The football team (2-1 overall) dominated in its home opener against Marist College (0-2 overall) on Saturday, winning by a whopping 56-14 final score. The Leopards matched last year’s season-high of 56 points, which came in a 56-22 blowout against Bucknell.
The Maroon and White got off to an electric start at Fisher Stadium, forcing a three-and-out by the Red Foxes. Freshman running back Gianlucca Tiberia then blocked the punt, which freshman defensive back Xavier Johnson caught in the end zone for a Leopard touchdown. The play marked the Leopards’ first punt-block touchdown since a 2010 outing at Penn and also Johnson’s first collegiate touchdown.
“I didn’t think that was going to be my first touchdown, on a blocked punt, and it just landed in my hands,” Johnson said. “It just gave us great momentum to come out, to keep pushing and to keep playing hard.”
While the Red Foxes responded with a touchdown drive to knot the game at 7-7, the Leopards’ offense got the run game going early and often on their opening drive. Junior running back Jamar Curtis carved up the defense, capping off a nine-play, 71-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown. Following another Marist three-and-out, the rushing attack remained a force to be reckoned with, as Curtis scored his second touchdown of the day on a fourth-and-goal play call to go up 21-7.
“We want one of our identities to be able to run the ball, and I think those guys in the backfield, all of them really make our jobs a lot easier,” said freshman offensive lineman Sean Kinney. “They run hard and they find the little creases that they need to make us look good.”
After back-to-back stalled drives, senior punter Jakob Trestik pinned the Red Foxes inside their own five-yard line, but a roughing-the-passer and pass interference call flipped the field position.
“Controlling the field is really important,” head coach John Troxell said. “We have to get our guys to be smart and not make those kinds of mistakes.”
With less than four minutes left in the half, freshman wide receiver Mason Kuehner returned a punt and caught a pair of blocks to turn it upfield for a 58-yard return touchdown, giving the Maroon and White a 28-7 lead in the second quarter.
“The coach made a good call and the direction to go, and I got a lot of great blocks and that sprung me free to be able to make a big play for the team,” Kuehner said of his first collegiate touchdown. “I’m so grateful to be able to make a difference.”
The Leopards continued to pour it on, with a lockdown defense and an efficient offense leaving the Red Foxes with no answers, before Curtis scored his third touchdown of the game to put the Maroon and White up 35-7 going into the half.
The second half was more of the same, beginning with a quick Leopards’ touchdown on a four-yard pass from junior quarterback Dean DeNobile to senior wide receiver Chris Carasia. Not even a minute of game time later, sophomore defensive lineman Jaylon Joseph picked off a third-down pass and returned it for another Leopards’ touchdown, making it a 49-7 ballgame early in the third quarter.
“I think they have a little chip on their shoulder because they didn’t play as well as they wanted to at Monmouth and came out today and they performed,” Troxell said of the team’s defense. “We did a better job tackling, we didn’t have missed tackles, we still have to get better at creating turnovers.”
Following yet another Marist three-and-out, the Leopards’ offense returned to the field with the majority of their starters done for the day. DeNobile threw for 294 yards and earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. Johnson was also named Rookie of the Week.
The remainder of the third quarter saw some box-score dressing with a rushing touchdown from senior running back Nahjee Adams, followed immediately by an interception by Johnson.
“I kind of got beat on the route, but it was an under-thrown ball, so I saw it and I just went up and got it,” Johnson said of his first collegiate interception.
While Marist tightened the enormous gap with a fourth-quarter touchdown, the Leopards finished with a 42-point lead to end their home opener.
“We have good kids who come ready and they prepare hard,” Troxell said. “If they do that, we’ll have a chance to win any game this year.”
The Leopards hit the road again with an away matchup at Columbia University tomorrow at noon.
