GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: September 23, 2024
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LOCATION: Mihalik-Thompson Stadium
Slippery Rock, Pa. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
TICKETS | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE FIRST LOOK
For the second week in a row, it's a rematch for the Chargers this time around as they head back to Western Pennsylvania to take on Slippery Rock in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs. With its 2024 selection to the Super Region 1 bracket, New Haven has earned a berth in each of the last four seasons and is now one of just five teams selected in each of the last four years (Slippery Rock, Bemidji State, Ferris State and Grand Valley), and among that group is the only private institution.
INSIDE THE SERIES
·        New Haven and Slippery Rock meet for the second time this year and eighth time in the history of the two programs
·        With the win earlier this season, also at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, The Rock hold a slim 4-3 advantage in the all-time series
·        Two of the previous seven meetings have come during the postseason, with each team winning one of those decisions.
·        The Chargers and The Rock will once again meet in the season opening game in 2025, which will be the fourth time after completing a home-and-home series in 2015 and 2016.
·        The last New Haven victory came on November 29, 1997 in the NCAA D2 quarterfinal round, a 49-21 win at the Yale Bowl.
A WIN OVER SLIPPERY ROCK WOULD...
·        be the first over The Rock in the last five meetings and the first over Slippery Rock in the postseason
·        be the first NCAA postseason win for New Haven since back-to-back first round wins in 2018 (West Chester) and 2021 (Bentley).
·        be the 291st overall victory in the 45 plus year history of Charger Football.
·        be the 261st victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.
CHARGERS IN THE POSTSEASON
·        The Chargers make their 11th appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
·        Overall, New Haven is 10-10 all-time in the postseason tournament.
·        The Chargers have won at least one game in seven of the 10 previous appearances.
·        New Haven advanced to the National Championship game in 1997 under head coach Tony Sparano.
·        Overall, New Haven has advanced to the final four twice - 1992, 1997.
GAME DAY FORECAST
Be prepared for a cold and possibly wet match-up when the Chargers and Rock take the field. The forecasted high temperature at kickoff is 43 degrees, with a feels like temperature of 34 degrees, under cloudy skies with a 55% chance of precipitation. Potentially for a third-straight week, the Chargers may have to battle winds that could affect the game, with wins predicted at 14 miles per hour out of the west-north-west. Sunrise on Saturday is 7:16 a.m. with sunset coming soon after the conclusion of the game at 4:56 p.m.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
After securing their second-straight NE10 Championship and capping off Senior Day for the second year in a row hoisting a trophy it's back to business for the New Haven football team as they begin their quest for a third trophy this season on Saturday at Slippery Rock. New Haven will look to maintain its traditional defensive power which has held its last nine opponents to less than 100 rushing yards, including a season-low 29 rushing yards against SCSU, as the Chargers stand second in the nation in rushing defense, holding opponents to just 65.0 rushing yards pe game. Additionally, New Haven racked up a season-high eight sacks against the Owls, as they enter this weekend first in all of NCAA Division II in team sacks, averaging 4.20 per game. Leading the Chargers defense is Jalen Fisher (Pasadena, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) with 61 total tackles, while nine different players all have two or more total sacks, led by Davon Colon (Cromwell, Conn./Xavier) and Jack Quander (Gainsville, Va./Patriot), each with 6.5. Offensively, New Haven is averaging 34.1 points per game with much of its offensive success coming from its running game which heading into the playoffs has galloped for 2,381 yards, averaging 238.1 yards per game. Leading the efforts is senior Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) (1,032 total rushing yards) who had a career-high 227 yards at Bentley, marking the first time since the 2015 season a player has run for 200+ yards in a single game. Ais isn't the only back to watch out for as Zaon Laney (Hoboken, N.J./Rahway) is just behind him on the year with 750 rushing yards and combined the pair has 13 touchdowns (Ais 8, Laney 5). Under center, New Haven continues to rely on its returning starter, Daelen Menard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Chaminade Madonna), who has 1,585 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year, completing 120-of-235 pass attempts. The other highlight for the Chargers has been in the return game where junior Kha'lil Eason (Norwalk, Conn./Brunswick School) leads the nation with his average of 40.6 yards per return and his three returns for touchdowns which have come on four total returns of 80 or more yards.
SCOUTING THE ROCK
Slippery Rock suffered just a single loss during the regular season, entering the playoffs with a 9-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in the PSAC. For the season, the Rock is averaging 28.1 points per game while holding their opponents to just 17.3 points. The Rock has split its offense evenly between the ground game and the passing game with an average of 236.0 yards per game in the air and 151.3 yards per game on the ground. Calling the plays under center for Slippery Rock is the very seasoned quarterback of Brayden Long who is completing over 65% of his pass attempts with 19 touchdowns. On the ground, the duo of Idris Lawrence and Chris D'Or that leads the way with 683 and 658 yards, respectively. Lawrence adds five touchdowns, while Long leads the way with six rushing touchdowns with a total of just 20 net yards despite 71 yards gained. Defensively, Slippery Rock is led by Todd Hill who enters the weekend second on the team with 56 tackles but leads The Rock with 13 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks. Also joining him with 13 TFL is Munchie Johnson, with those coming on 47 total tackles.
NEXT ON TAP
The winner of Saturday's first round NCAA playoff game will advance to the second round and travel to another PSAC opponent in the Kutztown Golden Bears who earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in Super Region 1. The currently undefeated Golden Bears capped off their regular season with a 21-14 win over Cal (Pa.) in the PSAC Championship game last weekend. The round two game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Andre Reed Stadium in Kutztown, Pa.
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