LEICESTER, Mass. – The Gallaudet University football team scored 33 first half points and never looked back as the Bison rolled to a 40-12 road victory over Becker College in an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) contest at Alumni Field. The 28-point margin of victory is the biggest in conference play for first-year coach Chuck Goldstein.
It didn't take long for the Bison (4-4, 2-3 ECFC) to get on the scoreboard as the Gallaudet defense forced a quick series for Becker (1-7, 1-4 ECFC). On fourth down the Hawks attempted to punt but it resulted in a safety for the Buff and Blue.
On the first offensive play from scrimmage for the Bison, sophomore running back Phillip Hayes (Baton Rouge, La.) took the handoff and went 49 yards for the touchdown. Hayes finished the day with 51 rushing yards on three carries.
Gallaudet went on to score an additional touchdown and a field goal to close out the 19-point first quarter.
For the fourth time this season Gallaudet rushed for over 300 yards as the Bison ended the day with 305 yards to surpass 2,000 rushing yards for the year. The Bison accumulated 440 total yards of offense, the second highest total this season, as senior quarterback Jimmy Gardner (St. Augustine, Fla.) completed 4-of-9 passes for 135 yards, the second highest total for the signal caller this year, and one touchdown. Gardner also had 46 rushing yards. Sophomore wide receiver Ryne Worsham (Chicago, Ill.) caught three passes for 82 yards.
Senior kicker Justin Wilson (Carmichael, Calif.) connected on a career long 43-yard field goal with 4:34 left in the first quarter. Wilson averaged over 57 yards on seven kick-off attempts and over 42 yards on two punts. Wilson did miss a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Junior fullback Mike Gimeli (Deer Park, N.Y.) led the rushing attack with 12 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown. Gimeli ran the ball in from seven yards out with 4:50 left in the second quarter to give the Bison a 26-0 lead.
Senior running back Cole Johnson (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was the second leading rusher with 65 yards and three total touchdowns in the game. Johnson picked up 43 of those yards on a touchdown run at the 9:15 mark in the first quarter. Johnson also hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Gardner right before halftime to give Gallaudet a commanding 33-0 lead.
Becker's Ezequiel Torres found the end zone from five yards out to send the teams into the break with Gallaudet leading 33-6.
Johnson scored his third touchdown with a 13-yard run late in the third quarter as GU led 40-6.
Becker quarterback Curtis Ludden (14-for-29, 184 yards) threw a 21-yard touchdown strike to Joe Marchese as the Hawks capped the scoring in the game with seven seconds left in the third quarter.
The Bison defense was stout as they held the Hawks under 100 yards rushing in the game. In fact, the 72 yards rushing by Becker is the third time this year Gallaudet has held an opponent under 72 yards of rushing in a game.
Gallaudet forced a safety and five consecutive punts by Becker in its first six possessions. Junior defensive lineman John Van Wey (Alexandria, Va.) led the Bison defense with eight tackles (seven solo). Van Wey also had three and a half tackles for a loss of 24 yards, recorded a game-high 1.5 sacks for 13 yards. Sophomore linebacker Tom Pangia (Hammonton, N.J.) had six tackles and a half sack for one yard. Senior defensive back Neal DiMarco (Queens, N.Y.) made the game's only interception and returned it nine yards. GU finished the day with a season best 13 tackles for a loss of 60 yards and three sacks.
Gallaudet returns home next week and will finish out the regular-season at Hotchkiss Field for two games. GU welcomes ECFC foe Anna Maria College (0-8, 0-5 ECFC) to Kendall Green on Saturday, October 30, at 1:30 p.m. for Homecoming.
NOTES: The GU football practice on Friday afternoon (October 29) will be open to the public and will run from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Coach Goldstein and the team encourages all former Bison alums who played football to come out and watch practice…The Homecoming game on Saturday against Anna Maria will also be Senior Day for Gallaudet's eight seniors.