FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2016
Pioneers Set to Host Greyhounds in NE-10 Championship on National Stage
MANSFIELD, Mass. – LIU Post will host Assumption in the 2016 Northeast-10 Football Championship Game this Saturday at 12 p.m. The game will take place at LIU Post's Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium and will be available on ESPN3.
The NE-10's Championship game was tabbed as one of the NCAA's 'flex' games and will be streamed live on ESPN3, and accessible on WatchESPN and the ESPN app. It marks the second time this season the league will be featured on the national stage.
Fans can also follow @TheNortheast10 on Twitter for updates throughout Saturday's title tilt. For information regarding tickets for Saturday's title game, please click here.
LIU Post (10-0, 9-0 NE-10), ranked 10th in the nation, defeated Assumption, 19-18, when the two teams squared off during the regular season matchup on October 1 in Worcester, Mass. Assumption (9-1, 8-1) will enter Saturday's title game ranked 15th in the nation, and is the defending conference champions.
Both teams are ranked in the Super Region One rankings, which ultimately determine the field for the upcoming NCAA Championship. LIU Post is third, while Assumption is sixth.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Leading the charge for LIU Post on offense is quarterback Jeff Kidd, who leads the NE-10 in both passing yards per game (251.8) and completion percentage (66.7%). Despite missing some time due to injury, Kidd is second in the league with 24 passing touchdowns and has rushed for 357 yards and four touchdowns as well.
Kidd's primary target is wide receiver Shane Hubbard, who ranks 10th in NE-10 history with 2,750 receiving yards and 29 touchdown receptions for his career. This season, Hubbard ranks 10th in the country with 69 receptions, and he is seventh in the NE-10 with 712 receiving yards. Hubbard, Kyle Ward and James Higgins have each caught six touchdown passes, tied for fifth most in the conference.
LIU Post leads the league in rushing with 194.7 yards per game, as David White and Malik Pierre anchor the Pioneer backfield. White is second in the NE-10 in carries (151), rushing yards (787) and yards per carry (5.2). Pierre ranks third in the NE-10 with 10 rushing scores, while White is fifth with seven touchdowns.
Defensively for the Pioneers, Joshua Flowers leads the conference with six interceptions on the year, followed by Jared Chester in second with five picks. Anthony DeNunzio ranks second in the NE-10 with seven sacks and leads the league with three forced fumbles. DeNunzio and Kenny Scotland are both tied for third in the league with 11 tackles for loss.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Assumption is tops in the NE-10 in both scoring offense (39.2 points/game) and total yardage (435.1 yards/game). Leading the Greyhound offense is quarterback Marc Monks, the NE-10 leader in touchdown passes with 24 this season. Monks also ranks second in the league with 2,423 passing yards, and he has found the end zone twice on the ground as well.
Wide receiver Ashton Grant has been the Hounds' go-to playmaker this season, hauling in a league-leading 13 touchdown passes on the year, which has him tied for ninth in the nation. Grant is second in the NE-10 with 97.6 receiving yards per game, and his 7.1 receptions per game have him ranked 11th in the country. Grant and Deonte Harris are both tied for fourth in the league with 13.7 yards per catch, while Harris is also the conference's top punt returner, averaging 10.9 yards per return.
Dylan Oxsen and Alex Shain lead Assumption's two-headed machine out of the backfield. Oxsen leads the NE-10 with 13 rushing touchdowns, while Shain is sixth with five scores. Shain is also fourth in the league in carries (127) and yards per game (61.2), while Oxsen is sixth in both categories with 124 carries for an average of 57.7 yards per game.
The Hounds lead the nation in passing defense, surrendering just 137.4 passing yards per game. Assumption is also tops in the NE-10 in scoring defense and total defense, giving up only 14.6 points per game and 271.5 yards per game. Jarrod Casey and Andrew Benson both rank in the top 10 in the league in tackles with 74 and 72, respectively. Charles Reid is third in Division II with 20 passes defended this season. Reid and Benson have made four interceptions each this season, tied for third most in the NE-10.
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
