KINGS POINT, N.Y. — The Gallaudet University football team
suffered a heartbreaking loss to the United States Merchant Marine
Academy on Saturday afternoon as the Mariners scored a touchdown
with one second left on the clock to steal the victory away from
the Bison, 35-34, before 1,012 at Tomb Field.
Bison senior quarterback Jimmy Gardner (St. Augustine, Fla.)
scored his second touchdown in the fourth quarter when he ran in
from two yards out to give GU a 32-28 lead with 1:10 left in
regulation. Gallaudet (0-1) converted the 2-point conversion to
increase the lead to six.
USMMA (1-0) then drove 59 yards on 10 plays in just over a minute
to win the game. Mariner quarterback Derrick Ventre (18-for-33, 177
yards) sailed a high pass to the left corner of the end zone as the
final seconds ticked off the clock. Mariner receiver Chaise Dunn
came down with the 11-yard pass to tie the game at 34. Kicker
Richard Grennen made his fifth extra-point of the game to seal the
win.
"We had plenty of opportunities to win it," said Gallaudet's Chuck
Goldstein after his collegiate head coaching debut. "We gave a
great effort on both sides of the ball. We are well ahead of where
we were last year. We need to regroup because we have nine more
opportunities to win."
The loss ends a three-game winning streak for the Bison that dated
back to October 24, 2009. Gallaudet lost to USMMA 38-14 last season
at home.
Prior to the final minute of regulation the Bison had controlled
the tempo and pace of the fourth quarter. Gallaudet had two
possessions in the decisive fourth and milked nearly 10 minutes off
the clock en route to reclaiming the lead.
USMMA running back Karl Heimbrock (155 rushing yards) scored his
third touchdown of the game two minutes into the fourth quarter to
give the Mariners a 28-20 lead. GU needed to answer as the Merchant
Marine Academy had scored 21 unanswered points in the second
half.
Bison returner Phillip Hayes (Baton Rouge, La.) fielded the
kick-off, broke several tackles and scampered 70 yards down to the
Mariner 16-yard line. Five plays later, Gardner ran in from five
yards out to cut the lead to 28-26. The Bison opted for the 2-point
conversion to try and knot the game at 28 but Gardner's run was
stopped short of the end zone.
Gallaudet's special teams struggled, especially at the kicking
game, as the Mariners received great field position all day.
USMMA's average field position for the game was at its own 47-yard
line.
The Mariners started its second to last drive of the game at
Gallaudet's 37-yard line after a penalty and a short kick to boot.
USMMA was set to add more points to its lead as it sat at the
4-yard line with 8:55 left in the game. Heimbrock was hit in the
backfield and coughed up the ball as junior defensive lineman Shawn
Holder (Lemon Grove, Calif.) came up with the fumble.
The Bison then turned in their longest drive of the game (94 yards
on 16 plays) which ended with a Gardner 2-yard plunge into the end
zone. GU had chewed up seven minutes and 39 seconds off the clock.
Senior running back Cole Johnson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) converted
the 2-point conversion. Gallaudet converted 2-of-5 2-point
conversions and did not attempt an extra-point kick.
Gardner had a career day passing the ball as he completed 4-of-9
attempts for 86 yards and one touchdown. Gardner threw a 26-yard
touchdown to sophomore Ryne Worsham (Chicago, Ill.) at the end of
the second quarter to give the Bison a 14-7 lead. Gardner ran the
ball 15 times for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Hayes led the Bison ground attack as he recorded 103 yards on 11
carries. He gained over half of that total on a 59-yard reverse
that resulted in a touchdown to start the second half for the
Bison. GU led 20-7 with 11:32 left in the third quarter. The Hayes
touchdown was set-up after Gallaudet safety Shelby Bean (Arvada,
Colo.) intercepted Ventre at the Bison 40.
USMMA got on the board first when Heimbrock scored his first
touchdown of the game late in the first quarter. GU outscored USMMA
14-0 in the second quarter and took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Bison sophomore running back Ryan Bonheyo (Frederick, Md.) made a
splash in his Gallaudet debut as he scored the team's first
touchdown of 2010 on a 6-yard run with 5:04 left in the second
quarter. A Mariner fumble, one of three in the game, allowed the
Bison to add another touchdown before the half.
Gallaudet, a top 10 rushing offense last season in Division III,
racked up 294 yards on the ground and had 380 yards of total
offense. Junior fullback Mike Gimeli (Deerpark, N.Y.) had 79 yards
on 18 carries while Johnson tallied 52 yards and Bonheyo added 20
yards.
USMMA gained one more yard then Gallaudet when it came to total
offensive yards (381). In fact, the 381 total offensive yards is
the most a Bison defense had allowed in 10 games since the Mariners
totaled 398 yards in last year's season-opener at Hotchkiss Field.
Heimbrock's 155 rushing yards are the most the Bison have
surrendered in at least two years. Last season the most a running
back gained on the Bison was 137.
Sophomore linebacker Tom Pangia (Hammonton, N.J.) led all Bison
defenders with 14 tackles. Junior transfer linebacker Ty Primous
(Lynwood, Ill.) had a nice debut with seven tackles, one for a loss
of two yards.
The Bison will next face the Williamson Free School of Mechanical
Trade club team in Media, Pa., on September 11.
Last second touchdown spoils season opener for Gallaudet
Sep 04, 2010