Football Roars Back to Defeat AIC in Home, NE-10 Opener, 16-13, Saturday Night

9/10/2016 12:00:00 AM

Links: Box Score // Highlights // Jones/Davis Postgame

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College football team stormed back from a 13-point deficit thanks to a stellar defensive effort, a huge punt block and timely scoring down the stretch to defeat American International College, 16-13, in the team's home and Northeast-10 Conference opener on Saturday night at Martone-Mejail Field.

The Essentials
Score: Merrimack 16, AIC 13
Records: Merrimack (1-1, 1-0 NE-10) | AIC (0-2, 0-1 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
Attendance: 1583
Duration: 3:03
Weather: Mostly Cloudy // 78 F // Winds SSE 10 MPH

Key Moments

• Both sides wasted chances in a turnover-filled first half; AIC, however, was more opportunistic, scoring a touchdown after a Merrimack interception early in the game before adding three more on a field goal following another interception midway through the second frame
• After the defense held AIC to a field goal after the visitors had a 1^st and goal opportunity, Merrimack went 93 yards over 12 plays before senior Nick Davis (Oxnard, Calif.) lofted a pass to junior Dillon Salva (North Brunswick, N.J.) for the latter's first career touchdown reception as a Warrior to make it a 13-7 contest midway through the third quarter
• Merrimack's defense came up with another huge stop on AIC's very next drive to continue to push the momentum in the Warriors' favor, turning away the Yellow Jackets on a 4^th & 1 at the Merrimack 24
• With AIC pinned back on another 3-and-out to start the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman Damion Wood (Randolph, Mass.) came up with the biggest play of his young career, blocking the ensuing punt straight back and out of the end zone for a safety to make it a four-point game (13-9)
• Merrimack went ahead for good on the following drive, as Davis connected with junior Justin Mount (Westford, Mass.) from eight yards out to wrap up a seven-play, 50-yard drive
• AIC threatened on its penultimate drive of the game, getting as close as the Merrimack 33, but redshirt sophomore Avery Taylor (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Samuel Francois (Riverdale, Md.) joined up for a sack on second down, senior captain Matt Clifford (Billerica, Msas.) broke up a pass on 3^rd & 13, and fellow senior captain Josh Hill (Grosvenordale, Conn.) gave the Warriors the ball back with his third sack of the game
• Hill once again factored in on AIC's final drive of the game, forcing an errant pass that was intercepted by senior Nick Laspada (Billerica, Mass.) to clinch the win

How It Happened

• After both sides traded punts on their opening drives Davis was intercepted to give AIC prime field position and the Yellow Jackets took advantage, as Joseph Czelusniak found Evan Graham from 17 yards out – with the latter making a stellar, one-handed grab to make the score happen – to give AIC an early 7-0 lead
• Both teams went the next five combined drives without putting up any points until AIC intercepted Davis in Merrimack territory and then eventually turned that into a 32-yard field goal to bump the lead to 10-0 midway through the second quarter
• Senior Brian Carroll (Sudbury, Mass.) helped set up the Warriors in AIC territory after coming up with his first interception of the season with just over five minutes to go in the half, but Davis was picked off again on the ensuing drive to give the ball back to the visitors
• After the Merrimack offense was forced to punt for the fifth time of the first half, the Warriors caught a break after the AIC punt returner fumbled and gave the ball back to the home side, but Merrimack was turned away on downs and the Yellow Jackets would run out the clock and head to the locker room with a 10-0 halftime lead
• The Yellow Jackets capitalized on Davis' fourth interception of the game early on in the third quarter, starting the ensuing drive inside Merrimack territory, but the Warrior defense – which was on display all night long – held the Yellow Jackets to a field goal; little did they know that was the final time the visitors would score all night
• Merrimack began the momentum swing with a 12-play, 93-yard drive that featured a 21-yard completion from Davis to redshirt sophomore Shamik Perry (Bowie, Md.) and another nine-yard completion to senior Armond McRae (Nashua, N.H.), but a personal foul call against AIC put the Warriors into AIC territory, where Davis threaded completions to junior Devin O'Reilly (Glastonbury, Conn.), for 15 yards, sophomore Brenton Martin (Marietta, Ga.) for five more, and Mount for 17 to get all the way down to the AIC 1. There, he would thread a perfectly timed loft pass to a wide-open Salva for the latter's first career receiving touchdown at Merrimack, and just like that the Warriors were within four
• AIC appeared to be on its way to answering that score after starting the next drive in Merrimack territory, but the defense turned away the Yellow Jackets on four straight plays from the 33-yard line, capped off by a punishing stop on 4^th & 1 by senior Carey Wells-Jowers (Baltimore, Md.) to turn the ball over on downs
• As the game entered the fourth quarter, the Warrior defense once again came through and forced a punt from deep inside AIC territory; that was when Wood ran through the line untouched and got a clean block on the ball, sending it out of the end zone for a safety that brought Merrimack to within four (13-9)
• It only took seven plays for Merrimack to go 50 yards on the next play, as Perry marched ahead for a 12-yard gain to move the chains and then picked up two more to get another first down and move inside the 20. There, the Warriors drew a pass interference call before Davis found Mount from eight yards out on a 2^nd & goal to give the home side the lead for good.
• From there on out, the Warrior defense assured AIC got no closer, forcing back-to-back punts before Hill came up with a sack on 4^th & 13 from inside Merrimack territory to stop that drive; finally, Hill got pressure and forced an errant pass that Laspada picked off for his first career interception to wrap things up

Facts and Figures

• Redshirt junior Devonte Jones (Baltimore, Md.) led the Warriors with 12 tackles (7 solo), while Wells-Jowers, sophomore Enrique McFarlane (West Hempstead, N.Y.) and Taylor ranked second with eight
• Rounding out the defensive leaders, Hill led all Warriors with three sacks, while McFarlane contributed two and Francois and Taylor split the last one
• Clifford (4) and Hill (3) combined for seven of the team's 10 pass breakups, while McFarlane had a forced fumble, as well
• The last time Merrimack was held scoreless in the first half was, coincidentally enough, the last time it played at home on Nov. 14, 2015, against Stonehill; both the Warriors and Skyhawks were held scoreless in the first half of that game, an eventual 17-14 Merrimack defeat
• Nick Davis: 26-for-47, 196 passing yards, team-high 39 rushing hards (2.3/carry), 2 TD, 4 INT
• O'Reilly: team-high 51 yards on six receptions (8.5/catch); team-best 21-yard reception
• Total Yards (MER // AIC): 315 // 237
• Rushing Yards: 119 // 50
• Passing Yards: 196 // 187
• 3^rd Down Efficiency: 22% (4-18) // 19% (3-16)
• Takeaways: 3 (2 INT, 1FF) // 4 (4 INT)

Up Next
Merrimack heads to nearby rival Bentley University to continue league play next Friday (Sept. 16) night in Waltham. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

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