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| Salve Regina running back Joey Mauriello has had rushing performances of 261 yards (vs. Norwich), 195 (MIT), 111 (Montclair State) and 309 (Rowan) so far during the 2021 season. Salve Regina athletics photo by Jean Galati |
The week started with nearly 60 unbeaten Division III teams, and a number of unranked teams kept that unbeaten record intact in Week 4, some of them in dramatic fashion.
Salve Regina scored 40 unanswered points to rally and defeat Rowan, 50-35 to remain undefeated and improve to 4-0. Joey Mauriello had a huge afternoon, with 31 carries for 309 yards and two touchdows as the Seahawks came back from deficits of 28-3 and 35-10. After racking up 346 yards on its first five drives of the game, Rowan was shut out for the final 33:23.
It's Salve's second win of the season against an NJAC opponent. Jack Maguire threw for 298 yards and five touchdowns for the Seahawks.
Albion improved to 4-0, holding UW-Eau Claire to three points in the second half of a 23-20 victory. The Thomas brothers combined for two touchdowns, with quarterback Kyle throwing them to his receiver brother Justin. Albion returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a score and took a 13-0 lead before Eau Claire (3-1) rallied to take a 14-13 lead. The Britons were able to keep the Blugolds ground game in check, however, primarily by keeping them off the field in the fourth quarter. Albion held the ball for more than 11 minutes in the final period.
Westminster (Pa.) rallied from a 20-0 deficit and ended up on top once the dust settled from a crazy final 25 minutes. The Titans defeated Grove City 33-32. Westminster had rallied to take a 21-20 lead with 6:09 left in the third and the lead changed hands four times after that. The Wolverines (3-1, 2-1 PAC) seemingly had the win in hand after they wrapped up a 97-yard drive with Josh Ehst hitting Cody Gustafson for a 43-yard touchdown with 2:06 left. But the Titans needed just 52 seconds to answer, as they went 65 yards in just four plays. Cole Konieczka hit Denny Dennison for a 26-yard TD and the Titans were able to hold on from there for the win. Konieczka threw three touchdowns in the win.
Susquehanna improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2000 and won its 12th consecutive game, defeating Dickinson 31-14. Naphtali Stine got the scoring going, as he forced a fumble which was picked up by Riley Gaughan and returned to the Dickinson 20. Four plays later, SU was in the end zone thanks to a 4-yard touchdown plunge by Frankie Negrini. The Susquehanna defense allowed minus-13 yards rushing in the second half and picked off Dickinson twice in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
George Marinopolous connected on 21 of 25 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns to lead RPI to a 41-7 victory over St. John Fisher in the final non-conference game for both teams. Marinopoulous, who is the school's career leader in completion percentage at higher than 60%, connected with 12 receivers in the win. Francis Perry had two interceptions to help register the shutout as RPI improved to 4-0.
Michael Veldman was knocked out of the game early, but Gustavus Adolphus improved to 3-0, defeating Concordia-Moorhead 36-21. Sophomore Jake Breitbach stepped in at quarterback for Veldman and the Gusties didn’t miss a beat. Breitbach finished the day 17-of-22 passing for 212 yards and was also the leading rusher with 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Thelen produced big numbers in the running game, passing game, and on special teams as he totaled 289 all-purpose yards. He led the receiving corps with nine catches for 124 yards, along with 10 carries for 76 yards, and added an 89-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Brevard scored first, but Huntingdon kept the Tornados from touching down in the end zone for the next 58 minutes and 35 seconds of play, going on to win 21-14. It was a game between the two teams that tied for the USA South's West Division title in the spring season, with Brevard winning a much-debated tiebreaker to get into the conference's title game. Landon Cotney ran for 102 yards and a touchdown and threw for 79 more in the win, while Nic Lee had three and a half tackles for loss and Casey Peppers recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Brevard scored with two seconds left for the final margin.
Tyler DeShields found Isaiah Villarreal in the end zone from 10 yards out with four seconds to play and Sul Ross came away with a 12-10 win over Texas Lutheran. The play came on fourth-and-2 from the TLU 10-yard line. TLU had extended lts lead to 10-6 with a 30-yard field goal with 5:10 left in the game, but Sul Ross converted three fourth downs as part of an 87-yard game-winning drive. DeShields finished 25-of-40 for 222 yards.
Wooster overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to tie DePauw at 24 with 7:52 remaining, but the Fighting Scots ultimately could not rebound from five turnovers during a 34-30 setback. DePauw's Gus Baumgartner squirted through Wooster's defense for the go-ahead score with 1:46 remaining, a 3-yard run to cap a 76-yard drive, and Joe Sullivan put the game out of reach with a 32-yard field goal in the final minute.
Tanner Bernard connected with sophomore wide receiver Braeden Bowling for a 52-yard touchdown pass with 1:53 remaining in the game, and sophomore Palmer Smith added the PAT, to give Hampden-Sydney a 28-27 come-from-behind win at Guilford. The visiting Tigers rallied from a 20-7 halftime deficit with three second-half touchdowns for an ODAC victory. GC scored on a 19-play, 81-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 9-yard touchdown run by Paulie Menegay at 3:13, giving the hosts a 27-21 lead late in the contest. H-SC, however, responded with its own game-winning possession, going 91 yards on just six plays.
Gallaudet won its official season opener, racking up 627 yards of total offense to win 49-42 at Greensboro. The Bison, who played a non-counting opponent a week ago, defeated the Pride for the first time in program history. Timel Benton completed six of 13 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, including an 82-yard touchdown pass to Marc Wallace Jr. Mikka Harvey led the Gallaudet rushing attack with six carries for 100 yards and one score. The Bison finished with 362 yards on the ground.