BANGOR, Maine — The Husson University football team dropped a home, non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon, falling 48-0 to RV/RV Springfield College at Dr. John W. Winkin Sports Complex.
Springfield (2-0) used its option rushing attack to control possession and the line of scrimmage, finishing with 508 yards of total offense, including 436 yards on the ground. The Pride scored in all four quarters while holding the ball for 40:30. Husson (0-2) finished with 220 yards of total offense, including 163 through the air.
The Pride opened the scoring on their first possession when Desmond Perezcastaneda capped a six-play, 66-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown run. Stanford Davis extended Springfield's advantage to 14-0 later in the opening quarter with a two-yard touchdown run.
Husson responded with its best drive of the first quarter, marching 63 yards in nine plays after taking possession at its own 25-yard line. The Eagles advanced all the way to the Springfield 12 before the drive stalled on fourth down with 1:24 remaining in the quarter.
Springfield added a 27-yard Ian Wernik field goal early in the second quarter to make it 17-0 before Davis scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a 10-yard run with 1:55 remaining before halftime.
The Eagles put together another strong possession before the break, covering 58 yards in 10 plays over the final 1:55. Husson moved from its own 25 to the Springfield 17 before time expired, sending the Pride into halftime with a 24-0 advantage.
Springfield opened the second half with an onside kick recovery and eventually added a 35-yard Wernik field goal to stretch the lead to 27-0. Jayden Aziz later scored on a two-yard run with 2:51 left in the third quarter to give the Pride a 34-0 advantage.
Husson again moved into Springfield territory late in the third quarter and carried the possession into the fourth. The Eagles reached the Pride 35, but Springfield broke up a fourth-down pass intended for junior Caden Crocker to end the seven-play, 30-yard drive.
AJ Vurchio added a five-yard touchdown run with 9:31 remaining before Bode Dunn capped the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown run in the final seconds. Springfield finished the afternoon with six rushing touchdowns and converted 10 of its 13 third-down opportunities.
Senior quarterback Brody Gibson completed 14 of 29 passes for 163 yards for the Eagles. Senior Jacob Lenz was his leading target, hauling in four passes for a game-high 85 yards, including a 30-yard reception. Sophomore Dom Rolle added two catches for 38 yards, while Crocker finished with two receptions for 15 yards.
On the ground, sophomore Anthony Santacroce carried 15 times for 34 yards, while sophomore Daniel Ruiz Cantu added 25 yards on three attempts, including a team-long 21-yard run.
Junior JT Wright led the Husson defense with a game-high 13 tackles, while sophomore Cooper McNamara recorded 11 and sophomore Erik Menger finished with 10. Junior Brayden Trombly and sophomore Joseph Dube each added nine tackles.
Freshman Patrick Egan forced Husson's lone takeaway late in the fourth quarter, knocking the ball loose from Wesley Gallant before sophomore Ethan Leavitt recovered the fumble at the Husson 47-yard line.
Springfield finished with 27 first downs compared to Husson's 11 and went a perfect 7-for-7 on trips inside the red zone. The Eagles converted five of 12 third downs but were unable to convert on four fourth-down attempts.
Husson will look to bounce back next week when it heads to Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
