Norwich grabs final-minute win over Gallaudet, 10-7
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Junior quarterback Kris Sabourin (Georgia, Vt.) scored with 33 seconds left to lift Norwich University past Gallaudet 10-7 Saturday in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference action at Sabine Field. The Cadets rolled up 268 rushing yards en route to the win.
Sabourin's run capped off a 12-play, 66-yard drive that included a spectacular catch on a deflected ball by sophomore wide receiver Derius Silas (Miami Gardens, Fla.) that set the Cadets (4-3, 3-0 ECFC) up inside the Gallaudet 20-yard line. Following an incompletion and a four-yard run, Sabourin was able run up the middle and find the end zone to give NU its first lead of the day.
"The kids really believe in each other which is what you need in a game like this," Coach Mark Murnyack said. "We executed the plays we needed to down the stretch. This was a good win."
Gallaudet (3-3, 2-1 ECFC) built a 7-0 lead when Ryne Worsham hit Gabriel Paulone with a 50-yard touchdown pass with 2:56 to go in the first quarter.
The Bison defense was able to hold the Norwich offense scoreless until there was less than five minutes remaining in the game. Senior place-kicker Long Ding (Qing Dao, China) connected from 30 yards out to make it 7-3 with 4:56 left in the contest.
The Cadets would then force a three-and-out to force a Gallaudet punt that led to the game-winning drive.
"We knew we had two timeouts left and could run the ball due to that," Murnyack said. "Even with that, Kris was able to connect on three big passes to get us into the position for the game-winning score.
"Our guys have been working on the two-minute drill really hard over the last two weeks," he added. "It showed with the way we worked through it at the end."
Sabourin led all Norwich rushers with 93 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Derrick Pitts (Schnectady, N.Y.) came in a close second with 91. Quentin Williams led the Bison ground attack, gaining 83 yards. Worsham led all receivers on the day with 66 yards through the air.
NU's defense was led by sophomore linebackers Stephen Gilmore (Norton. Mass.) and Dom Diaz (Rensselaer, N.Y.) led the Cadet defense with eight and 7.5 tackles respectively. Both players had six solo tackles apiece. Tom Pangia had a game-high 14 tackles to pace Gallaudet.
The Cadets now travel to Bangor, Maine, where they will take on the Hawks of Husson University in another conference tilt. The game is set to get underway at 1 p.m.
