/notables/2019/09/week2-top25-roundup

Top 25: River Hawks rally, big battles need overtimes

Susquehanna receiver Frank DePaola crosses the goal line with the game-winning touchdown to lead the River Hawks past Johns Hopkins.
Susquehanna athletics photo by Bill Wood
 

Susquehanna scored three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes to knock off No. 7 Johns Hopkins, Wesley and Delaware Valley went to quadruple overtime and Illinois Wesleyan and UW-La Crosse battled in multiple extra sessions as well in Saturday's early D3football.com Top 25 action.

Michael Ruisch threw two touchdown passes, the second one with eight seconds remaining in the game as Susquehanna rallied to upset No. 7 Johns Hopkins, 28-27. The River Hawks scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Blue Jays for the second consecutive year. Down 24-7 early in the fourth quarter, Susquehanna uncorked drives of 77 yards, 99 yards and 75 yards, the last resulting in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Michael Ruisch to Frank DePaola with eight seconds left. Elijah Hoffman's extra point was the difference-maker.

Ruisch finished the day 25-for-42 passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Susquehanna (2-0) outgained Johns Hopkins on the ground, 130-39. David Tammaro was 32-for-53 passing for 370 yards and a score in the loss. It's the first time in the series history that Susquehanna has beaten Johns Hopkins twice in a row.

Rusty Murphy stripped the ball, picked up the fumble and ran it back 86 yards for a touchdown to lift No. 23 UW-La Crosse to a 33-27 win against No. 14 Illinois Wesleyan in double overtime. Murphy picked up the loose ball after it was stripped from Illinois Wesleyan tight end Chrystian Maciorowski, and he was off to the races. "They were moving the ball like crazy," said UW-La Crosse coach Mike Schmidt. "We were able to get around him. He stays up, we strip the football, Rusty Murphy picks it up and goes. ... That's his second fumble return walkoff touchdown in two years. What can you even say about that?"

It was the seventh takeaway for the Eagles defense, which also picked off Illinois Wesleyan quarterback Brandon Bauer six times. The Titans, playing their season opener, racked up 546 yards of total offense, but needed 105 plays to do it. 

UW-La Crosse jumped out to a 14-0 lead, including a 54-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zach Pierce, and led 17-7 at the half. But the Titans racked up three consecutive drives of 11 plays, 13 plays and 14 plays to take a 20-17 lead. The teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter before Ryan Beirne connected on his second field goal of the day, a 38-yarder which sent the game into overtime and set up Murphy's heroics.

An EJ Lee 7-yard TD in the second overtime was the first touchdown of the game, and that opened the floodgate on offense as No. 22 Wesley eventually survived in quadruple overtime with a 24-18 win at No. 13 Delaware Valley. The Aggies and Wolverines went through 60 minutes of regulation and an overtime with only a field goal apiece to show for it, but the offenses took advantage of worn-out defenses in the extra sessions. The teams traded touchdowns in the second overtime, with Anthony Fontana matching Lee's score to tie it up, and the teams traded TDs with two-point conversions in the third extra session. But it wasn't until Ruhann Peele pulled in a 24-yard TD catch from David Marrocco and Wesley's Coray Williams picked off Anthony Fontana, that the business was settled.

UW-Stevens Point avenged a three-point loss in Crawfordsville last year, defeating No. 21 Wabash 31-28. Wabash stormed back from a 21-7 deficit with three second half Ike James touchdown runs to give Wabash a late lead, but Pointer quarterback Matt Urmanski had the last word, completing six of seven passes on a 75-yard game winning drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown reception by Devin Baldridge. Urmanski finished the day with 329 yards passing and three touchdowns in his return as the Pointers' starter.

UW-Stevens Point rallied for the win vs. No. 21 Wabash.
Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com | More photos from this game
 

The Transit Trophy has nothing to do with your morning commute, but the trophy will take a ride tonight as WPI knocked off No. 19 RPI 6-3 to win the traveling trophy. With touchdowns at a premium, it was Bryce Wade who provided the heroics, with field goals of 25 and 26 yards, the latter coming with just 3:52 left in the game to secure the win. George Marinopoulos was able to complete 27 of 42 passes for the Engineers of RPI, but had just 188 yards to show for it, while Julian Nyland had 189 yards and was 14-for-23 passing for the Engineers of WPI. "(Wade) has had some great tutelage in his time here, being able to learn from both Blaine Bursey and Spencer Herrington," WPI coach Chris Robertson said. "That final punt (30 yards, and a kick inside the 20) by Wade was his biggest kick of the day."

Wyatt Smith passed for 283 yards and four touchdowns, and linebacker Brian Pullman made 15 tackles to lead No. 12 Linfield past Rowan 35-14. After the Profs (0-2) rallied to tie the game at 14 early in the third quarter, the Wildcats (1-0) answered with Jacob Calo's 11-yard touchdown catch from Smith, capping a three-play, 47-yard drive that included runs of 21 and 15 yards by tailback Artie Johnson. Less than four minutes later, Smith lofted a deep pass to Keaton Wood, who hauled in a touchdown to put the 'Cats back in front by two scores, 28-14, with 2:16 left in the third.

Defending national champion and top-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor got its season underway, blowing the game open in the second half of a 56-15 win against Albright. Leading just 17-9 at the half, the Cru (1-0) put Luke Poorman into the game at quarterback, and he led the team on three consecutive touchdown drives, putting the game out of reach. Ryan Redding, the starter at quarterback, was 4-for-11 for 55 yards.

Zach Oles completed 19-of-29 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown and he led the No. 3-ranked Warhawks with 56 yards on the ground as well, as UW-Whitewater rallied to win 20-10 at Concordia-Moorhead. Early in the fourth quarter, Concordia drove deep into Warhawk territory, but defensive back Mark McGrath picked off Blake Kragnes in the end zone for a touchback with 11:52 to play. On the ensuing drive, UW-Whitewater drove 80 yards on 14 plays, converting two third downs and a fourth down late in the drive. On second-and-10 from the Cobbers' 14-yard line, Oles took a quarterback draw untouched into the end zone for a 20-10 lead with 4:59 to go. The teams exchanged punts, but the Warhawks forced and recovered a fumble on the punt return with 1:54 remaining to seal the win.

No. 9 Hardin-Simmons survived a defensive battle, holding Trinity (Texas) to 202 yards of total offense in a 16-10 win. The Tigers (1-1) kicked a short field goal to cut the deficit to six points on the first play of the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over on their next possession, and never got out of their own territory on their final two times with the ball. Jamie Pogue kicked three short field goals to help keep H-SU (1-0) on the scoreboard, while Jaquan Hemphill had 91 yards on 17 carries.

Nov. 15: All times Eastern
Final
at Austin 16, Centenary (La.) 14
@ Little Rock, Arkansas
Video Video Box Score
Final
Lebanon Valley 38, at Albright 35
Video Box Score
Final
at Mass-Dartmouth 42, Plymouth State 21
Video Box Score
Final
at Misericordia 27, King's 21
Video
Final
at Delaware Valley 28, Widener 7
Video
Final
at Anna Maria 62, Dean 15
Video Box Score
Final
at Ithaca 26, Cortland 21
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Salve Regina 45, at WPI 9
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Massachusetts Maritime 20, Bridgewater State 7
Video Box Score
Final
Ohio Northern 56, at Otterbein 14
Video Box Score Photos
Final
at Wilkes 38, Western Connecticut 0
Video
Final
at Endicott 45, Curry 17
Video Video Box Score
Final
at St. John Fisher 41, Alfred State 14
Video Box Score
Final
Westfield State 10, at Fitchburg State 7
Video Box Score
Final
Geneva 43, at Case Western Reserve 16
Video Box Score
Final
at University of New England 59, New England College 3
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Ursinus 27, Carnegie Mellon 20
Video Box Score
Final
Framingham State 28, at Worcester State 27
Video Box Score
Final
Trinity (Texas) 31, at Maryville (Tenn.) 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Hartwick 52, Hilbert 0
Video
Final
at FDU-Florham 52, Alvernia 3
Video Box Score
Final
Westminster (Mo.) 15, at Northwestern (Minn.) 6
Video Box Score
Final
Merchant Marine 39, at Coast Guard 38
@ Fenway Park; Boston, Mass.
Video Box Score Photos
Final
Susquehanna 48, at Moravian 7
Video Box Score
Final
at St. Lawrence 37, Rochester 17
Video
Final
at Western New England 63, Nichols 20
Video Box Score
Final
John Carroll 48, at Denison 21
Video Box Score
Final
at Husson 48, Maine Maritime 7
Final
Calvin 53, at Albion 24
Video Box Score
Final
at Wittenberg 35, Kenyon 0
Video Video Box Score
Final
Eastern 16, at Stevenson 10
Video
Final
at Muhlenberg 30, Dickinson 17
Video Box Score
Final
Westminster (Pa.) 57, at St. Vincent 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Shenandoah 17, Washington and Lee 14
Video
Final
at Trine 25, Kalamazoo 24
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Brevard 45, N.C. Wesleyan 6
Video Box Score
Final
at Greensboro 13, Methodist 12
Video
Final
at Springfield 23, SUNY-Maritime 7
Video Box Score
Final - OT
at Franklin and Marshall 29, Johns Hopkins 28
Video Live stats
Final
Gettysburg 36, at McDaniel 23
Video
Final
Rowan 47, at Kean 34
Video Box Score
Final
at Washington and Jefferson 67, Thiel 0
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Randolph-Macon 42, Hampden-Sydney 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Ohio Wesleyan 35, Oberlin 0
Video
Final
LaGrange 65, at Southern Virginia 27
Video Box Score
Final
at Allegheny 42, Bethany 6
Video Box Score
Final
at Hobart 35, Buffalo State 9
Video Box Score
Final
at Hope 63, Olivet 6
Box Score Recap
Final
at Alfred 34, Morrisville State 21
Video Box Score
Final
at Union 28, RPI 21
Video Box Score Recap
Cancelled
Roanoke at Averett
Video Live stats
Final
Lycoming 24, at Juniata 16
Video Box Score
Final
Grove City 63, at Hiram 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Montclair State 24, at William Paterson 21
Box Score Recap
Final
Aurora 59, at Concordia-Chicago 26
Video
Final
Bethel 62, at St. Scholastica 0
Video Box Score
Final
Washington U. 35, at Augustana 13
Video
Final
Illinois College 38, at Beloit 7
Video
Final
at Carthage 7, Carroll 3
Video Box Score
Final
Berry 49, at Southwestern 7
Box Score
Final
at St. John's 63, St. Olaf 21
Video Box Score
Final
at Millikin 29, Elmhurst 22
Video
Final
Cornell 22, at Grinnell 17
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Crown 38, at Greenville 20
Video Box Score
Final
at Gustavus Adolphus 38, Macalester 14
Video Box Score
Final
at North Central (Ill.) 24, Illinois Wesleyan 7
Video Box Score
Final
at Concordia (Wis.) 35, Eureka 0
Video Box Score
Final
Wheaton (Ill.) 52, at North Park 6
Video Box Score
Final
at Monmouth 69, Knox 0
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Concordia-Moorhead 31, at Carleton 24
Box Score
Final
at Lake Forest 34, Chicago 28
Video Box Score
Final
Ripon 48, at Lawrence 7
Video Box Score
Final
DePauw 41, at Wabash 20
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Mount St. Joseph 48, at Rose-Hulman 0
Video Box Score
Final
Anderson 26, at Manchester 20
Video Box Score
Final
Capital 28, at Wilmington 27
Video Box Score
Final
at Hanover 51, Franklin 18
Video
Final
at Baldwin Wallace 41, Heidelberg 38
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Mount Union 51, Muskingum 7
Video Box Score
Final
at Marietta 37, Bluffton 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Alma 35, Adrian 34
Video Box Score
Cancelled
Guilford at Bridgewater
Video Live stats
Final
UW-Platteville 55, at UW-Eau Claire 28
Video
Final
at Wartburg 63, Buena Vista 20
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Huntingdon 30, at Belhaven 13
Video Box Score
Final
Coe 13, at Central 7
Video Box Score
Final
at Lakeland 35, St. Norbert 25
Video
Final
at Loras 45, Luther 12
Video
Final
at Martin Luther 36, Minnesota-Morris 14
Video
Final
Mary Hardin-Baylor 65, at Howard Payne 9
Video Box Score
Final
UW-Whitewater 24, at UW-Oshkosh 7
Video Box Score
Final
at Hardin-Simmons 63, East Texas Baptist 14
Video Box Score
Final
UW-La Crosse 52, at UW-Stevens Point 0
Video
Final
at Millsaps 34, Sewanee 20
Video Box Score
Final
Wisconsin Lutheran 14, at Benedictine 10
Video Box Score
Final
UW-River Falls 29, at UW-Stout 19
Video Box Score Photos
Final
Simpson 23, at Nebraska Wesleyan 22
Video Box Score
Final
Centre 28, at Rhodes 3
Video
Final
Utica 28, at Brockport 20
Video Box Score
Final
at Whitworth 59, Puget Sound 31
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Hendrix 55, Lyon 28
@ Little Rock, Arkansas
Video Box Score
Final
Lewis and Clark 28, at Pacific 21
Video Box Score
Final
at Linfield 65, Willamette 19
Video Box Score
Final
at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 5, La Verne 0
Box Score
Final
at Chapman 27, Cal Lutheran 17
Box Score
Final
Pomona-Pitzer 12, at Redlands 0
Box Score Recap
Final
at Pacific Lutheran 55, George Fox 21
Video Box Score
Final
McMurry 27, at Texas Lutheran 19
@ Little Rock, Arkansas
Video Box Score
Nov. 21: All times Eastern
5:00 PM
Merchant Marine at Curry
Video Live stats
Nov. 15: All times Eastern
Final
at Ithaca 26, Cortland 21
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Trinity (Texas) 31, at Maryville (Tenn.) 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Susquehanna 48, at Moravian 7
Video Box Score
Final
John Carroll 48, at Denison 21
Video Box Score
Final
at Hope 63, Olivet 6
Box Score Recap
Final - OT
at Franklin and Marshall 29, Johns Hopkins 28
Video Live stats
Final
at Randolph-Macon 42, Hampden-Sydney 14
Video Box Score Recap
Final
Bethel 62, at St. Scholastica 0
Video Box Score
Final
Wheaton (Ill.) 52, at North Park 6
Video Box Score
Final
at St. John's 63, St. Olaf 21
Video Box Score
Final
at North Central (Ill.) 24, Illinois Wesleyan 7
Video Box Score
Final
Berry 49, at Southwestern 7
Box Score
Final
DePauw 41, at Wabash 20
Video Box Score Recap
Final
at Mount Union 51, Muskingum 7
Video Box Score
Final
UW-Platteville 55, at UW-Eau Claire 28
Video
Final
at Wartburg 63, Buena Vista 20
Video Box Score Recap
Final
UW-Whitewater 24, at UW-Oshkosh 7
Video Box Score
Final
UW-River Falls 29, at UW-Stout 19
Video Box Score Photos
Final
at Hardin-Simmons 63, East Texas Baptist 14
Video Box Score
Final
UW-La Crosse 52, at UW-Stevens Point 0
Video
Final
Coe 13, at Central 7
Video Box Score
Nov. 22: All times Eastern
12:00 PM
Washington and Jefferson at Susquehanna
12:00 PM
Cortland at Springfield
1:00 PM
Ohio Northern at Wabash
@ Canton, Ohio
1:00 PM
Crown at Wheaton (Ill.)