Football's Late Comeback Attempt Stopped by LIU Post; Warriors Drop 27-24 Road Decision Saturday
Links: Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Trailing by three with 30 seconds to play, the Merrimack College football team nearly drew even with last year's Northeast-10 Conference league champion, but the Warriors' game-tying field goal – and comeback attempt – fell short, as LIU Post held on for a 27-24 league victory on Saturday afternoon at Bethpage Stadium.
The Basics
Score: LIU Post 27, Merrimack 24
Records: Merrimack (2-4, 2-3 NE-10) | LIU Post (4-2, 3-2 NE-10)
Location: Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium | Brookville, N.Y.
How It Happened
After winning back-to-back games – including an upset road win at New Haven last weekend – the Warriors marched into Saturday's matchup against the Pioneers with momentum on their side and were looking to gain ground in the wide-open NE-10 standings that saw eight teams separated by one game heading into the day.
Carrying over from last week, the Warrior defense was remarkable in the first half, holding the Pioneers off the board over the course of the first 30 minutes thanks in part to a pair of interceptions juniors Brian Carroll (Sudbury, Mass.) and Randy Quartey (Worcester, Mass.). Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore Stephen Camarro (North Reading, Mass.) knocked in a 39-yard field goal with 2:16 left in the second quarter to give the visitors a 3-0 lead at the break.
LIU Post would come flying out of the gate to start the third, taking the lead on an 11-play, 75-yard drive before taking advantage of a Merrimack interception to set up another seven-play scoring drive. Following a Merrimack punt, the Pioneers found the end zone again, this time needing only three plays to drive 56 yards to cap off a 20-point outburst in a span of 9:48.
The Warriors needed only two plays on their next drive to respond; after sophomore tailback Derrick Villard (Cromwell, Conn.) burst ahead for a 45-yard gain on the ground that was benefitted by an LIU personal foul penalty that tacked on 15 more yards, junior Nick Davis (Oxnard, Calif.) found senior Jere Brown (Freeport, N.Y.) from 13 yards out to get the Warriors to within 10 (20-10) with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
Merrimack kept the momentum in its favor after Carroll came up with his second pick of the day on the Pioneers' next drive, but wound up punting after failing to move the chains. The Pioneers would do the same, and this time, the Warriors would capitalize. Taking over near midfield, Davis moved the chains on a quick seven-yard completion to sophomore Cody Demers (Dratcut, Mass.). After Villard and senior tailback Adriell Mayes (Chesapeake, Va.) gained over 20 yards combined on subsequent rush plans, Merrimack found itself in the red zone, and two plays later, sophomore Joe Capobianco (Oceanside, N.Y.) – playing not far from his hometown of Oceanside – made the most of his one pass attempt of the game, finding Brown from nine yards out to make it a one-possession game (20-17) early in the fourth quarter.
The Pioneers would respond with a 12-play drive that spanned 75 yards and ended with Jeff Kidd connecting with wideout Shane Hubbard for a 20-yard touchdown pass-and-catch, pushing the lead back up to double-digits (27-17).
Merrimack was undeterred and answered on its next drive, going 11 plays and 85 yards in less than four minutes. Davis kept the drive alive with a 10-yard scamper for a key first down and then found Demers for an eight-yard first down on a 4th and 6. The key play was a 29-yard completion to Brown that brought the Warriors to the LIU 25, and three players later they were in the end zone after Davis hooked up with Demers from 13 yards out to make it a three-point game again.
The hosts would go three and out on the next drive and were forced to punt it back, as Merrimack had a golden opportunity to tie or take the lead with 2:19 to go after getting the ball near midfield. The drive appeared promising after a 17-yard completion by Demers put the Warriors just outside the red zone, but the drive stalled from there after three straight incompletions and an interception on fourth down.
Merrimack's defense would not back down, stopping the Pioneers on a 3rd and 5 that, if converted, would've ended the game. Thus, the Pioneers would punt the ball back one last time, and Merrimack took over near midfield. Davis found freshman receiver Marquis Spence (Lodi, N.J.) for a 22-yard gain and the latter stopped the clock after going out of bounds, but two subsequent incomplete passes forced Merrimack to attempt a 51-yard field goal with six seconds left that would've tied the game.
The kick would fall short, giving the Pioneers the ball back for good and, ultimately, the victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Juniors Carey Wells-Jowers (Baltimore, Md.) and Devonte Jones (Baltimore, Md.) both shared the team lead with 14 tackles, while the former finished with one of the Warriors' season-high six sacks; as a team, Merrimack recorded a season-high 93 tackles
- Merrimack's three interceptions were also a season-high, as Caroll now has three interceptions over the last two weeks; Quartey's was also the first of his career
- LIU held the slight edge in total offense (387-366) thanks to 215 rushing yards; the Warriors weren't bad on the ground either, totaling 173 rushing yards
- Third-down efficiency continued to haunt the Warriors, who finished with only six conversions in 16 tries (38%)
- Villard's 103 yards were a season- and career-high, marking the first time the sophomore eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards in his career
Up Next
After a three-week absence, Merrimack returns to North Andover as part of Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 17. The Warriors will square off against Saint Anselm in the marquee athletics event of the weekend, with kickoff at Martone-Mejail Field set for 1 p.m.
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