FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[nescac1]

Between the Berkshire Eagle and Williams Sports Info previews, a few fun tidbits about the team.

Position changes - I'm always interested in who ends up in the FB/HB role, which plays a bigger role in the Eph offense that probably anywhere else in the league, it's almost always a position switch and usually it's someone who is an upperclassman high-IQ high-end athlete with good size and speed - this year former LB/edge Nathan Rodi apparently makes the switch.  Going the other direction, former star RB recruit Jon Marvan, who had a major injury setback prior to starting at Williams, will now be playing what sounds like a major role at DE.

QB - as expected Owen Johansen will be the starter, backed by Owen McHugh.  McHugh is too good of an athlete not to see the field a lot so I imagine we will see him in wildcat packages and maybe even playing out of the backfield or in the slot, which could set up some real razzle-dazzle play possibilities.  Both of those guys have a fifth year of eligibility if they choose to use it, that will be a big post-season story. 

WR/TE - for the first time since probably 2010, I think this is the strongest unit on the team.  The top three targets, Zach Falls, Brady Stahelski (back from injury and could do some real damage with Falls getting the top CB every game), and Jimmy Montesano, are all 6'4 or bigger, which could be a matchup nightmare for smaller secondaries and especially in the red zone.  With 6'1 Machnik and 6'4 Bailey rounding out the unit, the entire unit is massive (and also have good straight-ahead speed for their size, especially Falls who is absolutely a D1 level athlete). 

RB - as expected, three first year TBs are in the mix behind starter Matt Bott.  A position of huge uncertainly and will be interesting to see if one of the FYs pops early.  Aiden Clark had impressive H.S. tape and Jack Fabiano put up massive numbers. If at least two of the FYs aren't ready right away this is a very thin position.   

Depth in the front seven - Williams has big-time high end talent with Gale, Yedid, Mangini, and Moore, all of whom I expect will be all-league players if they stay healthy.  Will Baker looked awesome last year too, after switching positions.  But there seems to be a slew of guys in the mix for other spots, including a lot of guys moving from LB to DE and from DB to LB, presumably in an effort to add more speed up front.  That may take awhile to shake out.

Secondary - a lot of guys who got a lot of playing time last year are back, and Raymond unsurprisingly keys in on this unit as one that needs to be much improved, wayyyy too many big plays down the field last season especially late in close games.  If Gehring can stay healthy and focus on playing CB, that's one lock-down guy.  But there needs to be a lot of internal improvement from the rest of the unit and I imagine the final DB rotation will take a few weeks to lock down.  A strong pass rash would certainly help take the pressure off a bit. 

[Scoops]

What are the added expenses of having 15 extra kids practice with the team? They're not traveling. They're not even getting a uniform for home games. They've already got the equipment and have been practicing all preseason. I'm not buying that NESCAC schools are too poor to afford a dozen or so kids the opportunity to practice and be a part of a team.

If they're going to do it they all have to do it and have JV games. Kids needed to be rewarded with a game and not just be used as tackling dummies. Of course with JV games comes the money of travel etc. Maybe break it up to two JV leagues of 5 play 4 games and then winners play.

 

Honestly, they don't even need to do  JV games. Part of playing football at the college level is some guys just being practice players. It's not a glorious role, but if they love playing the game enough to stick around and gut it out, then why penalize them for it? That's 90% of walk on guys at all levels. There's literally no expense to the university to have those kids keep their pads and practice throughout the week. They don't have to travel them. They aren't getting any special treatment that other athletes don't get. They have to get into the school the same way as all the other athletes. What's the excuse not to let them play? It's a disgrace.

[Nescacman]

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast Season 3, Episode 1 (Season Preview)

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.

Available NOW!!! Season 3 Episode 1 features ALL 10 NESCAC Head Coaches, former Wesleyan University Defensive Lineman and NESCAC Great (2x NESCAC DPOTY) Nick Helbig, and NESCAC Football Report's Jon Keith.

The podcast is available wherever you find your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
Thank you to our sponsors Sloane and Walsh, LLP, Gameday Sports and Noank Village Boatyard.

If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

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Visit Nescacfootballreport.com for NESCACMAN's picks/spreads, additional analysis and NESCAC reporting.

[AndrewB]

Trin 8-1
Although I think you are trivializing the expenses a bit I'm with you 100%. However that's how they think on the Administrative side in Academia.
 
It doesn't matter how big endowments grow, when expenses are going up they get very frugal. Especially in an area where many NESCAC administrative types are not major advocates of growing helmet sports to begin with.

At Trinity, Tufts and Wes it's probably a lesser change beacuse those programs are already further advanced. Maybe 15-20 more players. Those programs already have 10 or 11 coaches while  much of the rest of the conference typically have an 8 man staff. At other schools it might create a need for 2 more coaches and 25 players.

I hope it happens but in my experience I've seen a real reluctance to increase funding for Football traditionally at all the schools.

Let hope the Presidents see that these changes are needed to compete on the national level.

But the Colby can send the women's volleyball team to Wisconsin for a weekend tournament?  Isn't Colby also building an Olympic sized swimming pool.  $10,000 to $20,000 to give 15 players a lifetime worth of memories, the NESCAC isn't even trying.

[SpringSt7]

I see both arguments on the roster spot thing. I don't really think the money is a factor at all to be totally honest (on the Colby volleyball example, I would be shocked if that wasn't fundraised), it just comes down to whether or not you want 4-5% of each graduating class to be football players. Also, spare me the sob story on having to tell kids they were cut. These coaches know the roster rules and limits and some of them have been recruiting that way for years. This wasn't some big surprise that snuck up on people overnight.

I think there should be a bigger roster limit but I don't really care if it is that much bigger. They are never going to have the depth of a North Central or Mount Union.

[Nescacman]

2026 Week 1 NESCACMAN Picks

Welcome back NESCAC...it's 2026 Week #1 "in the league where they pay to play".

Our NESCAC game of the week is in Middlebury, Vermont where the Middlebury Panthers will host the 2x NESCAC Champion Wesleyan Cardinals in an important early season match-up.

We were 32-13 (.711 winning %) on our picks last year.

Let's get to this week's games...

University of Bates (Lewiston Campus) at Amherst College: We expect this game to be the closest, most competitive game in Week 1. Tough to call a game in Week 1 a "must win", but both teams want to get out of the box strong. Amherst's defense has been very good in recent years (2nd in the NESCAC in total defense in 2025) but they lost some keys guys to graduation. Amherst will rely on QB Marek Hill while UBates will lean on RB Ryan Lynskey. Amherst wins if: They avoid turnovers and they stop the UBates flex option. UBates wins if: Lynskey rushes for 125+. We like the Kitties in a mild upset on the road.

UBates 28 Amherst 27
Point Spread:  Amherst -3
Weather (courtesy of The Weather Channel): Partly cloudy skies. High 69F. Winds light and variable.

Bowdoin College at Williams College: Bowdoin high pressure defense against the top running team in the NESCAC in 2025.  For Bowdoin to have a chance in this game, they will need to stop the Williams running game. Bowdoin QB Soren Hummell is back and has experienced weapons on offense. Will he be able to exploit the Williams secondary that was challenged against the pass in 2025? Williams has a star at QB in Owen Johansen. WR Zach Falls will need to be stopped by Bowdoin. Bowdoin defender and pre-season D3 All American Angus Leary is an X-Factor for the Polars. Bowdoin wins if: They can stop the Willams running game led by Johansen and RB Matt Bott. Williams wins if: The secondary is improved and steps it up in 2026. We think Williams has too much talent to lose to a Maine team at home on opening day.

Williams 34 Bowdoin 17
Point Spread: Williams -14
Weather: Partly cloudy. High 67F. Winds light and variable.

Colby College at Hartford State College: Colby will try to build on the momentum created by their 6-3 season a year ago. Hartford State will try to avenge their shocking opening season loss a year ago to the Mules. WR Nolan O'Brien and QB Jaxon Carroll are back leading the Bantams. Hartford is a tough place to win for visiting teams. The winning formula for the Mules in 2025 was solid defense and just enough offense. Colby wins if: Their offense is better in 2026 than it was in 2026. We don't expect the defense to be as strong. Hartford State win if: They score 20 or more points against the Mules at home. We think Colby keeps the game close for a while before the Bantams pull away in the second half.

Hartford State 24 Colby 7
Point Spread: Hartford State -14
Weather: Partly cloudy skies. High around 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

Hamilton College at Tufts University: Hamilton has one of the top returning QBs in Luke Kurzum. Question is can their offensive line protect him and allow them to run the ball to mix it up a bit. Despite Hamilton's 2-7 record in 2025, 5 of their 7 losses were close. Tufts has a bunch of returning starters at the skill positions including QB Hudson Weidman and RB Christian Shapiro. Hamilton wins if: Kurzum plays well and they can run the ball at least enough to keep the Tufts defense honest. Tufts wins if: They stop Kurzum and his collection of WRs.  We expect a closer game than people would think. We think the Jumbo's pull it out but not without a fight.

Tufts 28 Hamilton 21
Point Spread: Tufts -7
Weather: Partly cloudy. High 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.

NESCAC Game of the Week

Wesleyan University at Middlebury College: Wesleyan is coming off a year in which they won their second straight NESCAC Championship and their 4th straight Little 3 championship. They return 8 All-NESCACers including most of their skill players and their offensive line. However, Middlebury returns the league rushing champ in Connor McClellan and is always well coached. Returning NESCAC OPOTY QB Matt Fitzsimons will try to air it out against a Middlebury defense that struggled against the pass at times. Wes lost talent on the defensive side of the ball, including NESCAC DPOTY Dylan Connors, but always seems to reload and does return a DPOTY candidate in Austin Baker. Middlebury's starting QB will be making their first ever college start. Wesleyan wins if: They play their game including establishing the run to set up passes to their talented receiving corps. Middlebury wins if: They put pressure on Fitz and force him to hurry his throws. Wes has won 4 of the last 5 meetings between these schools including the last time they met in Vermont. We expect a hard-fought Wes win as their offensive weapons prove too much for the Panthers to handle.

Wesleyan 34 Middlebury 21
Point Spread: Wesleyan -7
Weather: Sunshine. High 64F. Winds light and variable.

Good luck to all the student-athletes and coaches this Saturday!

NESCACMAN's Picks:
2026 Season: 0-0
2025 Season: 32-13
2024 Season: 38-7
2023 Season: 31-14
2022 Season: 31-14
2021 Season: 33-12
2020 Season: 0-0 (COVID)
2019 Season: 33-12
2018 Season: 36-9
2017 Season: 35-10
2016 Season: 32-8
2015 Season: 30-10
2014 Season: 30-10
2013 Season: 32-8
Career: 393-127 (.756 winning percentage; 12 seasons)

**********

Follow NESCACMAN on X: @realnescacman

**********

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.
 
Season 3 Episode 1 (season preview) featuring ALL 10 NESCAC Head Coaches, former Wesleyan lineman and all-time NESCAC great (2x NESCAC DPOTY) Nick Helbig, and NESCAC Football Report's Jon Keith.

The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
Thank you to our sponsors Sloane and Walsh, LLP, Gameday Sports, and Noank Village Boatyard.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

Follow us on X (aka Twitter): @nineweeksnescac
Follow us on Instagram: @nineweeksnescac
Facebook: Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EbgGxDZRd/)
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Apple Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac

Look for NESCACMAN's weekly predictions and point spreads at nescacfootballreport.com. The NESCAC Football report is a website dedicated to all things NESCAC football, including team previews, weekly game previews and power rankings and game recaps.  The site now provides its followers with NESCACMAN's weekly game lines and predicted scores.

[Nescacman]

Beautiful early Fall AM here in VT...looking forward to a great opening day in the NESCAC!

And if you a few minutes on your drive to whatever NESCAC game you are headed to, check out the 9 Weeks NESCAC podcast available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.

[Nescacguymaine]

Ty Connolly plays football today.

[CoachDustyWoods]

Bants may miss the presence of the bellcow Drake Bellisari this year but I don't have that getting in the way of a true butt whooping of the lowly Colby Mules . Bants by 90

[SpringSt7]

Williams begins its 2026 season with a 17-7 win at home over Bowdoin. Unfortunately the headline news is that Owen Johansen left the game with what appears to have been a serious knee injury. He got dragged down out of bounds from behind and came up holding his knee. The camera panned away from him but he came off of the field without putting any pressure on it. So obviously that is a huge story for the team but mainly you just hope that he is okay. They are lucky to have Owen McHugh as the backup QB but on paper a lengthy Johansen absence right now would be a massive loss.

As for the rest of the game, it was in a lot of ways a typical Mark Raymond win, especially early in the season. The first half was a slog, the front 7 was flying around defensively and some fortunate bounces from the punt team resulted in some short fields and they were able to capitalize with a Johansen rushing TD from short yardage. Overall however the offense really struggled in the first half although in the second half they started to wear Bowdoin down and really ran the ball better, but in total, just 17 points to show for. It was a really ineffective day passing the ball and they turned it over 3 times - 2 Johansen interceptions and a fumble by first year RB Jack Fabiano who had an otherwise excellent day filling in for Matt Bott , who I assume was hurt.

The defense was excellent and would've pitched a shutout if not for a consolation TD on the last possession of the game. Bowdoin did not really test their secondary all that much but the Ephs covered well and also routinely put the Polar Bears in poor down and distance situations with 8 TFLs, led by Will Baker with 4 while Sean Rooney had 2 including a sack.

Going forward, the story will be the injury report. Johansen's health is the big one, based on the play I would be a little surprised if we saw him again this season, but hopefully it isn't as bad as it looked. They are very lucky to have Owen McHugh waiting in the wings, he played well in the limited action he saw when he came in and we know he is certainly capable of playing very well. Star junior LB Luke Mangini was also missing from action today, hopefully that is only a small thing. But all eyes will be on Johansen's availability going forward.

[conncollegefootball]

If you're UBates, season's over. Week 1.

You lead 14-10 with 3:13 left and give up two scores in the last two minutes to an Amherst team that lost the Co-DPOTY and half its secondary. Classic Bates.

But the real story is Lynskey going down early. Looks like a very serious knee injury. He WAS the offense. Without him: 30 rushes, 48 yards, 1.6 a carry. And Gilmore throws four picks with zero TDs. 3 of 16 on third down.

Take the one guy defenses had to account for off this roster and there is nothing left. Look at the remaining schedule and find me a game they're more talented in. I'll wait.

First winning season since 2012 will have to wait until '27. Again.

[Nescacman]

Hearing reports the Wesleyan RBs (LaRose and Diaz) got into a physical altercation after practice Thursday. LaRose will be OUT with a broken nose and Diaz's availability remains to be seen pending possible internal discipline. Not the type of start to the season the defending champs were looking for. More to come on this situation.

To no one's surprise, this was completely fake news.

Pat, this post should be removed and this author should be banned...

[Nescacman]

Interesting opening weekend in the NESCAC. Week #1 headlines:

- Everyone held serve in Week 1 and no major surprises.
- Potential serious injuries to key players.
- 2025 challenges for certain teams seem to still be there in 2026.
- We are watching off-the-field issues as a developing story.

More to follow...

NM

[Brady12]

Interesting opening weekend in the NESCAC. Week #1 headlines:

- Everyone held serve in Week 1 and no major surprises.
- Potential serious injuries to key players.
- 2025 challenges for certain teams seem to still be there in 2026.
- We are watching off-the-field issues as a developing story.

More to follow...

NM

What is the roster rules regarding once the season starts. Can kids who got cut, come back if there are injuries? 

[Nescacman]

Interesting opening weekend in the NESCAC. Week #1 headlines:

- Everyone held serve in Week 1 and no major surprises.
- Potential serious injuries to key players.
- 2025 challenges for certain teams seem to still be there in 2026.
- We are watching off-the-field issues as a developing story.

More to follow...

NM

What is the roster rules regarding once the season starts. Can kids who got cut, come back if there are injuries? 

Your 84-man roster is your roster for the year...once submitted to the NESCAC at the start of the season, you are locked into those student-athletes for the season. You cannot bring back players that were cut.

NM