Last time, Huskies got a kick in the teeth

Anthony Orio's collegiate debut at Northeastern was one to remember.

Just five plays in, Orio tossed a 46-yard touchdown pass to Pat Graham. On the next series, they hooked up again, on a 42-yard touchdown strike, the start of an efficient 13-of-19, 221-yard, three-touchdown (one rushing) line for the redshirt freshman quarterback from Voorhees, N.J.

Three years later, though, what Orio and a number of his teammates really remember is the gut-wrenching ending: Georgia Southern's Jonathan Dudley booting a 24-yard field goal in overtime to dance off the Parsons Field turf with a 41-38 victory.

"It was a great football game, back and forth . . . and they happened to make the field goal in overtime to win it, and we didn't [a 42-yard attempt]," recalled Orio.

Tonight, the 6-foot-2-inch, 240-pound senior and his teammates can exact a bit of revenge, when Northeastern steps out of the Colonial Athletic Association and makes its first foray into Georgia to take on the Eagles, a perennial national contender ranked 15th in this week's Football Championship Subdivision coaches' poll.

"The players feel that we owe them," said NU coach Rocky Hager, whose team dropped its opener at Ball State two weeks ago, 48-14. "We feel like we let them off the hook."

That 2005 setback, said Hager, left the Huskies in a funk.

"It took us a long time to heal the emotional wounds of that game," said the fifth-year coach. "The next week, we went to Youngstown and had little or no spunk," in a 35-26 loss.

Matching up against a Georgia Southern attack that features explosive speed and athleticism, with Ohio State transfer Antonio Henton at the controls, the Huskies must defend with discipline and convert in the red zone. Georgia Southern fell to second-ranked Georgia, 45-21, in its opener, but bounced back with a 34-20 win against Austin Peay.

"We moved the ball pretty well against Ball State [324 total yards], but we made mistakes in the red zone," said Orio. "On the first drive, I scrambled out of the pocket, and instead of throwing the ball away, I got sacked . . . When we get in the red zone, we have to score points. Don't turn the ball over, and no penalties. We have to believe that every time we get the ball, we can score. And we have the players to make the plays."

Whether he's seeking out Brian Mandeville, his massive tight end, or looking for wideouts Tony Lott and Chris Plum, or dumping off to shifty back Alex Broomfield, Orio knows execution will be essential. Junior Geoff Morris will step in at right guard for Matt Allain, sidelined after undergoing a procedure to allow painful kidney stones to pass earlier this week.

Hager calls the rematch "a statement game."

"It's a contest where we can make a statement about where the program is headed," said Hager, who will take NU to Syracuse next week for a clash in the Carrier Dome. "Teams that win championships have learned how to be productive and win on the road. For us to be in the hunt in the CAA North, we have to be able to succeed on the road. Our players have had a pretty decent opportunity to be good travelers."

Orio welcomes the challenge.

"I'd rather play these teams than 1-AA nonscholarship or Division 2 schools. I enjoy these games," he said.

Now 2-0 after last week's thrilling last-second, 45-42 win at Holy Cross, third-ranked UMass kicks off CAA play today, heading to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on seventh-ranked James Madison (1-1) in the teams' first meeting since 2005. Minuteman kicker Armando Cuko delivered a winning boot in '05, a feat he duplicated with a 42-yarder with no time on the clock against the Crusaders last week.

Senior Liam Coen, this week's national player of the week and Gold Helmet winner for his 395-yard, three-touchdown performance last week, leads the Minutemen, but James Madison has a pair of Walter Payton Award candidates in quarterback Rodney Landers, a running and throwing threat, and back Eugene Holloman.

"It all starts with Rodney Landers for them, and they have two outstanding tailbacks," said UMass coach Don Brown. "We will have our hands full in all phases."

Tenth-ranked New Hampshire (1-0) travels to Rhode Island (1-1) after knocking off Army at West Point last week, where the Wildcats got a dominant performance from sophomore free safety Hugo Souza (10 tackles, one sack, fumble return for a touchdown). Maine (1-1) welcomes Stony Brook (1-1) to Orono.

Former Northeast-10 conference rivals Bryant and Merrimack will renew acquaintances in Smithfield, R.I. The visiting Warriors need to keep their eye on junior Jerell Smith, who broke out with a career-high, 221-yard rushing performance last week against Southern Connecticut.

In Division 3, Curry (1-0) shoots for its 31st consecutive regular-season win - and 30th straight at home - hosting Fitchburg State (0-1) in a matchup that has been moved up to 1 p.m. Springfield (1-0) hosts Union in a promising Empire 8 battle.

Craig Larson can be reached at clarson@globe.com