WASHINGTON - Gallaudet University rolled to a 38-16 victory over Dean College in an Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) game on a sunny and unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon at Hotchkiss Field in our nation's capital. 

Gallaudet (4-5, 3-1 ECFC) ran for 342 yards on 61 carries and scored four rushing touchdowns and threw for one score in the 22-point home victory on Senior Day. The Bison scored on five of their first six possessions to begin the game. 

Junior slot Mikka Harvey (Prince Frederick, Md.) ran for a career-high 155 yards on 13 carries (11.9 yards average per carry) and scored twice to pace the resilient rushing attack. Harvey scored GU's first and last touchdowns in the game. Harvey scampered in from 19 yards out just minutes into the game and later sped away from defenders with a 56-yard run at the 5:43 mark in the fourth quarter. Junior super back Dre'Vaughn Mackall (Prince Frederick, Md.) surpassed 100 yards for the fifth time this season as he ran hard through the defensive line on 26 carries to accumulate 127 yards. 

GU's special teams unit came to play as they helped to recover two fumbles on kickoffs and blocked one punt to give the Bison great field position and the chance to score points. Dean mishandled the opening kickoff and the final kickoff before the half as GU came up with the ball both times. 

Senior kicker Jonathon Waterman (Redding, Calif.) made a 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter and went a perfect 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts. In fact, the left-footed placekicker even kicked one extra-point with his right foot after Harvey's final score late in the fourth. 

The Bison dug deep into the playbook in the second quarter and pulled off two great scoring plays. Senior wide receiver Jared Hilaire (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ran an end-around 25 yards, untouched, into the end zone as the Bulldog defense pulled right but got fooled when Hilaire took the handoff and headed in the opposite direction to a completely empty side of the field. That was Hilaire's first collegiate touchdown and fitting it happened on Senior Day.

On the next possession, backup quarterback Gabe Segovia (Glendale, Ariz.) took the snap at the Dean 38-yard line and dropped back and threw a pass towards the sideline to wide receiver Kylar Sicoli (Austin, Texas), who was behind the line of scrimmage. Sicoli caught the ball and threw a pass of his own down the field to sophomore wide receiver Jaylen Johnson (Redlands, Calif.), who made the grab and scored from 38 yards out to give GU a commanding 24-3 lead at the half. 

GU received the opening kickoff in the third quarter and scored a fourth touchdown on the first six possessions to increase its lead to 31-3. Junior quarterback Brandon Washington (Citronelle, Ala.) leaped over the lines from one yard out for the score. 

Dean scored on back-to-back drives in the third quarter, including a 55-yard pass from quarterback Isaac Sisneros (21-for-33, 252 yards, two scores) to wide receiver Jalen Smith (nine catches, 138 yards) that cut the Bison lead to 15 points, 31-16, as the teams went into the fourth quarter.

The Bison held onto the ball for 38 minutes and 37 seconds in the contest. GU had the ball for over 12 minutes in the second quarter. In fact, Gallaudet used up at least eight minutes and 34 seconds of the clock in every quarter. 

GU's defense had one of its most complete games as the Bison held the Bulldogs to just eight yards rushing as the buff and blue sacked Dean's quarterbacks five times for a loss of 37 yards. Sophomore linebacker Zefan Nathanson (Manor, Texas) led the Bison with 10 tackles (eight solo) and two tackles for a loss of eight yards. Nathanson blocked Dean's punt in the second quarter which would set-up Hilaire's 25-yard score at the 5:35 mark. 

Junior linebacker Jacob Hartman (Petersburg, W.Va.) finished with nine tackles (seven solo) and 2.5 tackles for a loss of six yards. Senior Wendell Ratliff (Columbia, S.C.) had a game to remember as he made two sacks for a loss of 23 yards. Ratliff dropped Dean quarterback Paul Hammond for a loss of 14 yards to end the game.

Junior strong safety Antonio Mendoza (Waco, Texas) and junior Tyler Williams (Norcross, Ga.) both recorded sacks in the win. Sicoli and Joshua Saaty (Ada, Okla.) both recovered one of the botched kickoffs and Johnson made an interception when Dean was threatening near the end of the game. 

Dean defensive back Andrew Liverman and linebacker Des Dias led the Bulldog defense with 14 and 10 tackles, respectively in the loss.

Before the start of the game the Gallaudet football program paid tribute to its graduating senior class which includes; Hilaire, Ratliff, Waterman, Agustin Bojorquez (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Josh Buentiempo (Reno, Nev.), Conner Egan (Houston, Texas), Cas Mastropaolo (Berlin Heights, Ohio) and Gabriel Romanauskas (Londonderry, N.H.).

UP NEXT
Gallaudet is the first team of five in the clubhouse with a 3-1 conference record. The Bison currently sit alone at the top of the ECFC standings but GU could receive company next Saturday as Alfred State College (5-4, 2-1 ECFC) and Anna Maria College (4-4, 2-1 ECFC) play their own final regular-season games, respectively. Alfred St. travels to Dean (2-7, 1-2 ECFC) and Anna Maria plays host to Vermont State University Castleton (2-6, 0-3 ECFC). 

The Bison need some help in the way of a Castleton upset over Anna Maria to get GU back in the postseason.

Of course, if Alfred St. and Anna Maria both lose next Saturday that will leave GU alone at the top and repeat conference champions.