Football Falls at Bentley, 41-22, Friday Night

9/16/2016 12:00:00 AM

Links: Box Score

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Merrimack College football team dropped its first road conference game of the season on Friday night, falling to Bentley University by a 41-22 margin.

The Essentials
Score: Bentley 41, Merrimack 22
Records: Merrimack (1-2, 1-1 NE-10) | Bentley (2-1, 2-0 NE-10)
Location: Bentley Football Stadium | Waltham, Mass.
Attendance: 1915
Duration: 3:50
Weather: Fair // 68 F // Winds SSW 8-16 MPH

Turning Points

• After a cutting a 10-0 deficit to three thanks to a 10-play, 70-yard drive early in the second quarter, Merrimack surrendered 21 uncontested points in the span of just over two minutes at the end of the half, allowing the Falcons to turn a three-point lead (10-7) into a 24-point halftime advantage (31-7) that they never relinquished
• Bentley got that scoring run started with a long drive that spanned nearly half of the second quarter and 75 total yards and featured conversions on a 3^rd and long and a 4^th and 1 situation, and then blocked a Merrimack punt on the visitors' next drive to take over deep in Warrior territory before scoring shortly thereafter
• The Falcons added insult to injury when Brandon Brown took an interception return to the house from 35 yards out with just over a minute to go in the second quarter, and that capped off the momentum- and game-changing sequence that helped push Bentley to victory

How It Happened

• After both offenses came up empty on their opening drives of the game, Bentley edged ahead with a late-first-quarter touchdown off the arm of quarterback CJ Scarpa, who capped off a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a four-yard pass to classmate Chris Calvanese. The big play of that drive came on a 3^rd & 15 when Scarpa found Sean Myers for a 20-yard gain that set up the Falcons in the red zone, and they would score six plays later.
• Following a Merrimack three-and-out, Bentley added to its lead thanks to a 45-yard rush by Jeff Keil on the first play from scrimmage of the hosts' next drive. Keil got all the way down to the Merrimack 7, but the Warrior defense stood strong and kept the Falcons to just a field goal.
• Merrimack countered on the ensuing drive, with senior quarterback Nick Davis (Oxnard, Calif.) completing 3-of-4 passes during that sequence for over 30 yards while benefitting from a big gain by junior Derrick Villard (Cromwell, Conn.) to move down to the Bentley 1 before Davis took it himself from three yards out to get the Warriors on the board.
• That drive, however, was answered by a 13-play, 75-yard sequence from the Falcons; starting at their own 20, Bentley moved the chains five times – including conversions on a 3^rd and 10, 3^rd and 5 and a 4^th and 1 to eventually set up a two-yard pass from Scarpa to Drew Mahoney for the score
• After the Warriors' next drive stalled at its own 28, Bentley blocked the ensuing punt, recovered and ran it down to the Merrimack 3-yard line, and the hosts capitalized quickly with a 3-yard scoring rush from Matt Montalto to up the lead to 24-7
• Davis' first pass of the next drive wound up in the hands of Bentley defender Brandon Brown, who returned it 35 yards to the house for another Falcons touchdown that gave the hosts a 31-7 halftime lead
• The third quarter would start exactly how the second quarter ended, as Davis had another pass intercepted and returned for a score this time from Junior Chery from 40 yards away, to give the Falcons a 38-7 lead
• The Warriors quickly answered, with Villard accounting 50 of the team's 81 yards gained on the drive before senior Armond McRae (Nashua, N.H.) scampered in from a yard out to trim the deficit to 38-14
• Late in the third, senior defensive lineman and reigning NE-10 Player of the Week Josh Hill (Glastonbury, Conn.) forced a fumble that was recovered by classmate Matt Clifford (Billerica, Mass.), giving the Warriors the ball in Bentley territory, but the Falcons picked off Davis for the third time on the day to negate the opportunity
• After taking over on downs, Merrimack turned to Villard again to set up its final scoring drive of the night, with the junior tailback setting up a touchdown thanks to a 30-yard rush that brought the Warriors inside the 10 before Davis threaded a pass to junior Justin Mount (Westford, Mass.) for his first touchdown of the night
• Redshirt sophomore Oladiran Isijola (Piscataway, N.J.) came up with his first interception of the year on Bentley's next drive, but Merrimack couldn't move the chains on its next drive and the Falcons would add on another late field goal to account for the final margin of defeat

Facts and Figures

• Villard set a new career-high with 104 yards rushing, averaging 8.7 per carry
• Davis finished only 9-of-27 for 98 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions, while Scarpa went 18-of-30 for 144 yards, two scores and a pick
• Sophomore Brenton Martin (Marietta, Ga.) had a solid night in the return game, totaling 106 yards and averaging 21.2 yards per return
• Sophomore Enrique McFarlane (xxMd.) led the Warriors with a career-high 14 tackles (9 solo)
• Total Yards (MER // BEN): 304 // 315
• Rushing Yards: 206 // 171
• Passing Yards: 98 // 144
• 3^rd Down Efficiency: 50% (7-14) // 44% (7-16)
• Takeaways: 2 (1 INT, 1FF) // 3 (3 INT)

Up Next
Merrimack will look to regroup and then welcome reigning NE-10 champion and unbeaten Assumption College to campus next Saturday. Kickoff from Martone-Mejail Field is set for 1 p.m.

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