NCAA Division II Football Showcase to Include Bentley Home-Opener vs. New Haven
WALTHAM, Mass. – The home-opener for the Bentley University football team, slated for Friday, Sept. 27 against the University of New Haven, has been selected to be part of the NCAA Division II Showcase. Kickoff is slated for 7:05 pm.
Division II selected 18 games as part of the Showcase and will choose four more key games, featuring crucial match-ups, later in the season.
This is the second time during the calendar year that the NCAA will air Showcase games from the Bentley campus. In February, a men's and women's basketball doubleheader between the Falcons and Stonehill was webcast.
The Bentley-New Haven game will air as part of the Showcase's hybrid model, meaning it can be distributed on TV or online. Live streams will be available via the NCAA social media accounts – specifically Division II Facebook (facebook.com/ncaadivisionii) and Twitter (@NCAADII) and will also be carried on the Northeast-10 Conference's digital network, NE10 NOW.
"It's always exciting to begin a new academic year and the start of the Division II season," said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II. "We're looking forward to highlighting the teams that will be featured in the football showcase and promoting the Division II brand on several platforms for fans to see across the country."
Games included in the schedule were broadcasts selected from a pool of conference nominations. Of the 16 football-sponsoring conferences in Division II, 15 will be featured in at least one game. One conference declined to participate.
"The football showcase features several great teams and matchups," said Daryl Dickey, chair of the Division II Football Committee and athletics director at West Georgia. "It's always fun to follow Division II football and celebrate our student-athletes for their excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community."
In the Northeast-10 preseason coaches' poll, New Haven topped the voting and Bentley finished in a tie for fourth. Last season, the Chargers posted a 9-3 record and coach Bill Kavanaugh's Falcons were 4-6.
Seven of the last nine games between the two squads have been decided by seven points or less. New Haven pulled out a 31-27 last September and Bentley prevailed in overtime, 27-24, in November 2017.