The football team (1-1 Patriot League, 4-3 overall) defeated Sacred Heart University (3-5 overall) 31-17 at home in an out-of-conference matchup last Saturday.
Coming off of the previous week’s 17-0 shutout loss against Georgetown University (1-1 Patriot League, 4-3 overall), the Leopards looked towards the second of their three-game home stand to get back in the win column.
Following a Pioneers’ three-and-out, the Maroon and White’s opening drive went 70 yards, led by junior running back Jamar Curtis and freshman quarterback Jason Penza. Penza saw his first in-game action with a pair of third-down conversions in the Leopards’ first possession, coming in for junior quarterback Dean DeNobile on several snaps throughout the game.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a few weeks of just a changeup, something that’s a little different,” head coach John Troxell said of the choice to play Penza. “He’s a really good quarterback, and he’ll be a big part of what we do going forward.”
While it was Penza who moved the chains on two third-down runs, it was Curtis who broke the plane with a short-yardage rushing touchdown.
The Pioneers responded with a major chunk play on a 42-yard pass to kickstart the Sacred Heart offense en route to a touchdown drive, knotting the score at 7-7.
After the Leopards’ offense went three-and-out on their next drive, the defense returned momentum to the home team with a first-down tackle for loss and a crucial third-down sack by junior linebacker Bryson Bright.
The Pioneers’ punt only reached their 46-yard-line, and freshman wide receiver Mason Kuehner returned it further to the 28-yard-line. A pass to Curtis and back-to-back runs by sophomore running back Troy Bruce was all it took to reach the endzone, as the Leopards went up 14-7 off Bruce’s five-yard run.
“We have the best back tandem maybe in the league,” Troxell said. “It was a concerted effort to get those guys going. I think our run will open up our pass. Last week, we got kind of stuck in that pass-happy mode, but it’s not who we are.”
Senior linebacker Tim O’Hearn forced a fumble on the Pioneers’ next drive, setting up another Leopards drive in Sacred Heart territory. The run game continued its dominance up front, with the offensive line creating space for DeNobile to convert on a fourth-and-six run before Curtis punched it in for his second touchdown of the day.
“We were just the more physical team today,” Curtis said. “I found it kind of disrespectful that they came out in the off-run. I think the rest of our team did too, so I think that kind of got the run game going and we never looked back.”
The Pioneers answered with a nine-play, 78-yard drive capped off by another chunk play given up by the Leopards’ defense, this time, off a 27-yard rushing touchdown.
Troxell said that the team gave up “a couple explosive plays” in the first half of the game.
“We got to eliminate that and make sure we’re fitting gaps the right way,” he added.
The Maroon and White methodically worked their way down the field, with Bruce and the offensive line gashing the Pioneers in the run-game before settling for a chip-shot field goal from sophomore kicker Jack Simonetta to go up 24-14.
After a set of stalled drives to end the half, the Leopard offense came out of halftime with a three-and-out, allowing Sacred Heart to inch back into the game. The Pioneers put together a methodical drive of their own before senior linebacker Reggie Thomas broke up a third-down pass to force the Pioneers to kick a field goal, making it a 24-17 ballgame.
A fourth down fumbled snap by the Leopards resulted in a turnover on downs, but the Maroon and White defense forced an immediate three-and-out.
The Leopards followed up with their longest possession of the season, driving 89 yards in over seven minutes. The offensive line bullied the Pioneers’ defensive front, with DeNobile capping off the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
“Win your one-on-ones,” said freshman offensive lineman Sean Kinney of the line’s mentality, adding that Curtis and Bruce make the job easier. “Dean does his thing, and Penza came in today and was running really well, so just trying to get them out in space and make them be able to do their thing.”
While the Pioneers again drove down nearly the length of the field, junior defensive lineman Tyree Morris forced a fourth-down fumble to essentially end the game.
“They bended a little bit, but didn’t break,” Troxell said of the team’s defense.
Although both teams exchanged final drives, the score remained at 31-17, as the Leopards picked up the home win.
The Leopards will finish their three-game home stand Saturday afternoon against Patriot League rival Holy Cross (2-0 Patriot League, 3-5 overall) for Homecoming.
“Championship Saturday,” Curtis said. “Must-win game if we want to be Patriot League champions again, we gotta go through them.”
