Aug. 28, 2007

Sacred Heart vs. Assumption Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-0, 0-0 NEC) at Assumption Greyhounds (0-0, 0-0 NE-10)

Thursday, August 30, 2007- 7:00 pm Worcester, Mass. - Multi-Sport Stadium (1,200)

Setting the Scene... The 17th season of Sacred Heart football gets underway Thursday night as the Pioneers renew an old rivalry paying a visit to Assumption. The Pioneers, under fourth year head coach Paul Gorham, are looking to rebound from a 2-9 campaign in 2006 as they begin their 10th season of competition in the Northeast Conference welcoming back seven starters on the offense and nine on the defense. The Pioneers went 2-3 in September last season but after their 25-17 Homecoming win over Wagner on the last day of the month, they went on to drop six-straight to end the season.

The SHU - Assumption Series... Tonight's game marks the 10th meeting between the Pioneers and Greyhounds. SHU holds a 6-3 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the Pioneers Division II days and 1991, the program's inaugural season. Sacred Heart and Assumption met every season from 1991 through 1997, taking 1998 off before facing each other again in 1999 and 2000. The Pioneers beat Assumption, 13-0, during the 1991 season delivering the University the program's first-ever win and shutout. SHU quarterback Dave Vogt hooked up with Garrett Butler for a 65 yard first quarter score and running back Ron Stopkoski sealed the win with a late 73-yard jaunt to deliver the 13-0 win. The Pioneer defense came up with five sacks, an interception and forced four fumbles. The series saw another SHU shutout during the 1997 season, a 27-0 win at home. The Pioneers have averaged 27.1 points over the nine meetings with the Greyhounds, while allowing just 15.8.

Last Meeting with Assumption... The Pioneers racked up a school record 587 yards of total offense on the way to a 55-21 win over Assumption on September 2, 2000. The Greyhounds jumped in front 7-0 before 21 straight points seemed to have the Pioneers heading into the half with a two-touchdown lead. A late Assumption drive capped by a six yard scoring strike from Chad Carges to Eric Mauer with 21 seconds left cut the lead to 21-14. A Brandon Graham 12 yard run came in the middle of a pair of Tim Redican field goals to put SHU up 34-14 in the third but the Greyhounds cut into the lead once more on a Carges to Billy DeMalia 38 yard score to pulled Assumption within two scores. The Pioneers put the game out of reach in the fourth, scoring a trio of touchdowns to produce the final, 55-21. Junior running back Marvin Royal racked up 103 yards on 27 carries while Graham finished with 90 and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Justin Holtfreter threw for 300 yards and three scores, including a 61 yard hookup with junior wideout Deveren Johnson. Johnson finished with four catches for 164 yards. Redican set a new school record in the win with four field goals, a mark he would match twice more in his career.

The Head Coaches... Sacred Heart head coach Paul Gorham (New Hampshire `84) is entering his fourth season on the Pioneer sideline. Gorham was named the school's seventh head coach in June of 2004 and owns a 13-21 record in his four year career. Prior to becoming the Pioneer's head coach, Gorham had stops at UMass, Brown, New Haven and his alma mater New Hampshire. Assumption head coach Cory Bailey (Fordham `98) begins his fourth season at the head of the Grayhound program. The sixth head coach in Assumption College history, Bailey has coached his teams to a 9-21 record. After a stellar playing career at Fordham, Bailey had coaching stops with Dean College and Iona College and his high school alma mater - King Philip Regional - before becoming an assistant at Assumption.

Up Next...Bundy a Preseason All-NEC Pick... Sacred Heart senior wide receiver Corey Bundy was named to the Preseason All-Northeast Conference football team in voting conducted by the league's seven head coaches. With immense depth at the position throughout the conference in 2006, Bundy did not receive postseason honors as a junior when he made 35 receptions for 493 yards. Bundy, who averaged 14.1 yards per catch, reeled in six scoring strikes on the year.

Preseason NEC Polling... The 2007 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll was announced with the Pioneers picked to finish sixth, tied with Saint Francis (PA). The University at Albany was tabbed as the preseason favorite with the Great Danes edging out defending champion Monmouth for top billing in the poll. Albany also earned the moniker of preseason favorite last year, but the Great Danes finished the 2006 campaign tied for second with a 5-2 NEC record. The Great Danes received three first-place votes as did Monmouth, which captured its fifth league title last year and represented the NEC in the inaugural Gridiron Classic. Robert Morris pulled in one first-place vote and finished tied for third in the poll with Central Connecticut State. Wagner landed in fifth with Sacred Heart and Saint Francis (PA) rounding out the preseason selections in a tie for sixth.

Season Openers... The Pioneers have struggled in season openers, compiling a 4-12 mark in 16 seasons. Sacred Heart is 3-6 in openers since joining the Northeast Conference and becoming I-AA in 1998. The Pioneers led Lafayette in last season's opener, 14-13 at the half, but couldn't dent the scoreboard in the second half and lost 25-14. SHU is 2-6 both when opening the season at home on Campus Field and when starting on the road. This is the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the Pioneers have opened a campaign away from home.

One-Two Punch in the Backfield... Sacred Heart will welcome back their top-two ground gainers from a year ago in senior Jason Payne and junior Evin Jones. Payne led SHU with 621 yards rushing on 110 carries (5.6 ypc) in 2006, scoring four times. The senior tailback returned to the backfield full time in 2006 after splitting time as a cornerback in 2005. He also hauled in 24 balls through the air for 174 yards and another score. Jones carried the ball 101 times for 437 yards (4.3 ypc) and a score while catching 26 passes for 128 yards on the year.

Double Duty on Kickoffs... The Payne-Jones tandem also served as the team's main return threats on kickoff last season. Jones handled 18 kickoffs on the year, averaging 22.9 yards per return with the highlight coming on a 90-yard return for a touchdown at Marist. The 90-yard jaunt tied for the second-longest return in school history and was the first Pioneer kickoff return score since the 2001 season. Payne was equally impressive, averaging 21.5 yards per return on the year (17-366).

A Pioneer Trio of Receivers... In addition to the return of senior wideout Corey Bundy, the Pioneer receiving corp also gets a boost from the return of fellow senior Joey Henley and sophomore standout Steve Tedesco. In addition to Bundy's team leading 35 catches, 493 yards (14.1 ypc) and six scores, Henley came up with 29 balls for 262 yards (9.0 ypc) and three scores in 2006. Tedesco had a break-out freshman campaign where he did all of his damage over the last five games of the season. Tedesco hauled in 26 catches for 355 yards (13.7 ypc) and five scores, averaging 5.2 receptions for 71 yards and a score over the five game stretch. He also returned punts all season, handling 26 on the year for an average of 13.7 yards per return (355 yds).

Rookie QB... Filling the shoes of departed two-year starter Tyler Arciaga as the Pioneer's signal caller this season will be red-shirt-freshman Dale Fink. The rookie spent 2006 recovering from shoulder surgery while serving as an understudy to Arciaga, learning the in's and out's of the SHU playbook and what it takes to be successful at the collegiate level. Fink came to Sacred Heart out of Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville, Illinois, where in his two years as a starter, he guided his team to an 18-5 record, completed over 68 percent of his passes and threw an amazing 56 touchdowns. After spending the 2006 season watching from the sidelines, Fink took over the #1 quarterback duties heading into the spring and put together a strong showing in the annual SHU spring game. He completed 13 of his 19 passes for a pair of scores and showed good movement in the pocket and the ability to throw on the run, setting him up as the perennial starter heading into the season.

Hayden Returns to the Defense... Senior defensive end Bill Hayden returns to his starting spot after missing all of 2006 with an injury. Hayden was forced to sit out what would have been his senior year with a knee injury suffered in the preseason. Granted a medical redshirt, Hayden is back after leading the Pioneers in sacks in both 2004 and 2005. The senior pass rusher racked up 7.5 sacks as a sophomore and 6.5 as a junior. Defensive coordinator Brian Fleury will be looking for more of the same from the 6-5, 250 pound end as the Pioneers managed just 15 sacks as a team a year ago.

Pioneers in the Pros... Former linebacker and 2006 graduate, Jon Corto signed a free agent deal with the NFL's Buffalo Bills this past May and hung on with the team through training camp and three preseason games before getting cut on Tuesday. Corto, made the transition to safety looking to latch on with his hometown team, he hails from Orchard Park, but was cut as the team trimmed the roster to 75 players. Former wideout Deveren Johnson (2000-01) was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2002 NFL draft and spent a season on the team's practice squad. Recent grads, Tyler Arciaga (`06), Ed Pricolo (`05) and Pete Athans (`03) have all spent seasons playing professionally in Europe.

History of Sacred Heart Football... This is the 17th footall seasonl at Sacred Heart University. The program is 70-92 (.432) all-time and 50-37 (.575) since joining the Northeast Conference (NEC) and Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) in 1998. The program has had seven head coaches starting with Gary Reho (1991-96) who led the team to a 5-4 record in their inaugural season. Jim Fleming led the Pioneers to a 21-1 mark in his two seasons as head coach (2000-01) including the 11-0 2001 campaign that delivered the university and NEC title. 2001 also saw the Pioneers lone post season appearance, beating Duquesne in the ECAC Bowl, 31-15, laying claim to the Division I-AA Mid-Major National Championship.