SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 28, 2024) – The Western New England football team looked to provide an upset on Saturday afternoon over the ninth-ranked Riverhawks of Susquehanna University, though an opening half that provided 28 points for the visitors would be enough to get by the Golden Bears, giving No. 9 Susquehanna University a 34-21 victory over the Golden Bears from Golden Bear Stadium.

Records:

• Western New England: 2-2
• No. 9 Susquehanna University: 3-1

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears would receive the opening kickoff though would not be able to pick up a first down as the Riverhawks defense would force Western New England off the field and force a punt from John Moss. A 44-yard punt from the Golden Bears first-year would start Susquehanna at their own 29-yard line to open their first offensive drive. The Riverhawks would not take long to find their first seven points of the game using a ten-play, 71-yard drive in just 4:33 to go ahead 7-0. The drive would be capped off by a two-yard rush by Susquehanna's quarterback Josh Ehrlich to put the ninth-ranked team in d3football.com's rankings ahead 7-0. Despite the early score from Susquehanna, the Golden Bears would supply their own deep drive, needing 11 plays and 75 yards to grab a touchdown and tie the game at seven. The drive would be sparked with plays from Brady Laffery to Greg Perry for a 15-yard linkup as well as a 19-yard catch to get the Golden Bears down the field. Western New England would finish up the drive from eight yards out on third and three when Lafferty found Ryan Larson in the end zone to give the Golden Bears their first score of the game, tying the game at seven. The Riverhawks would drive down the field in quick succession on their next opportunity, seeing a 40-yard touchdown by Ehrlich to Kyle Howes to put the Riverhawks right back on top, needing just five plays, 65 yards, and less than two minutes to come away with the lead again. That is how the first quarter would end, as Susquehanna would pick up six first downs, 66 rushing yards, and 136 total yards in the opening quarter to take the early lead.

Western New England would open the second quarter with the ball, though that would not last long as WNE would go for it on fourth and two, though would be unsuccessful, giving the ball to the Riverhawks at the 48-yard line. The Riverhawks would take six plays on their next drive to put together their third touchdown of the game when Ehrlich found Tommy Grabowski from three yards away to collect a 21-7 lead. Susquehanna would be on the board again before the half would end as Susquehanna's leading rusher, Rashan La Mons, would take the ball into the endzone on the second rushing touchdown of the day for the Riverhawks, giving the road team a 28-7 lead with 47 seconds to play in the half. Western New England would pick up some momentum before the half ended, however, marching down the field on seven plays and 75 yards before the half ended and would score their second touchdown of the day through the air. The fast-moving drive would see Perry and Laffety link again as all completed passes in the drive would go for double digits. The drive would be capped off with a buzzer-beating 14-yard pass from Lafferty to Tyler Borwhat, putting the Golden Bears on the board to end the half, trailing 28-14. In the second quarter, WNE picked up eight first downs and 83 pass yards total.

The third quarter would not start out in Western New England's favor, seeing the Riverhawks open the quarter with a 40-yard touchdown run by La Mons, picking up his second touchdown of the game, giving Susquehanna a 34-14 lead with still 12:39 to play in the quarter. Needing points, Western New England would go for a fourth and 12 at the Susquehanna 38-yard line though would fail to convert, turning the ball over on downs. The WNE defense, led by Jason Shumilla and Thomas Gasbarro, would step up in a big way to keep the Riverhawks off the board from there, forcing their first punt by SU on the next drive of the game. Alex Boutin and Rogan Wotherspoon would cap off the drive from the Riverhawks would a tackle for lost yardage to force the punt. The Golden Bears picked up six first downs in the third quarter, though would have no points to show for it. WNE rushed for 49 yards and threw for 40 in the third frame.

On the ensuing drive to open the fourth quarter, Western New England would be on the board, needing the touchdown to keep themselves in the ball game. After Lafferty would find Ryan Carlson for a 26-yard reception to move the chains and keep the drive alive for the Golden Bears, Lafferty would toss his third TD pass of the game, this time to Greg Perry, a three-yard score, putting the Golden Bears on the scoreboard again, trailing 34-21. Western New England would look to gain momentum on their next drive following a missed field goal from Susquehanna, though the Golden Bears would not be able to come away with a first down on fourth and three, icing the game for the Riverhawks, who would end the fourth quarter at the WNE six-yard line though would not be able to come away with a score as the Golden Bears would drop a 34-21 contest. WNE passed for 80 yards in the fourth quarter.

Inside the Lines:

• WNE passed the ball 42 times in the game as Brady Lafferty threw 28 completions for 289 yards, tossing three touchdown passes and no interceptions. The senior QB would be dropped four times, however.
• Greg Perry led the reception game with seven catches for 90 yards, collecting one touchdown pass. Ryan Larson caught six passes for 54 yards and a TD in the loss.
• Defensively, Western New England was led by Jason Shumilla, who collected six solo tackles, four assisted tackles, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Thomas Gasbarro had an even split, four solo and four assisted tackles while also recording a breakup pass.
• WNE recorded four total tackles for loss in the game though did not record a sack on Susquehanna's Ehrlich.
• Ehrlich completed 23 passes on 29 attempts, throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. The QB also ran nine times for a team-high 91 yards, collecting one rushing score.
• Susquehanna defeats WNE on home turf, becoming the first opponent to do so since opening weekend of 2023, when Springfield College got the best of the Golden Bears. The Golden Bears are 2-2 after four weeks for the second straight season.

Coaches Corner:

• When asked about the problems Susquehanna presented in today's game, Head Coach Jason Lebeau mentioned, "Susquehanna is a very good team and program. We knew the quality of experience they have at a lot of key positions. They also have some really explosive offensive players. Their offense is tough to defend and creates a lot of problems. We hung in there, but they still found ways to make plays."
• Lebeau continued by praising his offense for the work they put in, despite the loss. "We have a lot of good stuff happening offensively. Lafferty continues to shine and get better every week. I think today was probably his best game so far. I am really proud of Greg. He has a lot of experience in our program, but this year he has matured and really started to play within the system. He has become a leader on that side of the ball."
• When looking ahead to next week's road contest under the lights at Anna Maria College, Lebeau expressed the need to flip the page on today's game. "We need to learn from today and flip the page quickly. Our theme this year is one better, and we need to rally the guys to get better for next week."

Up Next on the Schedule:

• As mentioned, the Golden Bears will be on the road next weekend for a night game on Saturday, October 5, at 7:00 PM, traveling to Anna Maria College.