Photo By Brandon Love/Susquehanna Athletics
By Abrielle Tutino
The football team’s (2-0) five touchdowns in the second half sparked it to a 56-17 win over Bridgewater (0-2) on Saturday at Doug Arthur Stadium in non-conference action.
The River Hawks got off to a rocky start, with Bridgewater opening the scoring with a field goal early in the first quarter and an Ian Brown 61-yard touchdown reception. This gave the Eagles a two-score lead midway through the first quarter.
The River Hawks could not answer back in the first quarter and ended with a total of eight penalties, two personal fouls, and one fumbled punt.
“We started poorly today,” SU coach Tom Perkovich said. “We’ve got to be better as we start the game because that could’ve gotten out of control pretty quickly.”
The second quarter was a different story for Susquehanna, as first-year wide receiver Carter McCauley scored his touchdown as a River Hawk to bring SU back into the game.
“It’s a feeling you can’t describe, and I’m ready for more,” stated McCauley after the game.
“That’s his specialty, we put him in for it, and then he made the play,” said SU wide receivers’ coach Matthew Der Torossian.
The momentum didn’t end there for the Riverhawks. Eight minutes into the second quarter, the Eagles decided to go for a fourth-and-one from their own 34-yard line, and SU defensive lineman Brian Layton came up big with the stop. Susquehanna went on to score 49 unanswered points and take full control of the game.
Despite missing preseason All-American back Rahshan La Mons, SU’s rushing attack was fearsome in the game. Led by Aaron Angelo, Matt Surtz, Drew Hutchins and Josh Ehrlich, Susquehanna totaled 325 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
“Our running game has always been a focal point of ours, Perkovich said. “I think it opens everything up if you can run the football, so we put a large emphasis on that.”
Ehrlich also completed 21 of 29 pass attempts, had four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown for a total of 281 yards.
The nationally fourth-ranked River Hawks will have their biggest test of the season on Saturday when they host former Centennial Conference foe Johns Hopkins in a battle between two top-five ranked teams and national semifinalists from last season. It will be a 1 p.m. kick off.