Trinity Football Looks For 15 Straight Wins Saturday Against Bowdoin
Hartford, Conn., Oct. 21, 2009 - The Trinity College football team, which won, 10-3, at Tufts last weekend to keep pace in a first-place tie in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with Amherst at 4-0, will host the Bowdoin College Polar Bears on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 12:30 p.m. The Bantams, coached by Jeff Devanney (4th Season, 25-3), own the second-longest winning streak in NCAA Division III at 14 games, a 33-game winning streak at home, and have never lost a game on the turf at Jessee/Miller Field. Last fall, the Bantams, which have a 30-6-2 all-time record against the Polar Bears, won at Bowdoin, 40-16, in Maine, to earn their 10th straight win against them. In 2008, the Bantams collected over 500 yards of offense and took advantage of five Bowdoin turnovers, while senior tri-captain RB Oliver Starnes (Ledgewood, N.J.) ran for two scores, junior WR Michael Galligan (Shoreham, N.Y.) notched 102 receiving yards and a touchdown catch, and junior CB's Tony Coffield (Baltimore, Md.) and Harry Melendez (Holyoke, Mass.) each had an interception.
Trinity and Amherst have a one-game lead over 3-1 Williams in the NESCAC, and the Bantams are ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 10 in the ECAC/Lambert Meadowlands Division III Poll. The Lord Jeffs host 2-2 Wesleyan on Saturday. This week's New England Division III Poll: 1. Trinity (Conn.) (3-0), 2. Springfield (5-1), 3. Plymouth State (6-1), 4. Amherst (4-0), 5. Williams (3-1), 6. Curry (5-2), T7. Maine Maritime (5-1), T7. Bridgewater State (5-2), 9. Westfield State (4-3), 10. WPI (3-3). This week's ECAC/Lambert Meadowlands Division III Poll: 1. Wesley, 2. Washington and Jefferson, 3. Alfred State, 4. Albright, 5. Thomas More, 6. Delaware Valley, 7. Kean, 8. Cortland State, 9. Rowan, 10. Trinity (Conn.).
At Tufts last Saturday, junior Craig Drusbosky's (Orange, Conn.) quarterback draw late in the third quarter proved to be the only touchdown of the afternoon. Sophomore PK Tim Costello (Solano Beach, Calif.) scored Trinity's first three points on a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter, and the Bantam defense stood up once again with five sacks by five different players and just 16 rushing yards on 29 carries against what was the No. 1 rushing offense in the league. Junior ILB Francois Auzerais (Westport, Conn.) led the charge with 11 tackles and four tackles for loss, while junior tri-captain S Ben Sherry (Wayland, Mass.) also notched 11 hits, and senior OLB Kyle Williams (Bethesda, Md.) contributed seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Starnes gained 138 yards on 29 carries, while Drusbosky completed 16 of 32 passes for 154 yards including eight throws for 98 yards to Galligan.
Trinity leads the NESCAC in rushing defense (47.2 ypg, 2nd in nation), pass efficiency defense (92.2 opp qb rating, 14th in nation), and total defense (250.5, 13th in nation). Starnes ranks second among individual rushers with 102.5 ypg, while Drusbosky ranks third in the conference in pass efficiency (110.6). Galligan is tied for fourth in receptions with 7.0 per game and fifth in receiving yards with 82.2 per game, while senior WR Winston Tuggle (Canton, Mass.) is sixth in receiving yards with 75.8 per game. Melendez has four interceptions this fall to lead the conference, while Auzerais is second in the league rankings in tackles with 46, followed by sophomore ILB Walter Fallas (Everett, Mass.) in eighth with 40. Four different Bantams appear among the top 10 in the NESCAC in sacks, as sophomore DT Herman Brito (Wayland, Mass.), senior tri-captain DT Chris Doval (Miami, Fla.), Kyle Williams, and sophomore DE Gary Williams (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) have combined for 15.5 of them. Senior Grant Kunkel (New Canaan, Conn.) is the league's second-leading punter with a 38.2 average per attempt.
The Bowdoin College football squad, under the direction of Head Coach David Caputi (10th season, 21-55), is six points from a perfect record having sandwiched last weekend's victory and a season-opening 50-35 win against Middlebury around a one-point loss at Amherst and a three-point defeat in overtime at Tufts. The Polar Bears are 0-2 on the road. Senior QB Oliver Kell (Westford, Mass.) has been a prolific passer with a NESCAC-best 132.9 QB rating and 295.5 yards per game through the air, while Pat Noone (North Attleboro, Mass.) leads the league in receiving with 42 catches for 535 yards, and Justin Starr (Concord, N.H.) adds 16 catches for 345 yards. Senior Nick Tom (Newtown Square, Pa.) averages 46.3 yards per game on the ground. Laurence Duggan (Weston, Mass.) is eighth in the NESCAC with 3.5 sacks and Tyler Tennant (Swampscott, Mass.) paces the Polar Bears with 32 tackles.
