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Game # 3 Preview - Bears Begin Defense of Bogan Division Championship |
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 Cornerback Pat Bennett and the Coast Guard secondary will be tested this week against a Westfield State team that loves to throw the football.
SEPT. 27th, WESTFIELD, MASS., 1:30 P.M.
ON THE AIR: The game can be seen live by CLICKING HERE. The cost to view the game is $5.95. As always, there will also be a Coast Guard Academy audio broadcast at www.sportsjuice.com which is free of charge.
THE SERIES: Coast Guard leads 5-0.
LAST YEAR: Sophomore Pat Bennett returned the second half kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, classmate strong safety Keenan Prather returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown later in the third quarter as defending NEFC Bogan Division champion Coast Guard took a 35-0 lead and won its eighth straight Bogan Division game dating back to last season, beating Westfield State 42-14 in the division opener for both teams.
Coast Guard (2-1, 1-0) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions as senior quarterback Christian George (12 carries, 41 yards/9 of 14, 93 yards, 1 INT) capped a nine play, 43-yard drive with a one-yard run with 9:08 left in the first quarter and then following a punt, senior Lance Lynch (16 carries, 71 yards) scored on a three-yard run capping a eight play, 51-yard drive with 4:15 left in the opening quarter and senior David Lieberman added the extra point on both occasions as the Bears led 14-0.
The Bears pushed the lead to 21-0 as junior quarterback Niles Pierson (6 of 10, 68 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Sam England (six receptions, 80 yards) and following Lieberman’s PAT the Bears led 21-0 with 5:24 left in the first half.
Bennett’s 84-yard kickoff return on the second half kickoff coupled with Prather’s 28-yard interception return for a touchdown on the first play of Westfield’s second possession of the third quarter gave the Bears a 35-0 lead.
Westfield State (1-2, 0-1) would not go quietly as the Owls scored two touchdowns in less than three minutes as junior quarterback Dan Cohen (22 of 37, 195 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) threw a pair of touchdown passes to sophomore David Benoit (7 receptions, 84 yards) from 35 and then two yards out cutting the lead to 35-14 with 4:34 left in the third quarter.
The Owls looked to pull to within 35-21 on the next possession, but sophomore cornerback Kevin Novick grabbed his first career interception in the endzone with 1:11 left in the third quarter.
The Bears had 350 yards of total offense, 201 on the ground while Westfield State finished with 296 total yards, 140 rushing.
Junior linebacker Brian Michka led Coast Guard with 13 tackles, eight solo, two for loss, one sack and a forced fumble while Bennett added nine tackles all solo. Bennett’s kick return for a touchdown was the first Coast Guard kickoff return for a touchdown since Justin Andrews 83-yard kick return vs. Mass. Maritime on Sept. 13, 2003.
Lieberman was a perfect six for six on extra point attempts and scored the 100th point of his career.
LAST WEEK: Westfield State suffered its first loss of the season, losing 42-16 at Curry, which won its 33rd straight game against NEFC teams. The Owls trailed just 21-16 at the half, but the Colonels had 21 unanswered points in the second half.
Coast Guard dropped to 0-2 for the first time since 2001 with a 26-7 home loss to Plymouth State.
IT’S BEEN A QUARTER CENTURY: Coast Guard needs to pick up a win this week or they will drop to 0-3 for the first time in 25 years, since 1983, when the team dropped its first three games and finished the season 4-6.
ADVANTAGE BOYD: The Boyd division won five of the eight cross over games last week as the two NEFC divisions squared off.
The Boyd won 11 of the 17 games vs. the Bogan teams this season after going 6-3 in the first two weeks.
BOGAN’S HEROS: Coast Guard might be 0-2 on the season, but the real season begins this week. The Bears have won back-to-back New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division championships since joining the conference in 2006. The Bears have been a perfect 7-0 in each of the last two seasons in division play. They will put their 14 game Bogan Division winning streak on the line this week.
ANOTHER STREAK ON THE LINE: Coast Guard not only has its 14-game Bogan Division winning streak on the line, but the Bears have also never lost to Westfield State. The Bears are 5-0 all-time vs. the Owls, outscoring them 188-69 in those five games. The closest game in the series was the first ever meeting, a 12-0 win at Westfield in 1995.
FIRST HALF GOOSE EGGS: Coast Guard has not scored a first half point this season. Both of Coast Guard’s touchdowns this season have come in the second half.
THEY WERE THE BEST IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS: Coast Guard was 16-2 the last two seasons during the regular season for an .888 winning percentage which is the best in the 84 year history of football at the Academy. The prior best two-year regular season record was posted in 1996 and 1997 when the Bears were 17-3 for an .850 winning percentage.
SCOUTING COAST GUARD: The Bears travel to Westfield, Massachusetts with a 14-game division winning streak on the line, yet still searching for their first win of the season.
Coast Guard, which was held to 210 yards of offense last week and has scored just seven points in each of its first two games, begins its defense of the Bogan Division title this week. The Bears seven points per game is last in the NEFC.
Senior quarterback Niles Pierson, who has completed 62.9 percent of his passes this season, is 39 of 62 for 253 yards and three interceptions. He is still looking for his first touchdown pass of the season. Freshman Jarrod Owens, who played the final two possessions on Saturday, is 10 of 21 for 61 yards.
Junior Sam England, who was one shy of the school record for receptions in a game on Saturday when he had 11 catches for 64 yards, leads the team with 20 receptions for 150 yards. England leads the NEFC and is third nationally in Division III with 10 receptions per game. Juniors Cale Cooper and Dan Lagdon are second on the team with eight receptions each.
Junior Steve Arguelles leads the Bears rushing attack with 129 yards on 28 carries. Pierson has 23 carries for 40 yards and both of the team’s touchdowns this season.
Coast Guard is averaging 255 yards per game, 157 passing and 98 rushing.
The Coast Guard defense is allowing 357.5 yards (192.5 rushing and 165 passing) and 30 points per game, however the Bears have only allowed 19 first half points, with six of those coming on an 85-yard interception return in the opener.
Sophomore linebacker Kyle Ennis leads the team with 21 tackles, 14 solo and two tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Brian Yurovich is second with 16 stops, 11 solo.
SCOUTING WESTFIELD STATE: The Owls won a pair of close games to open the season, (13-10 over Nichols and 23-21 over WNEC) before losing at Curry last week.
The Owls have struggled to run the football, averaging just 1.6 yards per carry, they are last in the NEFC with just 56 rushing yards per game, but are third in the conference with 240.7 passing yards per game.
Senior quarterback Dan Cohen leads the Owls offensive attack. He is 42 of 94 for 672 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions on the season.
Westfield State has the nation’s top receiver in David Benoit, who leads all of Division III with 170.3 yards per game. He is having a huge season. He leads the NEFC with 23 receptions, 511 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior Drew Lyons has 88 rushing yards on 51 carries to lead the Owls on the ground.
Senior linebacker Jay Fielding, who led the nation in tackles last season, leads the team this season with 32 stops, 17 solo and 2.5 for loss.
Westfield State is allowing 24.3 points and 348.7 yards per game, 182.7 rushing and 166 passing.
NEXT WEEK: Coast Guard will host Mass. Maritime on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday, Oct. 4th with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. |
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