FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University football team took care of business on Saturday afternoon at Campus Field as the Pioneers defeated Norfolk State by a final score of 10-3.
The Pioneers' defensive unit, working in perfect harmony, kept the Spartans off the scoreboard until the third quarter by forcing the visitors to go for a 55-yard field goal. SHU's defense also tallied three sacks for a loss of eight yards, an interception, a forced fumble, and broke up a pair of passes.
SHU's offense finished the afternoon with 243 total yards behind 184 rushing and 59 passing yards, respectively. Quarterback
John Michalski recorded the Pioneers' lone touchdown of the afternoon and extended his season total to three rushing touchdowns.
Records:
Sacred Heart (3-3)
Norfolk State (2-5)
Top Performers:
Offense:
(QB)
John Michalski – Passing (10-21, 59 yards) | Rushing (16 attempts, 79 yards, 1 touchdown)
(RB)
Jalen Madison – 17 attempts | 97 yards
(WR)
Payton Rhoades – 3 receptions | 21 yards
Defense:
(LB)
Nick Verbitsky – 10 tackles (6 solo, 4 assist) | 0.5/1 TFL/Yds | 0.5 Sack/Yds
(DE)
Tyreke Brown – 9 tackles (5 solo, 4 assist) | 2.5/5 TFL/Yds | 1.5/3 Sack/Yds | 1 forced fumble | 1 pass break up
(DL)
Nate Chandler – 5 tackles (2 solo, 3 assist)
(DB)
Ryan Moore – 3 tackles (1 solo, 2 assist) | 1 interception
How it Happened:
The Pioneers wasted no time asserting their dominance in the first quarter. A 36-yard
Matt Kling field goal put the hosts up by three, 3-0, with 1:43 left on the clock.
The second quarter saw the Pioneers extend their lead to double-digits, 10-0, after the hosts put together an 80-yard drive that resulted in a Michalski rushing touchdown, followed by a Kling extra point with 2:08 remaining in the half.
Sacred Heart had one more opportunity to add more points to the scoreboard before the final horn of the half sounded, but time ran out, sending the teams to their designated locker rooms.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Spartans were ready to turn the tide. A missed field goal attempt from Kling and a 53-yard gain from Xzavion Evans gave the Spartans a chance. However, the Pioneers' defense was unyielding, forcing the visitors to settle for a field goal from Grandin Wilcox, who put the ball through the uprights, making it a one-possession game, 10-3.
Despite the Spartans' offensive efforts, the Pioneers' defense remained strong in the final eight minutes of the third quarter, and the hosts maintained their seven-point lead as they headed into the final 15 minutes of play.
Norfolk State continued to grind offensively and threatened the Pioneers by finding themselves on the SHU 4-yard line with less than a minute to go. The Spartans found the end zone on a direct snap from Evans, but a holding penalty pushed the visitors back to the SHU 14 and erased the points from the scoreboard.
Three straight incomplete passes ended the Spartans' rally and secured the win for the Pioneers. The sold-out crowd at Campus Field erupted in excitement as the Pioneers celebrated their victory, a thrilling end to the game.
Up Next:
The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday, October 12 with a road clash against the Bison of Howard College.
