Tonight's Matchup: Tonight's game features your Assumption College Greyhounds taking on the No. 25 ranked Chargers of the University of New Haven in the first night game of the season for the Hounds. Assumption is coming off a 37-27 road loss at American International, while the Chargers dropped a 13-10 final to Division I FCS member William and Mary. William and Mary is ranked fourth in the latest Division I national rankings.

Last Time Out For The Hounds: In their last game, the Greyhounds built a 20-3 first-half lead at American International before the Yellow Jackets rallied for the victory. The game featured a combined 919 yards of total offense as the Yellow Jackets outgained the Hounds by a 460-459 margin. Assumption struck early to build the 17-point edge before AIC cut the lead down to 20-17 at the half. The Hounds struck first though in the second half on a 91-yard touchdown pass to Matt Pedone from Sam Previte to get the lead back to 10 points. AIC held the Hounds scoreless over the remainder of the game though to win its second straight game in the all-time series. The all-time series now stands at 13-2 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. Pedone led the Hounds with 224 all-purpose yards as he rushed for 66 yards, finished with 110 receiving yards and added 48 kickoff return yards. Junior Paul Perez, who had a team-high five catches, also added 131 return yards in the game.

Assumption used three quarterbacks in the game, including starter Kevin Bumpus who completed 11-of-20 passes for 171 yards. Previte completed four of his nine pass attempts, including the Hounds' longest pass play in school history with his 91-yard touchdown pass to Pedone. Overall, Assumption passed for 328 yards on just 19 completions.

On defense, senior linebacker Nick DiAntonio posted a season-high 16 tackles, including 11 assisted stops. Junior defensive end Nick Haag recorded a sack in his third straight game as he took down AIC's Kevin Arduino in the second half for a loss of eight yards. Sonny Dillinger and Mike Bates also picked up interceptions in the loss at AIC.

The All-Time Series: Tonight's game is the third all-time meeting between the two teams, with Assumption holding a 2-0 edge in the series. Last season, Assumption came away with a 45-28 victory in New Haven in the third week of the season. In that game, the Hounds built a 28-14 halftime lead and outgained the Chargers by a 499-305 margin in total offense. Leading the way was running back Uly Gibson, who rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns on 39 rushing attempts. His 234-yard effort was the fifth-highest single-game total in Assumption history.

A Look at the Chargers: Chosen as the preseason favorite in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches Poll, the Chargers are coming off a 13-10 road loss at William and Mary, currently ranked fourth in the Division I FCS national rankings. Quarterback Ryan Osiecki had the Chargers deep in W&M territory in the final minutes before the Tribe picked up the interception to seal the victory. The Chargers are currently 2-1 overall on the season after home wins over West Chester (35-32) and St. Augustine's (50-14) to start the year. Osiecki, who is averaging 200.3 yards per game passing, is currently second in the league with three rushing touchdowns and third with six passing scores. Sophomore running back Mike DeCaro leads the team with 51.7 yards per game rushing, while senior Chris Ruffin and junior Josh Smart are the leading receivers with 23 combined receptions. Senior Demetrius Washington-Ellison leads the team with 47.7 yards per game and ranks second in the Northeast-10 with four receiving touchdowns.

Among the League Leaders: The Greyhounds have a number of players ranked among the league leaders in a number of statistical categories, including senior linebacker Nick DiAntonio, who leads the league with 12.3 tackles per game. Sophomore running back Matt Pedone currently ranks second in the league in rushing at 99.0 yards per game, as well as fifth with two rushing touchdowns. Defensive end Nick Haag is second in the league with 3.5 total sacks, while junior Paul Perez ranks seventh in the Northeast-10 in total yards per game at 61.7 yards per contest.

Remembering Aaron Ellis: Aaron Ellis, a three-year member of the Assumption football program, passed away in late August of 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer. Ellis took last year off from school and was planning on returning to school this fall to complete his degree. In the spring, Ellis received the Francis Grimaldi '70 Memorial Award, given each year to a member of the Assumption community that shows "spirit and courage." For the remainder of the season, the Assumption football team will wear the initials AE on their helmets. In addition, Ellis' number 74 is being left empty for the 2011 season. John Rowell has switched to number 61 from his original 74.

This Week in the Northeast-10: Below is the complete upcoming schedule for this week in the Northeast-10.

Friday, September 23rd
Saint Anselm at Bentley - 7 p.m.
Pace at Southern Connecticut - 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 24th
American International at Stonehill - 1 p.m.
New Haven at Assumption - 7 p.m.
 
Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll: In the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Greyhounds were picked to finish sixth, while the University of New Haven was chosen as the preseason favorite by the league's head coaches. Below is the complete preseason poll, with first-place votes in parentheses.

1. New Haven (6) - 59
2. Southern Connecticut (2) - 58
3. Merrimack (1) - 47
4. Bentley - 43
5. American International - 42
6. Assumption - 28
7. Stonehill - 23
8. Saint Anselm - 16
9. Pace - 8

Greyhounds In The Weekly Northeast-10 Awards: Each week, the Northeast-10 announces its weekly award winners. Below are the Assumption players that have been recognized this season.

Sept. 5: None
Sept. 12: Kevin Bumpus - Rookie of the Week, Matt Pedone - Honor Roll
Sept. 19:  Nick DiAntonio - Honor Roll, Matt Pedone - Honor Roll

Assumption Football LIVE On the Web!: Every Assumption College Football home game is available live online at www.assumptiongreyhounds.tv. The Greyhounds carry each home football game and nearly 75 games in total via Assumption Greyhounds TV, powered by the Pack Network. Each game is available at a price of $6.95, along with an All-Access Pass for ALL sports for $75.00!

2011 Homecoming: This year's annual Homecoming Game will take place on Saturday, October 1st as the Greyhounds host Southern Connecticut for a 1 p.m. start at the Multi-Sport Stadium. In addition to the football game that day, the annual Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will take place that evening as well. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.

2011 Senior Day: Senior Day for this year's Assumption Football graduating class will take place on Saturday, November 12th as the Greyhounds play host to Stonehill College at 1 p.m. Each graduating senior will be honored prior to the start of the game.

Thank you to the Hound Girls: The Assumption College Football Program would like to thank this year's "Hound Girls" for their work during the season. This group assists the program with recruiting tours of the campus on game days.

Megan Brennan
Jaime Surace
Emily Gambardella
Gina Hira
Caroline Knowles
Caitlin Sewall