Beat-up Hofstra to play Maine

The motto of the Hofstra University football team this season might be most aptly termed, “Shouldering the Pain.”

The 4-4 Flying Dutchmen are expected to start their third freshman quarterback of the season Saturday when they play host to Maine in a 1 p.m. game Saturday at Hofstra Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.

Last week, for the second straight game, Hofstra’s starting quarterback was forced to leave the game with a separated shoulder. Redshirt freshman Art Asselta went down Oct. 26 at Connecticut, then redshirt freshman Gio Carmazzi was injured last week against Buffalo.

Freshman Corey Joyce stepped in to complete six of 19 passes against the Bulls. He was sacked five times. Hofstra has allowed 35 sacks thus far, and must be concerned about that trend, since the Black Bears have registered a school-record 48 sacks this season.

The quarterback is of utmost importance in the Dutchmen’s run-and-shoot offensive scheme, which relies heavily on short passes. Even so, the Division I-AA independent has featured a balanced offense.

Sophomore Paul Que has rushed for 535 yards and two touchdowns to help the Dutchmen net 146 yards per game on the ground. Joyce will try to keep Hofstra’s passing attack intact by throwing to the likes of Robert Grogan (20 catches, 214 yards, 1 TD) and Jauron McKelvin (15-284, 2).

Perhaps the most consistent and dangerous weapon in the Hofstra arsenal is senior place-kicker Dave Ettinger, who has converted on 12 of 17 field-goal attempts, including kicks of 53 and 54 yards, and 16 of 19 PATs.

Hofstra has played against two other Yankee Conference squads this fall, dropping a 16-9 decision to struggling Boston University on Oct. 19, then beating Connecticut 24-16 two weeks ago.

Run defense has been the Dutchmen’s forte this season. Hofstra ranks fifth in the country having stuffed the opposition to 88.3 yards rushing per game. UConn managed only 28 yards on the ground in their loss to the Dutchmen.

Senior middle linebacker Eugene McAleer is the leader of the defensive unit with a team-high 86 tackles. Free safety Lance Schulters ranks second with 61 tackles and boasts a team-high five interceptions. Outside linebacker Jon Evjen has posted 49 tackles.

No opponent has rushed for more than 147 yards against the Dutchmen, who have been more susceptible to the passing game, surrendering 178 yards per contest. Hofstra has registered 13 interceptions.