Terriers Now 1-2

Grizzlies Overthrow Terriers in Unfortunate Loss

Mackenzie Lachey

October 13, 2010

MERIDEN, Conn.—The numbers look grim, but the score of Sunday’s game against Southwest Connecticut is not a true reflection of the Terriers’ performance. 

The Grizzlies were faster and stronger on Sunday, beating the Terriers 44-0, but had the Grizzlies faced a full, healthy team, the story on Falcon Field might have been different.

The Terriers’ troubles started the week leading up to the game.  Inclement weather on both Tuesday and Thursday’s practices, mixed with a plethora of injuries and illnesses, added to midterms and papers all summed up to a team that couldn’t put its strongest foot forward.

The Terriers were subbing in for each other, playing different positions and both sides of the ball, while the Grizzlies, made up of about eight community colleges from around Connecticut, had twice as many guys able to play.  The Grizzlies were able to rotate guys in and out, while the Terriers had to keep their players on the field.

The first play set the tone for the remainder of the game.  The Grizzlies won the coin toss and chose to receive, immediately scoring a touchdown 13 seconds into the first quarter.

The Terriers could do nothing with their first possession.  Ian Santagata returned the kickoff and made it to the 18-yard line.  But the ball was lost in the next play, and the Grizzlies picked it up at the 3, dangerously close to the goal line.  The Terriers couldn’t stop them, and the Grizzlies scored another touchdown. 

Santagata returned the kickoff again and plowed his way to the 32 before being stopped.  Quarterback Joe Tiano completed a pass to Collin McNamara to put the Terriers at the 46-yard line.  John Hoang made a run right through Broadway, and McNamara caught another pass, which put the Terriers in Grizzly territory.  But the stay was short lived.  The next play had three Grizzlies on Tiano and the Grizzlies intercepted the ball. 

Once the Grizzlies had possession of the ball there was no stopping them.  Kris Yen for the Grizzlies evaded two Terriers before McNamara stopped him at the 19-yard line.  The Grizzlies’ Dwight Franklin scored a touchdown on the next play. 

The Terriers were not going to go down without a fight.  It took nearly every Grizzly on the field to bring down Santagata on the kickoff return.  A small yardage gain by Hoang followed by a penalty on the Grizzlies moved the Terriers closer to scoring, but by the end of the first quarter the score was 21-0. 

The Terrier defense put the heat on the Grizzlies in the second quarter.  A high Grizzly hike put the ball on the ground.  Grizzly QB Kyle Laureano recovered it, but was brought down by Santagata and Marcus Gray.  Another bad Grizzly hike had LB Jonathan Santiago scrambling for the ball, and Conor Bailey and Kenny Colindres took him down at the 39-yard line. 

The Terriers got the ball back, but they had to start way out near their own end zone.  Grizzly LB Ricky Rivera intercepted the ball, and Bobby Durham made it first and goal for the Grizzlies.  Garrett Jones drove through the Terriers to make the touchdown.  The Grizzlies faked a field goal and went for two. 

The Grizzlies managed to fit in another touchdown before the end of the half to make the score 36-0.

Santagata started off the second half right with a kickoff return he drove all the way to the 40.  But the tides turned when Grizzly DB JaQuan Floyd intercepted the ball and couldn’t be stopped.  Colindres took down the quarterback, followed by another QB takedown by Robbie Harrison.  But Grizzly running back Deven Diaz drove through the Terriers until he was finally stopped by McNamara. Diaz scored another touchdown for the Grizzlies.  They faked a field goal again and went for two.  The score was 44-0 at the end of the third quarter. 

A short kick to Joe DiFilippo put the Terriers at the 26-yard line.  The Terriers made it into the red zone, but the Grizzlies intercepted the ball. 

Gian Paolella got the ball back for the Terriers.  Quarterback Patrick Ferrell completed a pass to Collin McNamara, and the Terriers refused to give up.  Running back Tait Forman drove the ball through a pack of Grizzlies, but there was not enough time and the Terriers fell to the Grizzlies 44-0, making the Grizzlies 4-0 so far this season.   

The Terriers are now 1-2 and will be looking for their first home win when they play the Catamounts of the University of Vermont on October 17 at MIT’s Steinbrenner Stadium.  The Catamounts are currently 2-1 and are coming off a 20-8 victory over the Northeast Connecticut Warriors.