GAME #1 Merrimack

The only D-lineman returning with any meaningful snaps are Springer (~70-75% NG snaps in 2022) and BV (~25-30% DE snaps in 2022) The other 6 in the DL 2-deep did not play in 2022. So your trust is misplaced right now. Without a doubt the biggest question mark heading into the season.

For football not even close

I wouldn't waste a game on Bryant or Merrimack when there are real schools to play- I am not concerned about playing the bottom half of the NE region as I live in metro DC. I would prefer a national OOC schedule if I am stuck in the PL for football and all other sports. Mediocrity does not help us advance and grow our reputation and endowment

But, I think 72s point was more about using OOC to get much needed national exposure.I believe other PL schools most notably Colgate schedule intersectional games.

So since Merrimack is 75 in that poll (which I can't locate) but picked to finish second in the NEC which features eight teams. These are six northeast schools below Merrimack: Duquesne, Sacred Heart, LIU, CCSU, Stonehill and Wagner.

Noone is going to disagree that Georgetown (I consider the NE cutoff at DC)  is clearly behind Merrimack. Robert Morris is also picked last in the OVC/Big South conference. Not sure on the count on how many Northeast schools there are but middle of the pack is what Bryant and Merrimack are in the Northeast.

A better link

But would anyone actual care to watch UIW in Worcester? I don't think anyone outside of the diehard FCS fans knows anything about UIW. 

Massey has us 95%, 37-10.

10 Observations from Merrimack fall camp (Scrimmage)
Posted By Kevin Stone on August 15, 2023



NORTH ANDOVER – It definitely felt like football season at Duane Stadium on Tuesday.

With temperatures finally lowering and a steady mist/rain falling for the duration of the two-hour practice/scrimmage that the Warriors had, the intensity on the field screamed “kickoff is just weeks away.”

Now able to compete for an FCS playoff berth for the first time, Merrimack believes it can once again compete for an NEC title this year. Here’s 10 things that stood out to us during our camp visit in North Andover…

-Size, size and more size.
Hung around the offensive end during the team’s indy periods before they scrimmaged and the size up front on both lines stands out immediately. Beau Lanzidelle, Joey Trainor and James Smith are intimidating figures and can also move people easier than it should be. Nolan Gunning had a good day up front at various times too. Defensively, Kelvin Cheridor and Nick Martino really stood out.

-QB1 Gavin McCusker didn’t see a ton of action during the team periods on Tuesday, but made his reps count when he did. After getting thrown into the fire this season, he’s clearly more confident and the arm’s gotten even stronger than it was.

On the first play of the scrimmage he let one go about 50-60 yards on a deep post and dropped it in a bucket to Donovan Wadley. Wadley dropped it, but made it up for it later on the drive by hauling in the exact same throw, this time in double coverage. During the indy period beforehand McCusker was showing off his touch as well.

-Both backup QB’s – Malakai Anthony and Justin Lewis – showed they can be dangerous with their legs. Late in the day when the team was working on red zone, Anthony had a short touchdown run and made it look easy in the process. Anthony was the more impressive on the two when it comes to running, but McCusker definitely has the better arm among the guys in the room.

-The speed all around really stands out as well. Wadley is one of those guys, as is fellow receiver Myles Wilson. The Warriors also have a plethora of backs that can make people miss and put their shoulder down to churn out extra yards when needed. Shaka Moales ran very hard and Brendon Wyatt shot some great elusiveness. Tavon McGee can fly and Central Catholic freshman Matthias Latham took advantage of his opportunities late.

-This team absolutely loves its tight ends and H-backs. Pat Conroy will be the go-to guy for McCusker this year, but there’s like six H-backs listed on the depth chart. So whether it’s pounding the rock or providing depth in terms of red zone targets at McCusker’s disposal, they’ll probably all play a significant role.

-The secondary should be good. Graduate Collin Heard had a sick PBU inside the defense’s 15 early during one of the drives for Anthony. With all the speed on offense, you never really saw anyone getting beat badly for a big play. In fact, the only real big play of the day was that catch in double coverage by Wadley on the first drive. With the size and speed up front, if the DB’s can lock down for 3-4 seconds each snap, they’re going to be very hard to score against consistently.

-The side-to-side speed for the linebackers was impressive. During one particular jet sweep run, it felt like freshman LB Markeith Hogan got from one side to the other to make a play absurdly quickly. Classmate Paris Lenon was the same way on the same drive late in practice. This was mostly a day for the two’s and threes, so those guys took full advantage of the game-like reps.

-Lliam Davis booted the first two PAT’s and a 35-ish yard field goal. Carlton Thai handled one kick late. Feels like it’s Davis’ job for now, but with another scrimmage on the horizon and about three weeks until the opener against Holy Cross, I suppose that could change.

-There’s a meanness about this team, especially up front. No cheap shots or anything, but guys were constantly playing up until and sometimes through the whistle. I happened to catch AJ Urbaniak absolutely running over and then basically pinning a teammate in the red zone while blocking on a run before he helped said teammate up after the fact.

-This is a very, very deep team. Talent, speed, athleticism, toughness and grit across the board. Two and three deep at each position, especially the skill positions and of course at quarterback. There’s no reason why – barring an absurd amount of bad luck injury wise – why this team shouldn’t be right back in the conversation for a league title and finally, a playoff berth.

Posted in College, Merrimack Warriors

How soon we forget. Two years ago Merrimack, which apparently is not a "real" football team, thumped us by two TDs at home.

1-127 are real teams and opponents.



Benefit risk of playing these lower ranked teams in an OOC game for any top 25 ranked team makes me uncomfortable with these games. I would prefer to play teams that help the ranking with a win, andhas little impact with a loss.