(Game Stats)
HAMILTON, N.Y. (9/3/05) – Senior Derek Pearson kicked a 32-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to lift Central Connecticut to a 24-22 upset victory over Colgate Saturday at Andy Kerr Stadium.
The Blue Devils’ victory snapped Colgate’s 17-game home winning streak which was the longest in NCAA Division I-AA football. The Raiders hadn’t lost at home since the opening game of the 2002 season.
Pearson’s fourth field goal of the game capped a miracle comeback for CCSU which found itself trailing 22-21 with 27 seconds remaining after the Raiders’ Mike Rava connected on a 27-yard field goal.
After freshman placekicker Jacob Stein put the ensuing kickoff into the end zone, the Blue Devils were faced with 80 yards and 27 seconds left. On the first play from scrimmage, CCSU quarterback Tim Sheard was sacked for a five-yard loss by Jeff Galletly and Tom Cassano.
However, after a CCSU timeout with 18 seconds remaining, Sheard found Steve Bergeski at the Blue Devils' 40-yard line. Bergeski cut across field, and was eventually forced out-of-bounds at the Colgate 15 with one second remaining.
That set up Pearson’s game-winning field goal, after Colgate called a pair of timeouts.
Colgate appeared to have its 18th straight home victory when they rallied from a 21-12 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
Ray LaMonica, who became the 24th player in school history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards, capped off a 74-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run, and Rava added the extra point to bring the Raiders to within, 21-19.
With 7:30 remaining in the game, Colgate got the ball back at its own 16-yard line. The Raiders moved downfield to the CCSU 10-yard line, and on fourth-and-one, Rava booted his go-ahead field goal, before the Blue Devils rallied for the win.
“I’m proud of the way the kids fought,” said a disappointed Colgate head coach Dick Biddle, who is 2-8 in openers with the Raiders. “We just had a let down in the last 18 seconds. It hurts. It’s something that makes their season, and if we don’t watch it, it can break ours. I’ve seen it happen. We just made too many mistakes in the first half.”
Colgate certainly did make mistakes, turning the ball over seven times, including five interceptions and a pair of fumbles.
Junior quarterback Mike Saraceno had a rough outing in his first collegiate start, tying the school mark for interceptions in a game. He also lost a fumble. Saraceno was 18-of-31 for 254 yards and one TD.
On the first play of the game, Saraceno connected with senior wideout DeWayne Long on a 66-yard pass play to the Blue Devils’ six-yard line. The drive, however, stalled when the Raiders were pushed back to the 10-yard line. Rava hit the first of his three field goals for a 3-0 lead.
Later in the first quarter, CCSU tied the contest 3-3 on a personal best 48-yard field goal by Pearson.
In the second quarter, the Blue Devils moved into a 15-3 lead on a 42-yard field goal by Pearson and a two-yard run by Sheard to cap a 50-yard drive, following a fumble recovery by Devon Douglass.
Colgate cut deficit to nine points before halftime on Rava’s 21-yard field goal with 2:59 remaining.
CCSU took a 21-6 lead early in the third quarter on Coree Tucker’s 40-yard interception return before Colgate started its attempted comeback. Long caught a four-yard pass from Saraceno on fourth-and-one with 55 seconds left in the quarter to make the score 21-12.
GAME NOTES: Senior cornerback Chris Williams had his sixth career interception … junior safety Geoff Bean returned four punts for 105 yards (26.2 yards per return) including a 50-yard return that set up a touchdown … LaMonica has rushed for 1,041 yards in his career … Long finished with six catches for 102 yards. It was the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career ... Zach Dollar and Chris Petrone had eight tackles apiece to lead the Raiders … Jeff Galletly had a fumble recovery.
NEXT WEEK: The Raiders will play host to nationally-ranked Massachusetts. Kickoff is 12 noon.
