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Game # 9 Preview - Bears Host Framingham to Close Season |
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 Niles Pierson, who had his best game of the season last week, and the Bears look to end the 2008 season with a win.
NOV. 8TH, CADET MEMORIAL FIELD, 1:00 PM
ON THE AIR: Audio broadcast at www.sportsjuice.com
THE SERIES: Coast Guard leads 2-0. The Bears won 42-21 in 2006 and 34-7 last year.
LAST YEAR: Coast Guard, which has won 16 of its last 17 regular season games, scored on five of its first six possessionss and completed its second straight unbeaten season in the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division, as they jumped out a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 34-7 win over Framingham State in a driving rain storm in the regular season finale for both teams.
It did not take the Bears long to get on the scoreboard as on the third play from scrimmage, sophomore Keenan Prather returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown and following David Lieberman’s extra point, the Bears led 7-0 with 13:47 left in the first quarter.
In the first quarter dominated by the Bears, the Coast Guard defense held the Rams to just one yard of total offense and no first downs while the Bears had 106 total yards in the quarter, 64 on the ground.
David Lieberman tied a pair of records. The records were held by Steve Ciccalone, who made 23 field goals from 1971-73 while Jaime Roth made 12 field goals during the 1988 season for Coast Guard.
Coast Guard (8-1, 7-0) had 147 yards of total offense, 78 rushing yards in the first half while holding Framingham State to 42 total yards, 27 rushing in the first 30 minutes. The Bears finished with 244 yards in the game, 156 rushing while the Rams had 214 total yards in the game, 142 rushing.
The Bears, who have won 14 straight NEFC Bogan Division games, are now 16-2 (.888) in the regular season over the past two years, which is the best two-year mark in the 84 year history of Coast Guard football. The 1996 and 1997 teams posted a 17-3 (.850) record during the regular season.
LAST WEEK: Sophomore Shawn Miller’s 10-yard touchdown run with just over 10 minutes remaining lifted Framingham State to a 19-17 New England Football Conference Bogan Division victory over Massachusetts Maritime.
Junior running back Steve Arguelles tied a school-record with three touchdown catches, the first three of his career, all in the third quarter, and he scored a career-high four times on the afternoon, but Coast Guard lost 42-34 at Maine Maritime in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division game.
A RECORD DAY FOR ARGUELLES: Junior running back Steve Arguelles had a career-high four touchdowns and tied a school-record with three touchdown receptions, the first three of his career, in the loss on Saturday. The last player to catch three touchdowns in a game was Al Thompson vs. Plymouth State in 1996. Arguelles was the fifth player in school history to accomplish that feat.
NOT THE KIND OF HISTORY THEY WERE LOOKING FOR: Coast Guard scored more than 28 points and lost for the second time this season. This is the first time in the 85-year history of Coast Guard Academy football that the Bears lost twice in the same season when scoring 28 or more points. Coast Guard lost earlier in the season 44-29 to Fitchburg State before Saturday’s 42-34 loss at Maine Maritime.
NOTHING ON THE LINE FOR TIME SINCE 1990: The Bears close the season at home against Framingham State and there is nothing on the line but pride in the final game of the season for Coast Guard for the first time since 1990. Since 1991, the final game of the season has either been vs. Merchant Marine for the Secretaries’ Cup, an NCAA playoff game, an ECAC Bowl Game or the NEFC Championship Game. The last game the Bears played with nothing on the line to close the season was a 24-13 loss to Carnegie Mellon in 1990.
LOOKING TO GET TO 20: The Bears have won 19 games over the past three seasons and only twice in Coast Guard football history has a team registered 20 wins or more in three seasons. The Bears won 21 games from 1995-1997 and the team won 20 games from 1987-1989.
THE GOLDEN BOY: Senior quarterback Niles Pierson made his second career start against Framingham State the last time the Rams visited New London in 2006. In that game, Pierson tied a school-record with four touchdown passes, ran for another, the first five of his career and won the prestigious Boston Globe’s Golden Helmet Award for his performance. Pierson was 24 of 33 for 288 yards in the 42-21 win.
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 look to get a win in the final game of the season and finish above .500 in the Bogan Division on the season.
Coast Guard is second to last in the NEFC in scoring offense (18.4) while averaging 312.4 yards of total offense, 140 passing and 172.4 rushing.
Junior running back Steve Arguelles, who had a career-high four touchdowns last week, leads the team with 522 yards on 98 carries for a 5.3 yard average with three rushing touchdowns. He has also caught 11 passes for 146 yards and three touchodowns, all three scores coming last week.
Senior quarterback Niles Pierson, coming off his finest performance of the season as he was 24 of 34 for 283 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, is second on the team with 497 yards on 125 carries with a team-high six rushing touchdowns. He ran for 101 yards in the loss on Saturday, his third 100 yard rushing game of the season.
Pierson is 103 of 182 for 951 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions while freshman Jarrod Owens is 20 of 46 for 169 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
Junior wide receiver Sam England leads the team with 46 receptions for 453 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore Matt Tolliver is second on the team with 22 receptions for 165 yards.
The Bears defense which is allowing 27.1 points and 370.6 yards per game (207.9 rushing, 162.8 passing) allowed 368 rushing yards to Maine Martime last week.
Senior linebacker Brian Yurovich leads the team with 77 tackles, 50 solo, and team-high’s 7.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks to go with his two interceptions.
Coast Guard will be again be without sophomore linebacker Kyle Ennis, who was the team’s leading tackler and was second in the NEFC with 10.4 tackles per game before getting injured two week’s ago. Ennis, who was injured in the win over Worcester State is now second on the team with 73 tackles, 52 solo and six for loss.
Junior cornerback Pat Bennett leads the team with five interceptions, which is tied for second in the NEFC. Bennett is also a very dangerous kick returner, as he is fourth in the NEFC with a 22.8 yard average on 19 returns.
Freshman kicker Jacob Shackleford, who kicked a career-long 45 yard field goal to tie the game at 34-34 last week also had his first miss of the season, a 49-yarder to end the first half. He is 7 for 8 on field goals this season. He has also punted 44 times for a 33.2 yard average. The Bears punt coverage has been solid all season, allowing just 89 yards on 15 returns, just 5.9 yards per return.
SCOUTING FRAMINGHAM STATE: The Rams, who won just six total games in the last six years entering the season, are looking to finish the season at .500 for the first time since 1986 when they finished 6-4.
Framingham State is averaging 22.6 points and 358.1 yards per game, 208.2 passing and 149.9 rushing.
Junior running back David Leach, the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, leads the Rams ground attack with 203 carries, 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns. Leach also had 36 receptions for 317 yards and a team-high five touchdowns catches. Leach was held to just 10 carries and 37 yards in the win on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Bruce Rich is 163 of 256 for 1,874 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His favorite target is sophomore Jonathan Hayes, who leads the team with 53 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns.
The Rams defense is allowing 31.4 points and 369.7 yards per game, 154.1 passing and 215.6 passing.
Sophomore Joe Treacy leads the team with 54 tackles, 32 solo to go with three for loss while freshman Mark Nunes has 52 stops, 26 solo.
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