/seasons/2010/contrib/20100926053x2e

Late touchdown pushes Saxons past Springfield

More news about: Alfred

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Sophomore tailback Chris Lopez scored on a five-yard run with 38 seconds left to snap a 28-28 tie and give the Alfred University football team a 35-28 win over host Springfield in the Saxons Empire 8 Conference opener Saturday afternoon.

The late touchdown capped a nine-play 45-yard drive and helped 23rd-ranked AU stay unbeaten on the season at 3-0 (1-0 Empire 8). With the loss, Springfield falls to 3-1 (0-1 Empire 8).

The score was tied at 21-21 after three quarters before the Saxons took a 28-21 lead on a 10-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Austin Dwyer. Dwyer, who scored three TDs on the day (two rushing, one receiving), ran for a career-high 168 yard on 22 carries.

The Pride came right back on their ensuing possession, marching 61 yards on just four plays, with quarterback Josh Carter scoring on a four-yard run to cap a 1:33 drive. Both teams exchanged punts before AU took possession at the Springfield 45-yard line with 4:21 left in the game. The Saxons converted a pair of crucial fourth down tries on the drive. Junior linebacker Nick Clark rushed for three yards on a fourth-and-one play at the Springfield 35. Then, on fourth-and-10 at the Pride 35, junior quarterback Tom Secky  completed a 28-yard pass to sophomore wideout Andre McCloud that put the ball at the Springfield 5-yard line. Lopez scored the winning touchdown on the next play.

Springfield had one last chance, moving the ball to the AU 25-yard line before Carter's last-second toss was intercepted by AU senior wide receiver Ryan Thon at the goal line on the game's final play.

Springfield took an early lead in the game, driving 56 yards in six plays on its opening possession, with running back Alex Mendez giving the Pride a 7-0 lead with a 14-yard run 2:20 into the game. Alfred answered with two straight touchdowns. On the Saxons' next possession, Dwyer scored on a 56-yard run on Alfred's first play from scrimmage. With 2:22 left in the opening period, Secky hit freshman wide receiver Josh Phillips with a 22-yard TD pass to cap a three-play 46-yard drive.

The Pride knotted the game at 14-14 when running back Mark Safer score on a four-yard run with 47 second left in the first half. The score came five plays after Springfield's Scott Christy intercepted a Secky pass at the Pride 31 and returned it 48 yards to Alfred's 21-yard line.

AU regained the lead with 9:15 left in the third when Secky passed 10 yards to Dwyer to cap an 11-play 80-yard drive. A Mendez three-yard run with 5:18 left in the third made it 21-21.

Alfred put up 468 yards of offense (233 rushing, 235 passing) and had three turnovers. Lopez finished with 65 yards rushing on 11 carries with one touchdown. Secky completed 17 of 24 passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Phillips had four catches for 66 yards and Dwyer had three for 32 yards. Thon finished with two receptions for 34 yards.

Springfield, which entered the game as the nation's third-best rushing team (404.7 yards per game), ran for 309 yards but was held to 31 yards passing and turned the ball over twice. Mendez had 129 yards rushing and two TDs and Carter finished with 63 yards on 13 carries.

Clark had a team-high 11 tackles to pace the Saxon defense. Senior linebacker Chad Pieri had eight tackles (two for loss) and junior linebacker Brady Bonaquisti (LeRoy, NY/LeRoy) had 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Junior end Marcellus Jones had eight tackles (1 ½ for loss) and a fumble recovery and sophomore tackle Mike Raplee had nine tackles.

Ken Goodwin had a game-high 12 tackles (one for loss), a fumble recovery and an interception to pace the Pride defense, Cody Flanigan had five tackles and 1 ½ sacks.

AU is in action next on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. at home against Frostburg State.

Sep. 4: All times Eastern
6:00 PM
Averett at N.C. Wesleyan
7:00 PM
Brockport at Buffalo State
7:00 PM
Franklin and Marshall at Lebanon Valley
7:00 PM
King's at Wilkes
Video
7:00 PM
Marietta at Westminster (Pa.)
7:00 PM
Hiram at Heidelberg
7:00 PM
Pacific at Howard Payne
7:00 PM
Carroll at UW-Eau Claire
7:00 PM
Greenville at Illinois College
8:00 PM
Trinity (Texas) at Texas Lutheran
Live stats Audio
8:00 PM
Coe at Cornell
8:00 PM
Millsaps at Belhaven
Sep. 5: All times Eastern
6:00 PM
Montclair State at Merchant Marine
6:00 PM
Concordia (Wis.) at Thiel
6:00 PM
Bridgewater State at Curry
Live stats
6:00 PM
Dickinson at Randolph-Macon
6:00 PM
Albright at Gallaudet
7:00 PM
Hobart at Alfred
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
Moravian at Muhlenberg
7:00 PM
Juniata at Gettysburg
7:00 PM
Dean at Fitchburg State
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
SUNY-Maritime at Massachusetts Maritime
Live stats
7:00 PM
Norwich at St. Lawrence
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
McDaniel at Catholic
Video
7:30 PM
Ursinus at Alvernia
Live stats
Sep. 6: All times Eastern
12:00 PM
Nichols at MIT
Video Live stats
12:00 PM
Plymouth State at New England College
12:00 PM
TCNJ at Lycoming
Video
12:00 PM
Misericordia at Endicott
Video Live stats
12:00 PM
Olivet at Rochester
12:00 PM
St. John Fisher at FDU-Florham
12:00 PM
Grove City at Cortland
12:00 PM
Union at Susquehanna
Video
12:00 PM
Johns Hopkins at Ithaca
12:00 PM
Utica at Washington and Jefferson
12:00 PM
Calvin at Oberlin
12:00 PM
Hampden-Sydney at Delaware Valley
12:00 PM
Morrisville State at Kean
12:00 PM
Ohio Wesleyan at Otterbein
12:00 PM
Maine Maritime at Hartwick
12:00 PM
Anna Maria at Eastern
Video Live stats
12:00 PM
Husson at Framingham State
Live stats
12:00 PM
Mass-Dartmouth at Salve Regina
12:00 PM
Minnesota-Morris at Concordia-Chicago
1:00 PM
Geneva at Widener
1:00 PM
Case Western Reserve at Rowan
1:00 PM
Coast Guard at University of New England
1:00 PM
John Carroll at Waynesburg
1:00 PM
Alfred State at Anderson
Live stats
1:00 PM
Salisbury at Washington and Lee
1:00 PM
Ky. Christian at Brevard
1:00 PM
Trine at Christopher Newport
1:00 PM
Apprentice at Southern Virginia
1:00 PM
Methodist at Shenandoah
1:00 PM
Hilbert at St. Vincent
1:00 PM
Sewanee at Bethany
Video Live stats
1:00 PM
Springfield at Western New England
1:00 PM
Castleton at Westfield State
1:00 PM
Carnegie Mellon at Chicago
1:00 PM
Alma at UW-River Falls
1:00 PM
Maryville (Tenn.) at Hendrix
1:30 PM
Ohio Northern at Franklin
Live stats
1:30 PM
Wheaton (Ill.) at Mount Union
2:00 PM
Baldwin Wallace at Wittenberg
Live stats
2:00 PM
Denison at Allegheny
Video Live stats
2:00 PM
Crown at Hamline
2:00 PM
Martin Luther at Lawrence
2:00 PM
Macalester at Grinnell
2:00 PM
Buena Vista at Benedictine
2:00 PM
Hope at Loras
2:00 PM
Central at Illinois Wesleyan
2:00 PM
Wabash at St. Norbert
2:00 PM
Albion at UW-Stevens Point
2:00 PM
Augsburg at Valley City State
2:00 PM
Carleton at UW-Whitewater
2:00 PM
Millikin at Luther
2:00 PM
UW-Platteville at Aurora
Video Live stats
2:00 PM
Beloit at Rockford
2:00 PM
Dubuque at UW-Stout
2:00 PM
Westminster (Mo.) at Manchester
2:00 PM
Northwestern (Minn.) at St. Olaf
2:00 PM
St. Scholastica at Wisconsin Lutheran
3:00 PM
Pomona-Pitzer at Willamette
Video Live stats
4:00 PM
UW-Oshkosh at Linfield
4:00 PM
Gustavus Adolphus at Whitworth
4:00 PM
Lewis and Clark at Puget Sound
4:00 PM
Pacific Lutheran at Cal Lutheran
5:00 PM
William Paterson at Western Connecticut
6:00 PM
RPI at WPI
Live stats
6:00 PM
Wooster at Wilmington
6:00 PM
Huntingdon at Berry
7:00 PM
Mount St. Joseph at Muskingum
Live stats
7:00 PM
Kenyon at Bluffton
7:00 PM
DePauw at Rose-Hulman
7:00 PM
Hanover at Centre
7:00 PM
Greensboro at Guilford
7:00 PM
Stevenson at Bridgewater
7:00 PM
Knox at Eureka
7:00 PM
Bethel (Tenn.) at Mary Hardin-Baylor
7:00 PM
Augustana at Simpson
Video Live stats
7:00 PM
Carthage at Lakeland
7:00 PM
North Park at Ripon
7:00 PM
Adrian at Valparaiso
7:00 PM
Kalamazoo at Austin
7:00 PM
Southwestern at McMurry
8:00 PM
LaGrange at Point
8:00 PM
Mayville St. at Concordia-Moorhead
Video Live stats
8:00 PM
Monmouth at Wartburg
8:00 PM
Rhodes at Washington U.
8:00 PM
Nebraska Wesleyan at Dakota St.
8:00 PM
Lyon at East Texas Baptist
9:00 PM
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Lake Forest
@ Chandler, Ariz.
10:00 PM
Hardin-Simmons at Chapman
10:00 PM
George Fox at Redlands
Maintenance in progress.