Hawks Unable to Stop Sea Gulls Powerful Option Attack

SALISBURY, MD. ---- Salisbury's quarterback Dan Griffin ran for 238 yards and four rushing touchdowns, in the 45-21 win over the Hawks. Salisbury only attempted two passes and carried the ball 71 times on Saturday.

Huntingdon had trouble keeping the Sea Gulls option attack off the field, allowing Salisbury to control the time of possession 36:13, compared to the Hawks 23:47 in the game. The Hawks were held to 287 total yards of offense, while Salisbury gained a total of 505 yards with 475 yards coming on the ground.

Trevor Manuel led the Hawks with three rushing touchdowns, while freshman quarterback Taylor Hughes came in the game and led Huntingdon on it's only three scoring drives.

In the first half, the Hawks fell down 14-0 in the first quarter from two Sea Gulls rushing touchdowns. Salisbury found the end zone behind Dan Griffin's 9-yard run and Randal Smedley's one-yard dive.

The Hawks answered back in the second quarter, after freshmen quarterback Taylor Hughes checked into the ball game. Hughes taking his first snaps his collegiate career, led the Hawks on two scoring drives to tie the ball game 14-14.

Huntingdon scored off of a Trevor Manuel 5-yard touchdown, capping a 10-play 62 yard drive with 12:04 to go in the half. The tying score came one-minute later after Salisbury didn't field a short kick-off, and Austin Bennett recovered the ball on the Sea Gulls 36 yard line. 

After the Salisbury turnover, freshman Taylor Hughes led the Hawks 36-yards for the tying score, from a one-yard dive by Trevor Manuel. The Corey Robertson extra-point kick tied the game 14-14, with 11:01 to play in the first-half.

Salisbury responded immediately with an eight-play 68 yard drive to regain the lead 20-14, coming from a Brandon Norwood 13-yard touchdown run. The Sea Gull's missed the extra-point, making the score 20-14, with 6:35 to play in the first-half. 

The Sea Gulls were able to add to the lead with :33 seconds left in the first-half, from a two-yard dive by quarterback Dan Griffin. Salisbury's extra-point attempt was made to extend the lead 27-14 into the half. Salisbury's late first-half score came from a 10-play 66 yard drive. 

Salisbury held the ball 19:51 to the Hawks 10:09, during the first-half. 

The Hawks opened the second-half with an unsuccessful drive on the opening drive. The Sea Gulls took over their first drive of the second-half and drove the ball into Huntingdon's territory. The Hawks stopped Salisbury on a fourth-and-ten attempt at the Huntingdon 16 yard line.

After the Sea Gulls failed to convert the fourth down, Huntingdon was held to three-and-out on the next possession. Carl Sanders bobbled the snap in the Hawks end zone and fell on the ball for the safety, giving the Sea Gulls a 29-14 lead.

Salisbury continued to control the clock, after a ten-play 68-yard drive during the third quarter. The drive ended with an A.J. Rosenthal 33-yard field goal, extending the Sea Gulls lead 32-14.

Huntingdon looked to cut into the Sea Gulls lead early in the fourth quarter, with Taylor Hughes in as the quarterback. After a late hit by Salisbury causing Hughes to exit due injury, Trevor Manuel came in the wildcat formation and Salisbury picked off a Manuel pass in the Sea Gulls end zone to stop the Hawks drive.

Two plays later, Salisbury's quarterback Dan Griffin kept the ball around the right end on a 79-yard touchdown run. Griffin's score put the game out of reach, making the lead 39-14 with 10:31 to play in the fourth quarter.

Taylor Hughes led the Hawks on the third and final scoring drive of the day, cutting the lead to 39-21 with 5:46 left in the game. Trevor Manuel capped the 13-play 57 yard drive on a fourth-and-goal one-yard dive for the score.

Salisbury's run heavy offense continued to drain the Hawks defense late in the game. The Sea Gulls continued to extend the lead, coming from a 5-play 49 yard drive. Dan Griffin found the end zone for the fourth time of the day on a 22-yard dash, giving the Sea Gulls the final score of 45-21.

The Hawks were led by freshman Taylor Hughes, who went 9-for-13 for 117 yards, in his Hawks debut. Hughes led the Hawks on all three of the scoring drives and ran for 41 yards on 12 carries. Neal Posey completed 4-of-8 passes for 30 yards in the Hawks loss. Parker Roberts led Huntingdon on the ground, with nine carries and 42 yards.

Cody Pearcy paced the Hawks with four receptions on 20 yards, while Tyler Young hauled in a game-high 44 receiving yards on two catches. Walker Gantt and Trevor Manuel each caught two passes on the day for 22 and 15 yards, respectively.

Defensively, Keith Anthony tied the current school single-game record with 17 total tackles, including five solo stops. Kirk Johnson followed Anthony with 14 stops, while Kaleb Futral recorded 10 tackles and one sack.

The Hawks (3-4) look to snap the four game losing streak on Saturday, Oct. 23, against Webber International in Babson Park, Fla. Kick-off is set for noon.

For more information on Huntingdon athletics visit www.HuntingdonHawks.com.