Stonehill Hosts American International for Key NE-10 Clash

Tickets (Available game day at ticket booth):
$7.00 Adults
$4.00 (students & senior citizens)
12 and under are free
Stonehill students are admitted free.

Spotlight on Senior RB Jamal Johnson

Coach's Corner with Robert Talley

The Game: Stonehill College looks to maintain its position atop the Northeast-10 Conference standings as it hosts preseason NE-10 favorites American International College at Timothy J. Coughlin (COG-lin) Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this afternoon. The Skyhawks are winners of three straight after a dominating 30-3 triumph over rival Bentley University here on Family Weekend last Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets are looking to bounce back from a 26-23 setback to Assumption College in Springfield, Mass., on Friday night.

Media Info: Live video of tonight's game is available on a pay-per-view basis ($6.99) via www.stonehillskyhawks.tv. Charlie Bergeron, the voice of the Skyhawks, is in his 16th season of broadcasting the action powered by Pack Network. WSHL 91.3 FM will also be broadcasting the game with Brendan Murray and Alex Patchurelli calling the action for the radio broadcast.

Against the Yellow Jackets: This afternoon marks the 17th meeting all-time between these two programs. American International has won each of the first 16 encounters, including a 28-17 victory in Springfield last season. The Yellow Jackets are 9-0 all-time here in Easton, including a 4-0 clip here at W.B. Mason Stadium since it opened in 2005. Head Coach Robert Talley is 0-6 in his career against the Yellow Jackets.

Last Week Against Bentley: The Stonehill defense forced four turnovers, giving the Skyhawks at least three over each of the last three weeks, and sacked the Bentley quarterbacks six times to set the tone for a 30-3 triumph here last Saturday night. Stonehill also held the Falcons to just 1-for-9 on third down and 0-for-4 on fourth in posting its most lopsided victory over its rival since a 35-7 non-conference triumph here at W.B. Mason Stadium on November 8, 2008. The three points are the fewest Bentley has scored against Stonehill in 28 meetings all-time. Junior linebacker Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.) reached double-figures for tackles for the fourth time in as many games this season as he finished with 13 (six solo), including 1.0 for a loss of three yards. Freshman Mark Trudeau (Duxbury, Mass.) was disruptive on the defensive line all night, finishing with a season-high five stops (three solo) and was in on half of Stonehill's six sacks, finishing with 2.5 for a loss of 12 yards. Stonehill's defense showed great balance in posting 420 yards of total offense with 256 passing and 164 on the ground. Senior Jamal Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) controlled the ground game with a career-best 31 carries for 151 yards and career-high matching two touchdowns. Senior Logan Meyer (Ventura, Calif.) was extremely efficient in completing 17-of-32 passes for 256 yards and two scores without being intercepted or sacked all night. Junior Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass.) caught eight passes for 116 yards and a score.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets: American International is looking to bounce back from a tough 26-23 setback to Assumption last Friday night. Junior QB Kevin Arduino (Cornwall, N.Y.) ended the day 19-of-33 for 198 yards and one touchdown, with 88 rushing yards as well. Junior Maurice Easterling (Yonkers, N.Y.) had the best day for the AIC offense, making four catches for 13 yards and rushing 17 times for 117 yards with two touchdowns. Arduino runs the offense, averaging 317.8 yards of total offense per game, as he has completed 61-of-119 passes (51.5%) for 1,023 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions, while running the ball 49 times for 248 yards and two scores. Junior LB Jaquawne Simpkins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) leads the defense with 36 tackles (23 solo), including 1.5 sacks for a loss of nine yards and two pass breakups. Sophomore Darion Chappel (New York, N.Y.) has added 21 stops (11 solo), with 1.5 tackles for a loss of two yards, two fumble recoveries and a breakup.

Brian Harrington

Defensive Player of the Week: Junior linebacker Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.) was named the Northeast-10 Conference's Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week and third time this season overall on Monday. Harrington led a Stonehill defense that forced four turnovers and recorded six sacks in Saturday night's dominating 30-3 victory over rival Bentley. The Skyhawks held Bentley to 1-for-9 on third down and 0-for-4 on fourth with Harrington posting double-figure tackles for the fourth time in as many games. He finished with a game-high 13 stops, including six solo, with 1.0 tackles for a loss of three yards. Harrington also earned a spot on the NoontimeSports.com New England Football Weekly Honor Roll for the third time for his efforts. He collected Defensive Player of the Week honors following week one and week three as well.

They're Honored: Stonehill senior quarterback Logan Meyer (Ventura, Calif.), senior running back Jamal Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) and junior wide receiver Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass.) were all named to the Northeast-10's weekly honor roll on Monday for their efforts in Saturday night's 30-3 win over Bentley. Meyer completed 17-of-32 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Johnson rushed the ball 31 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Robitaille had eight receptions for 116 yards and a score. Johnson was also joined on the NoontimeSports.com New England Football Honor Roll by junior linebacker Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.).

Team of the Week: Stonehill has earned New England Division II Team of the Week recognition from NoontimeSports.com for the second-straight week on Monday. The Skyhawks had a dominating defensive effort in Saturday night's 30-3 triumph over Bentley at W.B. Mason Stadium. Stonehill's defense forced four turnovers and recorded six sacks, holding Bentley to 1-for-9 on third down and 0-for-4 on fourth to hold the Falcons to their lowest point total since a 29-3 loss at Bryant University in 2007 and their lowest in series history against the Skyhawks. Stonehill also posted 420 yards of total offense with 256 passing and 164 on the ground.

James Lanier

Semifinalist Scholar-Athlete: Senior defensive back James Lanier (Westampton, N.J.) has been named one of a record 170 candidates for the 2013 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments. The nominees also comprise the list of semifinalists for the 2013 William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best scholar-athlete in the nation. The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, to be announced on October 31, to receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will vie as finalists for the Campbell Trophy to be announced at the 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Lanier, a Capital One Academic All-District I selection as a junior, has earned a 3.43 cumulative grade point average as a criminology major at the College.

Breakout Game: Freshman defensive lineman Mark Trudeau (Duxbury, Mass.) enjoyed a breakout game on the defensive line on Saturday against Bentley. He was in on half of the Skyhawks six sacks on the night, finishing with 2.5 sacks for a loss of 12 yards as well as a season-high five tackles. The night moved him into fifth among Northeast-10 sack leaders.

Tops in Tackles: Junior linebacker Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.) leads Division II with his 56 tackles and 14.0 tackles per game after four weeks. His tackle total also leads the NE-10 and is more than double the total of senior Tim Bennett's (Fillmore, Calif.) total of 27 so far this season.

Aye, Aye, Captains: Head Coach Robert Talley named seniors Tim Bennett (DB), Logan Meyer (QB) and Justin Willis (RB) as team captains for the 2013 season after a vote of the returning players last spring.

Academic Success: Stonehill College has been recognized for its academic performance with regard to graduation rate by earning a 97-percent Academic Success Rating (ASR) as released by the NCAA last fall. The ASR considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes while also giving credit for any student-athletes that transferred from the institution while in good academic standing. In addition to Stonehill's overall ASR of 97%, nine of Stonehill's 16 athletic programs (cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field are combined by the NCAA) received perfect scores of 100%. Stonehill's 97% ASR ranks second among NE-10 institutions behind just Saint Michael's College (98%) and ranks fifth overall in NCAA Division II. The football team maintained an ASR of 95% - signifigantly higher than the federal rate of 80%.

Leaders of the Pack: For the fourth-straight year, Stonehill College is partnering with Pack Network to provide live "Packcasts" of all home football and men's and women's basketball games along with other select athletic events. Fans can access the webcasts via www.stonehillskyhawks.tv. Viewers can opt to purchase single-game passes for $6.99 or purchase an "All-Access" pass for $59.99, however Skyhawks Fans who sign up for an All-Access pass before October 1 will receive a $10 discount. All-Access pass members can view all Stonehill webcasts for the entire year, while also gaining access to the archives and be able to watch the webcasts at any time.

Getting Social: Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics now have two social media outlets to get updates on all 20 varsity programs. The department's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks, and you can also follow @SkyhawkTalk on Twitter!

On Deck: Stonehill hits the road and will get quite familiar with New Haven, Conn., over the next two weeks, starting with a matchup against Southern Connecticut State next Saturday at 1 p.m., before visiting the University of New Haven the following Saturday, October 19, at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, October 26, to host LIU Post at noon.