BIG PLAYS PROPEL DAYTON PAST
MONMOUTH, 27-14 Hawks Fall in Season Opener for Sixth Straight Season
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ -- The University
of Dayton, the number one-ranked team in Division I-AA Non-Scholarship
football, used the big play on several occasions to defeat ninth-ranked
Monmouth University, 27-14, in the season opener for both teams before
a crowd of 3,326 at Kessler Field.
CHAUNCEY CUMBERLANDER (Columbus,
OH) hauled in a school-record 90-yard third-quarter touchdown pass and
tailbacks CHAD LINDSEY (Brookville, OH) and J.P. RAGON (Bolivar,
OH) each scored on runs 50 and 56 yards, respectively, for the Flyers (1-0),
who have not lost a season opener since 1982. Monmouth has yet to win a
season opener since beginning its football program in 1993.
Tied a 14-14 with just over six minutes
remaining in the third quarter, Monmouth punter DARRELL NICK (Forked
River, NJ) pinned the Flyers on their own 10 following a stalled drive
and Lindsey was stopped for no gain. Quarterback BEN MERCER (Centerville,
OH), who complete just two passes in his first collegiate start (2-for-9,
92 yards), executed a perfect play-action pass hitting Cumberlander in
stride at midfield. Cumberlander raced down the sideline the rest of the
way for a 21-14 Dayton advantage with 6:18 to play.
The Flyers added the final score when TRAVIS
DAUBERMAN (Gahanna, OH) blocked Nick's punt early in the fourth quarter
and Dayton's GEOFF MATTHEWS (Jackson, OH) recovered at the Monmouth
three. Two plays later JACOB JONES (Van Wert, OH) dove in from the
1-yard line giving the Flyers a 13-point advantage with 12:42 left.
Monmouth rallied from a 14-0 deficit in the
second quarter as JOE TRAMUTOLO (North Arlington, NJ) broke off
a 75-yard run - the longest of his career - to pull the Hawks within seven
points with 7:49 to play. Following a Dayton punt, Monmouth put together
an amazing 12-play, 70-yard drive consuming 5:27 with CHRIS REED
(Glassboro, NJ) capping the march with a four-yard scamper. All 70 of the
yards on the drive came on the ground as Reed collected 25 and MIKE
TROMBETTA (Berkley Heights, NJ) accounted for the other 45. Dayton
built its early cushion as Lindsey broke off his scoring run midway through
the first quarter and Ragon, who rushed for 111 yards on seven carries,
burst around the left side and raced along the sideline for his touchdown.
Reed finished with a career-best 142 yards
on a Monmouth single-game record 34 carries. The senior broke the mark
of 27 set by Ralph O'Neil against Robert Morris in 1994. Junior quarterback
JOHN DIPASQAULE (Kearny, NJ) completed 13-of-34 passes for 134 yards
in his first collegiate start, but was intercepted three times. As a team,
the Hawks out-gained Dayton, 419-359, had twice as many first downs (20-10)
and led in time of possession (35:53 - 24:07), but committed four turnovers
to the Flyers' one.
