HOFSTRA FACTS, FIGURES, STREAKS AND TRENDS: Hofstra is coming off a 24-0 loss at Rhode Island last Saturday at Meade Stadium in Kingston, Rhode Island. Hofstra s sub-.500 record this year is just the third time in Coach Joe Gardi s 14 seasons at Hofstra that the Pride will finish below.500, following a 5-6 season in 1996 and a 4-6 season in 1992. HOFSTRA FOOTBALL, 2003 For Immediate Release - November 18, 2003 2003 SEASON - GAME 12: HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY (2-9) at LIBERTY UNIVERSITY (5-6) Saturday, November 22, 2003-1:30 p.m. Williams Stadium - Lynchburg, VA --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Television: None Radio: WRHU-FM (88.7).Pre-game show at 1:00 p.m. Internet: www.wrhu.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003 HOFSTRA SCHEDULE Aug. 30 at Marshall (Metro) 21-45 L Sept. 6 #20 MAINE (Metro)* 21-44 L Sept. 13 ELON 23-25 L Sept. 20 at James Madison* 20-23 L Sept. 27 #7 DELAWARE (CSTV)* 14-24 L Oct. 11+ #19 NORTHEASTERN (FSNY)* 24-14 W Oct. 18 at #6 Massachusetts* 22-27 L Oct. 25 NEW HAMPSHIRE* 17-38 L Nov. 1 at William & Mary (TFN)* 9-23 L Nov. 8 #7 VILLANOVA (TFN)* 34-32 W Nov. 15 at Rhode Island* 0-24 L Nov. 22 at Liberty 1:30 p.m. * - Atlantic 10 Game + - Homecoming INFORMATION CONTACTS: Hofstra - Jim Sheehan, Assoc. A.D. for Communications (516) 463-6764 - O; (516) 523-6692 - Cell; (516) 463-5033 - Fax Liberty -Todd Wetmore, Sports Information Director; (434) 582-2292-O; (434) 582-2076- Fax The Pride has won 29 of its last 49 regular season games and 38 of its last 59 in-season contests. The Pride is 52-26 in regular season play since the start of the 1997 season. The Pride has posted a 68-33-1 record over the last 102 regular season games. They are 80-34-2 over the last 116 regular season games dating back to the middle of the 1993 season. Hofstra has won 37 of 61 contests, including playoff games, since the start of the 1999 season. Hofstra has won 18 of its last 31 road games and 20 of its last 35 contests away from Shuart Stadium. The Pride is 25-16 on the road since the start of the 1997 season. Hofstra has won 23 of its last 34 regular season games at Shuart Stadium. The only losses came at the hands of Delaware on September 16, 2000, Richmond in October 1999, Villanova in November 2001, Montana, James Madison and William and Mary in 2002, and Maine, Elon, Delaware and New Hampshire this season. Hofstra is 57-20 at Shuart Stadium since Joe Gardi arrived in Hempstead in 1990. PRIDE HEAD COACH: Joe Gardi is in his 14th season as Head Football Coach at Hofstra University. He has posted a 107-51-2 record during that time. His.675 winning percentage ranks second, behind Mickey Kwiatkowski, in school history. Gardi's 107 victories are the second most all-time at Hofstra behind the legendary Howard "Howdy" Myers (141 wins from 1950-1974). PRIDE COACHING STAFF: The 2003 Pride football coaching staff is as follows: Coach Pos. HU Yr. Overall Yr. Greg Gigantino Def. Coord. 11 th yr. 26 th yr. Warren Ruggiero Off. Coord. 4 th yr. 16 th yr. Bob McIntyre Linebackers 15 th yr. 15 th yr. Brian Vaganek Def. Line 3 rd yr. 11 th yr. Adam Brown Spec. Teams 3 rd yr. 3 rd yr. Jimmy Salgado Def. Backs 2nd yr. 10 th yr. Jeff Behrman Receivers 2nd yr. 8 th yr. Cazzie Kosciolek Off. Line 2nd yr. 6 th yr. Carlton Goff RB 1 st yr. 9 th yr. Michael Curry Off. Line 2nd yr. 2nd yr. Williams Stadium Press Box - (434) 582-4628
INJURY REPORT: Here is the Pride injury report entering the Liberty game: Player Pos. Injury Status Bill Hambrecht LB Back Out - season Josh Reed DE Knee Out - season Joe Nolan P Knee Out - season Brad Palmer OG Shoulder(9/6) Out - season Le Var Starr CB Knee (10/25) Out - season Jarrod Verge OG Knee (10/9) Out - season DeWayne Whitaker CB Elbow (11/1) Out - season Gian Villante LB Back (11/8) Out - season Chris Andreano DB Ankle (10/25) Out - Indef. Jamaal Perry WR Hip (11/8) Questionable Bobby Seck QB Ankle (11/8) Questionable HOFSTRA'S 2003 STATISTICAL LEADERS - 11 GAMES: RUSHING ATT. Net- Avg. TD Trevor Dimmie 133 599 4.5 5 Terry Crenshaw 86 421 4.9 1 Vemba Bukula 34 164 4.8 2 PASSING GP Att-Comp-Int Yds. TD Andrew English 9 227-125-12 1438 6 Anton Clarkson 6 83-45-8 648 4 Bobby Seck 3 70-36-1 424 2 RECEIVING No. Yds. Avg. TD Ricky Bryant 52 764 14.7 2 Isaac Irby 47 552 11.7 4 Marques Colston 44 643 14.6 4 Devale Ellis 19 111 5.8 1 Brian Wolman 13 128 9.8 0 TACKLES UT-AT-TT Sacks Int Renauld Williams 50-37-87 3.5-19 1-24 Cole Haley 42-44-86 4-24 0-0 Tyree Johnson 40-38-78 1.5-6 1-0 Gian Villante 33-44-77 0-0 0-0 Carlton Bargman 51-25-76 2-13 1-7 Daniel Garay 33-35-68 4.5-20 0-0 HOFSTRA-LIBERTY SERIES: Saturday's game is the eighth meeting between Hofstra and Liberty in a series that started in 1995. The Pride lead the series 7-0. The two teams last met on November 23, 2002 in Hempstead with the Pride posting a 31-3 victory over the Flames. The series history is as follows: Year Winner (Loc.) Score 1995 Hofstra (H) 36-10 1996 Hofstra (A) 29-20 1997 Hofstra (A) 40-27 1998 Hofstra (H) 38-24 2000 Hofstra (H) 42-14 2001 Hofstra (A) 40-3 2002 Hofstra (H) 32-3 HOFSTRA IN THE NCAA STATS: Here are Hofstra s NCAA statistical rankings as of November 18: Team Category Rank Avg. Rushing Offense 112 99.55 Passing Offense 40 227.82 Total Offense 85 327.36 Scoring Offense 101 18.64 Rushing Defense 115 234.18 Pass Efficiency Defense 70 121.84 Total Defense 103 406.00 Scoring Defense 87 29.00 Net Punting 20 36.26 Punt Returns 92 6.42 Kickoff Returns 108 17.00 Turnover Margin 107-1.00 Pass Defense 33 171.82 Passing Efficiency 83 108.66 Individual Category Hofstra Player Rank Avg. Rushing Trevor Dimmie 54.45 Terry Crenshaw 38.27 Passing Efficiency Andrew English 85 106.43 Total Offense Andrew English 91 134.40 Receptions/Game Ricky Bryant 61 4.73 Isaac Irby 86 4.18 Marques Colston 92 4.00 Rec. Yds./Game Ricky Bryant 53 69.45 Marques Colston 91 58.45 Isaac Irby 49.82 Interceptions Prentice James.27 Punting Niall Duggan 48 38.97 Punt Returns Ricky Bryant 72 7.41 Kickoff Returns Field Goals Chris Onorato 16 1.18 Scoring Chris Onorato 5.55 All-Purpose Yds. Ricky Bryant 70 105.73 Isaac Irby 66.36 THE LAST HOFSTRA-LIBERTY GAME - November 23, 2002 in Hempstead: Running backs Trevor Dimmie and Vemba Bukula each rushed for more than 100 yards and the Pride defense held the Flames to a single field goal and 165 yards on offense as Hofstra closed out its 2002 season with a 32-3 non-conference victory over Liberty at James M. Shuart Stadium. Dimmie rushed for a season-high 160 yards on 20 carries with touchdown runs of 8 and 7 yards, and a scoring catch of 15 yards. Bukula posted his third 100-yard rushing game of the season with a 13-carry, 113-yard performance. Hofstra quarterback Ryan Cosentino completed 16 of 27 passes for 147 yards and one TD and also rushed for another score. The Hofstra defense excelled as well, recording a season-low 165 yards allowed Hofstra's lowest since holding Charleston Southern to 133 yards in 1996 while holding the Flames to a lone Jay Kelley 24-yard, second quarter field goal. After getting down to the Liberty 10-yard line on its first possession only to miss a
27-yard field goal, Hofstra opened the scoring with 5:37 to play in the first quarter. Cosentino led an eight-play, 81-yard drive with Trevor Dimmie taking the ball into the end zone from 8 yards out. Dimmie had 63 of the 81 yards in the drive, including a 34-yard run that placed the Pride on the Liberty 13-yard line. Liberty closed the deficit to 6-3 just six second into the second quarter following a blocked Hofstra punt. Getting the ball on their own 49, the Flames got down to the Hofstra 5-yard line and had a first-and-goal situation. Liberty running back Verondre Barnes, who broke the school's single season rushing record of 1,224 yards set by Lawrence Worthington in 1994, rushed to the Pride 2-yard line before the Flames were sent back to the 8 on an illegal motion penalty. Kyle Painter then completed a pass to Michael Pearson on second-and-goal to the Hofstra 2- yard line. Robert Thomas and Daniel Garay stuffed Samkon Gako on a third down rush for no gain. An illegal substitution penalty put the ball back on the 7 yard line where Kelley was forced to kick the 24-yard field goal. Hofstra boosted the lead to 9-3 midway through the quarter as Chris Onorato booted a 43-yard field goal. Barnes, who finished the game with 114 yards on 25 carries to finish his record-setting season with 1,304 yards, notched his record-breaking rush on the last play of the half with a 3-yard carry as time expired. The Pride put the game out of reach in the third quarter with three scores (two touchdowns and a safety). On their second possession of the second half, Hofstra went 39 yards in five plays with Cosentino passing to Dimmie for a 15- yard score for a 16-3 lead with 10:25 to play in the third. On Liberty's next possession, Hofstra pinned the Flames on their own 9-yard line. Punting away on fourth down, punter David Holland dropped the low snap and instead of having the kicked blocked and recovered for a touchdown, he elected to kick the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety. The Pride bumped the lead to 25-3 with just six seconds to play in the third quarter as Dimmie rushed four times for 47 yards in a 61-yard drive and carried the ball into the end zone from 7 yards out to close out the third quarter scoring. Cosentino finished the scoring with 10:39 to play in the game on a 10-yard run to cap a 62-yard drive that included Bukula gaining 38 yards on three carries. Jamaal Perry (64 yards) and Ricky Bryant (44 yards) each had five catches for the Pride, while Bill Hambrecht (9 tackles), Michael Momo (8 tackles) and Cole Haley (8 tackles) led the defensive charge. HOFSTRA 31 LIBERTY 3 November 23, 2002 Hempstead, NY - Attendance: 5,090 Team 1 2 3 4 TP Liberty 0 3 0 0 3 Hofstra 6 3 16 7 32 Scoring Summary HU- Dimmie 8-yard run (Onorato kick failed) LU- Kelley 24-yard field goal HU- Onorato 43-yard field goal HU- Dimmie 15-yard pass from Cosentino (Onorato kick) HU- Team safety HU- Dimmie 7-yard run (Onorato kick) HU- Cosentino 10-yard run (Onorato kick) Team Statistics Liberty Hofstra First Downs (R-P-Pen) 3-3-2 21-6-1 Rushing (Att.-Yds.) 34-106 51-370 Passing (Att.-Comp.-Int) 17-6-1 28-16-1 Passing Yards 59 147 Total Offense (Plays-Yds.) 51-165 79-517 Interceptions By (No.-Yds.) 1-0 1-2 Punts - Average 8-36.3 4-29.0 Punt Returns (No.-Yards) 3-8 3-42 Kickoff Returns (No.-Yards) 5-90 2-33 Field Goals (Made-Att) 1-1 1-3 Penalties (No.-Yds.) 7-46 9-90 Third Down Conversions 0-11 4-12 Sacks (No.-Yds.) 2-12 3-14 Individual Leaders Rushing: HU - Dimmie (20-160-2), Bukula (13-113-0), Cosentino (8-43-1), Little (7-43-0); LU - Barnes (25-114- 0), Gado (5-15-0), Painter (3-(-14)-0) Passing: HU - Cosentino (27-16-1, 147, 0 TD), English (1-0-0, 0, 0 TD); LU - Painter (12-6-1, 59, 0 TD), Condon (4-0-0, 0, 0 TD) Receiving: HU - Perry (5-64-0), Bryant (5-44-0), Irby (3-8-0); LU - Barnes (2-0-0), Gado (1-32-0), Harris (1-13-0) Tackles: HU - Hambrecht (4-5-9), Momo (3-5-8), Haley (0-8-8); LU - Howard (5-7-12), Haith (5-3-8), Hield (3-4- 7) Weather: 43 degrees and clear Time of Game: 2:45 HOFSTRA S LAST GAME- November 15 at Rhode Island: Rhode Island scored 21 fourth quarter points to blow open a 3-0 contest as the Rams blanked Hofstra 24-0 in an Atlantic 10 Football Conference game at Meade Stadium last Saturday afternoon. The Rams improved to 4-7 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10 while Hofstra fell to 2-9 overall and 2-7 in league play. Rhode Island posted 449 yards in total offense including 438 on the ground as running back Jason Ham and quarterback Jayson Davis each topped the century mark in rushing with 156 and 129 yards, respectively. Hofstra posted just 154 yards (revised) on offense, their lowest output of the season. After a scoreless first quarter, Rhode Island had the first scoring opportunity of the contest just three minutes into the second quarter. But a 34-yard field goal attempt by Shane Laisle sailed wide left in the gusting winds. The Rams did get on the board later in the quarter after mounting a late drive to end the first half. URI sophomore quarterback Jayson Davis engineered an 11-play, 70-yard drive culminating with a 23-yard field goal by Laisle. Davis had 41 yards rushing in the drive.
Hofstra opened the second half with a flurry after senior Ricky Bryant returned the opening kickoff 44 yards to the URI 47 yardline and freshman quarterback Anton Clarkson had two completions to move the ball to the Rams 36 yard line. But on a 3rd-and-11 play Clarkson was picked off at the Rams 14 by Rhode Island cornerback Terrance Jones who returned it to the URI 44. It would be the closest Hofstra would get to the Rams end zone. Although the Hofstra offense sputtered, the Pride defense, which faced 82 plays and was on the field for more than 35 minutes, bent but did not break. After another scoreless period in the third quarter, the floodgates opened in the fourth. Behind the rushing of Ham, who rushed nine times for 53 yards in the drive, Rhode Island went on a 12-play, 80-yard drive following a Hofstra punt, with senior running back Luther Green rushing around right end for a 21-yard touchdown. Laisle's point-after gave the Rams a 10-0 lead with 8:40 to play in the contest. On Hofstra's first play from scrimmage after the kickoff, Clarkson, who was 12 for 22 for 102 yards and three interceptions on the day, was picked off by senior linebacker Andrew Elsing at the Hofstra 40 yard line. Keith Brown's 28-yard run on the first play moved the ball to the Pride 12 yard line and four plays later Davis called his own number for a one yard touchdown run and a 17-0 lead with 6:39 remaining. Another Clarkson interception on Hofstra's next possession, this time by linebacker Teddy Gibbons, was an all-in-one play. On the first-and-10 play, Gibbons deflected Clarkson's pass, caught it in mid-air and then rambled 38 yards for the final touchdown of the game with 6:02 to play in the contest. Ham finished with 33 carries for 156 yards, Davis had 129 yards on 17 rushes and Luther Green added 82 yards on eight carries to lead the Rams, who came into the contest with the third-best rushing attack in I-AA at 322.6 yards per game on the ground. Rhode Island's pass attack, which averages just 87 yards per game, was barely affected by the 40 degrees temperature and the winds that gusted up to 30 miles per hour. The Pride struggled with both the passing and running game in the wind, and committed four turnovers. Ricky Bryant had four catches for 46 yards and Isaac Irby added three catches for 39 yards to lead the Pride. Irby's second catch of the day gave him 100 for his Hofstra career. Sophomore end Dan Garay and linebacker Cole Haley each had 10 tackles to lead the Pride defense. WHITEWASH: Last Saturday's 24-0 shutout by Rhode Island was the second shutout laid on Hofstra in the past two seasons. The Montana Grizzlies blanked Hofstra 21-0 in the 2002 season opener at Shuart Stadium. Before the Montana game, the Pride/Flying Dutchmen were not shutout in 255 games dating back to a 41-0 loss at LIU- C.W. Post in 1978. In its 63 season 614-game history, Hofstra has been shutout just 34 times, including 12 shutouts before 1950. CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS, SENIORS: Hofstra honored their 11 graduating seniors (10 players and videographer Kevin Ingles) and their parents in pregame ceremonies before their final home game on November 8 against Villanova. The departing footballplaying seniors are Vemba Bukula-RB, Jamaal Perry- WR, Ricky Bryant-WR, Trevor Dimmie-RB, Carlton Bargman-FS, Tyree Johnson-LB, Renauld Williams-LB, Larry Kelly-LB, Brad Palmer-OG, Brandon Newton-OG, Josh Reed-DE, and Kevin Ingles-videographer. The 2003 SPORTS NETWORK/CSTV I-AA POLL: The Sports Network/CSTV I-AA Poll, as of November 17: No. Team (1 st pl. votes) W-L Pts. LW 1. McNeese State (80) 9-1 2,236 1 2. Wofford (6) 10-1 2,111 4 3. Delaware (1) 10-1 2,003 6 4. Montana (3) 9-2 1,929 5 5. Southern Illinois 10-1 1,720 2 6. Colgate 11-0 1,661 7 7. Massachusetts 9-2 1,650 3 8. Northern Iowa 9-2 1,630 11 9. Penn 9-0 1,509 8 10. Western Kentucky 8-3 1,439 9 11. Western Illinois 8-3 1,404 10 12. Grambling State 9-2 1,228 12 13. North Carolina A&T 10-1 1,184 14 14. Florida Atlantic 8-2 994 15 15. Bethune-Cookman 8-2 980 16 16. Southern 10-1 939 17 17. Northern Arizona 8-3 876 18 18. Villanova 7-3 663 13 19. Jacksonville State 7-3 537 21 20. Northern Colorado 8-2 431 22 21. Northeastern 7-4 380 23 22. Georgia Southern 7-4 295 24 23. Maine 6-4 268 NR 24. Idaho State 7-4 208 NR 25. Fordham 8-3 197 19 Others receiving votes: Lehigh, Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb, Stephen F. Austin, Weber State, Montana State, South Carolina State, Cal Poly, Northwestern State, Furman, Harvard, Monmouth, Hampton, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Yale.
THE 2003 ESPN/USA TODAY I-AA COACHES POLL: As of November 17, 2003. No. Team W-L Pts. LW 1. McNeese State (30) 9-1 941 1 2. Wofford (3) 10-1 890 4 3. Delaware (2) 10-1 848 6 4. Montana (3) 9-2 795 5 5. Southern Illinois 10-1 747 2 6. Massachusetts 9-2 713 3 7. Northern Iowa 9-2 685 11 8. Colgate 11-0 669 8 9. Western Illinois 8-3 587 10 10. Pennsylvania 9-0 582 9 11. Grambling 9-2 567 12 12. Western Kentucky 8-3 563 7 13. North Carolina A&T 10-1 495 14 14. Florida Atlantic 8-2 424 15 15. Southern 10-1 417 16 16. Bethune Cookman 8-2 414 17 17. Northern Arizona 8-3 383 18 18. Villanova 7-3 302 13 19. Jacksonville State 7-3 223 20 20. Northern Colorado 8-2 185 25 21. Northeastern 7-4 161 22 22. Maine 6-4 127 NR 23. Georgia Southern 7-4 110 23 24. Idaho State 7-4 108 NR 25. Fordham 8-3 83 19 ATLANTIC 10 STANDINGS: Here are the latest Atlantic 10 Football Conference standings entering the Liberty game: Atlantic 10 Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. Delaware 7 1.875 10 1.909 Massachusetts 7 1.875 9 2.818 *Maine 5 3.625 7 4.636 Northeastern 5 3.625 7 4.636 Villanova 5 3.625 7 3.700 James Madison 4 4.500 6 5.545 *William & Mary 3 4.429 4 5.444 Rhode Island 3 5.375 4 7.364 New Hampshire 2 6.250 4 7.364 Hofstra 2 7.222 2 9.182 Richmond 1 7.125 2 8.200 *Declared a victory for Maine and a no-contest for William & Mary due to the cancellation of their Sept. 27 game. LAST WEEK'S RESULTS - November 15 WILLIAM & MARY 38, NEW HAMPSHIRE 28 James Madison 45, Charleston Southern 7 DELAWARE 51, MASSACHUSETTS 45 RHODE ISLAND 24, HOFSTRA 0 NORTHEASTERN 45, RICHMOND 0 MAINE 14, VILLANOVA 10 THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE - November 22 NORTHEASTERN AT JAMES MADISON 12:00 MAINE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE 12:00 RHODE ISLAND AT MASSACHUSETTS 12:00 WILLIAM & MARY AT RICHMOND 1:00 Hofstra at Liberty 1:30 DELAWARE AT VILLANOVA 4:00 BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD CANDIDATE - LB RENAULD WILLIAMS CONTINUES TO SHINE: Senior linebacker Renauld Williams, who was reaffirmed as a Buck Buchanan Award candidate by the Sports Network, continues to be a standout on the Pride defense this season. Williams, playing before several NFL scouts at Marshall, put his best foot forward by leading the Pride with eight solo tackles and five assisted stops against the Thundering Herd. He also forced a fumble, stripping Marshall quarterback Stan Hill of the ball on the run. Against Maine he posted seven tackles, an interceptionthe first of his career-, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Williams recorded 13 total tackles against Elon including seven solo stops to lead the Pride defense. Williams also recorded a forced fumble and had 1.5 tackles for losses of three yards. At JMU he posted five total tackles, forced a fumble and recorded a sack while against Delaware he added 11 tackles. Williams, who had seven tackles including six solos at UMass, seven tackles and a fumble recovery against Villanova, and six at William and Mary, leads the team with 87 tackles. He posted eight tackles at Rhode Island last week. LB GIAN VILLANTE DONE FOR THE SEASON: Freshman Gian (Jon) Villante, who was one of the best surprises of the 2003 season for Hofstra, will miss the season finale at Liberty this week. Villante suffered a back injury in the Villanova game on November 8 and missed last week s game at Rhode Island. Villante tied his career high against New Hampshire, which he posted two previous times, with 11 tackles against the Wildcats. Villante posted seven solo tackles, four assisted stops and two tackles for losses of 6 yards against the Wildcats. After seven more tackles at William and Mary and three against Villanova, he is now second on the team in tackles with 77. He tied his career high with 11 stops against Northeastern and added six tackles at UMass. Vilante, who posted nine tackles including two for losses against Maine, and added eight tackles against Elon, recorded 11 stops at JMU. He had five stops against the Blue Hens of Delaware. Ironically, the newcomer had been starting this season in place of
Bill Hambrecht who missed the season with a back injury. DE DAN GARAY: Sophomore defensive lineman Dan Garay was tied for game-high tackle honors last Saturday at Rhode Island with 10 stops. Garay, who posted nine solo tackles, is currently sixth on the team in tackles with 68 including 33 solos, and has the team lead with 4.5 sacks and nine tackles for losses. He posted 10 tackles in the season opener at Marshall, and eight tackles against Northeastern, Massachusetts and Villanova. LB COLE HALEY: The biggest surprise of the 2002 season, then freshman linebacker Cole Haley, continues to excel in 2003 as a sophomore. Haley, currently second on the team in tackles with 86, posted 10 tackles at Rhode Island last week and at William and Mary on November 1, nine tackles against the Blue Hens of Delaware on September 27, eight tackles against Northeastern on October 11 and UNH, seven against Villanova, and five at UMass. Haley tallied 84 tackles as a freshman last season. PUNTER NIALL DUGGAN: Junior punter Niall Duggan (DUG in) has moved from an adequate replacement for the injured Joe Nolan his season to someone chasing the Hofstra punting average record for a single season. He ranks seventh in the Atlantic 10 in punting with a 39.0 yards average with 18 punts inside the 20 and eight that were fair catches. More importantly, opponents are averaging only six yards in the 27 returns this year. He has recorded seven games in 2003 in which he has punted for an average of 40 yards or more. Against Villanova he punted nine times for a 40.7 average with a rock-hard ball due to the near freezing temperature (36 degrees). He averaged 41.2 yards on five punts at UMass, 37.4 in seven punts against UNH with four inside the 20, and a 40.0 average in five punts at William and Mary, Duggan, who had a punt go over his head for a safety and dropped a punt for a -23 yard rushing loss against the Phoenix, punted four times for a 45.2 average against Elon. He punted four times for a 44.0 yards average against Maine. At JMU he added five punts for a 42.4 average including a 52-yard punt. K CHRIS ONORATO: At William and Mary, junior kicker Chris Onorato kicked three field goals in a contest for the third time this season. At UMass on October 18, he booted three field goals in as many attempts (39, 22, 34) for the team's first field goals of the year against Elon on September 13th. He was 2 for 4 at JMU, hitting on 26 and 29 yard attempts, missing on a 34-yard kick and having a 33-yard boot blocked. Against Delaware, he had attempts of 53 and 37 yards blocked and missed on a 22-yard attempt. Against Northeastern, he hit on his only attempt, a 27-yard field goal. Onorato was 15 for 23 in the field goal department last year and is now 13 for 19 this year. Onorato is 33 for 55 in his career. MIAMI VICE: Two Miami, Florida natives, safety Carlton Bargman and linebacker Tyree Johnson, had big hands in Hofstra's victory over #7 Villanova on November 8 and seem to mirror each other in statistics lately. Bargman and Johnson led all players with 12 tackles each against the Wildcats. Last week at Rhode Island, each posted six solos and one assisted tackle. Bargman, who posted 10 solos in the contest including five stops in the fourth quarter, had two sacks for -13 yards. Johnson posted eight solos and had 1.5 sacks for -6 yards. Johnson and Bargman rank in the top five on the Hofstra tackles chart this year. Johnson, who missed the UNH game with an abdominal strain, posted his second-best game of the seasonnumber-wise-but maybe his best overall with a 12-tackle performance against Northeastern on October 11th. Johnson, who tallied 13 tackles at Marshall, recorded five solos tackles, seven assisted stops and one tackle for a loss (-5) against the Thundering Herd. He also posted eight tackles against Elon and William and Mary, six against Delaware, and five at JMU. Johnson is third on the team with 78 tackles. He is a graduate of Barbara Goleman High School. Bargman, who tallied 11 tackles against Northeastern, eight stops at UMass, seven tackles against Elon and Rhode Island, six against Delaware, five at William and Mary, and four at James Madison, ranks fifth on the team in tackles with 76 including a team-leading 51 solo stops. Bargman is a graduate of Southridge High School. WR RICKY BRYANT STREAKING: Senior receiver Ricky Bryant tied his career high with 10 receptions, set in 2002 against James Madison, and posted a careerhigh 136 yards in Hofstra's 38-17 loss to New Hampshire. He also accumulated 189 all-purpose yards with 49 kickoff return yards and four punt return yards. Bryant's also tallied a touchdown catch on an 11-yard pass from Andrew English. Bryant's eighth catch of the day gave him 100 for his career. At William & Mary, he added six catches for 51 yards and had two punt returns for four yards and three kickoff returns for 89 yards. Bryant led the team in receiving against Villanova with seven catches for 84 yards and added five punt returns for 31 yards and three kickoff returns for 62 yards. Bryant has done triple duty for four weeks now. At Massachusetts, Bryant caught five passes for 62 yards, returned two punts for 22 yards and returned one kickoff for 18 yards against the Minutemen. He posted five catches for 48 yards to lead the Pride receiving corps at Marshall. He posted his sixth career 100-yard receiving game against Maine with three catches for 107 yards including an 87-yard touchdown catch. He posted two catches for 101 yards at James Madison to record his seventh 100-yard receiving game. Against Delaware Bryant posted five receptions for 64 yards and added
three catches for 55 against Northeastern. The 6'0 speedy receiver has been invited to play in the postseason Las Vegas All-American Classic. The Las Vegas All-American Classic was formerly called the Paradise Bowl and held in St. George, Utah. Former Pride player and current St. Louis Rams standout Arlen Harris played in last year's Paradise Bowl and was the game's most valuable player. Bryant now has 119 career catches, which is 11th on the Hofstra career receptions list, for 1,557 career receiving yards, which places him 11th on the all-time Hofstra career receiving yards list. Bryant has 52 catches for 764 yards and two touchdowns on the season. WR MARQUES COLSTON ALSO STREAKING: 6 5 junior receiver Marques Colston has hauled in 27 passes for 378 yards in his last five games. He recorded a season best nine catches for 120 yards to lead the Pride receivers at UMass, posted a six catch, 99-yard game against New Hampshire, tallied six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns against Villanova, and added five catches for 63 yards at William and Mary. Colston now has 105 career receptions, which places him 12th on the Hofstra all-time reception list, for 1,592 yards, which ranks 10th all-time. Colston s 100-yard receiving game was his first of the year and the fourth of his career. At JMU, he caught a 65-yard touchdown pass on Hofstra's first possession, his first of the year. Against Delaware he posted three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown and added one catch for 25 yards against Northeastern. Colston posted five catches for 42 yards against Elon. He now has 44 catches for 643 yards in 2003. WR ISAAC IRBY: Senior receiver Isaac Irby has recorded 31 receptions for 398 yards in his last six games. He recorded eight catches against Northeastern (139 yards), eight at Massachusetts (119 yards), two against UNH, three at William and Mary (15 yards), six against Villanova (58 yards), and four for 43 at Rhode Island. He appears to love visiting the scenic surroundings of UMass and has displayed that in two games against the Minutemen. Last year at UMass, Irby posted a career-high 10 catches for 59 yards and a touchdown in Hofstra s come-from-behind win over the Minutemen. Irby posted a career-high 139 yards on eight receptions against Northeastern earlier this season. The 139 yards topped his previous best of 88 yards against Rhode Island last year. Irby, who may return in 2004, posted the second two-touchdown game of his Hofstra career by rushing for two scores against Marshall in the 2003 season opener. He scored on an option play and a reverse. He had 135 all-purpose yards (61 rushing, 38 receiving, 36 kickoff returns) in the game. Irby scored twice against Rhode Island last year. He was held to just one reception for 13 yards against Maine but rebounded and led the Pride receivers with six catches for 42 yards and a 14-yard scoring catch against Elon. Irby tallied four catches for 56 yards against Delaware. He is second on the team in receptions this year with 47 for 552 yards and now has 102 career receptions for 1,078 yards. BUKULA COMES THROUGH: The often-converted senior running back Vemba Bukula led the Pride in rushing with 35 yards on six carries against Villanova. He came through in a big way when it was needed against Northeastern on October 11th. Bukula, the running back, moved to cornerback, moved to running back, moved to cornerback, moved to running back, led the Pride in rushing against the Huskies with 67 yards on two carries. That second carry, however, was a 67-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage immediately after Northeastern closed its deficit to 17-14. Bukula, who led the Pride in rushing last season with 664 yards after starting the year at cornerback, has 164 yards on 34 carries this season. DIMMIE RUNS WILD: While posting his 18 th 100-yard rushing game of his career at William and Mary, senior running back Trevor Dimmie also recorded season highs for individual carries and rushing yards this year. In fact, Dimmie s 146 yards against the Tribe topped the Hofstra team total from any previous Pride contest this season. Hofstra s best team rushing effort before the William and Mary game was a 143-yard performance against Northeastern. Dimmie s 25 carries were also his most since December 1, 2001 when he carried the ball 37 times for 150 yards in the I-AA Playoff loss at Lehigh. Against Villanova, he had just six carries for 18 yards. Earlier this season, Dimmie had a 16-carry, 108-yard performance against Elon on September 13th. Dimmie gained 69 yards on 13 carries against Maine to go over the 3,000 rushing yards mark in his career. He did haul in a 75-yard touchdown pass from Andrew English against Delaware, and had four catches for 96 yards in the contest. Dimmie also recorded touchdown runs of 13 yards and 20 yards against the Black Bears. Against Marshall, he posted 59 yards on 11 carries. He posted 36 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries against Northeastern and 35 yards on seven carries against New Hampshire. He leads the team in rushing this season with 599 yards and five touchdowns on 133 carries. He now has 3,522 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns in his career. SS JAMES GLEE: Junior safety James Glee led all players in tackles in the UNH game with 12 total tackles including nine solo stops. The 12 tackles are the secondmost in his career behind a 14-tackle performance against JMU last year. Glee is now seventh on the team in tackles with 66. He recorded four tackles against Villanova. He picked off the second pass of his Hofstra career in the third quarter of the game at Marshall. He returned it 94 yards to the Marshall 1-yard line. He followed that performance up with an eight tackle, one sack show against Maine. Glee posted nine tackles against Elon, three tackles at JMU, five against
Delaware, six against Northeastern and tied for the team-high with eight stops at UMass. NOW STARTING AT QUARTERBACK: With sophomore quarterback Bobby Seck s knee showing little improvement from the swelling and lack of mobility after a hit in the Northeastern game on October 11th, junior Andrew English was called upon to start the Massachusetts, New Hampshire and William & Mary games. He passed for a career-high 312 yards on 29 of 50 attempts with two touchdowns and a career-high four interceptions and Massachusetts, and threw for 314 yards (25-47) with five interceptions against UNH. QB BOBBY SECK: Sophomore quarterback Bobby Seck returned to action, for three quarters, against Northeastern on October 11, and also against Villanova on November 8. He completed 13 of 23 passes for 171 yards with one interception before leaving the game in the third quarter with a knee sprain against Northeastern. He was 16 for 32 for 200 yards with two touchdowns against Villanova before leaving with an ankle injury. Against the Huskies Hofstra led 10-7 at the time after Seck had completed 13 of 23 passes for 171 yards. Junior Andrew English (10-4-0, 80, 0TD) replaced Seck and engineered two Hofstra scores to insure the victory. Before getting hurt at Marshall on August 30th Seck made the jump from local Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale, about a mile from the Hofstra campus, to the starting quarterback on the Hofstra campus as he started the 2003 season opener. He was red-shirted in 2001 playing behind Rocky Butler, who now plays in the Canadian Football League with Saskatchewan, and last year's starter Ryan Cosentino, who has left the program to pursue a career in baseball. Last year Seck, playing behind Cosentino, appeared in just one game, at New Hampshire, and completed his only pass attempt for a gain of six yards. TWO-HEADED QUARTERBACK: Sophomore Bobby Seck and freshman Anton Clarkson combined to complete 24 of 42 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns in Hofstra's win over Villanova. Seck, playing and starting for just the third time this season due to injuries, was 16 for 32 for 200 yards and two touchdowns before injuring an ankle in the third quarter. Clarkson came off the bench and completed eight of 10 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown. QB ANDREW ENGLISH: Junior quarterback Andrew English has made the most of his relief role at quarterback this season. In relief of Anton Clarkson against Delaware on September 27 th, he passed for 302 yards against the Blue Hens. English completed 22 of 37 passes for 302 with two touchdown tosses of 75 yards to Trevor Dimmie and 35 yards to Marques Colston. Against Northeastern he replaced Bobby Seck and was four for 10 for 80 yards. In his three starts this season against Elon, Massachusetts and UNH, English has completed 73 of 136 passes for 790 yards and four touchdowns with 12 interceptions. For the season, he has completed 125 of 227 passes for 1,438 yards and six touchdowns with 12 interceptions. RB TERRY CRENSHAW: Redshirt freshman running back Terry Crenshaw has led the Pride in rushing in three of the 11 games this season. He led the Pride ground game against Maine with 82 yards on 11 carries, posted 57 yards on 11 carries at William and Mary, gained 54 yards on 16 carries at James Madison, and posted 55 yards on seven carries against UNH. Crenshaw posted 34 yards on seven carries against Delaware, added 41 yards on 10 carries against Northeastern and 25 yards on 4 carries at UMass. His season total is 421 yards on 86 rushing attempts for a team-leading 4.9 rushing average. CB PRENTICE JAMES: Sophomore cornerback Prentice James posted his third career interception against Northeastern and returned the pick 72 yards. Against Delaware on September 27 th James returned an interception 27 yards. He also had six tackles on the day against the Blue Hens. Earlier this season, he notched his first career interception against Elon. James had six total tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection against the Phoenix. At JMU he posted a career-high seven tackles. James now has 43 tackles on the season. SS MICHAEL MOMO: With the reshuffling of the Hofstra secondary, junior safety Michael Momo has started the last three games against William & Mary, Villanova and Rhode Island. He posted six tackles against the Tribe and added seven tackles against Villanova. Momo led the Pride defense against Maine with 10 tackles including six solos. Momo also recorded a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection, which he almost intercepted. He posted four solo stops against Elon and Rhode island and three tackles at JMU. He now has 49 tackles on the season. BY THE NUMBERS - 154: The 154 yards in total offense that Hofstra recorded last Saturday at Rhode Island was a 2003 season low. It was also the fourth lowest offensive total by a Hofstra team during Joe Gardi s tenure. Season Opponent Rush-Pass-Total Result 1992 Buffalo -40-124-84 26-15 L 1996 Buffalo 57-82-139 14-10 L 1996 Youngstown 64-79-143 14-3 L 2003 Rhode Island 46-108-154 24-0 L 1996 Maine 8-162-170 9-7 L BY THE NUMBERS - 438: The 438 rushing yards that Hofstra allowed to Rhode Island s option offense last week is the second most in Hofstra history. The Flying Dutchmen gave up 468 on the ground to Jerry Azumah
and New Hampshire in a 41-38 double-overtime victory in 1998. MAYOR S TROPHY: The Honorable James Garner, Mayor of the Village of Hempstead presented senior safety Carlton Bargman and senior offensive lineman Brandon Newton with the 2003 Mayor s Trophy at halftime of the Villanova game. Every year since 1966, the Mayor of the Village of Hempstead, in conjunction with Hofstra University, presents the Mayor s Trophy award to one or two senior football players, whose play and actions typify the spirit of intercollegiate athletics. The Mayor s Trophy is symbolic of good sportsmanship and fair play both on and off the field of competition. THE SACK: Hofstra posted a season high eight sacks against Villanova on November 8. It was the most sacks by a Hofstra team since November 2, 2002 at Elon when the Pride also posted eight sacks. SACKED: The Pride allowed just one sack in the contest against the A-10 s sack leader, Massachusetts on October 18 th but allowed five to New Hampshire a week later and four to William and Mary. The Pride, who allowed 30 sacks last year, has given up 35 including five by Maine and New Hampshire, and four by Rhode Island, Delaware and William and Mary, in 11 games this year. The Pride defense has only 21 this season, including eight sacks against Villanova and four sacks at JMU. QUICK WORK AGAINST VILLANOVA: How would an eight play, 97-yard drive in 1:47 sound to you? Pretty impressive! Well, Hofstra's first four touchdowns against Villanova lasted a TOTAL of eight plays, 97-yards and consumed 1:47. By comparison, the Pride's last touchdown was a "marathon" of eight plays and 74- yards that took 3:32 off the clock. Here are Hofstra's scoring drives from last Saturday: Plays Yds. Time Result 2 35 0:14 TD 3 13 0:56 TD 1 29 0:07 TD 2 20 0:30 TD 8 74 3:32 TD LONG WORK: On November 1 at William and Mary, Hofstra posted two scoring drives with double-digit plays. In the previous eight games, the Pride had just three drives with double-digit plays. Two of those three came at Massachusetts on October 18. Hofstra posted drives of 10-75-5:14 for a first quarter field goal, and 13-54-4:26 for a third quarter field goal against the Minutemen. The Pride s opening drive against William and Mary was a season long 14-plays, for 77 yards, killing a season long 5:19 off the clock. ZERO TURNOVERS: For just the second time this season, the Pride did not allow a turnover in their game at William and Mary. Hofstra did not post a turnover against Delaware. But Hofstra has committed four turnovers or more six times this season. Andrew English's five interceptions against New Hampshire tied the school record, set by Rhory Moss in 1990 against Bucknell, for most interceptions thrown in a game. The Pride had six turnovers against UMass with four interceptions and two fumbles. Those turnovers resulted in 14 Minutemen points. Hofstra also posted seven turnovers against Maine and six against Elon. The Pride defense forced five Marshall turnovers on August 30 with three interceptions (Bargman, Glee and Keene) and two fumbles (Williams and Bargman). Hofstra had just one turnover, a fourth quarter fumble by Trevor Dimmie. Against Maine, the Pride turned the ball over seven times including four fumbles lost. The four fumbles lost tied a school record set in 1989 at St. John s and in 1993 at Lafayette. Against Elon Hofstra had six turnovers while the Phoenix had three. The Pride defense held Elon to just 208 yards, including just 33 yards passing, in total offense. But the Phoenix were able to convert three of Hofstra's six turnovers into 21 points, including a fourth quarter 10-yard interception return for a touchdown by Mike Warren that gave Elon a 25-20 lead. Hofstra quarterback Andrew English, who completed 19 of 39 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown, threw all three of his interceptions in the fourth quarter. At James Madison, the Pride had only two turnovers, both interceptions, but one of them resulted in a second quarter Dukes' touchdown. Against Northeastern, the Pride had just one turnover. Hofstra has committed 36 turnovers this season while their opponents have 25. LOSING THE LEAD: After Hofstra jumped out to a 9-0 lead against William and Mary, the Tribe stormed back with 23 straight points in the third and fourth quarters to win. It was the fourth time this season that Hofstra has lost a second half lead. Here is a list of Hofstra's final advantages in games this season: Opponent Last Lead Time Rem. QTR Marshall Never Led Maine Never Led Elon 20-16 4:49 3 rd Qtr. JMU 20-7 4:24 3 rd Qtr. Delaware 7-6 1:12 2 nd Qtr. Northeastern Never Trailed Massachusetts 9-6 14:33 2 nd Qtr. UNH 17-14 13:37 4 th Qtr. W&M 9-7 3:46 3 rd Qtr. Villanova Won Game Rhode Island Never Led PENALTIES: The Pride had a season high 15 penalties for 141 yards against New Hampshire on October 25. It was the third time this season that Hofstra has reached the century mark in penalty yards.
THE RETURN OF THE RUN? Hofstra posted a seasonhigh 219 rushing yards at William and Mary. The 49 carries in the contest were the Pride s second most this season, just one behind the 50 rushes at James Madison on September 20. The 219 rushing yards were also the Pride s fifth-most rushing yards in a game since the start of the 2001 season, a span of 33 games. Against Villanova, Hofstra rushed just 29 times for 52 yards while against Rhode Island Hofstra gained 46 yards on 24 carries. NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS: Villanova was Hofstra's fifth I-AA nationally ranked opponent this year. The Pride is 2-3 against nationally ranked I-AA opponents in 2003. Hofstra lost to then 20 th ranked Maine on September 6, then #7 Delaware on September 27, then 19 th ranked Northeastern on October 11, and #6 Massachusetts on October 18. Since the start of the 2000 season, Hofstra is 5-10 against I-AA Top 25 opponents. In 1999, the Pride was 3-0 against the nationally ranked opponents. Before last Saturday night against Villanova, the last time Hofstra defeated a top 10 opponent was on September 2, 2000 when the Pride downed the second-ranked Grizzlies of Montana in Missoula. DEFENSE: On October 11 th, the Pride defense held Northeastern, the number two offense in the country at the time, to just 358 yards in the contest, 128 below their season average. The Huskies' ground game, which ranked fourth in I-AA with a 292.7 average, was held to 154 yards. CB LE VAR STARR LOST FOR THE SEASON: Junior cornerback Le Var Starr has been sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury suffered in the New Hampshire game on October 25. Starr will undergo surgery in several weeks and is expected to miss most, if not all of the spring practice sessions in March. Starr posted 23 solo tackles, six assisted tackles and eight pass deflections this season for the Pride. PUNTER JOE NOLAN OUT FOR THE SEASON: Junior punter Joe Nolan, who broke the Hofstra school record for the longest punt with a 74 yard boot against William & Mary on October 12, 2002, will miss the 2003 season following knee surgery in June. Nolan's punt against the Tribe topped Jim Hogan's 1973 record of 71 yards set against Delaware State. Nolan posted a 40.6 average in 2002, which is the third best in school history and the best since 1988. WILLIAMS NAMED TO THE SPORTS NETWORK'S I- AA PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM: Senior linebacker Renauld Williams has been named to The Sports Network's 2003 I-AA Preseason All-America Team. Williams led the Pride in tackles last year with 114 and led the Atlantic 10 with 15 sacks. ALL-AMERICA & BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD CANDIDATE LB RENAULD WILLIAMS - 2002 YEAR IN REVIEW: Senior linebacker Renauld Williams, who is on the 2003 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List for I-AA Defensive Player of the Year honors, led the Pride in tackles and sacks in 2002. He posted his best game of the 2002 season with 15 tackles, including seven solo stops, at Maine on October 26, 2002. Williams was named the Atlantic 10's Co-Defensive Player of the Week after his performance at Elon on November 2, 2002 when he led a defensive charge that held the Phoenix to just 183 total yards. He posted a game-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and recorded four sacks for -37 yards at Elon. He also forced a fumble. Williams also posted 13 tackles (3 solos) and had one sack against Richmond. Williams, who recorded 11 tackles, six solos, two tackles for losses of -17, forced a fumble, broke up a pass and notched a sack for -14 against JMU, also posted double-digit tackles with 10 stops, one tackle for a loss and one sack at Northeastern on September 28th. He posted 11 total tackles (5-6-11), four tackles for losses of minus 11 yards, and two sacks against URI in week two. Lindy's 2003 National College Football Magazine selected Williams to its 2003 All I-AA Team and predicted that Williams would be the Atlantic 10's Defensive Player of the Year. WILLIAMS NAMED TO FIRST-EVER I-AA ALL-STAR GAME: Senior linebacker Renauld Williams was one of 50 I-AA standouts to be chosen to play in the inaugural I- AA College Football All-Star Classic. The game is sponsored by and will be televised on The Football Network. The game will be played on Tuesday evening, December 30, at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Williams and the other I-AA All-Stars were selected by a committee of coaches, administrators, and media from the 13 I-AA conferences. RETURNING STARTERS: Against Marshall, the Pride started seven players on offense and five players on defense who started in the 2002 season opener against Montana. The returning offensive starters were running back Trevor Dimmie, wide receivers Marques Colston, Ricky Bryant, Isaac Irby and Jamaal Perry, and offensive linemen Pat O'Brien and Brandon Newton. The returning defensive starters are defensive end Dan Garay, linebackers Renauld Williams, Cole Haley, and Tyree Johnson, and safety Carlton Bargman. Strong safety James Glee did not start the season at safety but he did start the final nine games of the year. Cornerback Le'Var Starr also did not start in the season opener but he did start the next 11 games. Kicker Chris Onorato also returns to his starting duty. NEW STARTERS: The new starters in the Pride line-up for the season opener at Marshall were: quarterback Bobby Seck, now replaced by Anton Clarkson; OT Jed
Prisby; OG Jarrod Verge; OT Willie Colon; DT Mickey Keene; DE Stephen Bowen; MLB Gian Villante; and CB Prentice James. HOMECOMING CROWD: Hofstra's Homecoming crowd of 5,324 for the Northeastern game on October 11 was the Pride's largest home crowd since November 11, 2001 when 5,341 saw Villanova top Hofstra 54-34 at Shuart Stadium. BIG CROWD: The attendance of 25,141 at Marshall Stadium on August 30th was the second largest crowd ever to witness a Pride football game. In 1999, Hofstra played before 25,583 during a 42-23 victory over South Florida at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. AGAINST I-A: Hofstra played its second ever game against a I-A opponent on August 30 th at Marshall and dropped a 45-21 decision. The Pride had closed the gap to 28-21 in the third quarter on a 10-yard scoring pass from freshman Anton Clarkson to sophomore WR Devale Ellis. But the Thundering Herd responded with 17 unanswered points. Hofstra defeated Buffalo in 1999 in its other I-A appearance. SEASON OPENERS: With their loss at Marshall on August 30 th, the Pride has won 19 of its last 21 season openers. Last year, the University of Montana ended Hofstra's winning streak of 19 consecutive season openers, and the Pride's 255 game non-shutout streak with a 21-0 victory. Hofstra has posted a 38-23-2 all-time record in season openers. HOME OPENERS UNDER GARDI: With their loss to Maine on September 6th, the Pride is now 11-3 in home openers under head coach Joe Gardi. The other Hofstra home opening losses came in 2002 to Montana (21-0) and in 2000 to Delaware (44-14). SHUART STADIUM - HOME, SWEET HOME: Since 1980, the Flying Dutchmen are 103-24-0 in regular season play at Shuart Stadium, formerly Hofstra Stadium. Hofstra was 6-0 in 1986 and 1980; 6-1 in 1998; 5-0 in 1995, 1990, 1989, 1988 and 1983, 4-0 in 1991; 5-1 in 2001, 1999, 1984 and 1982; 4-1 in 2000, 1997, 1994, 1993, 1987, 1985 and 1981; 3-1 in 1992; 2-4 in 1996 and 3-3 in 2002. The Pride is 2-4 at home in 2003. HOFSTRA ALUMNI IN THE NFL: There are five former Hofstra players currently gracing NFL team rosters. They are: WR Wayne Chrebet (Class of 95), New York Jets OT Dave Fiore (Class of 96), Washington Redskins DB Lance Schulters (Class of 98), Tennessee Titans WR Charlie Adams (Class of '02), Denver Broncos RB Arlen Harris, (Class of '03), St. Louis Rams ALUMNI NORTH OF THE BORDER: Three Hofstra football alums are currently on the rosters of Canadian Football League teams. They are: LB Brian Clark (Class of 96), Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Rocky Butler (Class of 02), Saskatchewan Rough Riders DB Patrick Dorvelus (Class of 02), Montreal Alouettes (injured) LOVE THAT OFF-WEEK: While some coaches complain that bye weeks break up momentum, the Hofstra football team has thrived after the off-week Under Coach Joe Gardi, the Pride, after their victory over Northeastern after the bye week, is now 11-3 in contests after the off week The only times Hofstra lost after the bye week under Gardi were in 1992 to Dayton (24-13), 1998 to Massachusetts (40-35), and 2002 at Maine (24-17). Between 1993 and 1998, Hofstra was 6-0 in games after an off-week. HOFSTRA HOME (COMING) COOKING: The Pride continued their mastery on Homecoming on October 11 th with the 24-14 victory over #19 Northeastern. The Pride is now 10-4 in Homecoming contests under Joe Gardi. TELEVISION: Six of the 12 Hofstra football games were televised in 2003. The Pride had one game (Northeastern) on Fox Sports, two (William & Mary and Villanova) on the A-10/The Football Network, one (Delaware) on CSTV, and two (Marshall and Maine) on the local Metro Channel. The 2003 season marked the 14th consecutive year that the Hofstra football program enjoyed a major television presence in the metropolitan area. From 1988 through 1997, most if not all Hofstra gridiron games were aired on SportsChannel, Fox Sports-New York's predecessor. Although Hofstra is 100-44-2 in televised games since 1988, the Pride has lost five of the last seven televised games, are 3-8 in their last 11 TV games and are 4-10 in the last 14. Hofstra was 9-1 in the 10 televised games before that. RADIO AND INTERNET: Every 2003 Hofstra football game will be heard on radio on WRHU-FM (88.7) and on the internet at www.wrhu.org beginning with the pregame show 30 minutes before every contest. WRHU Sports Director Jared Greenberg, Chris Caron and Nick Anastos call the action. WEEKLY RELEASE FAX AND E-MAIL: The Hofstra University weekly football release will be available on Wednesdays on the Hofstra Athletics web site (www.hofstra.edu/sports). Due to erratic mail delivery, the Hofstra Office of Athletic Communications has ceased mailing weekly press releases. However, we will have e-mail, in PDF format, and broadcast fax "mailings" to those media members who wish to get every football release during the season. Please contact Jim Sheehan if you wish to be put on one of these lists.