"
Vol. 42, No. 9
Football shocks Warriors
|
Last year, the Tennessee Titans came one yard away from forcing the first overtime in Super Bowl history. After 60 minutes of a hard-fought football game, the Titans fell three feet short of tying the St. Louis Rams.
Saturday, the Lycoming Warriors fell inches short of sending the Crusaders to their fourth-straight loss.
However, the Crusaders hung on for a 16-14 victory as Lycoming kicker John Shaffer missed a 33-yard field goal attempt with 56 seconds left in the game. Freshman split end Michael Haddad said, "He missed it by about two inches."
Head coach Steve Briggs has now defeated Lycoming twice during his 10-year tenure. Coupled with their recent three-game losing streak, it looked like the Crusaders would need a miracle to win the game. "Someone must be looking down us," Briggs said.
The Crusaders overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit to improve their record to 6-3 overall, 5-3 in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Conference. Lycoming fell to 6-2 overall and 6-2 in the MAC.
Senior tri-captain offensive tackle Randy Zook said, "We finally played the way we know how to play today. It's the best win since we've (the four-year seniors) been here."
The start did not look promising for the orange-and-maroon as Lycoming marched 87 yards on eight plays in the opening drive. Jared Morris scored on a six-yard run with over 11 minutes left in the first quarter.
Lycoming's early 7-0 lead brought back memories of Susquehanna's 36-7 loss to Lycoming on Amos Alonzo Stagg Field last season. The Warriors scored 24 points in the first quarter last year en route to defeating Susquehanna in the final game played on Stagg Field.
The Crusaders were stopped at the Lycoming 12 on their opening drive when Lycoming's John Scanlan intercepted sophomore quarterback Mike Bowman's pass. After two unsuccessful drives, the Crusaders picked up the ball at Lycoming's 45-yard line. Later in the drive, Andy Naddler kicked a 34-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.
A 36-yard return by Ricky Lannetti helped to set up the Warriors next score. A personal foul by the Crusaders on a 16-yard completion put Lycoming deep in Susquehanna territory. Warrior Mike Selvenis scored on a one-yard run to put Lycoming up 14-3 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
After an unsuccessful drive, the Crusaders punted to Lycoming with just over three and a half minutes left in the half. Warrior Sean Graf returned the punt 35 yards to the Crusader 18, where it looked like another sure score for the Warriors until Tim Deasey fumbled at the one-yard line. The ball bounded out of the end zone for a touchback. And the half ended with the orange-and-maroon behind 14-3.
At the half, Briggs said, "We're playing bend but don't break defense. We have to be a little bit better with that."
In the second half, the Crusaders did not bend nor did they break, as they gave up zero points, intercepted a pass, and had a remarkable sack, all while running up 13 points of their own.
The Crusader offense drove 81 yards on nine plays to open the second half. Sophomore fullback Jon Dvorshock received a 33-yard pass from Bowman to put the orange-and-maroon in Lycoming territory. Junior fullback Isaac Hernandez capped off the drive with a four-yard run to close the gap to four at 14-10.
The touchdown energized the Crusader defense. Freshman defensive end Adam Summers sacked Warrior quarterback Joe Feerrar for a loss of 17 yards. The Crusaders took over at the Lycoming 49 after a Lycoming punt.
Bowman aired out a pass to senior split end Josh Kitchin for a 47-yard completion. Hernandez capped off the drive with a two-yard run to give the Crusaders a 16-14 lead with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.
The Crusader defense effectively stopped the Warriors the rest of the way.
As the Warriors drove late in the third quarter, sophomore safety Dennis Kodack intercepted a Feerrar pass at the Crusader 21. The next three drives yielded only one first down for Lycoming.
With 3:24 left in the fourth quarter, Dvorshock fumbled the ball at the Lycoming 31. Warrior quarterback Feerrar hooked up with split end Chris Dauber twice to keep the Warrior drive alive.
With the ball on the Crusader 25, Feerrar looked for Dauber in the end zone, but junior cornerback Tom Kay batted the pass away to preserve the lead.
Feerrar ran nine yards to set up Shaffer's field goal attempt and with the miss, the Susquehanna bench exploded.
Kitchen, who caught seven passes for 93 yards, said, "This is the greatest feeling in the world. We've been waiting four years to beat Lycoming."
Hernandez was named to the MAC Football Honor Roll for his 25 carry, 123 yard, two touchdown performance.
Briggs said, "It's one of the greatest wins I've ever been associated with."
Home | News | Web Forum | Living & Arts | Sports | Online Extra
Football shocks Warriors
Defense, desire keys to upset win
WEEKLY FEATURES
Opinion
Editorials
Cartoon
Chaplain's Corner
Go Figure
University Update
Police Blotter
Greek Bulletin
Campus Organizations