AKRON, Ohio — Colgate scored 17 points within the first six minutes of the game, but 28 unanswered points from the Zips and nine Raider penalties for 70 yards were too much for the visitors to overcome, taking a 31-20 loss at Akron.
"You never want to take a loss as anything but a loss," Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty said. "There's a lot of stuff from my end all the way down that we have to clean up, especially against a team like that. There were a lot of self-inflicted mistakes that were avoidable and not really talent related. We have a lot of kids that play hard, and if that's our starting point – playing hard and with a lot of heart – we can clean up a lot of the other stuff, and we will."
"Our guys go out and compete whether we're playing against an FBS team, a CAA team, or whoever," Dakosty continued. "They have respect for teams, but they play with a chip on their shoulder and an edge that they can compete against anyone. The upperclassmen set that tone and the underclassmen follow along with that."
Junior wide receiver Treyvhon Saunders caught a season-high seven passes for 82 yards to pace the Raider offense, while junior linebacker
Cole Kozlowski chipped in his third-consecutive double-digit tackle game with 13 stops, 4.5 tackles-for-a-loss, and his first two sacks of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Raiders came out swinging putting up 17 points before the fans could even find their seats. Brescia found Saunders for a 33-yard touchdown, the longest reception of the season for the wideout, to get the scoring started.
After a stalled Akron drive, senior punter Shelby Pruett boomed a 55-yard punt that was muffed by the Zips' returner and recovered by Asauni Allen inside the five.
Brescia capitalized on the special teams blunder, absorbing contact and punching in his second rushing touchdown of the season on a three-yard burst.
After the Raiders' defense blanked Akron on the ensuing drive, sophomore placekicker Luke Vogeler connected on a 51-yard field goal to extend Colgate's lead to 17. The 51-yard field goal is the longest by a Raider kicker since 1979 and is tied for the second-longest made field goal in program history.
Despite the early deficit, Akron responded quickly with 28 unanswered points.
The Zips cashed in on two-straight passing touchdowns as part of 209 first half passing yards for the home side, but the Raiders seemingly stopped the bleeding when Allen and senior defensive lineman Nick Marsh forced a fumble that was recovered by fifth year linebacker Christian Sweeney midway through the second quarter.
Unfortunately for Colgate, the turnover was overturned leading to a 56-yard touchdown pass that gave Akron its first lead of the game at 21-17.
A Raider turnover was sandwiched between two punts on the next three series, and Akron matched with a three-and-out of their own.
Back on defense, Colgate was set to get the ball back with two minutes remaining in the first half before a personal foul extended the Akron drive. The Zips converted again with their fourth-straight TD with under a minute left in the half, and they headed to the locker room with a 28-17 advantage.
Pruett highlighted the first three series of the second half with a 66-yard punt that flipped the field and pinned the Zips inside their own 10-yard line. The Raiders took advantage, forcing a three and out and retaining possession at their own 30 halfway through the third quarter.
The Raiders strung together four-consecutive first downs when Brescia converted a quarterback sneak on a fourth-down, Saunders shook off a defender and earned critical yards after contact on a third and eight, and Brescia moved the chains again with a 16-yard scamper.
But after two penalties put Colgate behind the sticks, the Raiders settled for a Vogeler 45-yard field goal that cut the Zips' lead to one-possession.
Akron remained calm, and despite an interception by Justyn Toler on a free play that nearly halted the Zips momentum, the home team re-took a two-score lead with a 32-yard field goal.
The Zips milked the clock for over five minutes on the game-sealing drive after a Raiders three and out, and even with sophomore safety Josh Stinespring's first-career interception with 1:54 remaining, Colgate fell to the Zips in Akron, 31-20.
UP NEXT
The Raiders search for their first win of 2024 back in Andy Kerr against Cornell at 1 p.m. on Sept. 21. Colgate will be celebrating homecoming while honoring the incoming class of 11 new Hall of Honor members.
GAME NOTES
- Senior punter Shelby Pruett boomed a season-long 66-yard punt, averaging 49.7 yards per punt on six attempts on the night. He increased his career average to 40.3, inching closer to the program record of 40.9 set in 1983 by Mike Kovach.
- Junior linebacker Cole Kozlowski put together his first-career multi-sack game and made a career-best four tackles-for-a-loss.
- Junior defensive lineman Dane Picariello logged a career-high 8 tackles.
- Sophomore defensive back Josh Stinespring matched his career high with six tackles and his first career interception.
- Senior linebacker Mack Marrone tallied a career-high two tackles, including his first-ever tackle-for-a-loss.
