively, the Falcons are led by junior linebacker Salvatore Lupoli, Jr. who also leads all NE10 players with an average of 10.3 tackles per game.
DOUBLE TEAM
Following the Chargers NE10 opening win over American International, a pair of Chargers double teamed the weekly conference awards with quarterback Connor Degenhardt (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) earning Offensive Player of the Week and wide receiver Terrell Ford (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore West) named Special Teams Player of the Week. Ford's award comes fresh off of setting a single game school record for the most kickoff return yards (229) in a single game, including returning one 81 yards for a touchdown. In addition to his work on special teams, Ford also finished the day with three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, his first for the Blue and Gold as a receiver. Degenhardt led New Haven's offense with 247 passing yards and five touchdowns, the most in a single game since 2019. Overall, Degenhardt completed 19-of-32 pass attempts, while he also collected 18 net yards on the ground, including a 22-yard run on fourth down conversion.
NEXT ON TAP
New Haven will remain on the road for its next game when they travel to currently unbeaten Saint Anselm on Saturday, October 1. Kickoff in the NE10 battle against the Hawks scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Fans unable to make the game can catch all the action live on NE10 NOW.
