Senior QB Logan Meyer added five more touchdown passes tonight, including the winning score in OT, and broke the program's career passing touchdowns records.

Meyer passes for five more TDs, breaks program's career TD passing record as Skyhawks post first overtime win since 1998

WORCESTER, Mass. (September 20, 2013) – Stonehill College's only lead of the night came at exactly the right time as it rallied from a trio of two touchdown deficits to claim a 41-38 overtime victory against Assumption College in Northeast-10 Conference football action at Multi-Sport Stadium tonight.

Senior quarterback Logan Meyer (Ventura, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) connected with sophomore Gordon McLeod (Weymouth, Mass./BC High) for a 14-yard touchdown pass on third and six for the winning score, marking Stonehill's lone lead of the night. The touchdown came after Assumption senior kicker Tad Beuchert (Danvers, Mass./St. John's Prep) drilled a 44-yard field goal on the opening possession of the overtime.

Meyer finished with five touchdown passes for the second-straight week and six total two weeks in a row as he completed 27-of-49 passes for 372 yards. His five touchdown passes give him 48 for his career, surpassing the previous school record of 46 set by Stonehill Hall of Famer Tony Dello Iacono, '95, and his yardage total is the third-highest single-game total in program history as Meyer holds the top five passing games in school history, with his completions ranking third all-time. He completed touchdown passes of 32, 4, 36, 47 and 14 yards, while adding a three yard touchdown run as well.

Junior Nate Robitaille (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) caught a career-high 13 passes for a career-best 190 yards and two touchdowns. The reception total is just one shy of former teammate John Gomes, '13, single-game record, while his yardage total is fourth-best in school history. McLeod finished with five receptions for 44 yards and the winning touchdown, while junior Zaire Reiph (Norwalk, Conn./Saint Luke's School) caught four passes for 77 yards and a score, finishing with 166 all-purpose yards as he returned four kickoffs for 89 yards. Senior running back Jamal Johnson (Brockton, Mass./The Tilton School) went over 100 yards for the second-straight week (third career) with 24 carries for 117 yards.

Junior Nate Robitaille made a career-high 13 catches for a career-best 190 yards and two scores. (PHOTO BY Vaughn Winchell)

Junior linebacker Brian Harrington (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) led a Stonehill defense that forced three turnovers for the second-straight week as he matched his career-best, set in week one, with 16 tackles (eight solo), including 1.0 for a loss of two yards. Senior Chris Esposito (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) added a career-high ten stops (seven solo), including 1.0 for a loss of a yard. Freshman Andrew Kibarian (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) chipped in with a season-high seven tackles (four solo), with 0.5 sacks for a loss of five and a quarterback hurry.

Senior running back Matt Pedone (Holden, Mass./Wachusett) led the way for Assumption with 26 carries for 187 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per touch. He also caught three passes for 43 yards and returned two punts for 18 to finish with 248 all-purpose yards. Classmate Bobby Jordan (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) completed 17-of-30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown, but two interceptions. Senior tight end Scott Simonson (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Matt Bates (Holden, Mass./Wachusett) led the Assumption defense with nine tackles (five solo), including 1.0 for a loss of three yards and a pass breakup. Classmate Matt Colangelo (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) added seven stops (three solo), including 2.0 for a loss of four.

Stonehill trailed by 14 points on three occasions, falling behind 14-0 and 21-7 in the first quarter and then trailing 28-14 early in the third before rallying for the comeback win. Assumption took advantage of Meyer's lone interception of the night on the first possession of the second half as Pedone scored on a 45 yard run three plays later for a 28-14 lead 2:03 into the third quarter.

Meyer brought Stonehill right back on the next possession and connected with Robitaille for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 10:09 left in the quarter to cap a six play, 85-yard drive. Stonehill forced Assumption into a three and out on the Greyhounds following possession and then Meyer closed out an 11-play, 80 yard drive with a three-yard keeper to the right side for his second rushing touchdown of the season. Robitaille and Meyer teamed up for a 35-yard pass on second and ten at the Skyhawks 33 that reversed field position during the drive.

Assumption reclaimed the lead six minutes into the fourth quarter after a missed field goal attempt by Stonehill with Pedone scoring on a 53-yard run to cap a seven-play, 77 yard drive. Stonehill evened things up yet again on its following possession with Meyer hitting Reiph for a 47 yard bomb down the left side with 4:06 remaining on fourth and six after the Skyhawks were backed up five yards due to a false start penalty.

Junior Brian Harrington matched his career-high with 16 tackles tonight. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr)

Stonehill pinned Assumption on its own one yard line with a punt with 1:24 to play. The Greyhounds opted to pass their way out of the shadows of the end zone and Stonehill senior Tim Bennett (Fillmore, Calif./Saint Bonaventure) picked Jordan off at the 22 yard line on the first play from scrimmage for his ninth career interception – moving him into a tie for sixth on the program's career list.

Stonehill ran the ball twice to run the clock down to two seconds before attempting a game-winning field goal, but the 35 yard attempt was wide left by sophomore Steve Grzywacz (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) as time expired to send the game into overtime.

Assumption had the opening possession of the overtime period and worked the ball down to the Stonehill 18 before Stonehill sophomore Ryan Hollis (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) sacked Jordan on third and three, backing the Greyhounds back to the 26.

Beuchert put Assumption back in front, 38-25, with a 44-yard field goal, but the door was open for Stonehill. Meyer found Robitaille for an 11-yard pass on first down. After Johnson was held for no gain and an incomplete pass, Meyer connected with McLeod down the middle for a 14-yard touchdown pass and the Skyhawks win.

Assumption jumped out to a 14-0 lead as Jordan capped the Greyhounds 14-play, 82 yard drive on the opening possession with a one-yard touchdown plunge 5:03 into the game. Stonehill went three and out on its opening possession and then junior Matt Heriveaux (Everett, Mass./Malden Catholic) capped another 80-plus yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run with 4:46 left in the quarter.

Meyer got Stonehill on the scoreboard off an Assumption turnover with 2:41 left in the opening stanza with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Robitaille. Assumption regained the two touchdown advantage with a 56-yard touchdown reception by Simonson from Jordan just 1:11 later. Meyer found sophomore Corey White (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) for a four yard touchdown toss and the lone score of the second quarter by either team with 35-seconds left to send the Skyhawks into halftime trailing by just a touchdown while holding the opening possession of the second half.

The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of offense on the night, with Stonehill posting 503 yards on 372 passing and 131 on the ground, while Assumption finished with 466 yards on 253 rushing and 213 through the air. It marked Stonehill's first overtime contest since a 23-20 setback at Pace University on September 10, 2011, and the Skyhawks first overtime win since a 12-6 decision over UMass Lowell on October 9, 1998.

Stonehill (2-1, 2-0 NE-10) returns home next Saturday to host rival Bentley University as part of Family Weekend at the College at 6 p.m. Assumption (1-2, 1-1 NE-10) travels to American International College next Friday night at 7 p.m.

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