Football Notches First Win of 2014, Tops Pace, 75-2
Football Notches First Win of 2014, Tops Pace, 75-2, Saturday
Links: Box Score
OSSINING, N.Y. – The Merrimack College football team poured it on early and often, building a 52-point lead at the end of 30 minutes as the Warriors eased by Pace, 75-2, for their first overall and Northeast-10 Conference win of the 2014 campaign on Saturday at Ann M. Dorner Middle School.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 75, Pace 2
Records: Merrimack (1-1, 1-0 NE-10) | Pace (0-2, 0-1 NE-10)
Location: Ann M. Dorner Middle School | Ossining, N.Y.
What They Said
Head Coach Dan Curran: "I though the kids bounced back with a good effort on both sides of the ball. There were too many missed opportunities last week and when you do that against a very good team like Bryant the end result isn't going to be good. Our defense was physical all afternoon and we cleaned up some assignment errors from last week. Offensively, we were sharp in the first half and had some big plays but we need to be much more consistent next week. LIU Post has looked very impressive so far so we will have our hands full. They are a tough, physical football team and we are going to need a solid week of practice to be able to match up with them."
How It Happened
After being limited to just 14 points a week ago against Division I Bryant, Merrimack's potent offense was unleashed right off the bat, scoring its first of eight first-half touchdowns less than four minutes into the contest to establish momentum in the early goings.
Merrimack outgained the Setters by a 480-68 margin in the first half, highlighted by 379 passing yards and six touchdowns off the arm of rookie quarterback Joe Capobianco (Oceanside, N.Y.), who connected with seven different receivers in the opening 30 minutes and hooked up with four different players on scoring plays, including two apiece to junior Frankie Dunn (Malden, Mass.) and sophomore Justin Mount (Westford, Mass.). Junior Armond McRae (Nashua, N.H.) also scampered in for two more touchdowns and tore up 130 yards on the ground.
Defensively, the Warriors forced three turnovers, including the first career interceptions by both sophomores Devonte Jones (Baltimore, Md.) and Brian Carroll (Sudbury, Mass.). Senior Chris Unis (Gloucester, Mass.) forced a fumble in the first half, as the Setters' only points came on special teams after blocking a field goal and returning it for a two-point conversion.
A 22-yard pick-six by Jones took the wind out of the hosts' sails early in the third quarter, as Merrimack's offense manufactured two more scoring drives the rest of the way, featuring junior Adriell Mayes' (Chesapeake, Va.) first rushing touchdown with the Navy and Gold, as well as a 22-yard pass-and-catch from senior Luke Bakanowsky (Ashburnham, Mass.) to Dunn to round things out.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack finished with over 600 yards of total offense, featuring 464 in the air and 152 on the ground, good for 615 total
- Capobianco finished 23-of-34 for 416 yards in the air and six scoring strikes, with Dunn leading all receivers with 127 yards and three TDs; senior Menos Bouquette's (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) 70-yard catch early in the first quarter went as the longest of the game for either side
- Senior linebacker AJ Roberto (Lynnfield, Mass.) joined Unis in the forced fumble department and paced the Warriors on defense with a game-high nine tackles and had one of the team's five sacks; classmate Carl Brescia (Farmingdale, N.Y.) led the way with two sacks himself
- McRae finished one yard shy of his career high of 135, which he coincidentally enough established last year against Pace; the junior tailback tallied two scores on the ground while Mayes added his first rushing score in a Merrimack uniform in the second half
- Merrimack was extremely efficient on third and fourth down, converting 8-of-13 (62%) on third-down tries and was 1-of-2 on fourth downs
- Pace did win the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 32:50 compared to 27:10 for Merrimack
Notes and Notables
Defensively, the Warriors allowed the fewest points in a game since blanking Husson, 23-0, at home on Sept. 12, 2009 … Merrimack's 615 yards of total offense were the most since putting up 624 against Pace last September 28 at home … The Warriors finished with three 600-yard performances on offense last year, including a 729-yard output in Week 2 at American International.
Up Next
After back-to-back road games, the Warriors host LIU Post in their home opener next Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff at Marotne-Mejail Field is set for 1 p.m.
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