Defense, Special teams help Seahawks best Engineers 35-22

SEAHAWK FOOTBALL RESULTS
Salve Regina 35, MIT 22
Middletown, Rhode Island – Gaudet Field
Saturday, October 22, 2016

Summary
The Salve Regina University football team leaned on its defense and special teams on a rainy day at Gaudet Field to defeat MIT 35-22 in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) match.

Series and Streaks
This was the 23rd meeting between Salve Regina and MIT. The Seahawks now own a 17-6 record in the all-time series having won two straight and six of the last eight against the Engineers.

Three Stars of the Game
1 – Salve Regina senior Brandan Basil (Northford, Conn.) completed 66% of his passes for 239 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. Basil also punted twice for 80 yards, pinning the Engineers inside the 20 both times.
2 – MIT freshman John Robertson (Brentwood, Tenn.) - rushed 29 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns including a 51 yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
3 – Salve Regina junior Connor Sullivan (Lowell, Mass.) - had a career day receiving. He caught nine passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, the first of his career.

Scoring Drives
1st  09:57 SRU - Sam Pascale 17 yd run (Andrew Verre kick), 10-82 5:03 0 - 7
2nd  00:29 SRU - Connor Sullivan 10 yd pass from Brandan Basil (Andrew Verre kick), 4-49 0:47 0 - 14
3rd  11:47 MIT - Jacob Del Priore 26 yd pass from Udgam Goyal (Andrew Griese kick blockd), 6-51 3:01 6 - 14
07:24 SRU - Connor Sullivan 15 yd pass from Brandan Basil (Andrew Verre kick), 4-32 0:54 6 - 21
04:42 SRU - Chris Rosati 25 yd blocked punt return (Andrew Verre kick) 6 - 28
4th  08:48 SRU - Brendan Nunes 13 yd pass from Brandan Basil (Andrew Verre kick), 5-38 2:39 6 - 35
07:13 MIT - John Robertson 51 yd run (Matt Lindsay pass from Udgam Goyal), 4-62 1:23 14 - 35
02:57 MIT - John Robertson 1 yd run (Sean Kent pass from Udgam Goyal), 8-27 2:03 22 - 35

Key Stat of the Game
The Seahawk defense held the Engineers without a first down in the firt half. MIT was 0-7 on third down in that half, and ended the day 3-17 on third down.

Turning Point
The Seahawks led 14-0 at halftime but had committed two turnovers inside Engineer territory keeping MIT in the game. On their first drive of the second half the Engineers drove 51 yards in six plays for a touchdown on a pass from Ugdam Goyal (Frisco, Texas) to Jacob Del Priore (Center Valley, Pa.). After successive three-and-outs by both sides, the Seahawks got the ball back with a short field and drove 32 yards in four plays for a score when Brandan Basil hit Connor Sullivan for a 15 yard touchdown strike. The Seahawks forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Engineers possession and blocked the punt. The ball bounced forward to Chris Rosati (Shoreham, N.Y.) who picked it up in stride and scampered 25 yards for a touchdown, breaking the game open for the Seahawks, 28-6.

Quick Hits

• Ugdam Goyal completed 15-32 passes for 145 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
• Sam Pascale (Chesire, Conn.), the NEFC's leading rusher, totaled 117 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
• The Seahawks had 397 yards of offense, 242 passing and 155 rushing while MIT totaled 250 yards of offense, 145 passing and 105 on the ground.
• The Seahawks had three turnovers, two picks and a fumble, while the Engineers lost a fumble and threw an interception.
• The Seahawks have won 19 in a row over conference opponents at home and 25 of their last 27 at Gaudet Field.

Next Up

Salve Regina (6-0, 4-0 NEFC) – Saturday, October 29 at Endicott, 12 p.m.
MIT (1-6, 1-3 NEFC) – Saturday, October 29 vs Coast Guard, 12 p.m.