LA PLUME, Pa. – The Gallaudet University football team came within one play of taking the lead late in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon, but a two-point conversion attempt fell short as Keystone College escaped with a 28-27 victory in a tightly contested non-conference game at the Keystone Turf Field and Track Complex.
The Bison (2-6 overall, 0-6 NCAA) rallied from a seven-point deficit in the closing minutes after senior running back
Marcus Brown-Gabriel (Beeville, Texas) scored on a 15-yard touchdown run up the middle on fourth-and-2 with 2:06 remaining.
Gallaudet elected to go for the two-point conversion and the lead. Sophomore quarterback
Jayden DeFalco (Indianapolis, Ind.) rolled out to his left and connected with first-year wide receiver
Luke LeFors (Baton Rouge, La.) in the back corner of the end zone on the near side of the field, but a Keystone defender pushed sophomore wide receiver
Darius Zarembka (Riverside, Calif.) into LeFors, forcing him out of bounds and preventing the conversion.
The Bison attempted an onside kick, but Keystone recovered at the Gallaudet 41-yard line. The Giants (2-6) advanced downfield, aided by two Gallaudet penalties, before quarterback Malakai Dickens (8-for-18, 55 passing yards, two touchdowns) took a knee twice to run out the clock.
Gallaudet outgained Keystone 455-292 in total offense, held a 25-22 advantage in first downs and controlled possession for nearly 36 minutes. However, nine penalties for 87 yards proved costly as seven of Keystone's first downs came via penalty.
The Bison had an opportunity to strike first in the opening quarter after driving to the Keystone 7-yard line. Facing fourth-and-7, Gallaudet attempted a fake field goal as junior quarterback and holder
Stevie Oursler (Prince Frederick, Md.) took the snap and raced toward the end zone. Oursler gained six yards before being forced out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
Keystone responded with a seven-play, 99-yard touchdown drive that included a 35-yard run by Zamir Poteat (16 carries, 132 yards) and two Gallaudet personal fouls. Dickens capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Johann Hennigan to give the Giants a 7-0 lead with 2:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Gallaudet answered early in the second quarter when DeFalco found sophomore wide receiver
Isaiah Baxter (Riverside, Calif.) for a 33-yard touchdown pass. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the Bison down one, 7-6.
Keystone extended its lead to 14-6 on a one-yard touchdown run by Ethan Sadler (nine carries, 54 yards) before Gallaudet responded with a seven-play, 85-yard scoring drive. DeFalco capped the possession with a five-yard touchdown run, and Zarembka caught the two-point conversion pass to tie the game at 14 with 4:53 left before halftime. The two teams went into intermission knotted at 14 apiece.
The Giants regained the lead late in the third quarter after taking over at the Gallaudet 40-yard line following a turnover on downs. Poteat broke free for a 26-yard touchdown run to give Keystone a 21-14 advantage.
Gallaudet answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that carried into the fourth quarter. DeFalco connected with Zarembka on a 23-yard touchdown pass, and sophomore kicker
Hawkins Morgan (Whitesboro, Texas) converted the extra point to tie the game at 21 with 10:36 remaining.
Keystone responded with a seven-play, 60-yard drive that included two Gallaudet defensive penalties. Dickens found Poteat on a five-yard touchdown pass with 7:41 remaining to put the Giants back in front, 28-21.
The Bison mounted one final scoring drive, beginning at their own 23-yard line. Facing fourth-and-4 at the GU 29, sophomore punter
Giovanni Arroyo (Harlem, Ga.) completed a 25-yard pass to LeFors on a fake punt to keep the drive alive.
Brown-Gabriel followed with runs of 10 and eight yards as the Bison moved into Keystone territory. Gallaudet eventually faced fourth-and-2 at the Giants' 15-yard line, where Brown-Gabriel took a draw play up the middle and raced into the end zone to set up the decisive two-point attempt.
Brown-Gabriel led the Bison with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, his second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. He also caught five passes for 53 yards.
DeFalco completed 22 of 37 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while adding 34 rushing yards and a score. Arroyo completed his lone pass attempt for 25 yards on the fourth-quarter fake punt.
Baxter led the receiving corps with six catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, while LeFors finished with a game-high eight receptions for 80 yards. Zarembka added three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Senior defensive linemen
Kelvin Benjamin (California, Md.) and
Andrew Suarez (Fairview, Texas), along with first-year defensive lineman
Xavier Gamboa (Ontario, Calif.), led the Bison defense with six tackles apiece. Senior linebacker
Dawson Ethington (Baltimore, Md.) added five tackles, while junior linebacker
Lawrence Rivers (Chiefland, Fla.) recorded three tackles, including a five-yard sack.
BISON TRACKS
- Baxter posted his fourth 100-yard receiving performance of the season, one week after setting a modern-era (2009-present) program record with 210 receiving yards against Thaddeus Stevens.
- LeFors established a season high with eight receptions for 80 yards.
- Arroyo's 25-yard completion on a fake punt in the fourth quarter helped extend Gallaudet's final touchdown drive.
- The Bison were penalized nine times for 87 yards, compared with five penalties for 43 yards by Keystone.
- Gallaudet converted 2 of 5 fourth-down attempts, including Brown-Gabriel's 15-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
- The one-point setback was Gallaudet's closest margin of defeat this season.
UP NEXT
Gallaudet will travel to Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, Nov. 14, to participate in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Football Championship Weekend at War Memorial Stadium. The Bison will face Austin College (1-8, 0-4 SCAC) in the fifth-place game at 10 a.m. CST (11 a.m. EST).
