Carroll's Interception, Villard's Late TD Rush Lead Football to Come-From-Behind Victory at SCSU
Links: Box Score
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Trailing by seven with nearly four minutes to play, the Merrimack College football team never panicked; junior quarterback Nick Davis (Oxnard, Calif.) tied the game on a touchdown pass form 11 yards out before junior safety Brian Carroll (Sudbury, Mass.) gave the ball back to the Warriors in the very next series, and sophomore Derrick Villard (Cromwell, Conn.) completed the comeback with a two-yard scoring rush to send the Warriors a 21-14, come-from-behind victory at Southern Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 21, Southern Conn. 14
Records: Merrimack (6-4, 6-3 NE-10) | Southern Conn. (3-7, 3-6 NE-10)
Location: Jess Dow Field | New Haven, Conn.
NE-10 Championship Weekend Outlook
No. 1 Assumption will host No. 2 New Haven in Ne-10 Championship Game
Odd-numbered seeds host even-numbered seeds
Merrimack will finish third, fourth or fifth depending on LIU/Stonehill results
- Assumption (7-1)
- New Haven (7-2)
- Merrimack (6-3) Defeated Bentley/New Haven/AIC; Lost to Stonehill/Assumption/LIU
- Stonehill (5-3) Has wins over Merrimack, LIU Post & Bentley
- LIU Post (5-3) Has wins over Merrimack
- Bentley (4-4) Lost to Stonehill/New Haven/Merrimack/Assumption; Yet to play LIU Post
- American Int'l (4-5) Defeated SCSU
- Southern Connecticut (3-6)
- St. Anselm (2-7)
- Pace (0-9)
How It Happened
With a chance to finish with six conference wins for the first time since winning the NE-10 regular season title in 2009 and rise all the way to No. 2 in the league standings based on Saturday's results not only in New Haven, but across the league, the Warriors met the Owls on the gridiron looking for their fourth straight victory and fifth in six weeks.
The game started slow, as neither side found the end zone in the opening quarter. SCSU took a 7-0 lead when quarterback Robert Nittolo connected with Devante Jenkins from eight yards out to cap off an eight-play, 52-yard drive early in the second quarter, but the Warriors answered shortly after, as Davis took it into the end zone himself from seven yards out to wrap up a 13-play, 66-yard sequence that evened the game at 7-7.
That score held not only through halftime, but all the way through the third quarter, as both defenses were on display through 45 minutes.
Merrimack had a golden opportunity to take the lead after getting the ball back of an SCSU fumble, but the Warriors promptly gave it right back by means of an interception. Merrimack's defense did not bend, turning away the Owls on three straight plays to get the ball back in the offense's hands, but then another fumble gave SCSU great field position to try and take the lead.
The Owls would do just that, going six plays and covering 32 yards before Nittolo scored on a QB keeper from two yards out to put the hosts on top by a 14-7 margin.
Things looked bleak after Merrimack lost seven yards in three plays on its next drive, but the defense and special teams would come to the rescue again; after forcing another SCSU punt, freshman Enrique McFarlane (West Hempstead, N.Y.) blocked the kick to give the Warriors the ball back in SCSU territory with 4:17 to go.
Merrimack would need only five plays to cover 44 yards before Davis found sophomore Devin O'Reilly (Glastonbury, Conn.) from 11 yards away for the tying score, making it a 14-14 game with 2:35 to play.
Then, three plays into SCSU's next drive, Carroll came up with one of his biggest takeaways, as the junior defense back's dream season continued with his single-season-record-tying sixth interception of the year to set the Warriors up deep in Owl territory.
With time running out, Davis moved the chains with a 20-yard completion to O'Reilly, and then after Davis took the ball eight yards and down to the SCSU 2, Villard punched it in from two yards away for the game-winner, as the Warriors completed the comeback in dramatic fashion.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack outgained SCSU slightly (259-231) on the afternoon, and the Warriors also forced the Owls into three turnovers
- Senior lineman Brett Harrington (Chelmsford, Mass.) led the way with 10 tackles, while junior Tyree Holmes (Capitol Heights, Md.) finished with a team-high two sacks
- O'Reilly highlighted a balanced passing game that saw nine different Warriors haul in at least one reception, as Davis completed 17-of-37 (45.9%) of his passes for one TD and one interception
- Villard finished with 39 yards rushing, just ahead of Davis' 37
- Merrimack's defense held SCSU to only an 8-of-18 clip on third-down efficiency
Up Next
Depending on the outcome of Saturday's remaining games, Merrimack will either be home to host Stonehill or Bentley or on the road against LIU Post as part of NE-10 Championship Weekend.
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