GAMEDAY CENTRAL: New York State of Mind as Stonehill Looks to Rebound at LIU Post

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Full Stonehill Game Notes

LIU Post Game Notes

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Coach's Corner with Robert Talley

The Game: Stonehill College opens a stretch of its schedule which will see them in New York for two straight Saturdays as it visits LIU Post for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup this afternoon. The Skyhawks are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 23-17 overtime setback to the University of New Haven on Saturday night, while the Pioneers return home after three straight road games and are winners of two straight and three of four after a 44-36 victory at Pace University last weekend.  

Media Info: Live video of this afternoon's game is available through LIU Post Pioneers On-Demand at www.liupostpioneers.com. Mike Nicosia (play-by-play) and Deandre Wilson (Color) have the call of today's game, the audio of which is also broadcast via WCWP 88.1 FM.

Against the Pioneers: This afternoon marks the 13th meeting all-time between these two programs. LIU Post holds a 10-2 advantage in the series between the two, but Stonehill has won the last two meetings after a 38-28 triumph in Easton, Mass., in the Pioneers return to the Northeast-10 last season. The Skyhawks were also victorious in their last visit to Brookville, N.Y., with a 12-7 decision here in 2007. After a relatively lop-sided series in LIU Post's favor early in the series, the last three meetings have been decided by an average of 6.3 points. Stonehill head coach Robert Talley is 2-0 in his career against the Pioneers.


Harrington

They're Honored: Stonehill senior All-American linebacker Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.), junior running back Colin Markus (Monroe, Conn.) and junior wide reciever Gordon McLeod (Weymouth, Mass.) were all named to the Northeast-10 Conference's weekly honor roll on Monday for their efforts in Saturday night's overtime setback to New Haven. Harrington led the Skyhawks defense with a season-high 12 tackles (five solo), while Markus paced the offense with a career-best 34 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. McLeod caught a career-high matching six passes for 99 yards and a score.

2,000 Yard Club: Stonehill senior wide receiver Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass.) caught five passes for 43 yards against New Haven last weekend to become just the third player in program history with 2,000 career receiving yards with 2,027 yards, joining Dan Cahill, '96 (2,245) and former teammate John Gomes, '13 (2,442).

Carrying the Load: Stonehill junior running back Colin Markus (Monroe, Conn.) has established career-high rushing attempt totals each of the last two weeks, breaking the W.B. Mason Stadium record for a Skyhawks runner and also posting two attempt totals in the top five all-time in program history. He had a career-best 34 rushing attempts for 111 yards against New Haven last Saturday after carrying the ball 32 times for 113 yards in week four against Merrimack. Saturday's 34 attempts are the third-highest single game total in program history, while Mike McSharry, '98 (43) holds the program single-game mark.


Robitaille

Top Target: Senior wide receiver Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass.) enters today's game on the verge of becoming the program's all-time leader for touchdown receptions, needing one touchdown catch to surpass Dan Cahill, '96. Robitaille collected his program record matching 22nd career touchdown reception midway through the first quarter with a 46 yard scoring grab at Bentley in week two. He matched the program record with 13 touchdown receptions in 2013, setting program single-season marks for receiving yards (1,229), receptions (91) and receptions per game (8.27). Robitaille also enters today's game ranked third all-time with 2,027 career receiving yards - 415 yards shy of former teammate John Gomes, '13 record total of 2,442. Robitaille ranks second for career receptions with 147 - 26 behind Gomes record of 173.

Movin' On Up: Members of the Stonehill football team climbing the career record lists at Stonehill include:
    • Colin Markus (Monroe, Conn.): 7th on career rushing list with 1,446 yards (123 shy of Rob Olivar for 6th all-time)
    • Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass.): 3rd on career receiving list with 2,027 yards (218 shy of Dan Cahill for 2nd); Tied for 4th for total touchdowns scored with 23 (one shy of Cahill for 3rd); 9th for career all-purpose yards with 2,608 yards (317 yards shy of Tyrone Jefferson and Mike McLucas for 7th)
    • Gordon McLeod (Weymouth, Mass.): 7th on career receiving list with 1,241 yards (22 shy of Matt Rainone for 6th)
    • Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass.):  224 career tackles (13 shy of cracking the program's career top ten behind Mike Debye (237).

D-FENCE!: Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 and ranks 18th nationally for rushing defense, yielding just 98.2 yards per game on the ground, while ranking second in the NE-10 (26th nationally) for total defense at 300.2 yards per game and third in the Conference for both passing defense (202.0) and scoring defense (23.2 ppg). Stonehill's scoring defense average is a bit misleading as it includes all points allowed, including the 26 AIC points on turnovers in week three, while the Skyhawks defense allowed just seven points. Opposing offenses have scored just 90 points (18.0/gm) against the Stonehill defense this season.


Brum

Big Protection: Stonehill's offensive line has yielded just four sacks and only 22 tackles for a loss through the first five weeks. The Skyhawks line leads the NE-10 in both categories, while ranking 13th nationally for fewest sacks allowed and 15th for fewest tackles for loss allowed. The offensive line is anchored by senior captain Lucas Brum (Farmingville, N.Y.) at center, with junior Jake Mikos (North Haven, Conn.) and sophomores Joe MacInnis (Raynham, Mass.), Anthony Siciliano (Monroe, N.Y.) and Christian Dyer (Seabrook, N.H.). The Skyhawks also rank fourth in the NE-10 with 123.0 rushing yards per game.

Signal Calling Sydeski: Sophomore Tom Sydeski (Brockport, N.Y.) has started each of the last two Saturday's under center for Stonehill and has completed 60-percent (36-for-60) of his passing attempts and averaging 227.5 yards per game with two touchdown passes and three interceptions for a 124.70 passer rating through his first two career games. All three of his interceptions came in the fourth quarter against New Haven last weekend after he had gone the first 54 pass attempts of his career without being picked off. Sydeski is the second Stonehill quarterback to make his first collegiate start this season after junior Moe Regan (West Roxbury, Mass.) started at Bentley in week two.

Remembering Coach Mac: The Stonehill football community was saddened by the passing of longtime Stonehill football coach Tom "Coach Mac" MacDonald, '53, at the age of 83 at his home in Nashua, N.H., on September 15. The Skyhawks will wear commemorative black "MAC" stickers on their helmet for the remainder of the season in "Coach Mac's" memory. MacDonald was a member of the College's second graduating class and a student-athlete for the baseball and boxing teams before serving many years as a member of the coaching staffs of the baseball and football programs. "Coach Mac" was inducted to the Stonehill Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.

For Henry: The Stonehill football team continues to maintain locker in a place of prominence in the team lockerroom for Henry Thevenin, '14, who passed away due to complications from leukemia in June 2011 after his freshman season. In week one of the 2011 season against Curry, the team honored Thevenin by playing its first defensive play with ten players. Thevenin appeared in seven games for the football team, starting the last six, as a freshman in 2010. He totaled 18 tackles, eight solo, with a pass breakup for the Skyhawks. Thevenin was a 2009 graduate of nearby Brockton High School and prepped one year at Suffield Academy in Connecticut.

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 is back in New York next weekend when it travels to Westchester Country to visit Pace University on Saturday at noon. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, October 25, for its Hall of Fame Weekend matchup with Southern Connecticut State University at 1 p.m.