BANGOR, Maine – Sophomore running back Elijah Garnett scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown with 53 seconds left to give the Husson University football team its first win of the season 23-17 over SUNY Alfred on Saturday afternoon at the Dr. John W. Winkin Sports Complex in Bangor.
 
Husson (1-2) drew first blood after senior Aaron Paradis nailed a 33-yard field goal to give the Eagles the 3-0 lead to cap off a 39-yard drive that ate up nearly four minutes of the first quarter.
 
SUNY Alfred (1-2) responded quickly as they drove 68 yards in just six plays to take a 7-3 lead just one minute into the second quarter. The Pioneers would also add a field goal to take a seven-point lead midway through the second quarter.
 
Husson responded to close out the half as junior quarterback Nic Visser took advantage of great field position, starting at SUNY Alfred's 35-yard line, and capped off a five-play drive with a two-yard pass to sophomore tight end Cullen Casey to knot the game up at 10 going into the halftime break.
 
After the two teams traded turnover-on-downs to start the second half, Visser would air out a deep ball that would find the hands of sophomore wide receiver Russ Walker for a gain of 38 yards to put the Eagles on the edge of the Pioneers' red zone. Unfortunately for the Husson, the drive would not result in points, as SUNY Alfred stripped the ball from the hands of Eagles sophomore running back Elijah Garnett and recovered the fumble to end the drive.
 
Husson's defense would hold the Pioneers to a field goal attempt that was missed wide to the left and the third quarter would go scoreless.
 
On the ensuing drive for the Eagles, with the ball on their own 36-yard line, Visser would send the ball down the right sideline and find a wide-open receiver in senior Jon Bell, who took the ball 64 yards, untouched, to the end zone to give Husson a 17-10 lead.
 
With SUNY Alfred driving into Husson territory, thanks to an interception in the endzone on the previous Eagles drive, the Pioneers would mishandle a handoff, and with the ball on the ground, junior linebacker Adam Bertrand would pounce on the loose ball and give Husson the ball back.
 
After back-to-back punts, the Pioneers would force the turnover that they needed, as they stripped Garnett again, and would drive 51 yards to get into the Eagles' endzone and bring the game to 17-17 with just over three minutes left.
 
Visser would start the ensuing drive with back-to-back big plays for Husson, as he would rush for 16 yards and then connect with Walker for a 19-yard pass to put the Eagles deep into SUNY Alfred territory. Husson then turned to Garnett, who gained the final 23 yards of the drive on the ground, including the eight-yard run for the game-winning score.
 
The Eagles' defense would hold strong and junior defensive back Parker LaFrance would seal the deal with an interception with eight seconds left.
 
Visser led the passing attack for Husson, connecting on 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
 
Garnett led the Eagles on the ground, tallying 133 yards on 26 carries, as well as finding the endzone once. Bell was the leading receiver for Husson as he hauled in three passes for 89 yards, while Walker caught four balls for 79 yards.
 
On defense, junior linebacker Tucker Buzzell was the anchor, as he recorded 17 total tackles, including nine solo tackles, to lead the team. Sophomore defensive back Antwan Turner also tallied double-digit tackles in the game, as he made 11 stops
 
Husson will look to continue its winning ways when they travel to Springfield College on Saturday. Kick-off for the non-conference contest is scheduled for noon.