By Greg Stevenson
Senior Writer
The football team dropped to 0-2 for the 2010 season with a 14-3 defeat at Marist on Saturday. Another defensive performance went to waste as the Orange and Blue offense was limited to 159 total yards and just 56 yards on the ground.
“Our run game needs to improve to enable us to be successful as an offense,” Head Coach Joe Susan said. “We will continue to look at personnel to figure out who are our best players.”
For the first 20 minutes of the contest, the Red Foxes and the Bison traded possessions, preserving the scoreless tie. Marist had the best opportunity to produce points, driving 59 yards to the Bison seven-yard line with two minutes left in the first quarter, but could not convert a 24-yard field-goal.
The score remained tied until the nine-minute mark in the second quarter when a turnover by the Orange and Blue led to a Marist touchdown. An interception thrown by Bison quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 set the Red Foxes deep in Bison territory. Three plays later, Marist quarterback Tommy Reilly found James LaMacchia for a 16-yard touchdown through the air, giving the Red Foxes a seven-point lead.
The score remained unchanged until the final minute of the third quarter. After Reilly was sacked on a fourth-down try by Marist, the Bison turned in a 13-play, 58-yarder that got them deep inside the red zone. Although they had a first-and-goal from the one-yard line, the Orange and Blue had to settle for a field goal by kicker Drew Orth ’12 to cut the Marist advantage to 7-3.
The Red Foxes parlayed the momentum they picked up after stopping the Bison on three straight plays from inside the one-yard line into a touchdown on the next drive. The Marist offense went 73 yards in 12 plays, with running back Ryan Dinnebeil extending the lead to 14-3 with a one-yard touchdown run.
Marist ran out the clock on their final possession, securing the Red Foxes’ first win over the Bison in six tries.
Looking to end their two-game losing streak, the Orange and Blue football squad will return home this weekend to face its Ivy League foe, the Dartmouth Big Green. Kickoff for Dartmouth’s season opener is 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Bison are hoping to reverse their fortunes at home.
“It will be great to play at home,” Susan said. “I have always thought that this is one of the best places to play. I hope that students will come out to support their team. We need to make Mathewson Stadium a home field advantage.”