Davis' Big Day Leads Football to First Win of 2015, 41-10, vs. Bentley Saturday
Links: Box Score | Nick Davis Interview | Dan Curran Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Junior quarterback Nick Davis (Oxnard, Calif.) played a full four quarters throwing for nearly 300 yards and rushing for almost 90 more as the Merrimack College football team defeated Bentley University, 41-10, at Martone-Mejail Field on Saturday afternoon for its first overall victory and first Northeast-10 Conference win of 2015.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 41, Bentley 10
Records: Merrimack (1-3, 1-2 NE-10) | Bentley (1-3, 1-2 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
Playing in North Andover for the second time in as many years, the Warriors and Falcons returned to Martone-Mejail Field after meeting in the NE-10 Championship Weekend last year.
The first drive began slowly for Merrimack as the Warriors went three-and-out to give the ball to the Falcons for the first time, less than two minutes into the opening quarter. The Navy and Gold defense did not wait long to impact the game as on the Falcons' second play, cornerback Oladiran Isijola (Piscataway, N.J.) intercepted quarterback Matt Montalto and took the ball 49 yards to the house for the touchdown. After the extra point and a 23-yard field goal from Stephen Camarro (North Reading, Mass.) later in the quarter, the hosts led by 10 entering the second frame.
The Falcons tacked on a field goal within the opening seconds of the quarter to make it a seven-point lead for the Warriors. On Merrimack's ensuing drive, Davis went to work. Facing a third down from his own 33-yard line, the junior completed a 45-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Cody Demers (Dracut, Mass.) to keep the drive going. Four plays later including a pass interference on the Falcons, senior running back Adriell Mayes (Chesapeake, Va) scored on a one-yard rush to push the score to 14 points, 17-3.
Bentley scored on its next possession to cut the lead down to seven points again, but the Warriors did not let the visitors hang around. Davis drove Merrimack 76 yards down the field capped off by a six-yard strike to senior wide receiver Jere Brown (Freeport, N.Y.) to build a 24-10 advantage. Neither team scored over the final three possessions of the half as Merrimack took its lead into the intermission.
The Merrimack defense played stout over the final 30 minutes, pitching a shutout. Junior captain Josh Hill (Glastonbury, Conn.) picked up two sacks in the second half and recovered a fumble. Linebackers Kristian Jackson (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Thomas Bradley (Gaitherburg, Md.), who moved to 'backer after playing in the secondary to begin the year, tied for the team lead with 11 tackles.
The offense continued to pour it on in the second stanza as well. Another field goal from Camarro started the scoring third quarter before Davis and running back Derrick Villard (Cromwell, Conn.) combined on a well-executed play-action play. With less than two minutes to play in the quarter, Davis faked a hand-off to Villard, who slipped out into the flat uncovered for a 19-yard passing touchdown.
Davis and Brown capped off the scoring with another six-yard connection to make it a 41-10 final. With the win, Merrimack put up at least 40 points at home against Bentley for the second time in the last three years.
Inside The Numbers
- After missing one game and being in-and-out of the lineup for the other three, Davis cemented himself as an impact player for the Navy and Gold. He set a season highs with 286 passing yards and 85 rushing yards, which included three touchdowns on the passing end. He now has five scores through the air over the last two games
- Brown caught nine of Davis' 20 completions for a team-high 73 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Marquis Spence (Lodi, N.J.) came up with two important catches, including a 44-yard reception in the second quarter
- Merrimack defense forced the Bentley offense into turning the ball over six times including an interception, fumble recovery and four times on downs
- Bradley and Jackson led the way in the tackling department, as 10 Warriors finished with at least five tackles. Redshirt-senior captain Ben Polci (Newton, Mass.) joined Hill in the sack department as the Warriors took down Bentley quarterbacks on three occassions
- The interception for Isijola was the first of his career and the run back marked his first-ever trip to the endzone. Jackson and junior Matt Clifford (Billerica, Mass.) tied for the team high with two pass break-ups
Up Next
The Navy and Gold hit the road for two straight weeks, beginning on Saturday at nationally ranked New Haven. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. from West Haven, Conn.
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