ANDERSON, Ind. – Gallaudet University sophomore quarterback
Jayden DeFalco (Indianapolis, Ind.) delivered a record-setting performance in his home state Saturday afternoon as the Bison football team fell to Anderson University, 49-28, before 1,500 at Macholtz Stadium.
DeFalco completed 19 of 37 passes for a career-high 296 yards and three touchdowns, the most passing yards by a Gallaudet quarterback since the program returned to NCAA Division III competition in 2007. The Indianapolis native surpassed the previous high of 265 yards set by
Timel Benton at Greensboro College on Sept. 25, 2021.
The performance came northeast of Indianapolis, where DeFalco attended the Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD). A contingent of ISD supporters gathered behind one of the end zones at Macholtz Stadium to watch DeFalco and the Bison on a wet and muggy afternoon. Rain fell at kickoff and showers continued intermittently throughout the game as humidity hovered around 98 percent.
Gallaudet (0-2) trailed 28-7 at halftime and 35-7 early in the third quarter before DeFalco helped ignite the Bison offense. The right-handed quarterback found sophomore wide receiver
Darius Zarembka (Riverside, Calif.) for a 25-yard touchdown on fourth-and-17 at the 8:24 mark before the Gallaudet defense forced a three-and-out.
On GU's next offensive play, DeFalco connected with sophomore wide receiver
Isaiah Baxter (Riverside, Calif.) for a 75-yard touchdown. Baxter hauled in the deep pass near the Anderson 35-yard line and raced untouched to the end zone as Gallaudet scored 14 unanswered points to pull within 35-21 with just under seven minutes to play in the third.
Baxter finished with a career-high seven receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown. His 159 receiving yards were the most by a Gallaudet player since
Ryne Worsham caught seven passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-27 overtime victory over Otterbein University on Sept. 3, 2011.
Anderson (1-1) answered with an 11-play, 63-yard touchdown drive that consumed more than six minutes and extended its lead to 42-21 late in the third quarter.
Two costly Gallaudet penalties then helped swing the fourth quarter in Anderson's favor. DeFalco appeared to connect with first-year wide receiver
Nemo Jones (Jackson, Ga.) for a 41-yard touchdown early in the quarter, but the score was erased by an illegal formation penalty and the Bison eventually turned the ball over on downs.
Anderson seemed to settle for a 23-yard field goal on the ensuing possession, but a Gallaudet penalty gave the Ravens a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. Anderson took advantage of the second opportunity and scored a touchdown to extend its lead to 49-21.
DeFalco answered with his third touchdown pass of the second half, a 27-yard strike to first-year wide receiver
Luke LeFors (Baton Rouge, La.) that capped a five-play, 76-yard drive and made it 49-28 with 7:05 left in regulation. Anderson missed a 33-yard field goal and Gallaudet threw an interception to end the game.
Gallaudet's first touchdown came in the opening quarter when sophomore wide receiver
Dwayne Collins II (Frederick, Md.) returned a kickoff 90 yards for a score as the Bison trailed 21-7 with 4:48 left in the first quarter. It marked the Bison's first kickoff-return touchdown since
Andrae' Green returned one a program-record 99 yards at Bridgewater (Va.) College on Oct. 18, 2025.
DeFalco threw all three of his touchdown passes after halftime and finished with three interceptions. Baxter led the Bison receiving corps while LeFors added six receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. Senior running back
Marcus Brown-Gabriel (Beeville, Texas) rushed seven times for 40 yards.
First-year defensive back
Josiah Garner (East Arcadia, N.C.) paced the Gallaudet defense with seven tackles. Junior linebacker
Lawrence Rivers (Chiefland, Fla.) recorded five tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, while first-year defensive back
Mark Gwynn III (Randallstown, Md.) and junior linebacker
Braxton Heffelfinger (Parma, Idaho) each tallied an interception.
Anderson sophomore quarterback Caleb Foor completed 28 of 40 passes for 350 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Ravens. Senior wide receiver Preston Yoder caught eight passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore running back Cole Urbanec rushed for 63 yards and a score. Anderson finished with 495 yards of total offense compared to 340 for Gallaudet.
BISON TRACKS
- DeFalco is one of two Indiana School for the Deaf graduates on the Gallaudet roster along with first-year defensive back Trevor Smith (Indianapolis, Ind.).
- A third Bison from the state of Indiana is first-year linebacker Will Baker (West Lafayette, Ind.).
- Sophomore kicker Hawkins Morgan (Whitesboro, Texas) was 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts.
- Gallaudet scored 21 points in the second half after trailing 28-7 at halftime.
- The Bison generated 274 of its 340 yards of total offense in the second half.
- The two teams combined for 646 passing yards.
- DeFalco averaged 15.6 yards per completion.
- Anderson went 5-for-5 on fourth down and held a 26-13 edge in first downs.
- The Ravens had the ball for 35 minutes and 23 seconds.
UP NEXT
Gallaudet continues its three-game road swing to begin the 2026 season as the Bison travel to Danville, Va., to face Averett University next Saturday, Sept. 19, at 3 p.m. The Cougars are a familiar opponent after the two teams competed together in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) last season. Gallaudet's lone victory of the 2025 season came against Averett, a 39-30 win at Hotchkiss Field.
