WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was 14-0 after just 4 minutes, 6 seconds. It was 21-0 just one play into the second. With 12:52 to play, Catholic even held a 31-14 lead. However, McDaniel scored the game's final 20 points to record a 34-31 non-conference victory on Friday night.
On offense, it was Tayahd Campbell (Silver Spring, Md./Blake) leading the comeback for the Green Terror (1-0), finishing with 111 yards on 11 carries, including his first collegiate touchdown. On defense, it was another freshman. Drew Scott (Brick, N.J./Brick Twp.) nabbed his first two interceptions to set up the final two McDaniel touchdowns.
TJ Tutone paced the Cardinals (0-1) with 339 yards passing as part of a 530-yard offensive explosion.
The Green Terror finished with 403 yards – 329 of which came after the intermission. Seth McFall (Dover, Del./Ceasar Rodney) accounted for 259 of those yards through the air but it was his feet that gave McDaniel the go-ahead score.
Trailing 31-28, Scott's second pick gave his offense the ball at the Catholic 40.
A 14-yard pass play to Nick O'Melia (Taneytown, Md./Francis Scott Key) and 16-yard Campbell run set up first-and-goal at the one-yard line.
Two plays later, McFall dove left of the center from a half-yard out and cross the plane of the goal line for a 34-31 lead. The Green Terror missed the ensuing PAT.
Catholic still had 26 seconds to work with after a touchback.
A 38-yard connection to Tim Murphy moved the ball to the McDaniel 23. After another 11-yard gain, the Cardinals trotted out the field-goal team for a game-tying attempt with three seconds on the clock.
After back-to-back timeouts, the kick sailed wide left as the clock hit triple zeros and McDaniel won its season opener for the first time since 2010.
Catholic took its opening possession 81 yards on nine plays for a 7-0 lead. Evan Calvo went the final 19 yards on the ground to put the hosts in from with 12:21 on the clock.
After a turnover on McDaniel's first possession, the Cardinals needed just three plays to find the end zone again. A 25-yard pass connection to Lucas Morely keyed the 29-yard march. TJ Tutone found Justin Paige for the score and a 14-0 lead with 10:54 to play in the first quarter.
Calvo cashed in a 16-play drive on a fourth down from four yards out on the first play of the second quarter to make it a 21-0 game.
Much like Catholic did in the first half, the Green Terror took the first possession of the second half down the field.
McFall marched his team methodically 69 yards down the field in 13 plays. The senior went 6-for-8 on the drive, including finding Mike Oliveto (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) from six yards out on a third down to put the Green Terror on the board with 8:34 showing in the third quarter.
Spencer Wiersberg (Salisbury, Md./J.M. Bennett) converted the extra point to make it a 21-7 game.
A 12-play Catholic counter that included a fourth-down conversion near midfield stalled at the McDaniel 14. Peter Rosa converted a 30-yard field to make it a 24-7 game with 3:16 on the clock.
A heavy dose of Campbell and Sean Montgomery (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) on the ensuing McDaniel possession closed the deficit to 24-14 with 1:06 to play.
Three double-digit runs by Campbell, including a 21-yard scamper for his first collegiate score, and a pair of double-digit catches by Montgomery accounted for the scoring drive.
Tutone moved the Cardinals 55 yards back down the field in just nine plays and 3:06, including a three-yard run up the middle to make it a 31-14 game with 12:52 remaining in the contest.
After a 37-yard return from Montgomery set up the Green Terror offense at its own 47 followed by a 30-yard Campbell run, McDaniel moved the ball inside the Catholic 1 but a fumble into the end zone kept it a 17-point game.
After a holding penalty brought back a long Cardinal run, Brandon Jones (Middle River, N.J./Eastern Tech) forced a fumble and Aqil Tweedy (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge) nabbed the ball out of the air and raced 39 yards back down the sideline to make it a 31-21 game with 6:35 showing.
Catholic moved its next possession inside the 10-yard line before a Drew Scott (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial) interception in the end zone gave McDaniel the ball at its own 20.
After a false start moved the ball back to the 15, McFall found Oliveto for a 59-yard catch-and-run.
After a 20-yard Montgomery reception and late hit penalty moved the ball to the 3-yard line.
Two plays later, McFall found JT Kotowski (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) in the left corner of the end zone to make it a 31-28 game with 3:46 remaining.
Matt Quattrone (Calisle, Pa./Carlisle Area) led the defense with 12 tackles while Claude-Michel Richardson (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) added 11.
Oliveto finished with nine catches for 136 yards to lead the receiving corps.
The Green Terror opens the Centennial Conference schedule at Moravian on Saturday, Sept. 13. Game time is 1 p.m.
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