Seahawks defense stifles Red Hawks in fourth for 26-20 victory

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SEAHAWK FOOTBALL RESULTS
Salve Regina 26, Montclair State 20
Newport, R.I. - Toppa Field
Saturday, September 9, 2017

Summary
After trading scores for three quarters the Salve Regina University football team scored the only points of the fourth quarter, forcing visiting Montcalir State University to punt on three straight possessions and intercepting the final pass of the game to earn a 26-20 victory at the newly renovated Toppa Field in Newport, R.I.

Series and Streaks
This was the fifth meeting between Salve Regina and Montclair State. The Red Hawks still own a 3-2 record in the all-time series.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Salve Regina senior James Dawson (Oradell, N.J.) ran for 171 yards on 31 carries and scored one touchdown. 
2. Montclair State senior Julanee Prince (Matawan, N.J.) caught five passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
3. Salve Regina senior Danny McDermott (Franklin, Mass.) completed 13 passes for 131 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His five yard touchdown toss early in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score.

Scoring Drives

MSU 1st 09:23 Julanee Prince 46 yd pass from Ryan Adzima (Hunter Daly kick) 4-90 | 1:54 
SRU 1st 02:10 Connor Sullivan 12 yd pass from Danny McDermott (Andrew Verre kick) 8-58 | 4:18 
SRU 2nd 10:22 Connor Sullivan 5 yd pass from Danny McDermott (Andrew Verre kick blocked) 10-63 | 4:38 
MSU 2nd 05:44 Julanee Prince 33 yd pass from Ryan Adzima (Hunter Daly kick) 3-32 | 0:59 
SRU 3rd 11:55 James Dawson 5 yd run (Danny McDermott pass failed) 3-66 | 1:09 
MSU 3rd 06:27 Anthony Travisa 2 yd run (Ryan Adzima kick failed) 12-74 | 5:14 
SRU 4th 14:07 Brendan Nunes 5 yd pass from Danny McDermott (Andrew Verre kick) 11-58 | 3:33 

Key Stat of the Game
The Seahawks defense did not allow the Red Hawks to cross midfield in the fourth quarter, allowing only four total yards in the final frame, and forcing three straight punts, and picking off quarterback Ryan Adzima (Wallington, N.J.) on the games final play as he attempted a Hail Mary from his own 40 yard line. 

Turning Point
Trailing 20-19 late in the third quarter, the Seahawks orchestrated an 11-play, 58 yard drive, capped by a McDermott touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Brendan Nunes (Attleboro, Mass.) top open the fourth quarter. From there the Seahawks defense took over and the Red Hawks never took a snap in Seahawk territory the rest of the game. 

Quick Hits

• There were six lead changes in the game. The Red Hawks jumped on top first on a 46 yard touchdown grab by Prince, but the Seahawks followed that up with two scoring drives, two touchdown catches by Connor Sullivan (Lowell, Mass.),  to take back a 13-7 lead.
• Prince grabbed his second touchdown of the day, a 33 yarder late in the second quarter, and the Red Hawks led 14-13 at halftime.
• A five-yard scamper from Dawson capped a 3 play 66 yard drive, 54 of those yards belonging to Dawson, as the Seahawks retook the lead 19-14.
• The Red Hawks responed on the ensuing possession, driving 74 yards in 12 plays for a two-yard touchdown run by Anthony Travisano (Clark, N.J.) for a 20-19 lead. It was the final time the Red Hawks ran a play on the Seahawks side of the field.
• The Seahawks defense held the Red Hawks to 4-14 on third down and 0-3 on fourth down.
• Adzima completed 8-27 passes for 182 yards, two touchdowns and the lone interception.
• Travisano rushed 29 times for 141 yards and one score.
• Sullivan and Nunes both caught five passes to lead the Seahawks. Sullivan's went for 65 yards and two scores, while Nunes registered 35 yards receiving and the game-winning score, early in the fourth quarter.
• John Salute (Mahwah, N.J.) led the Seahawks defense with seven total tackles, four for a loss of 27 yards, and 1.5 sacks.
• The Red Hawks had four different played total eight tackles, but Mauro Altamura (Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.) led the way with seven of his being solo tackles.
• This was the first game at Toppa Field for Salve Regina since 2008. The team returned back to Newport, R.I. after spending eight seasons at Gaudet Field in Middletown, R.I.

Quotes
"On Toppa for the first time in eight years, it was great to feel like we were coming back home, we had a great crowd and our guys played hard. It was a rollercoaster game, I think was very even both sides of the ball yards wise, but it comes down to a little thing here or there, and that's heart and character, and that's what our guys showed today." - head coach Kevin Gilmartin

Next Up
Salve Regina (2-0, 0-0 CCC Football) - travels to play Dean on Saturday, September 16 (12 p.m.).
Montclair State (0-1, 0-0 NJAC) - travels to play Southern Virginia on Saturday, September 16 (1 p.m.), in Buena Vista, Va.