NEC Blitz Week 5 Power Rankings
Somehow, we’re already at Week 5. The rankings are beginning to crystallize a little bit, but there’s still volatility as many of the NEC’s teams have yet to begin league play.
1. Central Connecticut State (2-2, 1-0 NEC)
Central Connecticut stays on top of the rankings. Two weeks ago, they notched a 27-20 conference win over Saint Francis when the Red Flash were coming off of a win against FBS Kent State. The Blue Devils, in turn, came within a gnat’s eyelash of knocking off FBS UMass. CCSU has gotten it done offensively with a mixture of players. Quarterback Brady Olsen has looked strong, and running back Elijah Howard already has three touchdowns on the year. The Blue Devils get a well deserved week off before the boys from Hard Hittin’ New Britain travel to… well, New Haven, to take on Yale.
2. Duquesne (2-2)
Duquesne followed up their revenge win over Youngstown State with a convincing win at home against West Virginia Wesleyan. It was the first chance the Dukes had all season to just take care of business, and the defending NEC Champions did so not only as expected, but without the benefit of quarterback Darius Perrantes, who was in concussion protocol. Duquesne should get Perrantes back after the bye week, and when they do he’ll take the field in Pittsburgh for the conference opener against LIU, who is playing far better than their record indicates. Stay tuned.
3. Saint Francis U (1-3, 0-1 NEC)
The Red Flash remain high up in the conversation for an NEC Championship. Their loss to Central Connecticut was in a tight game with lots of turnovers. If they’re able to play smart, controlled football like they did against Kent State, they’ll be just fine in league play. Nevertheless, the loss at Eastern Michigan this past week does take some of the shine off of that first ever FBS win just two weeks prior. Saint Francis gave up 36 to the Eagles, but if you remove that outlier against one of the best coached MAC teams out there, you’ll see 18, 17, and 27 points given up- with one of those touchdowns as a scoop and score when they were on offense. The point is, the Red Flash have a scary good defense, and the season isn’t over yet. They're on bye this week before traveling to Dover, DE for a winnable game against Delaware State.
4. Robert Morris (2-2)
Robert Morris basketball might be very good this season. Certainly, these Colonials know a thing or two about rebounding. After their loss to D2 Edinboro, the Colonials beat Mercyhurst at home and then went on the road, knocking off a very good Wagner squad. The Seahawks are a strong defensive team with an offensive playmaker in Jaylen Bonelli at WR, but somehow the Colonials held him in check while continuing to rely on the two headed monster of Noah Robinson and Tyvon Edmonds Jr. He’s currently leading the conference in rushing and quietly looking like the best and most consistent running back in the conference.
5. Wagner (2-2)
Wagner drops a few spots to number five after their loss to the Colonials at home last week. The Seahawks now go on the road to face off against the Florida Atlantic Owls on ESPN+ at 6:00 PM on Saturday. Before the season, Coach Masella talked to us about how fired up players get to go on the road to take on the big boys. Here’s Wagner’s chance to join Saint Francis and Central Connecticut as squads with great performances against the FBS this season. Look for Jaylen Bonelli to bounce back in a big way just one hour from home in Boca Raton.
6. Stonehill (1-2)
Stonehill is starting to gel. They toppled former conference mate Sacred Heart at home in a game that wasn’t as close as the score looked, but their momentum will have to stop there for now as they’re on a bye this weekend. In a league with a lot of very good quarterbacks, Ashur Carraha just may be the best after finally coming into a season fully healthy and with a full spring behind him. He’s rushing for 63.7 yards per game while throwing for 125 per game. With some of the competition Stonehill faced early in the season, those numbers are likely to improve as we move forward into the season.
7. LIU (0-4)
LIU narrowly lost, again. It’s been a common theme for the Sharks, who have lost three one score games and another to powerhouse FBS program TCU. At this point, it’s hard to imagine another 0-4 team in the whole of FCS being better than the Sharks are. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much easier. They’re traveling to just outside of Philadelphia this week to take on Villanova. After that, the Sharks will finally enter league play, and hopefully they’ll have a lot of experience from all of the close games to use.
8. Mercyhurst (1-3)
Mercyhurst has Cameron Barmore and Adam Urena. These guys are the best QB-WR duo in the conference right now, with Urena averaging 229 yards through the air and Barmore averaging 83 of those each game, along with his 6 touchdown grabs. It’s hard to put Mercyhurst down here when they’re clearly so talented, but right now the Lakers are struggling against high powered programs like Montana State and an RMU team out looking to make a statement. They’re at home this week for the first time against Frostburg State, and hopefully the Lakers can turn their outstanding individual performers into a team win this week. On paper, it’s their best opportunity since the first week of the season to do so.
