United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Football - GAME # 9 vs. Framingham State (GAME NOTES)

FRAMINGHAM STATE (1-7, 1-5) at COAST GUARD (7-1, 6-0)
November 4th, 1 p.m., Cadet Memorial Field

ON THE AIR: live broadcast at www.sportsjuice.com

THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between the two schools.

LAST WEEK: Junior David Lieberman kicked an 18-yard field goal in the second quarter and the Coast Guard defense did the rest as Coast Guard beat Maine Maritime 3-0 in the rainy, windy conditions to wrap up the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division championship. Senior co-captain Tim Leber and sophomore Jack Gill each had 15 tackles leading the Bears defense.

Framingham State snapped a 12-game losing streak dating back to last season with a 14-6 win at Mass. Maritime. Ironically the last win for Framingham State was a 27-20 win over Mass. Maritime last season. Bryce Guilbeault was 12 of 20 for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Both teams had 199 total offensive yards.

NEFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SET: Bogan Division champion Coast Guard will host Boyd Division Curry in the NEFC Championship Game on Nov. 11th at noon. Curry is the three-time defending NEFC Champion. The Colonels beat Fitchburg State in the last two NEFC Championship games 17-14 in double OT last season and 17-7 in 2004. Curry beat Westfield State 36-0 in 2003.

BEARS ARE STREAKING: Coast Guard, which had won just three games in the past two seasons combined, is riding a seven-game winning streak for the first time since the Bears won the final seven games in the regular season in 1997.

A HISTORIC WIN STREAK: In the 83 year history of Coast Guard Academy football only one time has a team won eight straight regular season games in a season, a win this week would be the Bears eighth straight regular season win. The only other team to win eight straight regular season games was the 1963 team which posted a perfect 8-0 mark in the regular season before losing to Western Kentucky 27-0 in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando. The 1998 team won eight straight as they won the final seven regular season games and won the ECAC North Championship beating Plymouth State 28-19 for their eighth straight win.

THE CARDIAC KIDS: The 3-0 win over Maine Maritime was the Bears fourth straight win by seven or less points. The last time Coast Guard won four straight games by seven points or less was during the 1975 season as the Bears beat RPI (26-22), Colby (28-21), Norwich (10-3) and Wesleyan (10-7). The only other time it happened was in 1963.

NILES PIERSON GETS THE CALL AGAIN: NEFC Offensive Player of the Year Candidate junior quarterback Christian George will miss the regular season finale and is still a question mark for the NEFC Championship Game vs. Curry on Nov. 11th. George sustained two different injuries in the win over Worcester State. George is 71 of 133 for 922 yards and six touchdowns with eight interceptions while rushing for a team-high 615 yards and nine touchdowns. Sophomore Niles Pierson made his first career start on Saturday and was 6 of 18 for 73 yards while carrying nine times for 10 yards.

TIM LEBER NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior linebacker and co-captain Tim Leber was a key to the Coast Guard defense shutting out Maine Maritime and for his efforts, he was named the NEFC Defensive Player of the Week. Leber recorded 15 tackles, eight solo with two sacks in the 3-0 win.

SENIORS DOUBLE UP: The Coast Guard Academy senior class entered this season with seven wins (7 wins, 20 losses) in the last three years. The Bears are 7-1 this season.

SUCCESS IN LEAGUE PLAY: Coast Guard has won its first six league games this season for the first time since the 1997 season when the Bears went a perfect 6-0 in the Freedom Football Conference and won their second straight league title. In 1997, Coast Guard also advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the second straight season. Coast Guard was a combined 0-14 in league play as a member of the Liberty League in 2004 and 2005.

THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Coast Guard features the nation’s top thief in freshman Steve Arguelles. His eight interceptions (one per game) are the most in Division III. In fact, his eight interceptions would also tie him for the national lead in Division I with Dwight Lowery from San Jose State, whose eight picks lead all of Division I. The Coast Guard single-season record is 11 interceptions held by Bill Bryant in 1973 and Ron Davies in 1989.

BEARS BACK TO 5TH IN TOP 10 POLL: Coast Guard has won seven straight games and the Bears are ranked 5th in the latest New England Division III Football Poll. Coast Guard was sixth last week. Williams, which is a perfect 6-0, is the new # 1 team in New England after Springfield, # 1 team in New England for six straight weeks, lost to Ithaca 24-7.

2006 NEW ENGLAND DIVISION III POLL
(first place votes in parenthesis)
Team Record Points
1-Williams 6-0 132 (6)
2-Springfield 7-1 127 (5)
3-Curry 9-0 118 (3)
4-Trinity 5-1 98
5-Coast Guard 7-1 77
6-Amherst 5-1 71
7-Bridgewater State 6-2 44
8-Western Conn. 5-3 43
9-Middlebury 4-2 38
10-Maine Maritime 5-3 5

SCOUTING COAST GUARD: The Bears, ranked 5th in New England, look to win their eighth straight and remain perfect in NEFC Bogan Division play before hosting Curry in the NEFC Championship game on Nov. 11th at noon.

The last time a Coast Guard team won eight straight was back in the 1988 season, when the Bears won the final seven regular season games and then beat Plymouth State in the ECAC North Bowl game for an eighth straight win. The only time a Coast Guard team has won eight straight regular season games was in 1963 when the team was a perfect 8-0 in the regular season.

Sophomore quarterback Niles Pierson, who made his first career start last week, will make his second start in place of the injured Christian George, who leads the NEFC with 219.6 yards of total offense per game. Pierson is 11 of 23 for 116 yards while rushing 17 times for 38 yards this season.

Coast Guard has a duo of talented running backs in junior Lance Lynch and senior co-captain Josh Williams. Lynch, who has a team-high 119 carries, is second on the team with 605 yards with one touchdown and he also has 12 catches for 98 yards out of the backfield. Williams has carried 75 times for 456 yards and nine touchdowns.

Junior Erik Wyrick leads the team with 20 catches for 291 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore David Sauls (184 yards) and freshman Sam England (166 yard) each have 13 receptions and one touchdown. Junior tight end Mike Zielinski, who has 12 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown is out for the second straight week with an injury.

Coast Guard is averaging 352 yards per game, second in the NEFC and 23.8 points per game, third best in the conference. The Bears are averaging 222.2 rushing yards per game and 129.8 passing yards per game.

Sophomore inside linebacker Jack Gill, who had 15 tackles last week, leads the NEFC with 90 tackles, a league-best 64 solo, and a team-high 6.5 for loss to go with three sacks and one interception. His eight solo tackles per game rank him among the national leaders and are the best in the NEFC. Senior co-captain outside linebacker Tim Leber is second on the team with 56 tackles, 31 solo with a team-high five sacks. Freshman cornerback Keenan Prather is third on the team with 49 tackles, 38 solo, three for loss with five pass breakups and a interception. Coast Guard has 17 sacks as a team.

Free safety Steve Arguelles leads the nation and has eight of the Bears 16 interceptions this season. The talented freshman is also a dangerous kick returner as he has returned three punts for 69 yards and is averaging 27.8 yards on four kickoff returns.

The Coast Guard defense is allowing 310.2 yards per game, 167.9 on the ground and 142.4 in the air. The Bears are allowing 13.2 points per game which is the least in the Bogan Division.

Preseason All-America junior punter Jesse Harms leads the NEFC and is among the national leaders with a 42.2 yard average this season on 35 punts. Harms had a great game on Saturday, as he punted put four of his seven punts inside the 20-yard line and boomed a 67-yard punt. Harms was sixth in the nation with a 42.1 yard average last season.

Junior kicker David Lieberman, who leads the NEFC in PAT kicking percentage (.962) has made 25 of 26 on the season. His 18-yard field goal on Saturday were the only points in the game.

SCOUTING FRAMINGHAM STATE: The Rams try to win back-to-back games for the first time since the 1999 season. Fitchburg had lost 12 straight dating back to last season before beating Mass. Maritime 14-6 last week.

Senior quarterback Bryce Guilbeault is 75 of 163 for 838 yards with six touchdowns and nine interceptions this season. Guilbeault has also carried 98 times for 265 yards and a team-high five touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Bill Meuse leads the team with 47 receptions, 657 yards and four touchdowns.

Junior running back Lucas Guarino leads the team with 100 carries and 359 yards. He is also second on the team with 20 receptions for 125 yards.

The Rams are averaging 229.8 total yards and 12.6 points per game. Framingham State is averaging 86.5 rushing yards and 143.2 passing yards per game.

Junior defensive end Bill Junkins leads the defense with 58 tackles, 44 solo, 6.5 for loss and two sacks. Framingham State is last in the NEFC in total defense, allowing 383.5 yards per game. The Rams are also last in rush defense allowing 236.8 yards per game. They are allowing 146.8 passing yards and a Bogan Division high 29.1 points per game.

UP NEXT: Coast Guard hosts Curry in the New England Football Conference championship game on Nov. 11th at noon.