WASHINGTON - It took 680 days but the wait was worth it for the Gallaudet University football team as it celebrated a 21-14 season-opening win Saturday over Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology before 427 sun-drenched fans at Hotchkiss Field. Gallaudet didn't field athletics last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gallaudet (1-0) scored touchdowns on two of its first four possessions and took a 14-0 lead into halftime. The Bison increased the margin to 21-7 in the third quarter before the Bulldogs scored a late touchdown in the fourth to close the gap to seven points. Junior quarterback Nicholas Maccini (Bullhead City, Ariz.) ran for a game-high 97 yards and threw a first quarter touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Brandon Washington (Citronelle, Ala.), who made three grabs for 81 yards and two scores in his Bison debut. 

"It was great to be back at Hotchkiss Field and play the game of football," said Gallaudet head coach Chuck Goldstein. "I am proud of this team for their effort today and to come through with the win. Everyone of these players worked hard through our training camp and prepared to run out here on the field for the first time in nearly two years. We thank our fans and supporters for showing up and for following our spectator policy. Now, it's onto Greensboro next week. Go Bison!" 

GU got on the scoreboard at the 8:38 mark in the first quarter when Maccini lofted a nice high-arching 18-yard pass into the left corner of the end zone where Washington caught the ball in stride for the game's first score. 

In the second quarter, the Bison scored their second touchdown after they marched 44 yards on five plays and sophomore superback DeMichael Shelbon (West Monroe, La.) barreled through the Bulldog defensive line into the end zone with 10:34 left before the half.

GU had another opportunity to add to its lead late in the quarter as they chewed up nearly seven minutes of clock and got all the way down to the Thaddeus Stevens 9-yard line. Two Bison penalties moved them out of the red zone and back to the 34-yard line and forced GU to punt.

The Bison took a 14-0 lead into halftime.

Both teams scored touchdowns on their first possessions of the second half. The Bulldogs (1-2), a club team from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, scored on a 12-yard run by Meleik Crenshaw at the 9:20 mark as Thaddeus Stevens completed an 11-play, 62-yard drive that took five minutes and 32 seconds. Gallaudet responded with an eight-play, 47-yard drive that concluded with Washington's second touchdown as senior quarterback Timel Benton (Columbia, S.C.) found the freshman wideout in the exact same left corner of the end zone, this time from 24 yards out.

The Bison held the two-score lead until late in the fourth when the Bulldogs scored on an 18-yard pass from Cole Patrick (5-for-10, 62 yards) to James Jones with 3:58 left in regulation. 

Freshman linebacker Tennille Sellers (Gautier, Miss.) led the Bison defense with 11 tackles (five solo), 1.5 tackles for a loss of eight yards and one sack. Junior defensive back Eric Gregory (Metairie, La.) and freshman linebacker Jacob Hartman (Petersburg, W.Va.) followed with nine and eight tackles, respectively, while junior linebacker Rodney Burford Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded five tackles, two tackles for a loss of 13 yards and 1.5 sacks. Junior defensive back Jack Gray (Atherton, Calif.) made two interceptions and returned them for a combined 26 yards. 

Gallaudet won its season opener for the first time since 2013 when the Bison defeated Shenandoah University, 31-20, and went on to win the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) championship. 

BISON TRACKS

• The Bison outgained the Bulldogs, 271 to 260, as both teams held the ball for half of the game
• GU finished the game with 190 yards on the ground
• Gallaudet's defense tallied three sacks, two interceptions, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups
• The victory snaps GU's three-game losing streak dating back to the end of the 2019 season
• This was Gallaudet's first win since Oct. 19, 2019, when it beat Alfred State, 62-41
• The victory is the first win in the month of September for GU since Sept. 29, 2018, a 29-9 win at Anna Maria
• Gallaudet won its home opener for the first time since Sept. 10, 2016, a 30-0 shutout of Earlham
• Gallaudet's 2021 football roster has players from 25 different states and one from Canada

UP NEXT
Gallaudet will make a trip south to take on Greensboro College (0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 25, at noon.