ALFRED, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2005 – Springfield College sophomore fullback Jason Williams (East Falmouth, Mass.) rushed for a career-high 118 yards on 26 carries and senior fullback Andre Clayton (Manchester, Conn.) ran for 104 yards, but it was Alfred University that defeated the Pride on Saturday afternoon, 23-22, in overtime at the Saxons’ Merrill Field. The game was each team’s 2005 Empire 8 Conference opener.
With just 3:10 left in the fourth quarter, Alfred clung to a 16-10 lead as SC started its drive on its own 20-yard line. The Pride put together a 14 play, 80-yard drive, however, that culminated with a two-yard touchdown rush with no time remaining on the clock from sophomore halfback Derron Walker (White Plains, N.Y.) that tied the score at 16 apiece. SC brought on the field goal unit for the point-after-attempt (PAT) and the win, but senior Ryan Boyd’s (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) kick was blocked by Saxon sophomore linebacker Blake Fuller to force overtime.
In OT, Alfred started with the ball on the Pride 25-yard line. The Saxons scored quickly on a two-yard rush from senior Brenton Brady, and after the converted extra point, Alfred took a 23-16 lead. SC answered back with another touchdown rush from Walker, this time a four-yard scamper into the end zone. Boyd’s extra point attempt missed wide right, however, as the Saxons hung on to defeat the Pride.
Alfred’s (2-1, 1-0) sophomore tailback Elmer Newsome rushed for a team-best 125 yards on 21 carries, good for a 6.0 yard-per-carry average. Sophomore quarterback Paul Keeley completed 13 of his 26 passes on Saturday for 172 yards. Sophomore kicker Chris Reynolds converted on both of his fourth-quarter field goal attempts, at 22 and 42 yards.
To go along with his 118 yards on the ground, Williams scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Pride an early 7-0 edge. On the defensive side of the ball, SC junior linebacker Andrew Madigan (New Britain, Conn.) continued his solid play with another 11 tackles for the Pride. Sophomore linebacker Seth Trunko (Verona, N.Y.) also chipped in with 11 tackles (four solo) for SC.
The Pride falls to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the Empire 8 as it will next travel to Utica College for SC’s second Empire 8 match-up of the season. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 1.
Michael C. “Mike” DeLong ’74 enters his 31st season as a head football coach in the fall of 2012. He enters his 29th year at Springfield College alone. For the past 28 years, he has been the head coach at Springfield, his alma mater. Mike had also been the head coach at Maine Maritime in Castine, Maine in 1979 and 1980. Read more.
