WASHINGTON – Gallaudet University ran out of options here Saturday against the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in the football home opener for the Bison at Hotchkiss Field.
The Mariners beat the Bison at their own game as both squads operate run heavy offenses. USMMA racked up 501 yards of offense with 418 on the ground as the Mariners sailed away with a 55-7 non-conference victory before a sun-drenched crowd of 460.
USMMA (2-0) scored seven rushing touchdowns and threw for another as the Mariners averaged 5.6 yards per rush on 74 attempts and nearly held onto the ball for 37 minutes.
GU (0-2) hung tough in a very quick first quarter as the Bison only trailed 7-0.
USMMA scored three times in the second quarter and took a 27-0 lead into halftime. The Bison got the ball back with 1:07 left on the clock and marched 61 yards down to the USMMA 12-yard line but ran out of time to score some points.
The Mariners scored a quick touchdown to begin the third before the Bison got on the scoreboard later in the quarter.
USMMA turned the ball over on downs as the Bison started at their own 45 and used four plays to cover 55 yards and score a touchdown. Junior quarterback
Gabe Segovia (Glendale, Ariz.) threw a nice pass to a diving
Jaylen Johnson (Redlands, Calif.) who came down with the ball in the end zone for GU's first points at the 3:08 mark. First-year kicker
Kodi Lee (Lehi, Utah) made the extra-point kick as Gallaudet trailed 34-7.
The Mariners scored three rushing touchdowns on their next three possessions in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
GU punted twice and turned the ball over on downs in the fourth quarter as the Bison tallied 31 yards of offense on 11 plays.
The Bison finished the game with 198 yards of offense with only 56 rushing yards.
Segovia finished 6 of 14 for 90 passing yards and one touchdown. Senior slot
Kylar Sicoli (Austin, Texas) had one reception for 52 yards while Johnson recorded two catches for 32 yards. Senior superback
Dre'Vaughn Mackall (Prince Frederick, Md.) was held in check with 25 rushing yards on 11 carries.
USMMA junior quarterback Gervy Alota completed 5 of 10 passes for 83 yards and one score and ran the ball 17 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore fullback Will Surdez got close to 100 rushing yards as he tallied 91 yards on 16 carries and one score. Freshman quarterback Bubba Mustain toted the rock five times for 50 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdown runs.
On defense, Gallaudet was led by junior defensive back
Zefan Nathanson (Manor, Texas) with 13 tackles and senior linebacker
Jacob Hartman (Petersburg, W.Va.) with 12 tackles which included one sack and two tackles for a loss of six yards. Junior defensive end
Chandler Sexton-Ruiz (Conroe, Texas) was the third Bison in double digits with 10 tackles.
BISON TRACKS
- GU is now 0-4 against Merchant Marine dating back to 2009
- This was the Mariners' first visit to Hotchkiss Field in 15 years
UP NEXT
Gallaudet will head north to Maine to face the University of New England (0-2) next Saturday, Sept. 21, for a non-conference game at noon.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK
Before the start of the game the two teams came together to show solidarity during Mental Health Awareness Week at GU. Former Gallaudet student-athlete
Reza Mosher had a short presentation about the importance of Mental Health and how to get help. Gallaudet's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) staff handed out free t-shirts to fans to promote mental health awareness. If you are a Gallaudet student and you are in need of help please reach out to faculty and staff to help you. You can also reach out to CAPS at
https://gallaudet.edu/counseling-psychological-services.
Football Head Coaches and Team Captains from Gallaudet University and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy pose for a photo during Mental Health Awareness Week.
