Turnovers Prove Costly in 41-13 Loss to AIC
SPRINGIFELD, MA - The Merrimack football team committed seven
turnovers, while American International notched two defensive
touchdowns, defeating the Warriors 41-13 Saturday afternoon at a
rainy R.J. Abdow Field.
The loss, Merrimack's second straight on the road, drops the
Warriors to 5-3 overall, 4-2 in the conference, while AIC improves
to 5-3 overall, 3-3 in the conference with their second win over
the Warriors this season.
In a first quarter marred by five turnovers, three by Merrimack,
the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the third drive of
the game as Amadeus Guerrero-Pou rushed into the end zone from
seven-yards out. After Terrance Holley returned an interception
42-yards for another AIC score, the Warriors got on the board on
the first play of the ensuing drive as James Suozzo
(Everett, MA) launched a 60-yard touchdown pass to
Jeremiah Watts (Clovis, CA) to cut the deficit to
14-6 after the extra point failed.
Merrimack's defense forced two first-quarter turnovers with
Anthony Rebello (Achushnet, MA) intercepting Shane
Murphy, while Tony Johnson (Lynn, MA) forced a
fumble that was recovered by John O'Leary (Methuen,
MA).
The Warriors were fortunate to escape the first half trailing by
just eight, as Suozzo was just 9-for-26 passing for 119 yards and
threw four picks.
AIC added to its lead 5:36 into the third as Murphy hit Kertis
Hussey from 17-yards out on fourth down to cap an eight-play,
77-yard drive, extending the lead to 21-6.
With the third quarter winding down, the Warrior offense
regained its touch as Suozzo found Jake Manning (Dunstable,
MA) in the end zone from 24-yards out, cutting the Yellow
Jacket advantage to 21-13.
With the Yellow Jackets punting after going three-and-out on the
next drive, Merrimack looked to have all the momentum, only to see
the game implode on two turnovers in 24 seconds.
The Warriors fumbled the punt, and it was recovered by the
Yellow Jackets at the Merrimack 17-yard line. Two plays later,
Guerrero-Pou rushed for a touchdown, his second of the game. Then,
on the second play of Merrimack's next drive, Suozzo was
intercepted by Nathaniel Ricks, who returned it 54-yards for the
score, putting the game away, giving AIC the 34-13 lead.
The Yellow Jackets tacked on a late score, as Murphy hit Trevor
Perryman from 24-yards out for a touchdown.
"You can't expect to win when you commit that many turnovers,"
said head John Perry. "We didn't have our best game today. I
thought we had a chance to comeback in the second half, but we
couldn't hold on to the ball. We just have to bounce back and
prepare for Southern Connecticut on a short week."
Suozzo finished 18-of-45 passing for 205 yards and two scores,
while throwing five picks. He rushed for 83 yards on 14 carries.
Watts led the receivers with 90 yards on four catches, while
Manning totaled seven catches for 64 yards. Rebello finished with
11 tackles to go with his interception, while Shawn Loiseau
(Shrewsbury, MA) and Shane Brown (Wakefield,
MA) led the way defensively with 16 and 15 tackles
respectively.
Loiseau is the second Merrimack player in school history to
reach the century mark and the first since 1999. He needs five more
tackles to set the school record.
Guerrero-Pou rushed for 158 yards and two scores on 25 carries,
while Murphy completed 12-of-28 passes for 154 yards and two
scores.
Merrimack (5-3, 4-2 NE-10) battles Southern Connecticut State
University next Friday at 7 p.m. in a showdown with the first-place
Owls.
