By Anthony Caruso
Staff Writer
The College’s football team could have let the Ursinus blowout hurt them in their game with FDU-Florham. But despite going into the fourth quarter with a losing score, the Lions mounted a comeback, scoring two rushing touchdowns late in the game. The 14 points off of the first two rushing touchdowns of the season helped secure the team’s first win of the season, 17-13, over the FDU-Florham Devils Friday, Sept. 12.
“(Friday) night was a great way to rebound from the Ursinus game,” sophomore quarterback Michael Marchesano mentioned. “Our team really needed to come back and play hard. That’s what we did.”
With 1:59 left in the game, the defense allowed a nine-play, 82-yard drive that would end with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Maurer to Malik Pressley. The extra point failed, giving the Lions a 17-13 lead.
“The touchdown by Pressley was well executed, but they would need more than the six points that they got,” freshman running back Khani Glover said. “When we went back on offense, it was just a matter of running out the clock and not making any mistakes that could result in points their way.”
Following the touchdown, the Lions rushed for eight-yards, and Colin Cazzetta had a 57-yard punt to push the Devils inside their own 20-yard line. On the punt, FDU-Florham was called for roughing the kicker, which gave the Lions the first down.
Marchesano would rush for a one-yard loss before kneeling the ball. Then, the time expired on the Devils comeback attempt.
The College took the lead at 10:38 in the fourth on a five-play, 23-yard drive, allowing Frank Fuccello to score on a five-yard rushing touchdown.
“The play by Fuccello that gave us the 10-7 lead was a game changer,” Glover said. “It gave us the momentum we needed to turn things around.”
Glover, who was making his collegiate debut, led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 38 yards. At 4:25 left in the fourth, he scored a two-yard touchdown to increase the lead by 10 points.
“As a team, we knew that the two-yard run was what we needed,” Glover said. “Points on the board made it a two-possession game late in the 4th quarter. It gave our defense some breathing room, even if a couple mistakes were made. The touchdown for me capped off a great drive with tremendous team efforts that resulted in my first collegiate touchdown.”
The Lions trailed 7-3 at halftime. Cazzetta booted a 29-yard field goal through the uprights at 6:51 in the second. The Devils took a 7-0 lead in the first when Pressley caught a nine-yard pass from Maurer.
The College was without two of their better players for this game. Running back Victor Scalici and Tight End Ryan Baranowsky missed the game. Both players, who played in the Ursinus game, could have been resting for the upcoming game.
“Scalici and Baranowsky are great players, and anyone would love to have them on the field,” Marchesano said. “But their replacements really stepped up and played well.”
The Lions return home to Lions Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 20, at they host national powerhouse University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. This will be the first meeting between the two teams, as the Warhawks make their first-ever trip to the Ewing campus.
In their first two games, the Warhawks have averaged 57.5 points per game. They had a season-high 73 points in their season opening win over the Waldorf Warriors, an NAIA school. The national champions are also allowing 10 points per game.
“Obviously, they are a great team,” Marchesano stated. “We need to go to practice everyday and prepare for the game just like we would any other week.”
