NEC Announces 2021 Football Schedules

May 27, 2021 by northeastconference.org

Somerset, NJ - The Northeast Conference’s 26th season of Division I football will feature eight teams contesting a single round-robin schedule.

Bryant, Central Connecticut, Duquesne, Long Island University, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis and Wagner will all vie for an automatic bid to the 2021 Division I FCS Playoffs.

With three September conference games to whet fans’ appetite, the NEC schedule picks up in earnest in October. Beginning October 9, there are at least three scheduled NEC contests every week through the regular season’s conclusion on November 20.

Reigning 2020-21 conference winner Sacred Heart, which defeated Duquesne in the first-ever NEC Spring Championship Game on April 11, will kick off its fall campaign with a home game against Patriot League member Bucknell (Sept. 4) before opening its NEC slate against Bryant in Week 2 (Sept. 11).

Central Connecticut and Wagner also lift the lid on NEC play in Week 2 with a September 11 clash on Grymes Hill. It will mark CCSU’s first NEC contest since November 23, 2019 when the Blue Devils completed a perfect conference season with a win over Duquesne.

After back-to-back non-league road games against FBS member Eastern Michigan and FCS semifinalist Delaware, Saint Francis welcomes Wagner to Loretto in Week 3 (Sept. 18) for the final conference game in the month of September. It’ll mark Saint Francis’ first Northeast Conference contest since November 16, 2019.

Sacred Heart and Duquesne will meet for the first time since April’s title tilt when the two rivals clash in Connecticut on October 23 (Week 8).

Duquesne opens its conference season in Week 5 with an October 2 trip to Merrimack.

The annual Keystone State Clash between Duquesne and Saint Francis will go down in Week 9 on Halloween Eve (Oct. 30) at Rooney Field on The Bluff.

Nutmeg State rivals Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart are slated to battle in Fairfield on October 16 (Week 7). Merrimack and LIU, the NEC’s two-newest members, will also meet in Week 7.

All eight NEC teams end the fall regular season schedule by playing three consecutive November conference games.

Merrimack (Bryant), Central Connecticut (SFU), LIU (SHU) and Wagner (DUQ) will all host NEC season finales in Week 12 (Nov. 20).

All @NECFootball games will be carried live on NEC Front Row (NEC On The Run app) unless chosen as a featured matchup exclusive to ESPN3. Game times and broadcast information will become available in the coming weeks.

Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021
Wagner at Buffalo
LIU at FIU

Friday, Sept. 3, 2021
Saint Francis U. at Eastern Michigan

Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021
Bryant at Rhode Island
Duquesne at TCU
Saint Anselm at Merrimack
Bucknell at Sacred Heart

Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021
Sacred Heart at Bryant
Duquesne at Ohio
LIU at West Virginia
Merrimack at Holy Cross
Saint Francis U. at Delaware
Central Connecticut at Wagner

Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021
Bryant at Akron
LIU at Miami (Ohio)
Merrimack at Maine
Morgan State at Bucknell
Wagner at Saint Francis U.

Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021
Bryant at Marist
Central Connecticut at Miami (FL)
Virginia-Lynchburg at Duquesne
Merrimack at Delaware State
Sacred Heart at Dartmouth
Norfolk State at Saint Francis U.
Wagner at Temple

Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
Brown at Bryant
Duquesne at Merrimack
Sacred Heart at Howard
Saint Francis U. at Morgan State
Delaware State at Wagner

Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021
Columbia at Central Connecticut
Bryant at Duquesne
Merrimack at Sacred Heart
LIU at Saint Francis U.
Wagner at Fordham

Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021
Saint Francis U. at Bryant
Merrimack at LIU
Central Connecticut at Sacred Heart

Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021
LIU at Central Connecticut
Duquesne at Sacred Heart
Bryant at Wagner

Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021
Saint Francis U. at Duquesne
Wagner at LIU
Central Connecticut at Merrimack

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021
Bryant at Central Connecticut
Duquesne at LIU
Sacred Heart at Saint Francis U.
Merrimack at Wagner

Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021
LIU at Bryant
Central Connecticut at Duquesne
Wagner at Sacred Heart
Merrimack at Saint Francis U.

Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021
Saint Francis U. at Central Connecticut
Sacred Heart at LIU
Bryant at Merrimack
Duquesne at Wagner