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Highlights
NORTH ANDVOER, Mass. – The Merrimack College football team had opportunities to take an early lead but turnovers proved to be costly, as the Warriors dropped their home opener to visiting Bentley University, 17-7, in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Essentials
Score: Bentley 17,
Merrimack 7
Records: Merrimack (1-2, 1-1 NE10) | Bentley (2-1, 2-0 NE10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
Attendance: 1729
Duration: 3:00
Key Moments
- Merrimack had two early opportunities to take the lead, getting as close as the Bentley 9 on the first drive of the game and then again near the red zone on its second offensive possession, but a pair of interceptions in the end zone kept it scoreless in the early goings of the contest. The Warriors also had a chance late in the half and got down to the Bentley 29 before turning the ball over on downs.
- Bentley scored on its first drive of the second half, going 74 yards to open up a 10-0 lead.
- Merrimack again threatened on its second drive of the second half, getting all the way down inside the Bentley 10 before another interception in the end zone kept them off the board.
- The defense quickly responded by forcing a fumble, but Merrimack was unable to do much with it on its next offensive possession, and Bentley took advantage on its next possession, scoring again early in the fourth quarter to take a 17-0 lead.
- Redshirt freshman Jovan Grant's (Boston, Mass.) first career interception helped set up a fourth-quarter Merrimack touchdown, which was tallied by senior tailback Derrick Villard (Cromwell, Conn.), to get Merrimack on the board.
Rapid Recap
- Quarter 1 – Neither Merrimack nor Bentley got on the board in a first quarter that featured three combined turnovers. Merrimack was picked off twice in the red zone, while Bentley lost the ball on its first possession of the game after senior Thomas Kinton (York, Maine) forced a fumble, but the game stayed scoreless after 15 minutes.
- Quarter 2 – The defensive battle continued in the second quarter; Bentley managed to scrape together three points on a field goal midway through the frame, but three of the Warriors' first four offensive possessions ended in punts and their final drive of the half came up just short at the Bentley 29.
- Quarter 3 – Bentley raced out of the locker room with a 10-play, 74-yard scoring drive that ended with Falcons running back Martin Bannerman Jr. scampering in from seven yards out to push the visitors ahead, 10-0. Merrimack was threatening again but its third interception of the game midway through the quarter ended another promising drive. The Warriors then got the ball back after Grant – who had a stellar defensive day – forced a fumble to give the hosts the ball back with just under five minutes left in the third, but the Warriors were unable to capitalize from an offensive standpoint to keep the deficit at 10.
- Quarter 4 – Bentley's offense strung together an 11-play, 76-yard drive that spanned the end of the third quarter into the start of the fourth, as Bannerman Jr. found the end zone again on a short rush from two yards away to boost the Bentley lead to 17-0. Merrimack lost the ball on a fumble on its next drive but Grant's first career pick set up Merrimack's one touchdown of the afternoon, as Villard capped off a nine-play, 64-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown to get the hosts on the board. The Warrior defense, meanwhile, forced three straight three-and-outs, but Bentley's defense capitalized on another interception to hold off the Warriors' comeback bid.
Notes and Notables
- Redshirt junior Cody Demers (Dracut, Mass.) had a productive afternoon with seven catches and 114 receiving yards and added 54 return yards for over 160 all-purpose yards.
- In addition to Grant's defensive heroics, junior Jesse Jones (Newark, N.J.) had a monster day with a career-high 14 tackles to lead all Warriors.
Up Next
Merrimack heads to Worcester where it will face 2015 NE10 champion Assumption College, which has qualified for the last two NCAA Tournaments, next Saturday (Sept. 23). Kickoff against the Greyhounds is set for 1 p.m.
