ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Morrisville State College football team posted one of the biggest comeback victories in the history of the program Saturday afternoon, battling back from a 19 point deficit with just over 11 minutes to go in the final quarter, to top host Hartwick College 43-40 at Wright Stadium in Oneonta.
The win is the first for the Mustangs in five meetings with the Hawks, and boosts the program to another first, a 2-0 start since transitioning to the NCAA, Division III in 2006.
Morrisville State edged Hartwick in total offense 496-yards to the hosts 492, despite a monster game by Hawk running back Greg Bell, with a majority of the difference coming in the passing game.
Senior quarterback Lemar Johnson (Ossining, N.Y.) connected on 19-of-37 pass attempts for 290 yards and four touchdown scores, also throwing two interceptions that the Hawks thought had sealed the Mustangs fate early in the fourth. Five of those completions went to wide receiver Anthony Gray (Smallwood, N.Y.) who posted 100-yards and a score on the day, and eight more to Josh Powell (Yonkers, N.Y.) who added 94-yards and a touchdown.
Cristian Pena (Ridgewood, N.Y.) caught three for 60-yards and added 119-yards for the Mustangs in the running game on 17 carries. Johnson added 97-yards and two rushing scores to his tallies on the day as the Mustangs had 206-net yards rushing.
Senior safeties Caleb Wright (Cortland, N.Y.) and Chad Dorrance (Cazenovia, N.Y.) led the defensive unit with double figure tackles, both recording a collegiate best. Wright posted a monster 18-tackle game in the secondary, making 13 solo stops and adding an interception, while Dorrance posted 11 total stops, seven solo.
Colton Evans (West Winfield, N.Y.) added eight stops to the defensive efforts, registering a sack for a loss of eight yards for a second straight week, adding a blocked field goal attempt that proved to be a turning point for the Mustangs late in the game.
Most of Hartwick's offense came from Bell in the ground game, who tallied 331 yards and three scores on 51 carries. Quarterback John Garcia added 144 yards to the offensive totals, connecting on 13-of-23 attempts for a score, and throwing three interceptions. Three completions were to wide out Tanner Williams who had a team high 79 yards.
Matthew Ali led the defensive unit with seven tackles on the day, with teammate Dante Crump adding six more, and registering two breakups.
Hartwick took a 7-0 lead over the Mustangs midway through the first quarter as Garcia connected with Mistersaro on a one-yard pass play for the score.
The Mustangs were able to respond with 10:29 to go in the second quarter to even the contest at seven, as Johnson scrambled 16-yards into the end zone, capping off the seven play drive that started on their own five yard line following a Ray Woolford (Staten Island, N.Y.) interception.
Hartwick regained the lead on the ensuing drive, marching down field behind six straight carries by Bell for the 13-7 advantage.
After holding Morrisville State to just four plays on the next drive, Hartwick, again behind the footwork of Bell, scored on their next possession, claiming the 20-7 advantage with just under 2 minutes remaining in the half.
Jordan Charbonneau (Corinth, N.Y.) returned the Hawk kickoff 36 yards, positioning the Mustangs on their own 42-yard line to start their final drive of the half. Pena broke into Hartwick territory with a 14-yard carry, before Johnson hit receiver Anthony Mella (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a 12-yard gain on the next play. Johnson again took to the air and hit Powell for an 18-yard gain, bringing the Mustangs down to inside the Hartwick 20, where three straight carries on the ground by Pena and another by Johnson made it a 20-14 game in favor of the hosts at the break.
In the third, both teams exchanged scores, Bell capped off a 77-yard Hartwick drive with a 13-yard scoring run with 11:28 to go in the quarter. Morrisville State responded with 18 seconds to go on a 49-yard pass play from Johnson to Pena, sending the game into the final stanza with a 26-21 score in favor of the Hawks.
The fourth quarter, though, is what wasn't to be missed. After two Hartwick interceptions returned for scores within a 22 second span, the Mustangs found themselves trailing 40-21 with 11:32 to go.
After a 48-yard kickoff return by Powell, Morrisville State started their drive within Hartwick territory, and after three plays, cut the deficit to 12 on a Johnson to Gray scoring completion, a drive that took just 43 seconds.
On the ensuing Hartwick drive, the Mustang defense held Bell to just seven total yards rushing and Evans came up with a huge sack for a loss of eight yards on a third down to force a Hawk punt.
Morrisville State's no huddle, hurry up offense couldn't be slowed by the Hartwick defense, as Morrisville State, in just five plays, again was in the end zone, cutting the home team's lead to five with six minutes to go. The Mustangs gained significant yards out of the passing game: first a Johnson to Gray completion for a 19-yard gain, Pena a 19-yard gain on the ground, and Johnson again to Gray to move the markers 13-yards. Johnson finished the five play drive with a six-yard scoring completion to Powell to make it a 40-35 game.
With Hartwick threatening to score with two minutes to go, Morrisville State's Javion Bobb (Brooklyn, N.Y.) grabbed the ankles of Bell to force the hosts to attempt a 34-yard field goal. With the opportunity for Hartwick increase the lead to eight, Evans turned the corner and laid out to block the field goal attempt, recovering the ball on the Mustangs 32 yard line and giving the visitors possession for a final drive.
Two straight holding penalties landed the Mustangs in a 1st and 20 position, but a quick completion from Johnson to Powell erased the setback and postioned Morrisville State on the Hartwick 38 yard line.
With time winding down, two pass attempts by Johnson fell incomplete and on third down, he found a wide open Mella in the end zone for the go ahead score with seconds remaining on the clock.
Morrisville State added a two-point conversion on a pass from Johnson to Gray for the 43-40 lead with 34 seconds to go.
Hartwick gained yardage on four straight pass completions and was deep in Mustang territory, and a 26-yard gain from Garcia to Williams had hearts pounding, but the stop by Deston Treasure (Cornwall, N.Y.) kept Williams out of the end zone and secured the Mustang victory.
Morrisville State outgained Hartwick 121 yards to 68 in the final quarter, scoring 22 points on just under three minutes total possession time.
The Mustangs return to the field next Saturday, heading North to face St. Lawrence University, before returning home on the 27th to host rival SUNY Cortland in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener.