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Boxscore
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Susquehanna University's senior running back Dave Paveletz (Warrior Run, Pa./Hanover Area) ran for a 25-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter at Frank Bailey Field on Nov. 14 to set a new Susquehanna single-season rushing-yards record, push visiting SU past the Liberty League's Union College, 28-17, and secure a trip to the 2009 NCAA Division III championships as the outright Liberty champion.
Paveletz was a late addition to the lineup for the Crusaders (8-2, 6-1 Liberty), having missed most of practice during the week with a sore ankle. Union (7-3, 6-1 Liberty) held him to 68 yards through three quarters, but his 48 fourth-quarter yards put him atop another historical Susquehanna statistical category and led the school to its first appearance in the Division III football championships since 1991.
Union came into the game having clinched at least a share of the Liberty title. SU needed a win to earn a share as well, and gain, through a head-to-head tiebreak with the Dutchmen, the league's automatic invitation to the NCAA tournament.
Susquehanna joined the Liberty in 2007 as an associate member in football. The Crusaders have accepted an invitation to join the Centennial Conference in the same capacity in 2010, meaning SU has won its first, last and only Liberty title.
Susquehanna will learn on Sunday, Nov. 15, who and where it plays in the first round of the Division III playoffs. ESPNews will air the selection show, starting at 3:10 p.m. that day. The tournament bracket will also be posted around that same time on NCAA.com.
Paveletz, who came into the game already as Susquehanna's career rushing-yards and rushing-TD leader, moved past Matt Wichlinski '00 in the Crusaders single-season-rushing category with the aforementioned 25-yard TD.
Paveletz ran for 1,314 yards last year to end up just eight yards behind Wichlinski's 1997 total. Paveletz totaled a team-high 116 yards on 28 carries in this game to stand at 1,347 this year.
Teammate and sophomore running back Greg Tellish (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) added 41 yards on just six carries in this game. He also caught two passes for 37 yards and a TD.
Susquehanna's senior split end Keith Howell (North Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills) ran for 15 yards on an end-around. Howell also faked an end-around run before completing a 22-yard pass to senior split end J.J. Moran (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville). Howell caught two passes for 14 yards as well.
Moran moved into fifth place in Susquehanna's career-receptions category. He tied for the game-high with six catches in this game for a game-high 82 yards. He caught a TD pass from sophomore quarterback Rich Palazzi (Newfoundland, Pa./Wallenpaupack).
Moran has a team-high 47 catches and 613 receiving yards this year. He is tied for the team-high with seven TD grabs. The 47 catches also lead the Liberty. He has made 118 career catches, ahead of the 115 made by former teammate Jim Owen '09 from 2005-08. Owen now ranks sixth in Crusaders history, while Al Bucci '88 ranks fourth with 121 catches from 1984-87.
Palazzi completed 11 of 22 passes in this game for 179 yards, including a game-high three TD to just one interception. He leads the Liberty this year with 190.0 yards passing per game and 19 TD throws. The 19 TD passes rank second in school single-season history behind the 20 thrown by Mike Bowman '03 in 2000.
SU's sophomore split end Mike Ritter (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) made the most of two catches, gaining 68 yards and scoring once. Ritter has seven TD receptions this year as well to tie Moran and one other player for the Liberty lead.
Union's junior running back Chris Coney (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Westminster Academy) rushed 24 times for a game-high 160 yards and two TD. Coney also caught a pair of passes for two yards.
Teammate and sophomore quarterback Drew Connolly (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) added 30 yards on 15 carries, hurt badly four sacks. Connolly also completed a game-high 17 passes on 32 attempts for a game-high 182 yards, but his pass on the Dutchmen's last possession of the game was intercepted by senior split end/defensive back Justin Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) in the end zone to effectively end the game.
Sophomore wide receiver Justin Gallo (Troy, N.Y./Lansingburgh) was Connolly's favorite target, catching six passes for a team-high 67 yards. Teammate and senior wide receiver Jared Gourrier [New Orleans, La./Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.)] added five catches for 61 yards.
The Crusaders were led defensively by a cast of familiar names. Senior linebacker Erich Majors (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) notched a team- and career- high 14 tackles, including a game-high and career-high-tying seven solo stops.
Teammate and senior defensive lineman Marc McDonough (Kingston, Pa./Bishop Hoban) may have been the game's most important player, making a game-high 2.5 sacks as part of a game-high three tackles for a loss (totaling a game-high negative-23 yards). McDonough also recovered a fumble and had six total tackles (two solo).
Sophomore defensive end Trevor Terpening (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) recorded nine tackles (one solo), including 1.5 sacks and two tackles for losses totaling 15 yards. Freshman defensive lineman Ken Schetroma (Elysburg, Pa./Southern Columbia Area) made eight stops (two solo). Senior defensive back Tony McIntosh (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) and junior linebacker Ryan Eck (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) both made seven tackles (four solo). McIntosh also recovered a fumble.
Sophomore linebacker Mitch Phillips (Millersburg, Pa./Millersburg) and freshman defensive back Jalon Scott (Albany, N.Y./Albany HS) both made seven stops as well. Three of Phillips' tackles were of the solo variety, while two of Scott's were. Senior defensive end Pete Johnsen (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) had six tackles (three solo), including a forced fumble and two stops for a loss. Along with the interception, Young also broke up a pass and forced a fumble as part of three tackles (two solo). Junior defensive back Braden Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) had a similar game, making three tackles (two solo), recovering a fumble and breaking up two passes.
Union's senior linebacker John Peters (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) recorded a game-high 15 tackles (three solo). Teammate and sophomore linebacker Steve Modliszewski (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) was right behind with 13 stops (three solo), including a forced fumble.
Senior defensive end Charles Hovsepian (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) made a team-high two tackles for a loss, including a sack, as part of an eight-tackle day (three solo). Junior safety Anthony Cassese (Wickliffe, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) registered six tackles (three solo) and intercepted a pass. Senior defensive end Tim Romano (Westport, Conn./Staples) made four tackles (one solo), including a sack.
The game was played rather evenly with Union holding only a slight edge in total yards, 372-368. But Susquehanna came up with the plays that it needed, including forcing four Union turnovers and making a number of big special-teams tackles, including three each by sophomore defensive back Jesse Eggerton (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Twp.) and sophomore outside linebacker Andy White (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg).
Time of possession was almost even as well. The Crusaders held the edge there at 30 minutes, 13 seconds to the Dutchmen's 29:47.
SU got on the scoreboard first, finishing off an eight-play, 54-yard drive with a Palazzi 17-yard TD pass to Moran on third-and-12 and an extra point from junior punter/placekicker Bobby Eppleman (Chester Springs, Pa./Great Valley) with 2:45 left in the opening quarter.
Union answered right back, taking the ensuing possession nine plays for 60 yards and ending with a Coney two-yard TD carry and a point-after from senior placekicker Zach Epley (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) that tied the game just 35 seconds into the second quarter.
The Crusaders were poised to answer right back, but Eppleman's field-goal attempt from 30 yards out at the end of the next drive went wide left.
Union fumbled the ball away on its next drive, but the Crusaders had to punt the ball back. Eppleman's 38-yarder rolled out of bounds at the Dutchmen one-yard line, but Union put together a long, 15-play, 87-yard drive after that, ending with a 29-yard field goal by Epley with 2:43 to play in the first half that made it 10-7.
The Dutchmen were driving late in the first half for another shot at the end zone when they fumbled the ball away again, this time at the Crusaders 27.
SU took the lead back on its second possession of the third quarter, marching 68 yards over seven plays for a Palazzi-to-Ritter 31-yard TD pass and another PAT from Eppleman that made it 14-10 with 6:25 left in the third.
The Crusaders defense took control at that point, forcing Union to back-to-back three-and-outs to close out the quarter. The Dutchmen went three-and-out on three of their possessions in the third and were held to just 22 total yards.
Union did get through in the fourth though, as Coney's one-yard TD rush ended a nine-play, 64-yard drive on the Dutchmen's first possession of the quarter. The Epley PAT made it 17-14 Union with 10:06 to play.
The Crusaders responded with seven important points after that, going 69 yards over six plays on the ensuing drive, including a 24-yard TD pass from Palazzi to Tellish and an Eppleman PAT to turn the tables at 21-17 SU.
Union's next drive was stamped out by McDonough, who, on third-and-eight from the Dutchmen 26, dropped Connolly for a 12-yard sack.
SU took over in great shape at the Union 46 following a punt and capitalized when Paveletz's 25-yard TD rush ended a five-play, 46-yard drive that effectively put the game away. Eppleman's PAT spelled the final score with 3:30 left.
Union tried to get within one score with a late charge down to the Crusaders 19, but Young's pick in the end zone iced it.
SU turned to Paveletz to run out clock, and he did, allowing the Crusaders to finish a game on offense for the fifth time in a row.
Susquehanna has won its last five games.
Eight wins are the most in one season for SU since the 1992 Crusaders went 9-1.
Next Game: Saturday, Nov. 21, at #17 Delaware Valley (NCAA Division III championships), 12 p.m.
