WASHINGTON - Senior quarterback Timel Benton (Columbia, S.C.) ran for a career-high 232 yards and four touchdowns as Gallaudet University took down defending Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) champion Dean College, 42-35, Saturday before a sun-drenched crowd of 345 at Hotchkiss Field.

Gallaudet (3-0, 1-0 ECFC) won its conference opener as it scored 14 points in each of the final three quarters of play after the Bison trailed 3-0 in the first quarter and 10-0 early in the second. Benton scored on a 58-yard run at the 10:44 mark in the second quarter and added a 2-yard touchdown run right before the half as GU trailed by three, 17-14.

In the second half, Gallaudet came out of the locker room on fire as junior Eric Gregory (Metairie, La.) ran back the opening kickoff 43 yards to set-up Benton's third touchdown. On the first snap of the third quarter, Benton scrambled 38 yards for the score to give Gallaudet the 21-17 lead. 

Dean (1-4, 0-1 ECFC) responded with a 71-yard drive on five plays that ended when Bulldog quarterback David Curry (33-for-46, 316 yards) hit Errol Breaux (15 receptions, 199 yards) on a 54-yard touchdown strike at the 13:28 mark. The Bulldogs missed the extra points and only led by two, 23-21.

GU answered with an 80-yard drive on 10 plays, that chewed up five and a half minutes of clock, and ended with a Mikka Harvey (Prince Frederick, Md.) 25-yard touchdown run as the Bison led 28-23. 

It was a high-scoring fourth quarter as both teams found the end zone twice. Benton scored his fourth and final touchdown at the 13:23 mark to cap another long drive of 65 yards on 10 plays as Gallaudet led by 12.

Dean running back Michael Bethune, Jr., who had a strong day running the ball, scored twice in the fourth quarter. His second touchdown of the game came at the 7:56 mark as Dean marched 82 yards on 17 plays and took over five minutes off the clock. Dean missed the extra-point and was down by six, 35-29. 

GU came back, again, and answered the bell with a 59-yard drive that took five plays and ended with a Nicholas Maccini (Bullhead City, Ariz.) six-yard run into the end zone with 5:29 left in regulation. 

The Bulldogs scored on the next drive and matched Gallaudet with their own 59-yard drive on five plays and ended with Bethune's third touchdown as he finished the game with 125 yards on the ground.

The Bison offensive line of senior Daniel Tanielu (Federal Way, Wash.), freshman John Scarboro (Austin, Texas), senior Cress Fisher (Boyertown, Pa.), sophomore Jay Waters (Cape Coral, Fla.) and junior Mitch Dolinar (Las Vegas, Nev.) did work upfront as they pushed around Dean's defensive line and created holes for Gallaudet to run through. GU, one of the top rushing teams in NCAA Division III, accumulated 393 yards on the ground on 51 carries an average of 7.7 yards per carry. 

Gallaudet's defense stopped the Bulldogs three times on fourth down in the game but the biggest stand came in the final minute of the game. The Bulldogs got to the Gallaudet 33 but two incomplete passes and one rush for two yards brought up fourth down and 8 from the Gallaudet 31. Curry then got sacked by sophomore linebacker Stefan Anderson (Faribault, Minn.) to turn the ball over on downs and seal the win for the buff and blue. Dean finished the game with 501 yards of offense and held the ball for 31:15.

Anderson led the Bison with a career-high 16 tackles (nine solo) and one sack, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Three other Bison defenders had 10 tackles including seniors Rodney Burford Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Dalton Taylor (Austin, Texas) and freshman Jacob Hartman (Petersburg, W.Va.). Burford Jr. added a game best three tackles for a loss of eight yards. Freshman defensive back Miguel Pavao (Frederick, Md.) finished with six tackles and one interception that was returned for 20 yards in the third quarter.

BISON TRACKS

• Sophomore kicker Jonathon Waterman (Fruita, Colo.) was a perfect 6-for-6 on point after attempts
• Gallaudet had the ball for 11 minutes and 46 seconds in the third quarter
• The two teams went a combined 8-for-8 in the red zone
• The Bison defense had six pass breakups
• Before the start of the game, team captains, coaches and Gallaudet faculty and staff focused on mental health awareness at midfield to share facts and support information

UP NEXT
Gallaudet stays at home next weekend and will face Keystone College (0-5, 0-1 ECFC), who is in its inaugural season, at Hotchkiss Field on Saturday, Oct. 9, at noon.