OCTOBER 2, 2004
BOB ZIADIE
KING’S DROPS BITTER 21-18 DECISION TO
UNBEATEN MORAVIAN
BETHLEHEM -- Moravian College converted a
controversial late-game call into the eventual game-winning touchdown with
0:29 remaining as the Greyhounds pulled out a 21-18 victory over visiting
King’s College Saturday at Steel Field in Bethlehem.
With the win, Moravian improved to 4-0
overall and in the MAC while the Monarchs fell to 1-4 and 1-3. The
Greyhounds also snapped a five-game winning steak at the hands of the
Monarchs.
Moravian would take over following a King’s
punt at its own 31-yard line with 1:44 left in the contest. The Greyhounds
would then drive to the King’s 37. After a three-yard loss on a running
play, followed by a pair of incomplete passes, Moravian faced a
fourth-and-13 play from the Monarch 40. From there quarterback Jerry
Venturino lofted a Hail-Mary pass down the right sideline where three King’s
defenders surrounded Greyhound receiver Ben Hawkins.
King’s safety Derek Zambino and Hawkins
would both leap for the ball and the Monarch senior appeared to have the
ball in his grasp a fleeting moment before Hawkins attempted to gain
possession. The players came down together wrestling possession and landed
on the grounds out of bounds. The sideline official ruled Hawkins had
gained possession before Zambino, giving the Greyhounds a first down at
the King’s six-yard line with 0:39 left in the game.
Three players later, Venturino found Jed
Warsager in the end zone for the go-ahead score, Ken Macauley’s
conversion kick gave Moravian a 21-18 with 0:29 on the clock.
King’s would move to its own 44-yard line
but Chris Barnic’s final desperation pass was intercepted by Tyler
Chomik at the Greyhound 25 on the final play of the game.
It was a frustrating end for a King’s
team that lost its second straight contest in the final moments of the
game.
The Monarch defense played an inspired
first half against the top-rated rushing team in the MAC, holding the
Greyhounds to 48 totals yards, including just 10 rushing yards over the
game’s first 30 minutes.
The Monarchs would take a 3-0 half-time
lead when Bobby Nawrocki capped a 15-play, 81-yard drive with a 22-yard
field goal with 1:19 left in the first period.
Moravian would answer by driving to the
King’s 14 but Venturino fumbled while handing off to Chris Jacoubs and
Monarch linebacker Brendan Ireton recovered at the King’s 19 to end the
treat
In the first half, King’s would hold a
191-48 advantage in totals yards. Jacoubs, the leading rusher in the MAC
with a 204.0 yards per-game average, gained just seven yards on 10 carries
in the opening stanza. The Monarchs, however, crippled themselves with
nine penalties for 82 yards in the first half alone.
Moravian would answer on the first
possession of the third quarter when the Greyhounds drove to the King’s
18. On the next play, Venturino would find Shawn Martell in the back of
the end zone to put the Greyhounds on top. Macauley’s kick gave Moravian
a 7-3 lead with 11:04 left in the third quarter.
King’s answered when Craig Haywood would
return the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to midfield. Barnic would find Julian
Walker for 33 yards to the Moravian 17. The drive would stall and Nawrocki’s
22-yard field goal would bring King’s to within 7-6 with 8:05 remaining
in the third period.
King’s would force a punt and took over
at its own 31 with 5:55 left in the third. And advanced the ball to the
Moravian 43. King’s was then unable to move the ball and brought out the
punt team. The Monarchs would call a perfectly executed fake as Derek
Zambino took a handoff from up man Craig Haywood and raced 40 yards down
the right sideline for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed as the
Monarchs took a 12-7 lead with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter.
After the ensuing kickoff, Jacoubs took a
first-down handoff 37 yards to the King’s 36. On the next play, Marc
Panepinto picked up 30 yards to the Monarch six. On third-and-goal from
the six, Venturino would score on a bootleg to put the Greyhounds back on
top. Macauley’s conversion was good as Moravian led 14-12 with 14:53
left in the contest.
The Monarchs would immediately counter and
moved to the Moravian 15 when Barnic hit Walker on consecutive passes of
15 and 19 yards. Jackson then took a handoff and broke a tackle at the
eight-yard line before finding the end zone to put the Monarchs back on
top. King’s would fail on the two-point conversion but led 18-14 with
12:32 remaining.
Moravian would assume possession at its own
11 following a punt with 9:26 remaining and drove to the Monarch 37.
Facing a fourth-and-seven play, Venturino would find Hawkins on an inside
screen pass but King’s lineman Tim Ryder made the crucial stop for a
one-yard gain as the Monarchs took over on downs with 3:42 remaining.
King’s would attempt to drive as Barnic
hit Walker for 19 yards to the Greyhound 45. On third-and-five from the
40, Barnic was sacked back at the 47 to force a King’s punt with 1:53
remaining, setting up Moravian’s game-winning drive.
Moravian, which entered the game averaging
451 yards of total offense, were limited to 32 by the Monarchs. The
Greyhounds averaged 357.0 yards on the ground by gained just 158 against
King’s. The Monarchs posted 410 yards of offense, including 196 yards on
the ground against a Greyhound defense which yielded just 79.0 rushing
yards per-game entering the contest.
Monarch tailback Richard Jackson rushed for
105 yards on 29 carries and moved into second-place on the all-time MAC
rushing list with 4,493 yards. Barnic completed 14-of-27 passes for 214
yards but was sacked three times. Walker had nine catches for 162 yards.
Venturino completed 13-of-29 passes for 194
yards and two scores while Jacoubs was held to 84 yards on the ground.