WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Gallaudet University football team suffered its first loss at home in over a month as the Bison lost a tough 14-7 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) game to Norwich University on Saturday before a crowd of 650 at Hotchkiss Field.

Gallaudet (3-3, 2-2 ECFC) compiled a game-high 238 yards of offense (201 rushing yards on 55 carries) and had 15 first downs but ran out of time against Norwich (3-3, 3-0 ECFC) to mount a comeback. The first-place Cadets are undefeated in conference play while the Bison sit in third-place.

Senior quarterback Jimmy Gardner (St. Augustine, Fla.) led the Bison offense with 69 yards rushing and completed 4-of-10 passes for 37 yards. Sophomore running backs Michael Gimeli (Deerpark, N.Y.) and Phillip Hayes (Baton Rouge, La.) surpassed 40 yards on the ground. Hayes scored Gallaudet's lone touchdown at the 7:52 mark in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. GU had a chance to take a three-point lead into halftime as senior kicker Justin Wilson (Phoenix, Ariz.) lined up for a 34-yard field goal with 43 seconds left. Wilson's kick fell short as the teams went into the half knotted at seven.

"We played really hard today. We faced a strong opponent in Norwich and we rose to the challenge," said GU coach Ed Hottle, in his fifth season. "We missed some opportunities in the red zone but we never gave up. We can build off of this and keep moving forward in a positive direction."

The Bison began the third quarter with the ball and marched 50 yards down the field and took nearly nine minutes off the clock. GU had the ball on the Norwich 11 but Gardner was sacked on second down and lost four yards. The Bison didn't convert on third-down and Wilson came out to attempt a 32-yard field goal with 6:08 left in the quarter. Wilson's kick was no good as it went wide left.

Norwich ended the stalemate early in the fourth quarter as the Cadets used eight plays to go 54 yards and scored their second touchdown in the game. The score was the first in nearly 39 minutes since the two teams traded first quarter touchdowns.

Gallaudet's defense faced a first-and-goal from its own 3-yard line. Norwich's Andrew Fulford (78 yards, one touchdown) pushed forward two yards on first down. Cadet quarterback Kris Sabourin (2-for-8, four yards) ran on second down and was dropped for a 2-yard loss by Gallaudet lineman Jon Van Wey (Alexandria, Va.). Sabourin gained back the two yards on third down as he compiled a game-high 110 yards on the ground. Sabourin was stopped short of the goal line by freshman lineman Kevin Allen (Houston, Texas). Norwich went for it on fourth down and inches as Orwin Etkins (30 rushing yards) got the football just over the goal line against the stout Bison defense for the go-ahead score with 13:52 left in the game.

The Bison started the ensuing possession in great field position due to Norwich being penalized twice before it kicked off. GU started from the Norwich 39-yard line but only got seven plays off before the Bison were forced to punt with nine minutes left in the game. The Cadets ran off six and a half minutes on the next 10-play drive before they punted the ball back to the Bison with 2:46 left in the game.

Gardner and the Bison were forced to pass as the clock was not on their side. GU had to go 95-yards to have a chance to tie or win the game. Gardner completed three passes and got the Bison up to the Gallaudet 36-yard line but Norwich linebacker Reza Afsarmanesh (10 tackles, two sacks) ended the game with a sack of Gardner on fourth down.

Norwich scored the game's first touchdown on its first possession as the Cadets went 48 yards on nine plays in under five minutes to take an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Fulford ran the ball in from three yards out for the score. Gallaudet answered on the next drive, as the Bison only needed five plays to cover 43 yards. Hayes scored the touchdown but it was his 22-yard scamper that kept the drive alive for the Buff and Blue.

Senior Joshua Doudt (Medina, Ohio) led the Bison defense with nine tackles followed by freshman Tom Pangia (Hammonton, N.J.) and sophomore Jared Vollmar (Delavan, Wis.), who made six tackles apiece. Norwich had four different players record 10 tackles led by Afsarmanesh. Zach Sucharski had the other sack for the Cadets in the game.

Norwich ended the game with 220 yards of total offense (216 yards rushing) as the Bison defense held the Cadets to just four yards passing and 12 first downs.

Gallaudet continues it four-game homestand next Saturday, October 17, when the Bison welcome local rival Catholic University of America to Hotchkiss Field for a 1 p.m. non-conference game.