Game Notes (PDF)
The William Paterson football team (2-0) will make its first home appearance of the 2007 season, hosting FDU-Florham (1-1) Saturday, Sept. 22. Kickoff at Wightman Stadium (3,000) will be at 1:00 p.m.
SCOUTING WILLIAM PATERSON
William Paterson is 2-0 this season following a 41-12 victory at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (0-3) Sept. 15.
Senior Dan Lamego (North Arlington, N.J./Queen of Peace) leads the Pioneer offense, completing 23 of 40 passes for 287 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Shaun Puluse (Haledon, N.J./Passaic Tech) has carried 45 times for a team-best 117 yards, and sophomore Joel Rivera (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken), the Sept. 16 NJAC Offensive Player of the Week, caught seven passes for 117 yards and four touchdowns in his season debut last Saturday.
Freshman Leer Biddle (Sicklerville, N.J./Lenape), the Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week, leads the Pioneers with 18 tackles (17 solo), adding an interception and a tackle for loss. Junior Mike Lamego (North Arlington, N.J./Queen of Peace) has made 12 solo tackles, while sophomore Jared Burke (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J./Egg Harbor Twp.) has 10 tackles (nine solo), a sack and a blocked kick.
Senior Ricky Krautman (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Ramapo) has punted 20 times for 647 yards (32.3 average), landing seven inside the 20-yard line with just two touchbacks. He has also made two of three field-goal attempts and all six PATs.
The Pioneers returned seven offensive starters and five defensive starters from a 2006 team that posted a 1-9 overall record and a 1-6 mark in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. However, that record was a bit deceiving, as William Paterson had chances to win almost every ballgame. Five of the losing margins were seven or fewer points, and in back-to-back outings, William Paterson was defeated on the final play of the game. A field goal as time expired gave Western Connecticut a 20-17 win in Wayne Oct. 7, and an overtime touchdown lifted The College of New Jersey to a 27-21 victory Oct. 14. Injuries also played a major role, particularly under center. Three different Pioneers started at quarterback during the 2006 campaign, and a total of five different players called the signals during the 10-game schedule.
SCOUTING FDU-FLORHAM
The Devils are 1-1 this season following a 53-7 loss at The College of New Jersey Sept. 14. FDU-Florham began the season with a 20-17 overtime victory against visiting Juniata Sept. 8.
Sophomore Bill Winters has taken the most snaps for the Devils, completing 14 of 40 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Dan Harrison has rushed 26 times for a team-best 104 yards, and senior Ray Kwiatkowski has caught three passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Mike Barnard has made two of three field-goal attempts, and junior Joe Minneci has punted 16 times for an average of 35.9 yards per kick.
Senior Rob Felicetta has made a team-best 18 tackles (12 solo), including a sack, and has blocked two kicks. Junior Vinny Russo has made 13 stops and has one interception this fall.
PIONEERS vs. DEVILS
William Paterson is 4-1 all time against FDU-Florham. The last time the two teams met was during the 2000 season, a 23-22 Pioneer victory in Wayne. The Devils' lone win in the series came in 1999, a 17-7 FDU-Florham victory on the William Paterson campus.
WP OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2001
With its 2-0 record, William Paterson is off to its best season start since 2001, when the Pioneers began the campaign with a pair of wins. The last time WP began the year with three straight victories was 1992, when the Pioneers ran off five straight wins on their way to an 8-2 final record.
TAKING CARE OF THE FOOTBALL
During their first two games, the Pioneers managed to play turnover-free football, and enter the FDU-Florham game tied for third nationally with a +3.5 turnover margin per game. The William Paterson defense has forced four fumbles and has intercepted three passes so far this fall.
RIVERA, BIDDLE HONORED BY NJAC
William Paterson's Joel Rivera (Hoboken, N.J./Hoboken) and Leer Biddle (Sicklerville, N.J./Lenape) were honored by the New Jersey Athletic Conference with weekly football awards Sept. 16.
Rivera was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Week. A sophomore wide receiver, Rivera found the end zone four times in the Pioneers' 41-12 victory at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Sept. 15. He had seven catches for 117 yards, including touchdown receptions of 21, 11, 21 and 25 yards, four of the record five TD passes thrown by senior quarterback Dan Lamego (North Arlington, N.J./Queen of Peace). A former selection in the Major League Baseball Draft, Rivera is in just his second season playing organized football. He appeared in seven games last fall and had one career reception, a catch in the finale at No. 16 Rowan (Nov. 10, 2006).
Biddle was named the NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week for the second time this season (Sept. 2). A freshman cornerback, he led the Pioneers with nine tackles (nine solo), including one for loss (-2 yards). His interception and 19-yard return halted USMMA's first drive of the game, and he ran back a blocked PAT nearly 90 yards for two points late in the third quarter.
