Football Pound the Bulldogs

FRANKLIN, MA: The Anna Maria College football team traveled to meet Dean College on Saturday afternoon for Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) action at the Longley Athletic Complex.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
• Score: Anna Maria 36, Gallaudet 22
• Records: Anna Maria AMCATS 4-4 (2-3 ECFC) | Dean Bulldogs 1-8 (1-4 ECFC)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sophomore quarterback Ryan Russell (West Springfield, MA) got the AMCATS off to an explosive start early in the game, rushing for a 49-yard touchdown on the team's second play of the game. After a nine-yard handoff to junior running back Khalil Bowens (Randolph, MA), the AMCATS setup for a similar play, but instead of leaving the ball in Bowens' hands Russell pulled the ball back and went off tackle to the right and found a wide-open field in front of him. Freshman Marino Vedova's (Zurich, Switzerland) kick PAT was good and gave the AMCATS a 7-0 lead with only 40 seconds off the clock.
• After forcing a three-and-out from the Bulldogs' offense, the AMCATS took advantage of a bad snap on the punt to set themselves up with a short field. The low snap on the punt went from the Bulldogs' 35-yard line and went all the way inside the five. Combined with an illegal batting penalty on the punter, it set the AMCATS up at the two-yard line.
• With the short field, the AMCATS wasted no time scoring on a pitch from Rusell to Bowens off the left side of the line. Vedova's second PAT of the day gave the AMCATS a 14-0 lead with barely two and half minutes off the clock.
• The AMCATS then began to scuffle a bit, allowing the Bulldogs back into the game with a touchdown, two field goals, and a safety to take a 15-14 lead with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.
• Trailing for the first time, the AMCATS got a wake-up call. The AMCATS went on 13-play 62-yard march down the field that was capped by a Jacob Buccola (Covina, CA) touchdown run to the left side. Buccola just outran the entire Bulldog defense to the pylon. On the two-point attempt, Russell threw a perfect fade to Justin McMillan in the left corner of the endzone.
• On the ensuing Bulldog drive, freshman linebacker Patrick DeLisle (Manchester, CT) forced a fumble that was recovered by Malik Kirnon (Brockton, MA) near midfield.
• Two plays later the AMCATS showed the explosiveness of their offense again when Russell found sophomore wide receiver Devin Tolbert (Salem, MA) on a wide receiver screen. Tolbert made two defenders miss and then proceeded to sprint down the sideline for his sixth touchdown of the season. Another Vedova PAT kick made the score 29-15.
• Not giving up the Bulldogs responded with a nine-play 88-yard drive of their own and cut the AMCAT lead back to seven points with 9:06 remaining.
• The Russell to Tolbert connection wasn't done though, connecting on a 77-yard cross pattern where Tolbert took advantage of the Bulldogs' soft coverage and then streaked through the middle of the field. A final Vedova PAT kick set what would be the final score of 36-22.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• First Downs: AMC 24, Dean 21
• Passing Yards: AMC 286, Dean 192
• Rushing Yards: AMC 212, Dean 39
• Time of Possession: AMC 30:44, Dean 29:16

UP NEXT:

Anna Maria will be in action again on Saturday when they will host another Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) foe, the Castleton University Spartan at Caparso Field. The teams will take the field for a 2 pm kickoff. The game will be preceded by a senior day ceremony to honor the AMCATS seniors so please arrive early.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on Anna Maria College Athletics, follow the AMCATS via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.