FAIRFIELD, Conn. – It was a battle between two teams that like to run the ball on Sunday and the Sacred Heart University football team came out on top of Merrimack College. The Pioneers won their second game in a row, downing the Warriors 26-9.

Records:
Merrimack: 0-2, 0-2 NEC
Sacred Heart: 2-1, 2-1 NEC

Top Performers:
Julius Chestnut (SHU): 176 rushing yards, 2 TD, 65 receiving yards
Marquez McCray (SHU): 13-of-22 198 yards, 1 TD
Chris Outterbridge (SHU): 8 tackles, 1 TFL

Up Next:
SHU wraps up the regular season at Wagner next Sunday at 1 p.m.

Of Note:
For the third week in a row, SHU junior running back Julius Chestnut had over 150 rushing yards and 200 all-purpose yards. He crossed the goal line twice, including a 60-yard receiving touchdown.

A Merrimack penalty on fourth down kept a SHU drive alive. On the next play, quarterback Marquez McCray hit Kenneth Womack for a 40-yard pass. Two players later Chestnut barreled into the endzone.

The Warriors answered with a 75-yard drive that was capped by a Jack Esquivel touchdown pass, but that would be the visitors' last points until nearly the end of the game.

The Chestnut 60-yard touchdown reception, the longest of his career, gave SHU a 13-7 lead at the half.

In the second half, it was all the SHU defense as they limited Merrimack to 53 yards in the final 30 minutes. The Pioneers outgained the Warriors, 394-160.

Sandwiched around two Sam Renzi field goals was a six-yard touchdown pass from McCray to Naseim Brantley. McCray nearly threw for 200 yards for the second week in a row as he completed 13 passes for 198 yards.