No. 12 New Hampshire 48, Marshall 35
Box Score
For the
third time since the 2004 season, the University of New Hampshire football team
defeated an FBS opponent, posting an impressive and hard-fought 48-35 victory
vs. Marshall on Saturday at Joan Edwards Stadium.
The FCS
Wildcats are getting a repuration as giant slayers, after posting a victory at
Northwestern in 2007 (34-17) and winning at Rutgers in
2004 (35-24).
The
Wildcats were led by senior Walter Payton Award winning quarterback Ricky
Santos (Bellingham, Mass.),
who connected on 23 of 33 pass attempts for 289 yds and three passing TDs. He
also ran the football 13 times for 45 yds and a 3 yd TD run.
Marshall
had cut the UNH lead to just six points (41-35) on a 25 yd pass by Bernard
Morris to wide receiver Darius Passmore leaving just 6:30 to play on the
clock. However, UNH was able to burn 5:38
off the clock on a 13-play 70-yd. drive..
UNH’s
running game and clock management dotn the stretch was the key to the victory,
and was led by senior running back Chris Ward (Waltham,
Mass.) who carried 19 times for 99 yds
including the key final TD with 1:01
remaining in the contest to clinch the victory for the ?Cats. In that drive
Ward carried the flootball nine times for 50 yds.
The
Wildcats drew first blood for the second time in two games as junior running
back Robert Simpson (Brockton, Mass.)
carried the football 10 yds for the TD at 8:05
of the first quarter. The drive lasted eight plays and covered 72 yds. The PAT
by sophomore kicker Tom Manning (Rome, N.Y.)
was good and UNH led 7-0.
Simpson
struck again at 2:32 of the first
quarter on a 27 yd pass play from Santos. Simpson streaked down the field to cap a
9-play, 80 yd drive to give UNH a 14-0 advantage in the first quarter following
another PAT by Manning.
Marshall
attempted a 42 yd field goal by Anthony Binswanger at 14:55
of the second quarter but the kick went wide and was no good.
UNH
earned a key turnover as Marshall was
driving down the field. A ball tipped by junior DB John Clements (Hammonton,
N.J.) was caught in the end zone by redshirt
freshman corner Dino Vasso (Crum Lynn, Pa.)
at 10:18 of the second half and UNH
got the ball on the Marshall 30 yd
line, killing the long scoring drive.
Santos
engineered another long drive that was capped by a long 47 yd field goal by
Manning that gave the Wildcats a 17-0 advantage with 8:03
remaining before the half. The field goal was 1 yd shy of Manning’s career high
of 48 yds vs. Richmond in 2006 and the
drive was 9 plays for 40 yds.
UNH
opened up an impressive 24-0 lead as Santos connected with junior wide receiver
Mike Boyle (Plymouth, N.H. ) with 3:13 before the half on a 39-yd pass play to
cap a10-play 77 yd drive.
Marshall
drove to the UNH 6 yd line and took a shot at the end zone but the pass was
deflected by senior linebacker Husain Karim (Burlington,
Vt.) and UNH headed to the lockerroom with a
24-0 advantage. At the half, Santos had
completed 14 of 23 passes for 170 yds and two TDs.
Marshall
came out on a mission to start the second half and quickly drove downfield on
its opening drive, scoring on a 1 yd TD by Calvin Turner with 12:54
to go in the third quarter. The PAT was good and the UNH lead was cut to 24-7.
However,
UNH quickly answered with a drive of its own as Santos
carried the ball twice in a row, capped off with a 3 yd run to open the lead
back to 24 points (31-7) with 10:12
remaining in the third quarter after the PAT by Manning.
Marshall’s
Kelvin Turner cut UNH’s lead to 31-14 with 6:19
to play in the third quarter with a 1 yd drive.
Marshall
then made it a close game on an 80 yd TD pass by Bernard Morris to tight end
Cody Slate and the score was 31-21 with 2:32
left in the third quarter.
The
Wildcats drove down the field again to the Marshall 4 yd line but UNH was
forced to attempt a 21 yd Manning field goal, which was good at 13:01 of the
fourth quarter and the ?Cats held a 34-21 advantage.
Marshall
scored again on a 7yd TD pass by Morris to Turner with 10:43
to play in the contest cutting UNH’s lead to six points, 34-28.
UNH got
a huge 80 yd kickoff return from Keith Levan to put the ball on the Marshall
9 yd line. There was a fumble on the play but it was recovered by junior Kaysonne Anderson (Belmar
N.J.) The play set up a 4 yd TD pass from Santos
to the returner, LeVan, to put the ?Cats up by
a 41-28 margin with 9:47 left in
the contest after the Manning PAT. That led to the heroics of the UNH offensive
line, Santos and Ward.
Leading
UNH in tackes was Karim with a total of 13 on the afternoon, while redhsirt
freshman safety Terrance Klein had 11.
The
Wildcats will play their home-opener vs. Dartmouth
this Saturday (Sept. 22). Game time is 12 p.m.
and the contest will be carried live on the UNH Sports Radio Network and on
WMUR-TV Channel 9. Tickets are still available at www.unhwildcats.com.
No. 9 James Madison 45, VMI 17
Box Score
Senior wide receiver L.C.
Baker (Richmond, Va./Armstrong) scored two touchdowns during a 29-second
period of playing time midway through the game to spark James Madison to a
45-17 non-conference football victory over Virginia Military Institute at
Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field Saturday.
Baker caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from junior
quarterback Rodney Landers
(Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) to give the Dukes a 21-0 lead with nine seconds
left in the first half and ran 42 yards for a score on the first play from
scrimmage of the final half for a 28-0 JMU advantage.
The victory raised JMU to 2-1 for the season and was the
Dukes' second straight win. They won for
the fourth straight time in the series with VMI, which lost for the second
consecutive week and fell to 1-2 for the year.
VMI held the ball for 22:19 of the first half's 30 minutes,
but JMU used its quick-play ability to offset the Keydets' possession
edge. The Dukes got a 44-yard scoring
run from redshirt freshman Jamal
Sullivan (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) on the game's second play, and
Baker's scoring catch at the end of the opening half completed a seven-play,
80-yard series that consumed only 1:46 of playing time.
Between Sullivan's touchdown and Baker's first score, JMU
put together a 10-play, 81-yard march that senior tailback Antoinne Bolton (Virginia Beach,
Va./Ocean Lakes) capped with a three-yard run.
Bolton also scored in the third quarter on a two-yard run
for 35-3 JMU lead with 5:31 left in the period.
VMI ran 42 first-half plays to JMU's 23, but the Keydets had
drives stopped after reaching the JMU 26, the JMU 17 and the JMU three. They missed on a 20-yard field goal try with
1:55 left in the half after reaching the three, setting up the 80-yard march
that gave JMU its 21-0 halftime margin.
JMU also got a seven-yard touchdown pass from redshirt
freshman quarterback Drew Dudzik
(Clifton, Va./Centreville) to sophomore tailback Reggie Hicks (Kittrell, N.C./Southern Vance) with 14:15 left in
the game and 24-yard field goal from junior Dave Stannard (Midlothian, Va./Clover Hill) with 6:25 to play.
JMU finished with 482 yards of total offense (298 rushing,
184 passing) to VMI's 254 (152 rushing, 102 passing).
Sullivan ran seven times for 83 yards, Baker twice for 60
yards and Bolton eight times for 48 yards for the Dukes. JMU senior tailback Eugene Holloman (Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside), a 1,000-yard rusher
a year ago, did not play.
Landers hit on eight of 10 passes for 123 yards and Dudzik on
five of six for 61 yards for JMU.
Baker led the Dukes' receivers with four catches for 79
yards, and senior linebacker Justin
Barnes (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) had his second straight standout
effort for the JMU defense with 17 tackles.
Junior linebacker D.J. Brandon
(Raleigh, N.C./Enloe) added 12 stops for the Dukes. Barnes had 19 tackles a week ago against New
Hampshire.
VMI got 71 rushing yards, including a 27-yard carry for a
touchdown, from sophomore running back Howard Abegesah, and an 86-yard kickoff
return for a score from sophomore slotback Tim Maypray.
JMU plays its third straight home game next Saturday in a 6
p.m. non-conference contest with Coastal Carolina.
No. 10 Delaware 38, Rhode Island 9
Box Score
Senior quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 337 yards and tossed
all three of his touchdowns in a 14-minute span to lead the No. 10 ranked University of Delaware football team to a 38-9
Colonial Athletic Association victory over Rhode Island Saturday afternoon at
Delaware Stadium.
The Blue Hens (3-0, 2-0 CAA), off to a 3-0 start for the
third time in the last five seasons, broke away from a slow start and defeated
the Rams (0-3, 0-1 CAA) for the third straight time. Rhode Island, coming off a
four-point loss to Fordham and an overtime setback to Army its first two games,
is off to an 0-3 start for the first time since the 2000 season.
Flacco, who surpassed 200 yards passing for the eighth
straight game and went over the 300-yard mark for the sixth time in 14 career
games, completed 25 of 39 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns for the
game to lead a Blue Hen offense that recorded 434 total yards. Aaron Love,
playing despite a groin pull that forced him to miss practice for most of the
week, hauled in 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown while Mark Duncan
surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second straight game as he snared six
passes for 109 yards. Flacco’s 337 yards was just four shy of his career high
of 341 last season vs. Towson.
Delaware’s defense came up with its second straight solid
outing as the Hens held Rhode Island to just 266 total yards, intercepted two
passes, and recovered a fumble in the end zone. The Blue Hens held West Chester
to just 255 yards in last week’s 41-14 win.
All-CAA fullback Joe Casey led the Ram attack with 18
carries for 97 yards while Tim Allen picked up 57 yards on five carries. The
URI passing game contributed just 79 yards and not Ram play caught more than
two passes.
“I thought the defense set the tone for the day,” said
Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, who improved to 30-9 at home in his six
seasons at the helm of the Blue Hens. “It was nice to see the offense get some
composure in the second half. They made us throw the ball today, but we knew
that was the way it was going to go. Defensively, our kids flew around and
played hard all day long. They had been a bit maligned and it was nice to see
them step up. We have to be able to go into shootouts and we also have to be
able to run the ball. To be a championship caliber ball team, we have to be
able to do those things offensively.”
The Blue Hens scored twice in a five-minute span in the second
half to take a 21-2 lead into intermission and scored two unanswered touchdowns
in the third quarter to put the game away and remain in first place in the CAA
South Division standings.
It was Delaware’s defense that dominated things early. Erik
Johnson intercepted a pass by Rhode Island quarterback Derek Cassidy on the
Rams’ first drive of the day and the Hens got on the board first on URI’s next
possession as redshirt freshman cornerback Anthony Walters tipped an option
pitch by Cassidy at the Ram three-yard line and then recovered the ball in the
end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Rhode Island scored its first points off the Delaware
offense. After the Rams pinned Delaware inside its own five yard line on a punt
by Bryan Giannecchini, Flacco was whistled for intentional grounding while
scrambling in the end zone, resulting in a safety for Rhode Island. The Rams
would not score again until the final minute as Delaware then reeled off 31
straight points.
Senior running back Omar Cuff, who entered the game as the
nation’s leading scorer with 11 touchdowns in just two games, scored No. 12
withn5:56 left in the first half on a two-yard bursts to give the
Hens a 14-2 lead. The scoring drive was set up when linebacker Walter Blair
intercepted Cassidy and returned the ball to the URI 16-yard line. Cuff,
averaging 168.5 yards rushing per game, was held to just 56 yards on 14 carries
but moved into third place on the UD all-time rushing yardage list with 2,812
yards.
The Delaware offense then kicked into high gear as Flacco
hit Love with a 15-yard scoring pass with 1:53 left before halftime for a 21-2
lead at intermission and fired scoring strikes of 13 yards to Duncan and two
yards to Mark Mackey for a 35-2 lead. Jon Striefsky added a 22-yard field goal
early in the final stanza to up the lead to 38-2.
Rhode Island, looking for its first winning season since
2001, then scored its only touchdown of the game with 49 seconds left as Joe
Bellini scored from eight yards out to cap the scoring.
Sophomore safety Anthony Bratton led the Blue Hens with 12
tackles while Blair finished with eight and also broke up another pass in
addition to his first career interception. The Hen defense collected two sacks
and had seven other tackles for loss against the Rams.
“Delaware has a really fine football team,” said URI head
coach Tim Stowers. “They have the makings of a playoff team and maybe even
another championship team. They’re physical, they get off the blocks, they like
to play and they’re fundamentally sound.“Offensively, I don’t think we
responded very well. We knew we weren’t just going to be able to run at them.
We have got to do a better job of getting the right players in there at the
right time to win the football game. Turnovers are unacceptable and
inexcusable.”
Delaware will look to improve to 4-0 for the first time
since the 2003 NCAA championship season next week when they travel to Towson in
CAA play. The Tigers have defeated the Blue Hens each of the past two seasons,
including a 49-35 win in Newark last season. Rhode Island hosts Hofstra in CAA
action next week.
No. 19 Hofstra 28, Albany 13
Box Score
Hofstra quarterback Bryan Savage rushed for two touchdowns
and passed for a third, and the Pride defense held the Great Danes to just 225
yards of offense as 19th-ranked Hofstra (2-0) posted a 28-13 non-conference
victory over Albany (1-2) at University Field Saturday night.
Savage, the junior college transfe from Springfield, PA,
completed 19 of 28 passes for 262 yards and threw a 43-yard scoring pass to
senior Charles Sullivan in the third quarter. Savage also rushed six times for 14
yards and recorded scoring runs of 20-yards and 1-yard in the second quarter.
Sullivan tallied his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game and the sixth
of his career with six catches for 125 yards.
Senior Kareem Huggins led the Pride ground game with 73 yards on 26
carries and had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the first
quarter.
The Hofstra defense shutdown the Albany attack, which posted
over 500 yards last week at Fordham, with four sacks, and interceptions by
David Darby, his second of the season, and Stanley Gutierrez, his first of the
year. Gutierrez also led the Hofstra defensive charge with 15 tackles and two
tackles for losses. Linebacker Gian Villante added 12 tackles while Darby
posted eight stops.
The Great Danes got on the board first late in the first
quarter. After a Hofstra punt following a long Pride possession, Albany got the
ball on their own 22-yard line. Behind quarterback Vinny Esposito and tailback
David McCarty, the Great Danes went on an 18-play, 64-yard drive that chewed up
7:36 only to have the Pride defense stop them on the Hofstra 14-yard line.
Albany had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Jason Fralicker for a 3-0
lead with 1:21 to play in the first quarter.
But the lead was short-lived as Hofstra senior Kareem
Huggins took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 98 yards for the first kickoff
return touchdown of his career. It was also Hofstra’s first kickoff return for
a touchdown since Robert Thomas’ 97-yard return against Liberty in 1998. Robert
Zarrilli’s extra-point gave the Pride a 7-3 lead with 1:08 to play in the
first.
The Pride defense forced Albany to three-and-out on its next
possession and got the ball back at its own 16 yard line to start the second
quarter. Quarterback Bryan Savage and receiver Charles Sullivan directed a
seven-play, 84-yard drive with Savage keeping the ball on the option for a
20-yard scoring run. Savage and Sullivan hooked up twice in the drive for gains
of 17 and 25 yards as the Pride took a 14-3 lead with 12:37 to play in the
half.
Hofstra, which held the Great Danes to three-and-out in all
three possessions in the second quarter, boosted the lead to 21-3 late in the
second quarter. Starting out at the Albany 45 following a Great Dane punt, the
Pride went 55 yards in eight plays with Savage calling his own number for a
one-yard touchdown run with 6 seconds remaining in the half. Zarrilli, who
missed a 32-yards field goal attempt earlier in the period, booted the
extra-point as Hofstra took an 18-points lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Pride racked up 229 yards in the first half while holding Albany to 89
including just 32 rushing.
Albany scored on its first possession of the second half.
Following a 39-yard runback by Dieuseul Joseph to the Hofstra 41, the Pride
defense held Albany to just 17 yards in eight plays and the Great Danes had to
settle for a 41-yard field goal by Fralicker with 11:16 to play in the third
quarter to close the gap to 21-6.
Hofstra came right back and went on a six-play, 63-yard
drive with the scrambling Savage finding Sullivan for a 43-yard touchdown with
8:24 to play in the period. Zarrilli’s extra-point boosted the Pride lead to
28-6. But there was still more fight in the dogs as the Great Danes went on a
66-yard drive in seven plays after the kickoff, with quarterback Vinny Esposito
scoring on a nine-yard run. Fralicker booted the extra point to close the
deficit to 28-13 with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter. Neither team would
score the rest of the way.
Esposito completed 15 of 29 passes for 131 yards but was
picked off twice. He rushed for 28 yards on 12 carries and scored once. Flanker
Jason Smith caught four passes for 42 yards while Daniel Bocanegra added four
receptions for 20 yards. The Great Danes’ running game was led by David McCarty
with 47 yards on 16 rushes. Linebacker Colin Disch led Albany with nine
tackles.
The Pride will take their 2-0 record into their 2007 CAA
opener next Saturday at the University of Rhode Island. Game time is 1 p.m.
Villanova 24, Maine 17 (OT)
Box Score
Villanova's Matt Dicken tied the game with a long touchdown
catch and then ran for the game-winning score in overtime as the Wildcats beat
Maine 24-17 on Saturday night.
Villanova (2-1, 1-0 Colonial Athletic Association) had the
first possession in overtime and ran the ball five straight times with Dicken
punching it in from 3 yards out on third-and-goal. The Wildcat defense held
Maine to 2 yards and forced three incomplete passes in OT to seal the victory.
Jhamal Fluellen rushed for 170 yards and two scores,
including a 50-yard dash with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter that gave Maine
(1-2, 0-1) a 17-10 lead. Dicken hauled in a 67-yard touchdown pass from Antwon
Young on the next possession to tie the game with 6:17 left in regulation.
The Black Bears had a chance to win in the closing seconds
of the fourth quarter but Devin McNeill's 28-yard field goal attempt went wide
right.
Dicken finished with 112 yards on 25 carries and caught
three passes for 72 yards. Young threw for 178 yards and a 23-yard touchdown
pass to Anton Ridley in the second quarter that made it 7-7 at halftime.
Joe Marcoux kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter
to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead. McNeill tied the game early in the fourth
with a 26-yarder of his own.
Villanova
held Maine to just 66 yards on 11-for-26 passing and outgained the Black Bears
320 yards to 252.
William & Mary 48, Liberty 41 (OT)
Box Score
William and Mary quarterback Jake Phillips (Warm Springs,
Va.) scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, before the Tribe came up with a big
defensive stop in the second overtime period to defeat state-rival Liberty,
48-41, Saturday night at Zable Stadium.
W&M (2-1) forced the second overtime on Phillips’ 15-yard touchdown pass to
tight end Drew Atchison (Charlottesville, Va.), after Liberty (2-1) went in
front, 41-34, on Rashad Jennings’ 25-yard scoring run in the first extra
session.
Phillips threw three touchdowns, completing 20 of 28 attempts for 335 yards,
his second 300-yard passing game in three outings. Atchison had a team-high six
receptions, finishing with 103 yards for his second 100-yard receiving game.
W&M piled up 524 yards of total offense in the victory, giving the Tribe
three-straight games with over 500 yards to open the season. W&M also won
back-to-back games for the first time since 2005.
Jennings rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and Brock Smith passed for
203 yards and a pair of scores for Liberty, which sent the contest into
overtime with a late game-tying touchdown drive.
After Brian Pate (Fredericksburg, Va.) kicked a 19-yard field goal with 7:12
remaining, W&M held a 34-26 lead. David Caldwell (Montclair, N.J.) then
halted the Flames’ next possession, as it started, intercepting a Smith pass on
the first snap at the Tribe’s 31-yard line. W&M picked up a first down
behind the hard running of Tony Viola (Broadway, Va.) and Phillips and ran the
game clock under 2:30, but eventually had to punt.
A 17-yard return by Patrick Calvary left Liberty with the ball at its 29 with
2:19 remaining. Smith would complete 6-of-9 attempts, including a key 11-yard
pass to Dominic Bolden on a third-and-three, on the game-tying drive. Zach
Terrell eventually found the end zone on a 3-yard run with 16 seconds on the
clock, and Smith hit Jennings in the left side of the end zone to convert the
two-point attempt. Terrell finished with 58 yards rushing on seven attempts.
W&M won the overtime toss and elected to send the defense out first, but
Liberty kept its offensive momentum going when Jennings broke through up the
middle for the 25-yard touchdown run on the second snap.
Viola, who finished with 57 yards rushing on 15 tries, had a key 9-yard run and
converted a critical fourth-and-one to move the chains on the Tribe’s first
overtime possession. On first down from the 15, Phillips connected with
Atchison in the right front corner of the end zone, and Pate nailed the extra
point to send the affair into a second overtime.
In the second overtime, Viola carried on five consecutive plays to set up a
first-and-goal at the Flames’ 3-yard line. Viola ran for eight yards on the
first play of the drive, and moved the ball to the 1-yard line moments later.
Phillips went up and over from the 1-yard line, and Pate again knocked through
the extra point to make it 48-41.
On Liberty’s double-overtime possession, Caldwell turned in a huge unassisted
tackle for loss, then combined with Michael Pigram (Hopewell, Va.) to stop
Jennings and set up a fourth-and-one at the Tribe 16. Needing a first down to
stay alive, Jennings carried to the right side but was stopped for no gain,
after an agonizing few moments while the officials measured. Nick Dewispeleare
(Virginia Beach, Va.) was credited with the stop.
DeBrian Holmes (Ft. Eustis, Va.) rushed for a pair of first-half touchdowns to
help the Tribe take a 17-13 lead at the break. Holmes finished with 96 yards on
23 carries before leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter.
Phillips threw a 27-yard touchdown to Cameron Dohse (Clifton, Va.), and Pate
connected on a career-long 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tribe
the one-point edge at intermission.
Holmes’ second scoring run, an impressive five-yard scamper to the right pylon,
pushed the advantage to 24-13 later in the third. Liberty answered quickly
though, thanks in part to a 32-yard kickoff return by Wynton Jackson, covering
45 yards in seven plays. Smith hooked up with Bolden for a 13-yard pass, but a
failed two-point try left the Tribe with a 24-19 advantage.
Phillips completed 4-of-5 attempts for 46 yards on the Tribe’s next possession,
engineering a nine-play, 59-yard scoring march that ended with a 7-yard
touchdown toss to Elliott Mack (Irvington, N.J.). Phillips converted a
second-and-20 with a 22-yard strike to Atchison on the drive and hit Joe Nicholas
(Sugarloaf, Pa.) for a 17-yard completion, giving Nicholas his first reception
this season.
Liberty would once again respond in hurried fashion. Smith completed three
consecutive attempts, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jennings with 12:11
remaining, to cut the deficit to 31-26, before Pate’s 19-yarder pushed the lead
back to eight.
Mack finished with five receptions for 71 yards, and R.J. Archer
(Charlottesville, Va.) had three catches for 56 yards. Dohse also had a 40-yard
reception to finish with 67 yards, and Viola added a pair of grabs for 14
yards.
Josh Rutter (Union Bridge, Md.) led the way defensively with 15 total tackles,
and Max Harris (Marietta, Ga.) finished with a career-high 11 total stops.
W&M returns to action next Saturday, traveling to FBS (Formerly Division
I-A) opponent Virginia Tech. Kickoff in Blacksburg is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Northeastern 42, Northwestern State 14
Box Score
Junior quarterback Anthony Orio ran for two touchdowns and
threw for two more and senior tailback Maurice Murray rushed for 175 yards and
one touchdown to lead the Northeastern University football team to a 42-14 win
over Northwestern State at Parsons Field.
The Huskies improved to 1-2 on the season while the Demons
fall to 2-1.
The Husky offense clicked from the very start of the game as
Orio hit junior wide receiver Chris Plum with a 46-yard pass for a touchdown
less than two minutes into the game, putting the Huskies up 7-0.
The Demons answered back with a six-minute drive that
culminated in a three-yard pass from Germayne Edmond to Gordon Freeman, tying
the game at 7-7.
Following an NU punt, the Demons took a 14-7 lead when
Edmond hit tight end Clay Broyles with a 30-yard pass, capping a 70-yard drive.
It was all Northeastern from there though as the Huskies
scored 35 unanswered points to finish the game. In the second quarter, Orio ran
11 yards for a score with 12 minutes remaining. Then Orio threw a 21-yard
touchdown pass to junior Alex Broomfield with nine minutes remaining to make it
21-14, which was the score at the half.
In the third quarter, Orio dominated the Demon defenders
with a 25-yard run to the endzone, breaking multiple tackles on the way to the
goal line and giving the Huskies a 28-14 lead. In the fourth, the Huskies took
advantage of three Demons turnovers to produce 14 more points. Junior Cord
Parks intercepted an Edmond pass at the Demon 30 and returned it to the 17.
From there, the Huskies ran five plays and scored when Murray pounded into the
end zone on a five-yard rush.
On the Demons' next drive, Northwestern State tailback Byron
Lawrence fumbled and sophomore Alton Bradley recovered it. Two plays later,
Murray rambled for a 50-yard gain from the NU 29 to the Demons 21. That set up
Brromfield's nine-yard touchdown run for a 42-14 Husky advantage.
Murray's 175 yards pushes him closer to second place
all-time in Husky history. He now stands at 2,691 yards, just 169 yards away
from Tim Gale (1999-03). Murray also is just four touchdowns away from the
school's rushing touchdowns record.
In a banner day, Orio set his career high for rushing
touchdowns in a game and matched his career high in passing touchdowns. Orio
was 7-for-12 for 130 yards on the day.
Defensively, the Huskies rebounded from a rough game last
weekend to dominate the Demons after the first quarter. The defense allowed
just 284 yards today, including only 103 on the ground. The Huskies forced
three turnovers, broke up two passes, sacked the quarterback three times for 30
yards lost and had seven tackles for a loss of 35 yards. Seniors Kevin Brown and
A.J. Lillie and sophomore Alton Bradley recorded the sacks for the Huskies.
For the Demons, Lawrence led in rushing with 98 yards while
Edmond was 8-for-17 in passing with 126 yards and two touchdowns. Mack Dampier
led the defense with 10 tackles.
The Huskies will take their win and head to the west coast
as they travel to Davis, Calif. to take on UC Davis next Saturday, Sept. 22 at
4:30 p.m., Eastern, 1:30 p.m., Pacific.