September 23, 2023
Moravian Rally Falls Short to SUNY Morrisville on Homecoming
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football squad fell behind 20-0 in the first half before nearly rallying for a second straight week, eventually falling to visiting SUNY Morrisville, 20-19, in non-conference action at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday on Homecoming.
Morrisville State (N.Y.) College
2-2
20
Moravian University
1-3
19
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
|
|
0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Morrisville State (N.Y.) College
Pa:
Steven Frerichs
- 157
Ru:
Alex McBurnie
- 126
Rec:
Jarrell Chaney
- 100
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Morrisville State (N.Y.) College | Moravian University |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 157 | 198 |
| Rushing Yards | 261 | 118 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 28:55 | 31:05 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football squad fell behind 20-0 in the first half before nearly rallying for a second straight week, eventually falling to visiting SUNY Morrisville, 20-19, in non-conference action at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday on Homecoming.
How It Happened
- The Greyhounds opened the contest with the ball for the fourth consecutive week. The Hounds picked up one first down before senior defensive back/punter Colin Conway connected on a career long 59-yard punt that was downed at the half-yard line
- The Mustangs went deep on their first play and hit a 99-yard catch and run touchdown for a 7-0 lead just over five minutes into action
- Moravian's next possession saw the Blue & Grey pick up two first downs, one on a run by Conway after a bad snap on a punt, but the squad eventually turned the ball over one downs
- Morrisville had to punt on its next drive, however, the Hounds muffed the punt and the Mustangs retained possession at the 15-yard line. Three plays later, SUNY Morrisville make it 13-0 on a one-yard touchdown run
- The Hounds were forced to punt after three plays on the next possession while the Mustangs scored for the third straight drive with a 10-play, 86-yard drive capped with another one-yard touchdown run. The score gave Morrisville a 20-0 lead with 10:05 until the intermission
- Moravian got onto the scoreboard with its next possession as the Greyhounds drove 90 yards in 15 plays. Senior running back Nate Boyle finished off the possession with a one-yard touchdown run, and he also kicked the extra point to cut the deficit to 20-7 for the Blue & Grey with 2:38 before halftime
- The Mustangs had possession to start the second half and would get into field goal range but the 37-yard attempt sailed wide right into the strong wind on the rainy afternoon
- The Greyhounds faced a fourth-and-8 play at the Morrisville 24-yard line after driving down the field. Junior quarterback Jared Jenkins rolled out and fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Brad Bryan. Jenkins tried to hit Bryan with a two-point conversion pass but missed to keep the score at 20-13 for the Mustangs with 3:28 to go in the third quarter
- Morrisville looked as if it would extend the lead on the first play of the next drive but sophomore defensive back Shea Endean raced down the field and forced a fumble at the Hounds' four-yard line after a 64-yard run. Sophomore linebacker Clay Basile covered the ball in the end zone for a touchback. Moravian was unable to capitalize on the turnover with Conway having another punt downed inside the 15-yard line
- Moravian's defensive forced the Mustangs to punt early in the fourth quarter as the Hounds took over on their own 25-yard line
- The Greyhounds needed seven plays to get into the endzone as Jenkins and Bryan connected again, this time on a 33-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-point game. Boyle, kicking into the wind, missed the extra-point to keep it 20-19 for Morrisville with 8:51 to go
- The Blue & Grey defense made SUNY Morrisville punt and took over at its own 40-yard line with 4:41 to play. Moravian faced a fourth-and-17 when Jenkins was intercepted to give the Mustangs the ball. Morrisville would run out the clock, taking a knee at the one-yard line
Inside the Numbers
- The Greyhounds finished the contest with 316 yards on 64 plays, and Moravian controlled the clock for 31:05, the third game this fall that the Blue & Grey have won the time of possession battle
- Jenkins completed 20-of-28 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he also ran for five yards on two carries
- Bryan caught six passes for 85 yards and the two scores while senior wide receiver Tim Garlick had four receptions for 25 yards. Senior wide receiver Jordan Bingham grabbed three passes for 39 yards while sophomore wide receiver Tre Crenshaw added two catches for 14 yards and junior wide receiver Jordan Lewis had a catch for 22 yards
- Boyle gained 63 yards on 26 carries and he also caught two passes for 12 yards while sophomore running back Camron Tinajero had 13 yards on four rushing attempts, two receptions for a yard and a kickoff return for 10 yards
- Freshman quarterback Avery Koser gained 18 yards on three rushing attempts to round out the Moravian rushing attack
- Conway punted three times for an average of 53.3 yards with all three punts ending up inside the 20-yard line, and he also gained 19 yards on his rushing attempt
- Freshman wide receiver Nick Coffaro returned three kickoffs for 52 yards
- Senior linebacker Chris Ortalano led the Greyhounds' defense with eight tackles including two and a half for loss and a sack while sophomore linebacker Damere Rooker and junior defensive back Isaiah Johnson each had seven stops with Rooker adding a sack
- Sophomore linebacker Ethan O'Neill, senior defensive back Zach Scillia and Basile all had five stops with Scillia adding a pass breakup and Basile contributing a fumble recovery and a half a tackle for loss
- Sophomore linebacker Jashon Teller added four tackles with one for loss while junior defensive lineman Jeremy McGuigan made three stops
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Saturday, September 30 vs. Keystone College, 1:00 p.m.
- Saturday, October 7 at The Catholic University of America, 12:00 p.m.
