Sacred Heart Scout/Prediction

First off, let's get the Wagner game out of the way. The Seahawks played very well last week against Monmouth and deserved to win. WC hit for three big plays early (which coach Callahan had said he was worried about happening) and MU never fully recovered. Wagner QB Doscher played very well and was very effective directing the offense, making the necessary deep throws when we had to and he ran for 55 yards and a score.


This week, Monmouth takes on a Sacred Heart squad coming off a 29-7 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) in which they allowed -3 rushing yards. -3!! Below is a scouting report on this week's opponent and my prediction:

Offense: Sacred Heart runs a variation of the ever-popular spread offense, and they try to be surprisingly balanced out of it. They do not run all of their plays out of shotgun, like Colgate did, and they will sometimes line up under center in conventional formations. The Pioneers throw the ball 55% of the time, and rank second in the league in passing offense, averaging 217.4 yards through the air per game. SHU QB Dale Fink is the NEC’s leading passer, completing 59% of his passes for 969 yards with five TD’s and a league-high tying eight interceptions. Fink’s main target is fifth-year senior Steve Tedesco, who has 25 catches for 338 yards and three scores. Three other receivers, Rich Rossi, Tony Patterson and Garry Coles, all have at least 17 catches and 135 yards on the season as well. Coles is also the team’s leading rusher, with 210 yards, while Brian Friedman has rushed for 204 yards and a team-best 6.2 ypc. The Pioneers only average 92 rushing yards per game, however, and score 16.6. points per game, which ranks eighth in the nine-team league.

Defense: The Pioneers run a 3-4 defensive alignment, and rank fifth in the conference in total yards allowed, giving up 337.4 yards per contest. SHU allows 27.2 points per game, which ranks seventh in the league, but after allowing 83 combined points in the season’s first two games, the unit has allowed only 17.6 per contest over the last three. The unit has not been very opportunistic this season as the Pioneers rank last in the league with a -6 turnover margin, forcing a league-low five takeaways. They are coming off a 29-7 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) in which they only allowed 180 total yards, including -3 rushing yards. Chris Mandas leads the unit with 42 tackles, including two for loss, while Justin Embler has 36 stops and a team-high five TFL and three sacks. Brian Flumere has 33 tackles, including three for loss, and the team’s lone interception. They allow their opponents to convert 41% of their third downs, and have also given up red zone scores on 74% of the time.

Special Teams: Matt Fisher is Sacred Heart’s kicker, and he has connected on all three of his field goal attempts this season. He has a long of 28 yards and all of his kicks have come between 20-28 yards. Running back Brian Friedman is also the team’s punter, averaging 37.6 yards per punt this year with seven of his 22 punts landing inside the opponent’s 20. Brett Swider leads the team with 280 kickoff return yards, while Coles’ 29.9 yard average is the squad’s high. He also has a 99-yard return for a TD this season. Cole is also the team’s punt returner, averaging seven yards per return.

My take: Sacred Heart is a better team than its 1-4 overall record shows. They can move the ball with QB Fink and their trio of receivers. Coles is a solid back and Friedman supplies a nice change-of-pace at back with his power. The weather for the weekend looks rainy, but I see a shootout forming in Fairfield, Conn. The Hawks and Pioneers both allow over 24 points per game and I think the offenses will be showcased on Saturday. The rain should affect the predominantly passing Pioneers (a little alliteration for you), and benefit the Hawks' third-ranked NEC rushing attack. MU will make more plays in the end, and Jose Gumbs second week back from injury will be a better one (even though it's hard to improve on winning NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors last week), and MU will squeeze out a 31-27 win.