Sacred Heart hopes to be NEC contender

(STATS) - Sacred Heart will try to get back to a championship level in 2016.

The Pioneers won a share of the Northeast Conference title and qualified for the FCS playoffs in 2013 and '14. But they dropped to 6-5 and 3-3 in the NEC last year.

Coach Mark Nofri's squad will return two of the better seniors in the conference in quarterback RJ Noel and linebacker James Rentz. They will lead the Pioneers in a schedule that includes five home games - against Valparaiso (Sept. 10) and Marist (Sept. 17) out of conference and Robert Morris (Oct. 22), Saint Francis (Oct. 29) and Bryant (Nov. 19) within the NEC.

The road portion of the Pioneers' schedule consists of Stetson (Sept. 3), Stony Brook (Sept. 24) and Cornell (Oct. 15) out of conference, and Wagner (Oct. 1), Central Connecticut State (Nov. 5) and defending champion Duquesne (Nov. 12) in the NEC.

2016 Sacred Heart Schedule

Sept. 3, at Stetson

Sept. 10, Valparaiso

Sept. 17, Marist

Sept. 24, at Stony Brook

Oct. 1, at Wagner*

Oct. 15, at Cornell

Oct. 22, Robert Morris*

Oct. 29, Saint Francis*

Nov. 5, at Central Connecticut State*

Nov. 12, at Duquesne*

Nov. 19, Bryant*

* - Northeast Conference game