Box Score SELINSGROVE, PA (October 1, 2022) – The Susquehanna University football squad scrapped their way to another victory through rainy conditions on Saturday afternoon, defeating Ursinus College 17-12. The win moves SU to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Centennial Conference, a perfect start for the River Hawks as they now enter their bye week.
The SU defense set the tone early, getting the first of their eventual five turnovers on the first drive of the game. Ursinus would complete a pass on 2nd and 3 for a massive 44-yard gain, but defensive back Keith Green would come up with a forced fumble on Susquehanna's 25-yard line, recovered by Naphtali Stine. The ensuing drive for the offense saw them earn two first downs but stall out at their own 48 and be forced to punt.
Ursinus would take their next drive from their own 23 down into the Susquehanna red zone before stalling out and settling for a field goal attempt, which they would convert to put the opening points on the board and take the lead. It didn't take long for the River Hawks to respond, with their own drive into the opposing red zone, where they too stalled out and settled for a 28-yard field goal make from Elijah Hoffman to tie the game.
The Bears began their next drive with two rush plays to gain seven yards before dropping back to pass on third down. The second turnover of the day for Susquehanna came as Josh Parson jumped the route and intercepted the pass, racing into the end zone for a 28-yard pick six and the first touchdown of the day. Hoffman nailed the extra point to give the River Hawks a 10-3 lead.
The teams went on to trade some scoreless drives over the next few minutes before the next score came again to the benefit of Susquehanna. Michael Ruisch would drop a beautiful pass right into the waiting arms on Kyle Howes from the Ursinus 26, with Howes fighting through a defensive hold to come down with the catch and fall forward into the end zone. Hoffman again completed the drive with a made extra point, putting SU up 17-3.
Ursinus managed a response with a field goal in the waning minutes of the first half from 22 yards out, making the score 17-6 at halftime.
Neither team managed a score in the third quarter, with interceptions traded between the two offenses. Green would show up with his second turnover play of the game as he nabbed an interception at the Susquehanna 20 on a 2nd down play for Ursinus with just under four minutes left in the quarter.
The SU defense took yet another interception in the fourth quarter, this time through Andrew Wells, who managed to come down with a tipped pass and stall yet another Ursinus drive before they could break into Susquehanna territory. The rain that played a factor throughout the game was particularly heavy in the final quarter, and Susquehanna would rely heavily on the run game, primarily through Frankie Negrini, who tallied 108 yards on 28 carries, and Hunter Coulter, who had 59 yards on 12 carries. Despite the yardage, they struggled to complete any drives for points. The Bears narrowed the score with less than five minutes to go in the game, driving down to the Susquehanna four-yard line before completing a touchdown pass. Attempting a two-point conversion to narrow the deficit to three, they would come up short as the pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage and Susquehanna kept a five-point advantage. Susquehanna would fumble on the ensuing drive, opening the door for Ursinus, but Keith Green would again come up with a turnover on defense, grabbing his second interception of the day on Ursinus' last chance play on 4th down with just 1:40 remaining in the game. Susquehanna then took victory formation and came away with the win.
Green had a career day on defense, coming up with those two interceptions and the forced fumble, along with six tackles, including one tackle for loss. Sal Gurnari led the team in tackles with seven and also added 2.5 sacks.
The River Hawks will now enjoy the bye week along with the rest of the Centennial Conference, before returning to action on the road, visiting Gettysburg College on October 15 for a noon kickoff.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
