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Junior RB Andrew Fulford had 98 yards |
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University football team racked up 501 yards of total offense, including 365 on the ground, to get past Hartwick College, 42-27, on Saturday afternoon at Sabine Field. The victory extends the team's program-record winstreak to 11 games and marks the first time NU has beat the Hawks since 2005. Andrew Fulford and Kyle Marzeoti paced a potent Norwich running game, each rushing for 98 yards on the game. Sophomore QB Kris Sabourin was 10-for-15 through the air for 141 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 12 carries.
Norwich (3-0) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as they took the opening kickoff and proceeded on a seven-play, 75-yard drive to paydirt. Senior TE Derek Hungerford got open in the endzone and hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring for the Cadets.
Danny Triplett found the endzone next for the Cadets when he barreled through from four yards out with 7:40 to go in the first frame. Long Ding converted his second PAT to put NU up 14-0.
Hartwick (2-1) was able to put some points of its own on the board when Heath Dunn banged through a 34-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 53-yard drive at the 3:59 mark of the opening quarter to make the score 14-3.
Dunn would strike again early in the second quarter, this time from 17 yards out, after the Hawks were set up deep in Cadet territory following a muffed punt.
Norwich pushed their lead to 21-6 when Sabourin found senior WR Emilio Martinez for an eight-yard touchdown pass midway through the second period.
Hartwick responded with a touchdown of its own when Jordan Wilkins hauled in a 13-yard pass from Kyle Morenus with 3:25 to go in the first half to pull the Hawks to within 21-13.
The teams would take that score into the locker rooms for intermission.
Neither squad could break through in the third stanza with the teams combining for two punts and a missed field goal.
Triplett found paydirt again to open the fourth quarter, this time plowing in from three yards out to run the NU lead to 28-13.
The Cadets would strike again just under four minutes later when Sabourin ran it in from seven yards out to make the Cadet lead 35-13 with 11:06 to go in the game.
Senior QB Guerschom Jean-Gilles capped the scoring for Norwich when he scampered seven yards before lowering his shoulder to break the plane of the goal line. Ding placed the extra point between the uprights to complete a perfect five-for -five performance on the day.
The Hawks rounded out the scoring with two touchdown passes by Dan Brainard in the final five minutes of regulation to account for the final 42-27 score.
The Cadets won the time of possession battle holding the ball for over 33 minutes. Both teams ran 72 offensive plays with NU outgaining Hartwick 501-452 in total offense.
Orwin Etkins added 51 yards on the ground for Norwich. Triplett had five carries for 26 yards including the two touchdowns.
Martinez finished with five catches for 70 yards, while sophomore WR Chris Denton chipped in four catches for 67 yards.
Junior LB Joe Gumberwicz led the Cadet defense with eight total tackles including 1.5 sacks. Senior LB Dan Reale and junior DB Sean Stone had seven and five tackles, respectively, to round out the NU defensive leaders.
The Cadets return to action when they travel to Newton, Mass., next Saturday, Sept. 25, to take on Mt. Ida in an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) matchup. Kickoff for that contest is set for 1 p.m.