Madison, NJ (November 19) – The FDU-Florham football team is set to host Saint Vincent College tomorrow afternoon in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's (ECAC) James Lynah Bowl on Robert T. Shields Field at 12:00 pm. FDU will be making its third overall appearance in a bowl game and first since the 1999 campaign.
Ticket Prices for tomorrow's game will be as follows: Adults $10, Seniors $5, Children $5, Children Under 6, free. FDU students, faculty and staff with a valid ID will be admitted free.
You can follow tomorrow's game here if you cannot make it Madison!
Live Stats | Video | Game Program
FDU enters today's contest at 6-4 overall after the Devils earned wins this fall over William Paterson University (43-17), Misericordia University (31-20), Widener University (27-3), Lebanon Valley College (33-27 OT), Albright College (42-35) and Alvernia University (34-14).
BOWL HISTORY
Both teams in tomorrow's matchup will be playing in their third ECAC Bowl Game. The Devils previously competed in ECAC Bowl Games in 1993 and 1999. In the 1993 season, FDU matched up with Wesley College (L, 6-0) and in 1999 the Devils played Wilkes University (L, 27-6). Saint Vincent played in bowl games in 1950 and topped Emory & Henry, 7-6, in what is now known as the Citrus Bowl, as well as in 2011 as the Bearcats fell to Lebanon Valley, 23-15, in the ECAC Southwest Bowl.
NEW OPPONENT FOR THE DEVILS
The Devils and the Bearcats have only met twice in program history. On September 10 2010, FDU topped Saint Vincent, 28-23, in Madison and on September 11, 2011, Saint Vincent defeated FDU, 55-3 in Pennsylvania.
UNDERESTIMATED IN THE MAC:
FDU was selected last in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Preseason Coaches Poll this season but exceeding all of those outside expectations as the Devils finished 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the MAC for a fifth place finish in the league. Since the program's inception in 1974, FDU has won six or more games just three times (2018, 1993, 1988). A win on Saturday would give FDU its seventh win in a season for the first time since the 1993 went 8-3.
ACCOLADES FOR THE DEVILS
Six student-athletes from the FDU football team earned All-MAC honors this fall. Quarterback
Anthony Caserta (Bronx, NY), wide receiver
Connor Perez (Warwick, NY) and defensive lineman
Kenny Hands (Runnemede, NJ) all were named to the All-MAC First Team, kicker
Chris DiMedio (Cornwall, NY) and offensive lineman
Brendan Egan (Sugar Loaf, NY) were placed on the All-MAC Second Team and long snapper
James Rosciano IV (Howell, NJ) earned Honorable Mention accolades.
COACH OF THE YEAR
FDU head coach Jimmy Robertson, in his second year with the Devils, was named as the 2021 MAC Football Coach of the Year. Robertson, who guided FDU to a 6-4 record and to its first bowl game in 22 years, became the first coach in program history to earn this honor.
RECORD BREAKERS:
FDU smashed some individual single season records this fall en route to an ECAC Bowl Game. Caserta broke the single season record for passing yards with 2,487 and passing touchdowns with 25. Caserta, who is 35 completions away from tying Jagger Green's record that he set in 2017, is only the third quarterback in program history to complete over 200 passes in a single season.
Perez, who has caught 15 touchdowns for 997 yards in 2021 sits three touchdowns away from tying Malik Pressley's 2015 single season record and 220 yards shy of tying Vic Moncato's 1993 single season record. With three yards on Sunday, Perez will be just the fifth wide receiver in program history with over 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
Hands, who has 12 sacks on the season, broke Mike Gibson's 1994 single season record in last week's game against Stevenson University. Hands has tallied at least one sack in eight consecutive games and ranked second in the MAC in that category this fall.
Earlier this fall, DiMedio broke the single season record for made field goals, a record that was previously held by Michael Rabasca. DiMedio, who now has ten made on the season is the only student-athlete in program history with double digit field goals made in a season.
2021 ECAC BOWL SERIES:
There are four ECAC Bowl Games scheduled for Saturday, November 20 around the region. In the Asa S. Bushnell Bowl, Hobart will play Westminster, in the Scotty Whitelaw Bowl, Utica will play Grove City and in the Clayton Chapman Bowl, Washington & Jefferson will play Brockport State.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
Perez ranks second in all of Division III with his 15 receiving touchdowns this fall. He sits two shy of Joey Owens of Rockford College. Perez also ranks 20th in receiving yards, 21st in receiving yards per game and 22nd in total points scored.
Anthony Caserta's 25 passing touchdowns rank 23d in the nation this fall.
On the defensive side of the ball, Hands ranks ninth in tackles for a loss and tenth in sacks. In addition, DiMedio's field goal percentage of .833 also sits fifth highest in the country this year.
SCOUTING SAINT VINCENT:
The last time these two teams met, current Saint Vincent head coach Aaron Smetanka was the quarterback for the Bearcats.
Saint Vincent received nine All-Presidents' Athletic Conference awards this fall. Sophomore receiver Molayo Irefin and graduate linebacker Cam Norris were each named Second Team All-PAC, while junior quarterback Brady Walker, freshman linebacker Joanes Polynice, freshman right guard Nate Bettwy, sophomore right tackle C.J. Ciecierski, freshman cornerback Jaden Pratt and freshman kicker Adam Koscielicki were each Honorable Mention All-PAC selections. Senior offensive lineman Joe Valdez was named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team.
Individually, Walker has completed 179 passes for 2420 yards and 20 touchdowns, while Irefin has 61 of those receptions, 809 of those receiving yards and five of those touchdowns. On the ground Julian Howard has rushed for 384 total yards for four touchdowns, while Billy Beck has a team-high seven touchdowns on the year. On the defensive side of the ball, Saint Vincent is led by Joanes Polynice, who has 60 total tackles on the year. Additionally, six Bearcats have multiple interceptions on the year paced by three INT's by Jaden Pratt.
CAPITALIZING ON TURNOVERS:
As a team, FDU has forced 11 fumbles and has posted eight interceptions on the season. The Devils have one interception in each of their last three games highlighted by an 80 yard return by
Joseph Randazzo (Staten Island, NY), which came against Alvernia back on November 6. FDU has also forced two or more fumbles in three games including three in the season opener against Merchant Marine.
IN THE RED ZONE:
FDU has been successful this fall scoring from inside the Red Zone as the Devils have converted on 36 of its 43 attempts and have scored 208 points. As a team, the Devils have scored nine times on the ground and 17 times through the air from inside the 25-yard line and have posted ten field goals from that range. In its past three games, FDU is 13-for-15 from inside the Red Zone.
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