District College Football Recap – 09/25/2011

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, September 25, 2011 | 8:29 PM

It was defense, defense and more defense in the PSAC divisional openers on Saturday and a great offensive performance for Duquesne in their NEC opener. Here are recaps from all the games, including three heard here on the Network:

Slippery Rock 20 – IUP 6

Defense ruled at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on Saturday as SRU and IUP met once again in their great PSAC rivalry as the Rock defense picked off 4 passes and ran one back for a score to claim the win in the West Division opener for both teams. The Rock has now won 2 of the last 3 meetings between the teams, but still trails in wins 44-34.

After a scoreless first quarter with neither team able to enter the red zone, the Rock drove down to the IUP 21, but Cody Endres was intercepted by Johnny Franco at the 15 to end that threat. Endres made up for that pick by connected with Devin Goda on a 59 yard scoring strike on the next possession and a 7-0 Rock lead. SRU added to the lead 3 plays later when Brandon Burley stepped in front of a Pat Smith pass and went 54 yards for a Pick 6, the extra point was missed and SRU led 13-0. Mike Box came in at quarterback for Smith and drove IUP to the Rock 23, but was picked off by Brandon Watters, SRU drove to the IUP 25, but with 9 seconds left in the half, the Rock tried a fake field goal, but Mike Bongivengo was tackled short of the sticks and IUP ran out the clock.
The third quarter did not start well for the Rock, SRU pinned IUP at their own 21 on the kickoff, but the Rock was offside, Pat Brewer returned the second kick to the Rock 35, Smith came back at quarterback and got IUP in position for a Brett Ullman 30 yard field goal. Neither team crossed the 50 yard line until the final play of the third, when Endres hit Ken Amos for a 9 yard gain to the IUP 42.

SRU was forced to punt to start the fourth, Box returned at quarterback for IUP and was intercepted 6 plays later by Burley. The Rock punted, IUP was able to drive to the 5 yard line, but a penalty and fumble forced Ullman to kick a 33 yard field goal, cutting the SRU lead to 13-6.

Slippery Rock drove again, down to the IUP 23, but this time Akeem Satterfield fumbled, forced by Mark Jackson and recovered by Stephen Meadows, setting up IUP at their own 30. That drive lasted just 2 plays, Box was intercepted by Jayson Nickson with 2:13 left. Satterfield made up for the fumble, scoring from 36 yards out to seal the win for Slippery Rock.

Slippery Rock was led by Satterfield, who carried 23 times for 104 yards and the one score. Endres was 17 of 29 for 175, Goda caught 8 passes for 104 yards. Slippery Rock is now 3-1 overall.

Harvie Tuck rushed for over 100 yards again for IUP, carrying 28 times for 125 yards. Smith was 5 of 13 for 48 yards and one pick, Box was 5 of 12 for 83 yards with 3 picks. IUP falls to 1-2 overall.
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Thomas More 35 – W & J 32

For the fourth consecutive season the Saints claim a foothold on the PAC title with the win at Cameron Stadium. The 8th ranked Saints have won the conference title three straight seasons and are favored to do so again, especially after the win on Saturday.
Thomas More jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, on their second drive, Robert Kues hit Austin Studer for a 10 yard touchdown. Two plays later, John French recovered an Adam Dominick fumble at the W & J 23, setting up a Domonique Hayden 23 yard touchdown and the 14 point lead.

The Presidents had a chance to get on the board early in the second quarter, but Eric Eberle’s 32 yard field goal attempt was blocked by French. The Saints could not get out of the hole and were forced to punt, W & J moved down the field quickly and Tim McNerney found his way back on the scoring sheet after missing a couple of weeks, on a 1 yard run. W & J forced another three and out, quarterback Matt Bliss led the Presidents down the field again, Bliss attempted to score on a 9 yard run, but fumbled the ball into the end zone, Zack Wildley recovered for the Presidents, the game was knotted at 14. Thomas More scored in the final two minutes of the half, Kues to Adam Rauch for a 3 yard touchdown and a 21-14 Saints lead at the break, or so they thought. With 1:52 left, Bliss was able to lead the Presidents all the way to the Saints 2, Eberle kicked a 19 yard field goal to make it 21-17 Saints at the half.

W & J could not get anything going on the first drive of the second half, hurt by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against McNerney. Thomas More had no such trouble, Kues scored on a 3 yard run with 9:27 left in the third to put the Saints up 28-17. W & J was not done, scoring on a 9 play 80 yard drive with 30 seconds left in the quarter, Bliss to Baroffio for a 35 yard touchdown and a 4 point deficit after three.
The Saints used a long drive of their own that ate up 6 minutes, Hayden scoring his second touchdown from 12 yards to put the Saints up 11. W & J answered with a drive to the Thomas More 4, but turned the ball over on downs. The Presidents defense forced another punt, W & J took over with 4:53 to play just shy of midfield. Bliss quickly got W & J down the field, going to Hunter Creel for 10 yards and a touchdown to cut the lead to 5, Bliss added a two-point conversion run with 3:34 left.

The Presidents forced another punt and took over at their own 38 with 2:29 left. Bliss was intercepted by Zach Autenrieb at the Thomas More 34, which ended the threat and the game.

For the Saints, now 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the PAC, Kues was 20 of 36 for 277 yards and 2 scores, he also carried 17 times for 48 yards and a score.

W & J won the stats battle with 31 first downs to 24 and 524 yards to 395, but came up short on the most important stat, on the scoreboard. Bliss was 30 of 50 for 326 and 2 touchdowns, he also ran for 77 yards on 13 carries. McNerney carried 21 times for 93 yards. Baroffio had 7 catches for 115 yards, Creel made 7 catches for 86 yards. The Presidents are now 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the PAC.
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Bethany 48 – Geneva 27

The Golden Tornadoes jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Bison answered in a big way, scoring 34 first half points on the way to the win at Reeves Field. Bryan Visingardi kicked a 35 yard field goal on the opening drive, Bethany answered with a 12 play drive, Matt Grimard to Alex Evans for a 20 yard touchdown and a 7-3 Bison lead. Bethany took advantage of a Zach Hayward fumble, Eric Walker scored on a 1 yard run and a 14-3 lead.

Geneva answered in the second quarter, getting to the Bethany 35, mainly on the back of Rocco Colavecchia, the former Shenango quarterback, ran 4 times and caught 2 passes, then on a halfback pass threw for his first Geneva touchdown to Corey O’Patchen from 35 out to cut the lead to 4. Bethany took advantage of a short kickoff with Grimard throwing to Nico Irizary for a 16 yard touchdown, the extra point was missed, putting Bethany up 20-10. Geneva was forced to punt, Walker capped a 6 play 70 yard drive with his second touchdown on a 2 yard run to go up 27-10.

Geneva was able to score on a 4th and 10 play from the Bethany 31, Hayward hit Vince Larson for the touchhdown to cut the lead to 27-17. The final 4 minutes of the half saw a ton of things happen. Bethany got down to the Geneva 5, but Grimard was intercepted by Judd Hunter. Geneva was able to get a first down and was forced to punt, Alex Evans returned the punt for a 65 yard touchdown with 2 seconds remaining to put Bethany up 34-17 at the half.
Walker scored his 3rd touchdown on a 1 yard run to add to the Bethany lead on the opening drive of the third. Geneva turned the ball over on downs at the Bethany 29. Grimard scored on a 15 yard run with 12:04 remaining in the fourth for a 48-17 lead. Colavecchia took over at quarterback, leading Geneva to a Visingardi 35 yard field goal, he would hit A.J. Delmonico for a 27 yard touchdown with 3 seconds left for the final points.

Bethany is now 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the PAC. Grimard was 13 of 17 for 274 and 2 touchdowns, he also ran for 49 yards. Walker carried 14 times for 70 yards and the 3 scores. Evans had 5 catches for 108 yards.

For Geneva, Colavecchia ran 13 times for 74 yards, he threw for 132 yards on 8 of 14 and 2 scores. Larson caught 10 passes for 118 yards and a score. Geneva is now 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the PAC.
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Indiana State 37 – Youngstown State 35
Shakira Bell grounded out 256 yards, a school record, and 4 touchdowns as Indiana State led 34-20 at the half and held on for dear life for the win in MVC play.
Kurt Hess tried to lead the 24th ranked Penguins back into the game, throwing a touchdown pass to Jelani Berassa with 1:21 remaining to cut the lead to 2. Hess threw for 241 yards on 25 of 41. Jamaine Cook carried 33 times for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Penguins, now 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Ronnie Fouch threw for 189 yards and a touchdown for Indiana State, now 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
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Duquesne 41 – Saint Francis 14
The Dukes made the trip up Route 22 to Loretto and came out with the win in their NEC opener Saturday night. Sean Patterson, Larry McCoy and Connor Dixon all had big days for Duquesne, now 3-1.
Charlie Leventry gave Duquesne a 6-0 first quarter lead with field goals of 40 and 33 yards. Saint Francis scored with 3:09 left in the first on a John Kelly 1 yard run and a 7-6 lead. That would be it for the Red Flash as Patterson hit Dixon for touchdown bombs of 87 and 40 yards and a 20-6 lead at the end of one. Dixon has now caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive games.
Duquesne added to the lead in the second as Patterson hit Brian Layhue for 17 yards and a score and Issac Spragg for a 50 yard touchdown with 1:36 left in the half. McCoy hit the scoreboard in the third with a 2 yard run and Keion Wade ended the scoring with a 1 yard run for the Red Flash.
McCoy carried 23 times for 153 yards. Patterson was 10 of 19 for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns, he also ran for 75 yards. Dixon had 4 catches for 175 yards. Kyle Harbridge, one week after rushing for 364 yards, ran for 76 yards on 21 carries. The Red Flash are 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the NEC.
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Mercyhurst 42 – Lock Haven 3
Things were looking great for Lock Haven, who has lost 34 consecutive games in the PSAC-West opener against the defending division champions. Mercyhurst led 7-0 on a Travis Rearick 7 yard touchdown pass to R.J. Miller in the second quarter, Noah Heimer kicked a 23 yard field goal with 55 seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 7-3. But it all went quickly downhill from their as Trevor Kennedy took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the house and a 14-3 halftime lead.
Rearick threw 2 more touchdown passes in the second half, and Allan Jones ran for two scores as the Lakers go to 3-1 with the road win. Jones ran for 85 yards and the 2 scores, Kennedy and Jeff Groene caught td passes.
Lock Haven managed just 39 yards rushing and 163 total yards for the game, the Bald Eagles have now dropped 35 straight.
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Edinboro 27 – Gannon 0
The 19th ranked Fighting Scots took the short trip up I-79 to downtown Erie and beat the Golden Knights for the fifth straight time. Cody Harris threw 2 first half touchdown passes, Alex Romanias kicked 2 field goals and James Jackson returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown as Edinboro goes to 4-0 overall and wins the division opener.
Endiboro racked up 225 yards on the ground, the defense held Gannon to 182 total yards. The Golden Knights are now 1-3 overall.
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California 40 – Clarion 13
It took a quarter but the 17th ranked Vulcans put up 20 in the second quarter on the way to the win at Adamson Stadium. Peter Lalich threw touchdown passes to Chedrick Cherry and Thomas Mayo and Steve Santia ran a fumble back 35 yards for a score. Jeff Knox scored 2 touchdowns in the second half on 1 yard runs and Lalich and Mayo connected for a 65 yard bomb. John Fuhrer and Ben Fiscus scored on td runs for Clarion.
Lamont Smith was held off the scoreboard but carried 17 times for 155 yards for the Vulcans. Lalich threw for 350 yards on 23 of 32, Mayo had 7 catches for 164 yards. The Vulcans are now 3-1 overall. Clarion falls to 0-4 with the loss.
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West Virginia Wesleyan 34 – Seton Hill 10
West Virginia Wesleyan pulled away with 21 third quarter points for the WVIAC win at Offut Field. The Bobcats were staked to a 13-0 first quarter lead on a Keith Dickens 9 yard run and a Jon Meadows 19 yard touchdown pass from Adam Neugebauer. Seton Hill got on the board with a Josh Cavalier 30 yard field goal. Calvin Mason cut the lead to 3, scooping up a fumble and running 40 yards for a score.
Neugebauer scored on a 1 yard run , then hit T.J. Benners for a 35 yard touchdown and a 27-10 lead. Christian Smith scored on a 10 yard run to end the scoring. Smith ran for 101 yards on 13 carries. Neugebauer was 35 of 48 for 427 yards. Meadows had 11 catches for 124 yards, Benners had 5 catches for 115. The Bobcats are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the WVIAC.
The Griffins held the ball for 33 minutes, but allowed 559 offensive yards. Seton Hill is now 0-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Waynesburg 32 – Grove City 26
Josh Graham connected with Jeff Young for a 37 yard touchdown with 8:49 left to give the Yellow Jackets the win in Mercer County. Bertrand Ngampa ran for 112 yards on 21 carries, Justin Falcon, Jamelle Bowers and Dominic Moore also ran for scores for Waynesburg, now 2-1 overall and tied with Thomas More at 2-0 in the PAC.
Blaine Miller ran for just 58 yards, but scored 3 touchdowns for the Wolverines, now 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the PAC. Brian Pell threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Ritchie. Ritchie had 6 catches for 96 yards.
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Saint Vincent 36 – Thiel 14
The Bearcats led 30-0 at the half and cruised to the win in Greenville to go to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in PAC play. Huey Ehredt ran for 74 yards and a score and caught a pass for another. Christian Sutton also added 2 scores for Saint Vincent. Aaron Smetanka had another great day, going 23 of 31 for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns, Ricky Douglas pulled in 5 catches for 118 yards.
Taylor Fink ran for 70 yards and a touchdown for Thiel, now 0-4 overall. Andrew Smith threw for 183 yards and a touchdown for the Tomcats, now 0-2 in the conference.
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Carnegie Mellon 35 – Kenyon 14
CMU scored on the first play of the game and never looked back as the Tartans go to 2-2 overall. Patrick Blanks went 56 yards 17 seconds into the game, Jake Nardone added a 6 yard run in the first, Blanks scored on 5 and 10 yard runs in the second as CMU led 28-0 at the half.
Brett Williams scored on a 1 yard run for Kenyon, Rob Kalkstein threw a 26 yard touchdown pass, his first of the season, to Timoth Swanson. Dan Shannon connected with Derek Barbato for a 3 yard score with 37 seconds remaining to close the scoring.
Blanks carried 12 times for 145 yards, Nardone had 122 yards on 16 totes, Kalkstein was 9 of 17 for 196 yards. Williams carried 26 times for 105 yards for Kenyon, who falls to 0-3.
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Wittenberg 38 – Allegheny 3
The 18th ranked Tigers cruised to the win at home on Saturday. Ben Zoeller threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns, all to Jay McKee. Reed Florence ran for touchdowns of 24 and 50 yards. Ryan Zipf kicked a 24 yard field goal for the only Gator points in the first quarter. Wittenberg is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC. Allegheny is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
 

Tags: Geneva, Slippery Rock, Washington