ALFRED, NY – Senior quarterback Tyler Johnson scored on a two-yard touchdown run on Alfred University's first possession of overtime, giving the Saxons a 33-27 victory over visiting Bridgewater (MA) State in an NCAA Division III championship tournament first-round game Saturday afternoon at Yunevich Stadium.
AU (11-0), the top-ranked team in its eight-team bracket, found itself down by four points late in the fourth, before a 34-yard TD pass from Johnson to senior wide receiver Emile Frigon with3:45 left gave the Saxons a 27-24 lead.
Bridgewater (8-3) turned the ball over on downs at the Alfred 41-yard line on its ensuing possession, but the Bears got one more chance when AU went three-and-out, with a short punt into a stiff wind giving the visitors the ball at their own 48. Eight plays later, Danny Savignano booted a 43-yard field goal to tie the game at 27-27 and send it into overtime.
Bridgewater got the ball first, starting at the Alfred 25. Seven plays later the Bears had the ball at the AU 19, facing a third-and-15, before Danny Higgins' pass to the endzone was intercepted by AU senior strong safety Liam Hobbins (Saco, ME/Cheverus). On Alfred's possession, the Saxons used five plays to move to the Bear 2-yard-line, and Johnson scored on a run up the middle to give AU the win.
The Saxons' 11th win of the year is a new school single-season record. AU advances to play Western New England University next Saturday (Nov. 26) at home at a time to be announced. Wester New England advanced to the second round with a 44-27 win over visiting Husson University on Saturday.
Each team turned the ball over on their initial possessions of the game: AU on a fumble at the Bridgewater 45 and the Bears two plays later on Hobbins' first interception of the game, at the Alfred 45 (returned to the Bear 40). Alfred drove to the Bridgewater 14 before junior Trevor Monk booted a 31-yard field goal to give the Saxons a 3-0 lead with 8:40 left in the first.
Bridgewater went ahead early in the second, when Higgins tossed a 32-yard TD pass to Travis Bassett on fourth-and four, putting the Bears up 7-3 45 seconds into the second. Alfred answered right away, with sophomore Jayden Gavidia returning the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to put Alfred up 10-7.
The Bears pulled to within a point, at 10-9, when they scored a safety off a blocked punt with 9:30 left in the half.
Bridgewater pulled back in front on the Bears' first possession of the second half, starting at their own 25 and driving 75 yards in seven plays, with Malik Garrett scoring on a three-yard run with 4:14 into the third. Alex McLaughlin's two-point conversion run gave his team a 17-10 advantage.
Alfred answered right back on the Saxons' next possession, marching 67 yards in nine plays, with senior tailback Casey Bright capping the drive with a three-yard TD run that tied it at 17-17 with 6:51 left in the third. Bridgewater got a 33-yard TD pass from Higgins to Jack Levanchy 2:21 later to put the Bears back on top, 24-17, with 4:24 left in the third.
AU scored 10 straight points to take the late lead. Monk's 24-yard field goal 43 seconds into the final frame made it 24-20, and the Saxons took a 27-24 lead on Johnson's pass down the seam to Frigon. Savignano's line-drive kick with the wind just cleared the crossbar for the late game-tying field goal.
Alfred struggled to move the ball in the first half, gaining just 90 yards of offense. The Saxons, with one of the top rushing attacks in the country (more than 240 yards per game), managed just 58 in the first 30 minutes. Alfred would kick its running game into gear after intermission, finishing the contest with 229 yards on the ground and 405 yards of offense overall.
Johnson finished with 113 yards rushing and a TD and Bright had 101 yards and a score. Johnson was 15-of-25 passing for 176 yards and a touchdown. Frigon caught five passes for 89 yards and Bright had six catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Higgins completed 13 of 27 passes for 193 yards, with two TDs and two interceptions. Bassett caught seven passes for 117 yards and a TD and Levanchy had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. McLaughlin finished with 78 yards rushing for a Bear offense that produced 327 yards.
Freshman linebacker Isaiah Moak had a game-high 19 tackles (one for loss) for AU. Junior linebacker A.J. LiCata added 12; senior end Charles Branwell had seven; and Hobbins had six to go with his two interceptions.
Charles McCarthy had 11 tackles and Stephen Jacobs nine (1½ for loss) to pace the Bridgewater defense. Matt Halaby had seven tackles (three for loss, one sack) and a fumble recovery and A.J. Pascuzzo had six stops (one for loss) and a forced fumble for the Bears.