Late Punt Return TD Dooms Football in 33-19 Setback at Stonehill Saturday Night
Late Punt Return TD Dooms Football in 33-19 Setback at Stonehill Saturday Night
Links: Box Score
EASTON, Mass. – After its offense stalled with the score tied at 19-all, the Merrimack College football team punted it back to host Stonehill hoping the defense could muster one last stop late in regulation, but Nate Robitaille returned that punt 52 yards to the house for the game-deciding score, as the Skyhawks upended the Warriors, 33-19, on Saturday night at W.B. Mason Stadium.
The Basics
Score: Stonehill 33, Merrimack 19
Records: Merrimack (2-2, 2-1 NE-10) | Stonehill (2-2, 2-1 NE-10)
Location: W.B. Mason Stadium | Easton, Mass.
How It Happened
After tying the game midway through the fourth, Merrimack got the ball back at its own 20-yard line but wasn't able to do much, and with the score still even, the Warriors punted it back to Stonehill with 2:15 to play.
With the way both defenses had been playing, there was certainly a chance that Merrimack would have that chance to tie the game on its very next possession.
But sure enough, it was a special teams play that decided the games, as Robitaille took care of things himself, busting through the left seam, making a move around a pair of defenders before finding daylight down the left sideline, taking it in from 52 yards out to send the Skyhawks to victory.
Suddenly trailing, the Warriors got the ball back pinned back deep needing to move the chains quickly to respond, but Stonehill's defense – one of the league's best – answered when it needed to, as Merrimack turned the ball over on downs to give it back to the hosts.
Once again, Stonehill needed just one play – this time on offense – as Colin Markus iced it with a 21-yard scoring dash on the very next play from scrimmage, accounting for the final margin of victory for the home side.
Merrimack set the tone in the opening half by scoring the first two touchdowns of the game, as freshman Joe Capobianco (Oceanside, N.Y.) connected for 45 yards with junior Jere Brown (Freeport, N.Y.) just past the five-minute park, and later in the first quarter, the freshman quarterback found sophomore Justin Mount (Westford, Mass.) from 15 yards out to make it 12-0 before Stonehill blocked the ensuing point-after attempt and returned it to the house for a two-point conversion in the Skyhawks' favor.
Stonehill promptly drove into Merrimack territory on its next drive to start the second quarter, but the Warrior defense turned the Skyhawks away in the red zone, as the hosts were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal to make it 12-5.
Late in the half, the Warriors had another chance to add to their lead but stalled deep in Stonehill territory; the home side capitalized on that misfire, driving 85 yards over the final 2:31 of the half and drew even on a 15-yard pass from Tom Sydeski to Steve Grzywacz to make it 12-12 at the end of 30 minutes.
Stonehill carried that momentum right into the second half, as the hosts needed only six plays and 72 yards before Colin Markus capped it off with a three-yard scamper to push the Skyhawks ahead, 19-12.
Both sides would spend the remainder of the third quarter and the start of the fourth punting it back to one another, as neither defense yielded much.
But just after the 9:00 mark in the fourth, Capobianco marched the offense downfield over seven plays and 80 yards, using two big completions to juniors Frankie Dunn (Malden, Mass.) and Brown to set up the game-tying 15-yard strike to senior Zach Ingalls (Westford, Mass.), making it 19-all with 6:46 to play.
The Warrior defense forced yet another Stonehill punt, as Merrimack started the next drive at its own 20 but came up short, and on the ensuing Merrimack punt Robitaille brought it to the house for the game-deciding score.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack finished with a 417-333 advantage in total offense after outgaining Stonehill by a 283-216 margin in the first half (260-161 passing)
- Junior linebacker Jon Hooper (Pembroke, Mass.) and senior linebacker AJ Roberto (Lynnfield, Mass.) led the defense with 12 and 10 tackles, respectively; the former joined seniors Chris Unis (Gloucester, Mass.) and Ben Polci (Newton, Mass.) in the sack department, as Merrimack finished with three quarterback takedowns in the backfield on the night
- Merrimack's defense forced five consecutive Stonehill punts at one point in the second half
- Capobianco completed a career-high 35 passes and tossed for 399 yards with three TDs and two interceptions despite five Stonehill sacks
- Brown broke out for his most productive game of the year, hauling in a season-high 11 receptions for 165 yards and his second receiving score of the season
- Junior punter Jay White (Hopkinton, N.H.) had several long boots on the night, pinning Stonehill inside the 20 on one occasion while his six punts averaged 38.8 yards per attempt (223 total)
- Offensively, the Warriors finished only 7-of-18 (39%) on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth downs
Up Next
Merrimack returns home to welcome Saint Anselm next Saturday, Oct. 4, to Martone-Mejail Field for another conference clash. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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