For the Southern Connecticut State football team, the highlightof a sensational weekend actually occurred a couple of days afterthe game.
Sure, the Owls reveled in their fifth straight win. Theycelebrated the performance of Jarom Freeman, and they echoed inamazement that they still have a chance to win the Northeast-10.
But what excited the Owls most was when Monday's NortheastRegional Division II poll was released and SCSU had jumped all theway from eighth to fourth.
Southern wraps up the regular season today at Saint Anselm(noon), and a win will give the Owls a chance at a share of theNortheast-10 title for the second straight year and a likely berthinto the NCAA postseason for the third straight year.
Southern must defeat Saint Anselm and hope that Bentley wins atBryant to share the NE-10 title. If that scenario unfolds, andAmerican International defeats Stonehill, it would leave Southerntied with three other teams for the conference title at 7-2, justlike last season.
Fans around the nation will look to see what Freeman, thesophomore tailback from Peekskill, N.Y., can do for an encore today.Last week, he rushed for 418 yards to break the Division II rushingmark of 410, set by Andrew Terry of Ferris State on Oct. 2, 2004. Inall, it was the fourth-highest single-game rushing total in NCAAhistory. Freeman also set SCSU single-game records for all-purposeyards, breaking the mark of 408. He finished with 428. He alsojoined four other Owls with a program-record five touchdowns in onecontest.
He was selected as the national offensive player of the week andneeds 270 yards in the regular-season finale to set a single-seasonprogram rushing record. Brandon Toles, whom Freeman replaced at backduring the season, holds the mark of 1,904 yards. Toles has missedseveral games with leg injuries, but he will play today.
"Knowing Jarom, he was over that on Sunday," Southern coach RichCavanaugh said. "He takes everything in stride. But it was great forJarom and great for the university."
Freeman's outing also undoubtedly helped Southern in thepollsters' eyes. Southern leap-frogged four teams in the Northeastrankings, three of which won their games. It may have been a case ofthe selection committee placing SCSU in a playoff spot realizingthey are one of the most talented teams in the region. Cavanaughsaid that beating Bryant, which entered the game unbeaten inDivision II, helped the Owls' winning index and strength of scheduleimmensely.
Neither is true for Saint Anselm. The Hawks are (0-9) and havestruggled for several years. They have been outscored 432-103 on theseason and rank last or second-to-last in virtually every NE-10statistic.
"They have nothing to lose," Cavanaugh said. "They play hard, andthey haven't thrown in the towel. They play multiple offenses andcreate some problems. We're going to have to play solid basedefense."
Cavanaugh has told his team to expect anything from the Hawks andnot to worry about playoff scenarios or the scoreboard.
"I've told the guys that all they can control is beating SaintAnselm," Cavanaugh said. "I expected to move up in the poll, and I'mpleased to move up to fourth. It's really a case of the fact thatwe've played at a high level since Assumption (the first game in thestreak). We've played better every week."
And Cavanaugh feels that no matter who wins the Bryant- Bentleygame, it will only help his team because the Owls beat both teams.
Bill Cloutier can be reached at bcloutier@nhregister.com
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PREVIEW
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE (7-3, 6-2) AT SAINT ANSELM (0-9, 0-8)
- WHEN: Today, noon
- WHERE: Grappone Stadium, Manchester, N.H.
- INTERNET: www.sportingnewsct.com
- WEATHER: Clearing, temperatures in the 40s with light winds.
SOUTHERN OFFENSE VS. SAINT ANSELM DEFENSE
This is a mismatch. The Owls are among the nation's leadingoffensive units, and the Hawks are last in the conference in scoringdefense, allowing 48 points a game. Expect QB Steve Armstrong and RBJarom Freeman to have a field day. Senior defensive end Casey Larsonis the Hawks' top player. He was preseason All-America second-teamselection and leads the team with 65 tackles.
SAINT ANSELM OFFENSE VS. SOUTHERN DEFENSE
Conor Cahill leads the Hawks' ground game with 487 yards.Quarterback Nick Barese has thrown for seven touchdowns and rushedfor three. His best game was a 256-yard effort against Merrimack.Chris Lorenti leads four SCSU players who have more than 60 tackleson the season with 69.
SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS
Brandon Toles is back, but he will not return kicks yet. MartinManson handles punt returns and Jerrell Milligan has been solidreturning kicks.
DID YOU KNOW?
Over the course of their five-game winning streak, the Owls haveoutscored their opponents 221-68.
STREAKS AND STATS
Ken Knapczyk is in his second season with a record of 0-19. SCSUhas won five straight games overall and four straight against theHawks, outscoring them 225-23.
PREDICTION
Southern not only needs the win, but it has to send the NCAAselection committee a message that this was never a contest. Itshouldn't be. SCSU 50, SAINT ANSELM 6.
- Bill Cloutier
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