Local College Football Wrapup
DURHAM, N.H. – Chad Kackert scored on a 5-yard run to cap a 10-point fourth quarter for New Hampshire in a 27-24 win over Maine on Saturday.
The Wildcats (9-2, 6-2 Colonial Athletic Association) rallied from a 17-10 halftime deficit to clinch the CAA north division title.
The winning score was set up on a 41-yard pass play from R.J. Toman to Joey Orlando on second-and-13 from the Maine 46-yard line.
Tom Manning, who kicked a 42-yard field goal at the end of the first half, brought the Wildcats within four points on a 53-yarder with 13:46 left to play.
Kackert finished with 85 yards on 19 carries and Toman was 12 of 26 for 146 yards for New Hampshire.
Maine’s Chris Treister was 29 of 48 for 303 yards and two TDs and Michael Brusko had 13 catches for 119 yards.
Pushaun Brown finished with 90 yards on 23 carries as Maine lost its seventh straight against the Wildcats.
North Carolina 31, Boston College 13
BOSTON – Cam Thomas and Kendric Burney each had defensive touchdowns on Saturday as North Carolina scored three times in a span of 2 minutes, 19 seconds to open a 21-point lead and hold on to beat Boston College 31-13.
North Carolina (8-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) forced six turnovers totaled to win its fourth consecutive game.
Deunta Williams had three interceptions, returning one 39 yards to the BC 6 inch-line with 4:42 left in the game. Ryan Houston ran it in from there for his second touchdown of the game to make it 28-13.
Boston College (7-4, 4-3) had an outside shot at winning the ACC division title, but that disappeared with a flurry of first-quarter turnovers by quarterback Dave Shinskie that helped spot the Tar Heels to a 21-0 lead. The Eagles would have needed to win their last two games and hope Clemson lost to Virginia, which is in last place in the ACC Coastal Division.
Connecticut 33, Notre Dame 30, 2OT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Connecticut finally won one for their slain teammate, beating Notre Dame on senior day and handing Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis another bitter defeat.
Andre Dixon scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime to give the Huskies a 33-30 victory, their first win since cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death.
The loss was the third straight for Notre Dame (6-5) and will add to the mounting calls for Weis to be fired. The Irish led 14-0 early in the second quarter but didn’t score another touchdown until the first overtime.
The Huskies (5-5) had lost three straight painfully close games since Howard was killed. This time they made the plays at the end to win in dramatic fashion.
Jordan Todman ran for 130 yards on 26 carries, including a 43-yard TD run for UConn. He also added a 96-yard kickoff return. Dixon rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries.
Hofstra 52, Massachusetts 38
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Senior quarterback Cory Christopher capped his Hofstra career by passing for three touchdowns and a career-high 484 yards as Hofstra beat Massachusetts 52-38 on Saturday.
Aaron Weaver also set a career-high with 15 receptions and 191 yards for Hofstra.
Christopher (38-for-50) opened the scoring for Hofstra (5-6, 3-5 Colonial Athletic Association) with a 5-yard pass to Weaver. His 2-yard scoring run with 19 seconds left in the first half capped an 11-play, 85-yard drive to put the Pride ahead 28-10.
Northeastern 33, Rhode Island 27
KINGSTON, R.I. – John Griffin rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns to lead Northeastern to a 33-27 victory over Rhode Island in the season finale for both teams.
Griffin scored on runs of 18 and 10 yards and caught three passes for 29 yards as the Huskies (3-8, 3-5 Colonial Athletic Conference) won their final two games.
Northeastern built a 20-7 lead on Griffin’s 10-yard run, Matt Carroll’s 15-yard run and two field goals from Mat Johnson.
Rhode Island (1-10, 0-8) stayed close on Anthony Ferrer’s 2-yard run and Chris Paul-Etienne’s 55-yard pass to Shawn Leonard, but Griffin scored again for a 30-20 lead with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
Bucknell 23, Holy Cross 17
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Tyler Smith scored on a 9-yard run with 1:40 left and Bucknell upset Patriot League champion Holy Cross 23-17 on Saturday.
Smith rushed for 58 yards including a 13-yard touchdown to give the Bison (4-7, 2-4) a 7-0 lead. The Bison rushed for a a season-high 321 yards, led by C.J. Hopson’s 189 yards. Hopson scored on a 4-yard run in the first quarter as the Bison built a 14-0 lead.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Bison. The Crusaders (9-2, 5-1), tied the game at 17-17 on Eddie Houghton’s 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Dominic Randolph went 29-for 45 with 271 yards passing, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Alex Schneider to cut the Bison lead to 14-7.
The 271 yards passing was a season-low for Randolph, as the Crusaders’ were held to their lowest point total of the season.
Harvard 14, Yale 10
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Collier Winters threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as Harvard came back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat rival Yale 14-10, the Crimson’s eighth win against the Bulldogs in the last nine years.
Yale led 10-7 with just 2:25 left, but faked a punt on a fourth-and-22 from its 26-yard line. Harvard (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) got the ball when Yale safety John Powers was dragged down at his 40.
Three plays later, Winters hit Chris Lorditch down the left seam for a 32-yard score.
Tailback Gino Gordon ran for 86 yards on 13 carries, including a crucial 19-yard fourth-down run in the fourth quarter that sparked the Crimson comeback.
Alex Thomas had 124 yards on 26 carries for Yale (4-6, 2-5).
