Signs of a turnaround
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This week marks the end of a long time rivalry between the Norwich Cadets and Coast Guard Bears. Winner takes home “The Mug” in this trophy game perhaps for the final time in the 71st meeting between the two teams.
Salisbury overtakes Brockport in second half
Salisbury battled its way out of a corner Saturday afternoon at Special Olympics Stadium. After turning the ball over three times and shanking a 10-yard punt deep in their own territory in the first half, the No.12-ranked Sea Gulls found themselves trailing Brockport State 23-7 at intermission. But SU responded with 296 yards of offense while holding the Golden Eagles to just 115 yards in the final 30 minutes and outscored Brockport 28-7 en route to a 35-30 victory.
The win propelled the defending Atlantic Central Football Conference champions to 2-0 on the year, 1-0 in the ACFC. Brockport dropped its second straight game to start the season, while falling to 0-1 in league play. Salisbury will now travel to Christopher Newport next Saturday to attempt to avenge last year’s first-round playoff loss. The Golden Eagles will be back in league play when they visit unbeaten Newport News.
Salisbury senior quarterback Dustin Johnson dominated play both on the ground and through the air. He ran for 126 yards on 22 carries, while scoring a pair of touchdowns. He also controlled the airways, connecting on seven of 12 passes for 126 yards and two more scores. Joseph Early (33 yards), Teddy Savage (18 yards) and Leroy Satchell each were on the receiving end of two passes apiece.
Satchell, who gained 1,259 yards a year ago, had his best game of the young season, crossing 174 stripes on 29 carries, averaging 6.0 yards per carry while scoring a touchdown.
The Eagles were effective with their passing game. A.J. Covella picked apart the Sea Gull secondary to complete 25 of 37 passes for 322 yards and three scores. Salisbury’s Byron Westbrook and Terrance Dorsey each intercepted a pass in the game.
Bengals not hanging their heads
Buffalo State lost its opening game 38-21 at home to Ithaca this past Saturday. Last year the Bengals committed seven turnovers and were blanked by the Bombers 48-0. Buffalo State did not turn over over the ball this time around.
It looks like second year head coach Paul Shaffner has begun the turnaround in Buffalo. The Bengals scored 21 points, breaking the Bombers opening day scoreless streak at 11 quarters.
"I think our attitude is improving," senior quarterback Mike Mikolaichik said in The Buffalo News. "There were times when Ithaca would score and the offense didn't hang their heads at all. We just said, ’Let's get back out there.' "
Buffalo State had its problems in the red zone, going 3-for-6 from inside the 22.
Ithaca amassed 466 yards of offense as the teams combined for 860 total yards from scrimmage. Esposito finished the game with three catches for 120 yards and the two scores. Canestrari also caught three balls for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Baez led the Bombers’ ground attack with 84 yards on 12 carries and Jamie Donovan had 83 yards on 13 attempts. Jose Colon anchored the Ithaca defense with 11 tackles, including four solo stops. Adam Jason had seven tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Mikolaichik set a school record for passing attempts in a game, going 27-for-53 for a career-high 276 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 47 yards on 13 attempts, with a touchdown. Allen had 10 catches for 96 yards and a score, and Shostak reeled in seven balls for 78 yards and a touchdown. Michael Haynes led the Bengals’ defense with 12 tackles, and Hank Pirowski added nine stops.
Newport News keeps building program
Sophomore Travis Reid caught three touchdown passes to tie a school single-game record as the Apprentice School scored 21 unanswered points in route to a 21-3 victory over Frostburg State University in an Atlantic Central Football Conference matchup on Saturday.
The win by the Builders snaps a 14-game in conference losing streak as this was the first ACFC win for the program in history. Apprentice School joined the ACFC in 2001.
“It definitely shows that the program is heading in the right direction after a win like this today,” said Builders coach Phil Janaro. “Three years ago they handled us pretty good, two years ago it got closer and last year we lost 14-0. It’s a big step for our program to get a conference win under our belts.”
Colonial defense shuts out Pioneers 35-0
Western Connecticut held William Paterson to 97 yards of total offense in a 35-0 win. Joe DiMeglio had194 yards on 15-for-31 passing. Running backs Jason Adamson and Rick Jackson combined for 146 yards rushing, each scoring a touchdown.
The Colonials new 3-5-3 defense is designed to put more of their better athletes at the linebacker and defensive back positions on the field.
"They weren't exactly what we thought they would be," said William Paterson head coach Miello in the News Times of Danbury, Conn.
“It's a 3-3 defense that's new to us," WestConn head coach John Burrell told the paper. "We had a horrible year on defense last year, which is very uncommon for (WestConn)."
Union dominates Springfield 35-7
Junior running back Tom Arcidiacono rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns and junior quarterback Anthony Marotti tossed for 295 yards and three touchdowns to lead Union College to a 35-7 victory over Springfield in the season opener for both Saturday night at Frank Bailey Field.
The Dutchmen scored 21 fourth quarter points to put the game away against the Pride. Union had 458 yards of total offense in the victory.
Springfield was led by sophomore halfback Derron Walker had 14 carries for 139 yards to lead the Pride, while junior linebacker Andrew Madigan posted 13 tackles, including a game-high 12 solo hits. Junior Joe Deptula had 40 yards on three completions and five attempts for the Pride.
Games of the Week
No. 13 Salisbury at No. 20 Christopher Newport 1:30 p.m., Newport News, Va.: The Captains took the wind from the Sea Gulls’ wings last year in the first round of the playoffs last year 35-24. The higher ranked team could actually be considered the underdog in this matchup. Salisbury had to come from behind to edge Brockport 35-30. In Week 1, Christopher Newport had lead against No. 6 Rowan 7-6 going into third quarter, while Brockport was beaten 20-10 by unranked Cortland.
Norwich at Coast Guard 1:30 p.m., New London, Conn.: The little Army-Navy contest. Last year, Norwich won 24-14 and has maintained ownership of “The Mug” since 2002 in this trophy game between the two schools. Coast Guard and Norwich meet for the 71st and possibly final time as the teams will no longer play each season as the Bears move to the New England Football Conference and will play just one non-conference game each season.
The battle for “The Mug” began in 1931 when it was presented by Theodore Bodenwein, publisher of the New London Day, with the hope “that this ancient cup, already more than 100 years old, will stand as an emblem of friendly rivalry for many decades to come.” Mr. Bodenwein presented the trophy, a worn pewter cup, on the eve of the 1931 game that was played in New London and made the award retroactive to the previous year’s game which Norwich had won 6-0 in Northfield, Vt.
Norwich’s first possession of “The Mug” was less than 24 hours as Coast Guard won the 1931 game 6-0. Since then “The Mug” has been back and forth many times between Northfield and New London, with Coast Guard holding a 37-29 lead. Last call for “The Mug” — which team will pick up the tab?
Union at Muhlenberg 7:00 p.m., Allentown, Pa.: Could Union’s performance against Springfield be a sign of things to come for the Dutchmen? The Mules will be a measuring stick for Union outside of the Liberty League.
Notes
St. Lawrence rolled up 574 yards of total offense en route to a 36-0 shutout of Norwich at Sabine Field. The Saints (1-0) logged 31 first downs while limiting the Cadets (1-1) to four. SLU also commanded time of possession with 40:57. It was the first NU shutout at Sabine Field since the 2001 season when King’s Point blanked the Cadets, 37-0.
Cortland’s Adam Haas earns NJAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after tying his career-high with three sacks in Cortland's 30-14 win over TCNJ. He finished the game with eight total tackles, including seven solo stops. He also forced a Lion fumble which set up an eventual Cortland touchdown pass. Haas currently leads the conference in both sacks per game (2.25) and tackles for loss per game (3.25).
RPI’s Jay Bernardo rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns, including an NCAA record 99-yarder, to lead the Engineers to a 34-7 victory over Endicott. He carried the ball 32 times, scoring on runs of two, one, three and 99 yards. Jay, who also caught three passes for 23 yards, scored once in the first quarter, once in the second and twice in the fourth quarter. In addition to tying the NCAA record, he also matched RPI's record, originally set by Don Patria in 1981.
Salisbury’s Justin Ritter shares this week's ACFC Rookie of the Week honor with Irikefe Ojeni from Apprentice School. Ritter had five tackles and one sack for a loss of 16 yards in Salisbury's 35-30 win over Brockport. Ojeni also had five tackles as Apprentice School won its first ACFC game ever with a 21-3 victory over Frostburg State.
St. John Fisher’s Mark Robinson rushed 31 times for 229 yards and three touchdowns in a 58-32 St. John Fisher win over Rochester. Robinson, who also caught two passes for 28 yards, eclipsed 100 yards for the 13th time in the past 14 games. It marked the fifth time in his career that he has rushed for over 200 yards.