Comeback Falls Short in 34-29 Loss to #17 AIC

Boxscore

NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Merrimack football team tallied 26 unanswered points in the second half, but the comeback fell just short, as #17 American International College clinched the Northeast-10 title with a 34-29 win at Warrior Field Saturday.

Trailing by five with two minutes remaining, the Warriors were in Yellow Jacket territory, but a 25-yard run by Quivari Jackson was negated by an illegal motion penalty. On third-and-five, a James Suozzo fumble was recovered by the Yellow Jackets, ending any hopes of a late comeback.

The Warriors trailed 34-3 in the third quarter but stormed back sparked by Tony Johnson's return of an interception 45 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. On the next drive, preseason All-American Andrew Jackson proved he can play both sides of the ball as the senior scampered into the end zone on a 39-yard rush cutting the lead to 34-15 with 14:44 remaining in the fourth.

The Warriors’ defense forced AIC to punt it away after just three plays, and Suozzo led the hosts back to the end zone, capping a five-play, 39-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Watts. Suozzo ran in for the two-point conversion, cutting the score to 34-23 with 11:28 remaining.

After both teams traded punts midway through the fourth, Johnson and Chuck Manthei each registered a sack on the visitors’ next drive, forcing AIC to punt away again. Jackson caught the punt at the 25-yard line and returned it 75-yards for the dramatic touchdown, making it a one score game at 34-29.

But that was as close as the Warriors got, as their last drive was halted by the Suozzo fumble.

Jackson became the first player in school history to return two punts for a touchdown in a season and to score on offense, defense, and special teams in a season. With the running game depleted due to injuries, Jackson was the Warriors’ leading rusher getting 64-yards on four carries.

Suozzo was forced to throw on virtually every down, and he racked up 220 yards passing on 23-of-57. Watts pulled in a team-high nine catches for 87 yards, while Ryan DiGregorio added eight receptions for 39 yards.

Last week’s Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week Johnson registered his best game of the season, tallying six tackles, three sacks, one interception, and forced one fumble.

The Yellow Jackets used a potent balanced attack to build a 27-3 halftime lead behind 163 total rushing yards and 95 passing yards. AIC started with a bang, recovering the opening kickoff after an onside kick from Marek Prezbylek. Prezbylek added two early field goals after red zone stands from the Warriors to take the 6-0 lead early in the second quarter. After Parent rushed for a two-yard touchdown, Jashawn Williams intercepted a Suozzo pass and returned it 40 yards for the score, giving AIC the 20-0 lead. They made it 34-3 after Williams returned a partially deflected punt 55-yards for the score.

Amadeus Guerrero-Pou was outstanding, rushing for 207 yards on 39 carries. Parent was 15-of-29 for 144 yards and three interceptions. In addition to Johnson’s interception, Andrew Rebello and Jordan Rankine each tallied picks in the first half.

Before the game, the Warriors honored the 22-member class of 2009 as part of Senior Day.

Merrimack (5-4, 4-3 NE-10) closes the regular season at Assumption College for a non-conference game Saturday at 1 p.m.


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