McDermott passing, Gelb rushing lead Seahawks to 41-14 victory over Gulls

SEAHAWK FOOTBALL RESULTS
Salve Regina 41, Endicott 14
Toppa Field - Newport, R.I.
Saturday, October 21, 2017

Summary
Salve Regina University football had a season-high 541 yards total offense, led by seniors Danny McDermott (Franklin, Mass.) [321 yards passing] and Jake Gelb (Charlton, Mass.) [156 yards rushing], to defeat visiting Endicott College, 41-14, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup at Toppa Field.

Series and Streaks
Endicott leads the all-time series, 8-7, but Salve Regina has won the last four meetings. The Seahawks improve to 44-30 all-time at Toppa Field, their original home site when the program began in 1992, when they were known as the Newporters. Salve Regina is undefeated at home (3-0) in 2017, first winning against Worcester State, 35-28, at Gaudet Field; then returning to Toppa Field for the first time since 2009 with a 26-20 win over Montclair State.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Salve Regina senior Jake Gelb (Charlton, Mass.) rushed for a career-high 156 yards on 13 carries; he scored touchdowns on runs of 32 and 28 yards while his long run of 74 yards came up just short of the goal line.
2. Salve Regina senior Danny McDermott (Franklin, Mass.) passed for a career-high 321 yards while completing 14 of 26 attempts; he spread out three TD connections to Connor Sullivan (Lowell, Mass.), Tommy Seaver (Rocky Hill, Conn.), and Brendan Nunes (Attleboro, Mass.).
3. Salve Regina offensive line - primarily LT Michael Saunders (Westwood, N.J.), LG Joe McDonald (Braintree, Mass.), C Nico Aronson (Wayne, N.J.), RG Ian Bomely (Coral Springs, Fla.), and RT Pete Noonan (Ardmore, Pa.) - protected McDermott (no sacks) and sprung the Seahawks for 541 total yards.

Scoring Plays
Team | Qtr | Time | Scoring play | Conversion | Plays-Yards TOP
SRU | 1st | 8:41 | Brendan Nunes 34 yd pass from Danny McDermott | Andrew Verre kick | 4-87 1:34
SRU | 1st | 4:04 | Jake Gelb 32 yd run | Andrew Verre kick | 7-69 2:56
SRU | 2nd | 10:20 | Connor Sullivan 41 yd pass from Danny McDermott | Andrew Verre kick | 6-80 2:51
EC | 2nd | 4:06 | Riley Shanley 7 yd pass from Joe Kalosky | John Glaser kick | 12-73 6:06
SRU | 4th 12:50 | Tommy Seaver 35 yd pass from Danny McDermott | Andrew Verre kick | 7-64 2:28
EC | 4th | 9:15 | Hakim Fleming 2 yd run | John Glaser kick | 2-32 0:30
SRU | 4th | 8:23 | Jake Gelb 28 yd run | Andrew Verre kick failed | 2-64 0:42
SRU | 4th | 4:09 | Robert Askew 1 yd run | Andrew Verre kick | 4-75 2:15

Key Stat of the Game
Teams matched each other in first downs (19) and turnovers (none). Salve Regina's season-high 541 yards total offense negated the advantage that Endicott had in time of possession (nearly 36 to 24 minutes).

Turning Point
Endicott made it a two-score margin when it scored its second touchdown with 9:15 remaing in the fourth quarter (Fleming 2-yard run). Salve Regina scored on its next drive in two plays following a 25-yard kickoff return by Steve Croce (Cheshire, Conn.) to the Seahawk 36-yard line. McDermott passed to Connor Sullivan (Lowell, Mass.) for 36 yards, and Gelb ran 28 yards to complete the two-play, 64-yard drive and make it a three-score advantage.

Quick Hits

• McDermott spread his pass completions around to six different receivers with four guys getting at least three receptions each - Sullivan (4), Nunes (3), Seaver (3), and Croce (3).
• Jake Gelb's long run of 74 yards came one-yard shy of the endzone.
• Tyler McGovern (Attleboro, Mass.) snuck into the game for one play and completed a 28-yard pass to Brendan Nunes (Attleboro, Mass.) for a first down in the second quarter.
• Anthony Whitely (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Hakim Fleming (Bridgeport, Conn.) were the top ground gainers for the Gulls with 36 and 30 yards rushing, respectively.
• Joe Kalosky (Plymouth, Conn.) pitched the ball for Endicott for 262 yards on 27 completions of 42 attempts.
• Devin Bower (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) led the visitors with six tackles (five solo).
• Tristan Perez (Framingham, Mass.) had six solo tackles for the Seahawks, plus one assist, while Tyler D'Errico (Cheshire, Conn.) was involved in nine take downs (three solo tackles).
• John Salute (Mahwah, N.J.) sacked Kalosky in the fourth quarter.

Quotes
"They were going to keep blitzing at us, and with our patience big plays happen. We knew that Danny (McDermott) was one tough kid, he's going to hang in there, that's what being a great quarterback and being a great leader is all about. (Offensive line) heart and soul of every team, and at the same time they have some personality that helps the character of the team a lot. The whole team can rally around them. Our offensive line wore them down and allowed Jake Gelb to pop it for 74 yards." - Salve Regina fifth-year head coach Kevin Gilmartin

Next Up?
Salve Regina (5-1, 2-0 CCC) plays at Western New England University (1 p.m.).
Endicott (1-6, 0-2 CCC) hosts Curry College (12 p.m.).