By Pat Delp Staff writer
The Susquehanna football team ran its way to its second straight win as the River Hawks picked up a 37-20 Landmark Conference victory against McDaniel on Nov. 5.
The Susquehanna offense was led by sophomore running back Luke Robertson, who had a career-high 202 rushing yards on 32 carries along with two touchdowns.
Susquehanna gained 476 total yards on offense, with 265 of those yards coming thanks to Robertson and the rest of the ground attack.
A big story for the offensive success for the River Hawks was their third-down success.
Susquehanna was able to convert almost 50 percent of their opportunities, while McDaniel converted only 38 percent.
The efficiency in the passing game was also a huge factor for the River Hawks.
Sophomore starting quarterback Nick Crusco finished the game 19-30 for 187 yards and one touchdown.
McDaniel on the otherhand struggled to get the ball moving through the air. Will Koester went 12-26 for 147 yards and threw two interceptions.
Robertson started off the scoring with a 49-yard touchdown run with 6:25 left to play in the first quarter.
The touchdown was capped off by an extra point by senior kicker Evan Argiriou to put Susquehanna ahead 7-0.
The River Hawks had a huge second quarter, scoring 17 points, which took them into halftime with a commanding 24-0 lead.
The 17 points started with an Argiriou 31-yard field goal following a 7-play, 11-yard drive at the 9:09 mark during the second quarter.
Robertson then proceeded to score his second rushing touchdown of the day just over three minutes later, and Argiriou added the extra point to extend their lead to 17-0.
The last score of the first half was a 2-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Nick Crusco to freshman wide receiver Robert Marks to give the River Hawks a 24-0 halftime lead.
On the defensive side of the ball, freshman linebacker Cole Dixon led the River Hawk defense with 11 tackles, one sack and one pass break-up.
Junior defensive back Ryan Ganard and senior linebacker Marc LeDrappier each had six tackles as well as one interception apiece.
Cole Dixon also added Susquehanna’s lone sack on the day.
The Green Terror would not go away easily as they mounted an impressive 14-point fourth quarter.
Koester hit receiver Bamasa Bailor for their first touchdown of the game.
Later in the quarter, Koester threw another touchdown, this time to Breon Herbert.
Despite the Green Terror’s offensive resergence, the Susquehanna offense did not skip a beat.
They put up 13 points of their own in the fourth to put any hopes of a come-from-behind victory to sleep.
Argiriou knocked in two field goals, one from 23 and another from 35, to give the River Hawks their first six points of the quarter.
Freshman running back Aaron Speight scored his first career collegiate touchdown when he ran it in from the 9- yard-line just after the two -minute warning to seal the 37-20 victory.
Susquehanna’s season comes to a close as the team looks to finish off their season with a win when they host rival Juniata at 1 p.m. on Nov. 12.
Susquehanna and Juniata will compete for the Goal Post Trophy, an award that has been presented to the winner of the game since 1953.
The trophy is an actual piece of the goal post from Susquehanna’s old field that was taken after a Juniata win on Nov. 1, 1952.
Last year, Susquehanna was able to bring back the Goal Post to its orginal home after they defeated Juniata on the road 24-17.
Juniata however won the previous game between the two at Suquehanna, when the Eagles won 44-35.
Susquehanna currently holds the winning record in the rivalry game with Juniata, which sits at 29-25-1.
