Football Falls to Slippery Rock in Season Opener 45-26
VIDEO: Suozzo's 2nd rushing touchdown / Coach
Perry's postgame press conference
SLIPPERY ROCK, PA – James Suozzo
(Everett, MA) rushed for a school-record four touchdowns,
but the Merrimack football team dropped its season opener 45-26 to
Slippery Rock University Thursday night in front of 6,513 fans atN.
Kerr Thompson Stadium.
SRU running back Akeem Slatterfield led the way with four
touchdowns and a career-high 240 yards on 25 carries.
The Rock jumped out to a 17-0 lead through one quarter, getting
on the board just 1:04 into the game on a 73-yard touchdown
reception from Devin Coda.
Suozzo was intercepted on his first pass of the season, and
following a 43-yard field goal from C.J. Bahr and a one-yard
quarterback sneak from Ryan Sabo, the hosts had a big lead after
one quarter, racking up 152 total yards to Merrimack's 37 in the
first 15 minutes.
Suozzo got the Warriors on the board midway through the second,
completing an impressive nine-play, 89-yard drive in 3:54 with a
13-yard scoring rush. On the drive, Suozzo rushed for 31 yards and
threw for 45, including three passes to Greg Abelli
(Billerica, MA), one of them for 29 yards.
But the Rock answered right back 37 seconds before halftime,
pushing the score to 24-6 following a 1-yard run from Slatterfield.
Suozzo added three rushing touchdowns 5:16 apart in the fourth
quarter and connected with Isaiah Voegeli
(Hyannis, MA) on a two-point conversion, closing the
deficit to 12 at 38-26, but the Rock added a late score to seal the
Warriors' fate.
Setting the school record with four rushing scores in a game,
Suozzo finished with 259 total yards, completing 22 of 36 passes
for 166 yards, while rushing for 93 yards on 13 carries. Abelli (9
receptions, 92 yards) and Shane Ferguson
(Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) (10 receptions, 63 yards) were
his favorite targets as Suozzo found five different receivers.
Abelli, who transferred to Merrimack from Northeastern, also rushed
for 26 yards on three carries.
Shawn Loiseau
(Shrewsbury, MA), who set a school record for tackles in a
season last year, recorded a team-high 12 tackles, with Radoslaw
Szwelicki (Southington, CT) adding ten. Nick
Desjardins (Somerville, MA) and John O'Leary
(Methuen, MA) each added a sack in the losing effort.
Sabo totaled 138 passing yards on 9-of-19 passing as the Rock
racked up 411 total yards.
Merrimack (0-1) is idle until September 18 when it visits FCS
opponent and former NE-10 rival Bryant University for a 1 p.m.
kickoff in Smithfield, RI.
