Gallaudet ends season under the lights on Friday Night against SUNY Maritime

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Time was not on the side of the Gallaudet University football team on a cool Friday night at Hotchkiss Field as the Bison lost their final game of the season 21-14 against Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) foe SUNY Maritime before a crowd of 525.

Gallaudet completes the 2011 season with a 5-5 overall record and a 4-3 record in the conference. Four of the five losses suffered by the Bison were by seven or fewer points.

"I am very proud of this team and our players who left it all out on the field tonight," said Gallaudet head coach Chuck Goldstein. "We faced a lot of adversity and had to overcome a lot of injuries this season but we stuck together and competed in every single game. The most important trait shown by this team is their will to not give-up and quit. We want to thank our seniors for their contributions over the past seasons to the program and we look ahead to a bright future next year."  

Maritime (8-2, 6-1) ran for 228 yards, the second most allowed by the GU defense this year, and chewed up 38 minutes, 30 seconds of the game clock as the Privateers controlled the time of possession. Senior fullback Jamie Spanopoulos carried the load for the Privateers on Veteran's Day as he rushed 36 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

GU struggled to put together a sustained drive in the game as 10-of-11 drives lasted under three minutes. The Bison had six possessions that lasted only three plays or less, three of those drives ended with a Maritime interception. Junior quarterback Anthony Palmer (Unadilla, N.Y.) struggled in the new look offensive formation for the Bison as he completed 4-for-13 passes for 62 yards, was sacked twice and picked off three times. Freshman Benjamin Coleman (St. Paris, Ohio) made his season debut under center as he came in midway through the fourth quarter and guided the Bison on the final two possessions. Coleman finished the game 3-for-10 for 58 yards, sacked once and threw one interception.

Gallaudet's last possession started on its own 31 and 10 plays, 69 yards later the Bison scored their second touchdown with 1:07 left to play in regulation down, 21-14. Freshman running back Vianney Boum Yamb (Silver Spring, Md.) scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 1-yard run after two Maritime penalties helped to extend the drive. Boum Yamb finished the game as Gallaudet's leading rusher with 30 yards on 12 carries. The Bison were without their top two quarterbacks and top rusher, who are all sidelined with injuries.

The Bison attempted an on-side kick but the Privateers recovered and ran out the clock to clinch the win. The final outcome was the same as last year as Maritime completed a perfect 10-0 regular-season with a 21-14 win at GU.

Read the rest of the press release here:
http://www.gallaudetathletics.com/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/recap_maritime