Football Defeats Dayton On Family Weekend
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist football team earned its first win of the 2018 season on Saturday with a 28-17 triumph over Dayton before 2,830 fans at Tenney Stadium on Family Weekend.
SUMMARY
On Dayton's first drive, Marist received sacks from red-shirt seniors Willie Barrett and Eric Taylor to force a three-and-out.
At the 7:57 mark of the first quarter, red-shirt freshman Mike Husniscored an eight-yard rushing touchdown for the first score of the game. Red-shirt sophomore Mateo Zapata's PAT was good, and the Red Foxes led 7-0.
With 9:21 left in the second quarter, red-shirt sophomore Jacob Hallenbeck rushed in from the five for a touchdown. Zapata's kick was good once again, and the score moved to 14-0. The score capped a 16-play, 94-yard drive.
With 4:08 left in the half, Richie Warfield's four-yard rushing touchdown and Joseph Bruni's point after cut Marist's lead in half.
On Dayton's first drive of the third quarter, the Flyers drove inside the 10 before settling for a 26-yard field goal from Bruini.
With 3:40 left in the third quarter, Jack Cook's 24-yard touchdown pass to Matt Tunnacliffe followed by Bruni's PAT gave Dayton its first lead at 17-14.
On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore Mekhai Johnson's 54-yard return started the offense at the Dayton 45. Four plays later, Hallenbeck scrambled on a third-and-four play, and scored from 24 yards out. Zapata's point after gave Marist a 21-17 lead
At the 11:11 mark of the fourth quarter, Hallenbeck found senior Juston Christian for a 56-yard touchdown. Zapata's kick brought Marist's lead to 28-17.
With 1:57 left, an interception in the end zone by red-shirt senior cornerback Brandon Miller sealed the win for the Red Foxes.
KEY STATS
The Red Foxes completed an efficient 17 of 22 passes. Husni was five for seven for 60 yards, while Hallenbeck was 12-for-15 for 176 yards.
Marist was 7-for-15 on third-down conversions. Dayton was 5-for-13.
Miller's fourth quarter interception was the game's only turnover.
Christian had the game high in receiving yards with 107.
Junior linebacker Maliek Carr led Marist with eight tackles, and had a sack. Red-shirt junior nose tackle had four tackles, including one-and-a-half stops for loss.
For Dayton, Tucker Yinger had 111 total yards (80 rushing, 31 receiving). Andrew Lutgens had a game-high 10 tackles, which included one-and-a-half stops for loss.
NOTES
This was Marist's first home victory against Dayton in five tries. The Flyers have an 8-2 all-time lead in the series.
Christian now has three touchdowns for the season, and 22 in his career. Ten have covered at least 50 yards.
Marist had an advantage in time of possession for the first time this season, holding the ball for 31:39.
The opposition averaged 89 plays per game from scrimmage in Marist's first three games. Dayton ran 66.
The Red Foxes have a +4 advantage in turnover margin in their last three games (5-1).
Marist is now 37-37 all-time in PFL play
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"We played well in all three facets of the game," Marist head coach Jim Parady said. "I'm very proud of these guys but most importantly, I'm happy for them because they've worked so hard."
RECORDS
The Red Foxes are 1-1 in PFL play, and 1-3 overall. Dayton is now 2-3 overall, and 1-1 in the PFL.
UP NEXT
Marist will travel to New York City to face Columbia of the Ivy League in its final non-league game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.