Week 4.

We’ve got some of our first bye weeks (and well-timed ones too) along with the start of Ivy League play. There’s some great ‘double local’ matchups around the region and some interesting road tests for some other teams.

Here’s a breakdown of the 15-team, 12-game slate:

9/20

Harvard @ Stetson (1:00)

The two-time defending Ivy League co (tri?) champs kick off their season on Saturday with a road matchup against Stetson. Last year, the Crimson hammered Stetson 35-0 in Andrew Zurich’s first game as head coach of Harvard. With quarterback Jaden Craig back, strong offensive and defensive lines, a deep running back room and a wide receiver room looking to prove it was more than just the Cooper Barkate show last season, Harvard is poised to make a statement early on.

Georgetown @ Brown (Noon)

After a rough 2024, Brown is looking to get back to its physical, aggressive style of play when the Bears host Georgetown in the season opener on Saturday. Last year, the Bears had to grind out a 26-14 win on the road in the season opener against the Hoyas. Head coach James Perry has preached quite a bit about playing faster on offense this year, we’ll see just how quickly the Bears can start.

Sacred Heart @ Norfolk State (4:00)

Coming off a massive 24-21, walk off, comeback win over LIU on a last second field goal – The Pioneers trailed 21-7 at one point – Sacred Heart looks to keep momentum going and (hopefully) move to 3-1 on the young season. The offense has struggled a bit for Mark Nofri’s team early, scoring 12 points against Stonehill, 10 against Lehigh and then the 24 last week, but it took a while to get there. This week could be a good one to get that offense rolling, as Norfolk State (1-2) has given up 27 to Towson, 31 to Virginia State and then 60 against Rutgers last week.

Holy Cross @ Yale (Noon)

This has the chance to be the best game on the slate locally this weekend. The Bulldogs open up with high expectations as usual and new quarterback – and son of head coach Tony Reno – Dante Reno taking over after transferring from South Carolina. Meanwhile, Holy Cross is 0-3, but those losses have come by a combined seven points. Last week, the Crusaders nearly upset No. 5 URI before a late field goal for the Rams. The Yale-HC early season matchup has become one of the best rivalries in New England recently, with Holy Cross winning a wild 38-31 shootout in 2024.

Penn @ Stonehill (1:00)

The Skyhawks got arguably the biggest win in program history last weekend with a 34-yard touchdown on fourth down in the minute to stun Maine on the road. After an ugly 12-7 loss to Sacred Heart to open the season and then a blowout loss (42-26) to a good Lafayette team, last week was almost a must-win for Eli Gardner’s team. Now that they have a little momentum, a win over a strong Ivy League team at home in Easton could be even bigger as far as momentum goes.

CCSU @ Merrimack (6:00)

If the Yale/Holy Cross game is the best on the slate this weekend, this one is a very close second. CCSU is the defending NEC champ and got a blowout win over St. Francis (PA) last week after a blowout loss to UConn in the opener and an easy win over D2 AIC. This is arguably the first real test of the season for Adam Lecthtenberg’s squad. On the other side, Merrimack is still living life as an independent, but have had very good showings against FBS opponents Kent State and Kennesaw State despite losses. The Warriors easily handled D2 St. Anslem in between those two games and could take a big step forward under second-year head coach Mike Gennetti with a win over the NEC champs, even though Merrimack is no longer in the conference. Duane Stadium in North Andover will be buzzing on Saturday.

LIU @ URI (6:00)

The Rams survived quite a scare from Holy Cross on the road last week. The now sixth-ranked team in the country should have an easier time for homecoming this weekend against a Sharks team that blew a lead and eventually the game to Sacred Heart last week. Devin Farrell, Marquis Buchanan and the rest of the URI offense will look to get back on track after being held to just nine points (three field goals) against the Crusaders. It’s also homecoming at Meade Stadium, so this one could get ugly for LIU if Rhody is as good as we all believe they are.

Bryant @ Campbell (6:00)

It’s a massive opportunity for Chris Merritt’s team this week. The Bulldogs blew out D2 Bentley at home last weekend after winning the program’s first ever matchup against an FBS team two weeks ago, beating UMass. Now in the second year as a member of the CAA, Bryant can check another first off the list with their first conference win against an 0-3 Campbell team that’s given up 115 points in three games.

Ball State @ UConn (3:30)

Following a downright embarrassing loss on the road against a Delaware team that just joined the FBS ranks, the Huskies desperately need a big bounce-back win against Ball State. The Cardinals took down UNH last weekend 34-29 and put up over 200 yards rushing. Jim Mora’s team has showed it can score with anyone, but got gashed on the ground by the Blue Hens last week. Joe Fagnano and the offense shouldn’t have any problems scoring, but can the Huskies put a complete, complementary game together after back-to-back OT losses? If this is going to be another step forward type of season for UConn, this is a must-win game.

UNH @ Dartmouth (1:00)

This is one of the other top matchups of the weekend in New England. The Wildcats are 2-1 and ranked No. 23 in the country after nearly pulling off the upset against Ball State last weekend. Rick Santos’ team will be ready to go, but won’t have an easy task against the defending Ivy League tri-champs Dartmouth. The job that Sammy McCorkle has done in his first two seasons with the Big Green after taking over for the late Buddy Teevens probably deserves more national recognition. Dartmouth is tough, physical and nasty in the trenches. You add on the fact that this is a battle of the Granite State (the in-state kids vs. the Ivy kids as Santos put it earlier in the week), this one will probably come down to who makes more plays in the fourth quarter.

Maine @ GA Southern (7:00)

It’s been a disappointing start to the year for Maine. Jordan Stevens’ team won five games last year and seemed to be on the cusp of another big step forward this season, possibly even joining the discussion for an at-large FCS playoff bid. Instead, a horrific collapse late last week to Stonehill following losses to William & Mary (28-27) and Liberty (28-7), Maine might be running out of time already to have a successful season. Georgia Southern is 1-2, but lost to FBS Fresno State (42-14) and 25th-ranked USC (59-20) before beating Jacksonville State in a shootout last week (41-34). The Black Bears really, really need this one by any means necessary.

Saginaw Valley @ New Haven (1:00)

It was a historic weekend for the Chargers and interim head coach Mark Powell. New Haven earned its first ever Division 1 win with a road victory over Albany. Now, the Chargers have a very real chance to get to .500 against a Division 2 Saginaw Valley team that’s got to not only travel, but that’s lost games to Northeastern State (28-21) and Northwood (38-14), sandwiched around a 49-28 victory over Gannon. New Haven has had much stiffer competition with other games against Marist and Mercyhurst. This is also the first ever D1 home game on campus too, which should give the Chargers an electric atmosphere to play in front of.

BC (BYE)
UMASS (BYE)