GAME INFORMATION:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019 | 12:00 p.m.
Location: Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium (Brookville, N.Y.)
Live Stats: www.LIUAthletics.com
Live Video: NEC Front Row
LIU Radio: WCWP.org/88.1 FM
 
THE OPENING KICK:
 

• LIU closes out its regular season with a familiar opponent Saturday when it hosts Merrimack College for the 17th meeting in program history.
• The Sharks hold a 13-3 lead in the all-time series and enter Saturday's game as winners of the previous four meetings.
• Last season LIU defeated Merrimack, 37-20 on the road.
• Merrimack, who also elevated to Division I status for the 2019 season and became the Northeast Conference's newest member, is currently in a three-year reclassification period and is competing as a Division I independent program for football and is not eligible for postseason competition until 2022.
• Despite the 5-5 record, Merrimack is 2-5 against Division I opponents, defeating Delaware State and Presbyterian.
• Three of Merrimack's victories have come against junior college Virginia of Lynchburg, NAIA Mayville State, and first-year Division II program Franklin Pierce.
• Three of Merrimack's losses have been one-possession setbacks, including a three-point loss to NEC Champion Central Connecticut State. 

 
MERRIMACK NOTES:
  

• The Warriors enter the first season at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level and have officially begun their four-year reclassification period as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC)
• The Warriors recorded their first win against a FCS Opponent in its Division I FCS era against Delaware State by a score of 30-21. The win also marked the first of the year on the road for Merrimack. The Warriors then followed that up with an impressive 24-21 win vs. Presbyterian.
• Sophomore quarterback Christian Carter has been having the best year of his career statistic-wise. The signal caller is currently ranked fourth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in passing yards per game with 196.6 and fourth in total offense with 227.1 yards a game. Carter threw for a season-best 287 yards on Saturday against Presbyterian, increasing his season total to a career-high 1,966 yards through 10 games.
• Merrimack's secondary has proven to be one of the best in the NEC: The Warriors rank second in the league in interceptions (15), and three stu­dent-athletes among the top 16 in the league in passes defended/game. Darion McKenzie and Caleb Holden lead Merrimack with three interceptions each, which ranks in a tie for second in the NEC. Holden ranks second in the NEC with 11 PBUs while McKenzie is in a tie for third with 10. Maverick Gamble ranks just outside the top 15 with 0.76 break ups per game.

SHARK BITES:
 

• Redshirt-sophomore Jonathan DeBique had his best game of the season last week against nationally-ranked Villanova, rushing for 91 yards on 24 carries.
• Freshman Malcolm Denbow found the end zone for the second-consecutive game against the Wildcats, accounting for the only LIU score with a six-yard touchdown rush. Denbow is one of just two Sharks to score multiple touchdowns this year, joining junior quarterback Clay Beathard who leads the team with three scores.
• LIU's defense held Villanova to a season-low in total offense last week, allowing just 346 yards. Villanova was held to under 400 yards just twice previously.
• The LIU defense currently ranks fourth in the FCS in fourth-down defense, allowing a first down on just 30-percent of opponents' fourth-down attempts. Opponents are currently just 3-for-10 on fourth down against the Sharks.
• As a whole, LIU ranks 10th in the country in first downs allowed, with opponents garnering just 165 first downs through nine games.
• The Sharks rank 31st in FCS in tackles for loss per game (7.1) with senior Ramshar Clarke (1.3) and graduate student Abel Joseph (1.1) leading the way.
• Junior Jerome Brooks III ranks third in the NEC with 8.3 tackles per game, while also ranking 22nd in the FCS with 5.2 solo tackles per contest.
• LIU was selected eighth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll in its first season of Division I competition. Duquesne was picked as the preseason favorites just ahead of Sacred Heart.
• A win on Saturday would be the 161st of head coach Bryan Collins career and first at the Division I level. Collins has compiled a 160-81 (.664) record, including 17 winning seasons and six NCAA postseason appearances.