KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Oct. 8, 2022) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team won its fourth-straight game on Saturday, 19-7, over visiting NEWMAC opponent Norwich University at Tomb Field. The win improves the Mariners' record to 4-1 (2-0 NEWMAC) on the season, while the Cadets fall to 2-4 (1-1 NEWMAC) in defeat.
Game Links
- Box Score
- WATCH: Postgame Interview With Senior QB Jeremiah Wang
- WATCH: Postgame Interview With Senior CB Connor Caffrey
- WATCH: Postgame Interview With Senior LB C.J. Mustain
- WATCH: Postgame Interview With Head Coach Jameson Croall
- WATCH: Highlights From The Win On Our Twitter Page (More To Come)
Senior Jeremiah Wang (Manassas, Va.) ran for 134 yards and opened the scoring early in the second half with a 37-yard rush to the house after a strong block by classmate Max Michaels (Fleming Island, Fla.) led the way.
That initial score by the Mariners was set up by an interception by senior Connor Caffrey (Spokane Valley, Wash.) on the first play of the second quarter. Caffrey ended the day with two picks, as he recorded another late in the third quarter.
Senior Matthew Savard (Orlando, Fla.) found the end zone on the Mariners' next possession after their first score, as he capped off a 4-play, 45-yard drive with a one-yard rushing TD.
Sophomore Jackson Tinkis (Bossier City, La.) made two extra points on the day and also added a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
There were only two points scored on a safety for the Mariners in the final minute of play.
Senior C.J. Mustain (Oro Valley, Ariz.) compiled a team-best six tackles, including 4.5 coming behind the line of scrimmage (with 3.5 sacks for combined losses of 18 yards, all in the fourth quarter with Norwich attempting a comeback). He also added a forced fumble and a pass break-up on the afternoon.
The Mariner defense made the best of the little time they had on the field - USMMA owned time of possession 43:36 to Norwich's 16:24 – as Merchant Marine forced six total turnovers on the day – the two interceptions by Caffrey, the forced fumble by Mustain and three other fumbles, two on kickoffs - one forced by Jackson Troutt (Fairfield, Calif.) – a fumble out of the back of the end zone on the Cadets' final offensive play that resulted in the safety that sealed the victory.
The special teams play-calling also played a key role, as the game also featured a pooched kickoff after the second TD which resulted in a fumble, a fake punt run by freshman Ben Rini (Vermilion, Ohio) midway through the fourth which resulted in a first down to continue to run the clock, as well as, as well as a great switch-a-roo at the line of scrimmage on another punt play late in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-three which forced Norwich to burn its final timeout.
For the Cadets, junior quarterback Mitchell Theal threw for 228 yards on 13-of-22 completions with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was also sacked a total of five times. His top receiver was freshman Tykell Stewart, who hauled in three passes for 75 yards, while senior Trevor Chase had four catches for 60 yards. The lone Norwich touchdown came midway through the third quarter, when Theal connected with sophomore Will Thornton on a 13-yard score. Thornton ended the day with two catches for 19 yards.
Defensively, senior Patrick Keefe had a game-high 15 tackles, while two other Cadets were in the double-digits for stops – sophomore Shayne Leddy with 12 and senior Matthew Christe with 10, including a sack.
Next weekend, the Mariners travel up to Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday, Oct. 15, to take on MIT (2-2, 0-1 NEWMAC) in another conference battle. Kickoff is scheduled for 12-noon at the Engineers' Steinbrenner Stadium. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Football Schedule Page.
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