Stonehill Preview

The Stonehill Skyhawks travel to New Haven to square off against the Yale Bulldogs on Saturday at the Bowl. Kickoff is slated for noon and the game will air on ESPN+.

Stonehill enters the contest at 2-4 with wins over Maine and LIU. The Skyhawks cannot be overlooked as they gave the Penn Quakers a scare, tying the contest at 21-21 in the fourth quarter before a Penn field goal with 9 seconds remaining sealed the Quakers’ victory.

The Skyhawks’ offense is led by senior QB Jack O’Connell (6’2”, 190 lbs.) who has completed 68.3% of his passes for 1,108 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The offensive strategy is balanced with 183 rushing attempts and 183 passing attempts through 6 games. Senior RB Jarel Washington (5’10”, 208 lbs.) leads the rushing attack yet has struggled behind an inconsistent offensive line with just 2.6 yards per carry and no touchdowns. Senior RB Zavion Woodard (5’8”, 200 lbs.) also sees carries but has not fared much better than Washington with just 3.0 yards per carry and 1 touchdown. Offensive production for the Skyhawks has not been stellar as the team averages 74 rushing yards per game and 185 passing yards per game. Stonehill has not been effective on third downs with just a 36.4% conversion rate, although they have fared much better on fourth downs with a 72.2% conversion rate on 18 attempts. Senior WR Zachary Kim (6’1”, 200 lbs.) is a very talented transfer from New Hampshire who has 19 catches for 258 yards and 4 touchdowns. Senior WR Brigham Dunphy (6’0”, 185 lbs.) and junior WR Torance Washington (6’0”, 185 lbs.) are also heavily targeted and have combined for 31 catches for 251 yards. Seniors Cole Clark (6’2”, 230 lbs.) and Cody Ruffy (6’5”, 230 lbs.) split time at the tight end position and pose threats as receiving options. The offensive line averages 302.0 lbs. across the board but has been a weakness of the team as they have paved the way for just 2.4 rushing yards per attempt and have allowed 12 sacks. The Bulldogs need to focus on discipline this week by eliminating the personal fouls and pass interference penalties that have plagued us in recent weeks.

Junior LB Charles Battaglia (6’1”, 235 lbs.) is the leader of Stonehill’s defense and has played very well with 38 tackles and 2 sacks. Sophomore LB Christopher Williams (6’2”, 225 lbs.) is a product of Windsor, CT and has been a key contributor for the Skyhawks with 29 tackles. Sophomore DB Anthony Busa (6’3”, 200 lbs.) has been impactful in run support and pass support with 35 tackles, 6 pass breakups and an interception. Junior DB Richard Mosley (6’2”, 190 lbs.) is a top playmaker with 26 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception. The defensive line is led by senior DE Faisal Mass (6’3”, 265 lbs.) who is very strong at the point of attack. Sophomore DT Aidan Horodnik (6’3”, 285 lbs.) leads Stonehill in tackles for loss and sacks with 4 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Overall, Stonehill’s defense has allowed 344.2 total offensive yards per game for an average of 5.6 yards per play. Opposing teams have gashed Stonehill’s front seven for 182.5 rushing yards per game with 11 rushing touchdowns. The focus for the offense this week needs to be finding an offensive scheme that can move the ball downfield with chunk plays and score points. Dante Reno must improve drastically in a hurry as his continued failures could doom Yale’s program through 2027. Coach Reno appears to be oblivious to this notion and ironically, his own career ambitions to move up to the FBS level could be crushed by the fiasco. Shipp will likely be out again this week, so younger receivers need to step up to supplement Brown, Santiago and Stephens.

Sophomore K Domenic Scalese (6’0”, 185 lbs.) is 3 of 4 on field goal attempts with a long of 34 yards. Junior P Logan Chenette (6’3”, 195 lbs.) has had a solid season averaging 42.4 yards per punt with 11 punts placed inside the redzone. Torance Washington is a very elusive returner that will stress our coverage teams.

Go Bulldogs! Beat the Skyhawks!