Sophomore Mike Cordova rushed the ball 19 times for a career-high 91 yards and a touchdown. (PHOTO BY Jan Volk/SportsPix)

Elliott, Jr.'s three touchdowns lead Huskies to opening win

EASTON, Mass. (September 2, 2016) – Bloomsburg University rode a 14 point halftime lead to a 24-20 victory over Stonehill College in non-conference football action as part of Skyhawks Kickoff Weekend on Timothy J. Coughlin '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium tonight.

Senior running back Lawrence Elliott, Jr. (Utica, New York/Thomas R. Proctor) paced a Bloomsburg offense which finished with 323 total yards with 107 yards on 17 rush attempts, with 75 coming on a key touchdown scamper in the second quarter, as he finished with three touchdowns in the first half. Classmate Joe Parsnik (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania/Coughlin) added 76 yards on the ground on 11 carries, while junior quarterback Chris Palubinsky (Ringtown, Pennsylvania/Shenandoah Valley) completed 11-of-21 passes for 139 yards and an interception in his first career start.

Senior linebacker Andrew Harris (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania/Whitehall) led the Bloomsburg defense with nine tackles (three solo) and a forced fumble. Sophomore Nate Monroe (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania/Bishop McDevitt) added eight stops (six solo), while senior Jerrin Toomey (York, Pennsylvania/West York) had an interception and two pass breakups with five tackles (four solo).

Senior captain Andrew Doherty posted a game-high ten tackles, including a sack. (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix)

Sophomore Mike Cordova (Monroe, New Jersey/Red Bank Catholic) spearheaded a Stonehill offense which finished with 397 total yards as he carried the ball 19 times for a career-high 91 yards and his first career touchdown. He finished with a career-best 176 all-purpose yards for the night, adding three kickoff returns for 56 yards and four receptions for 29 yards.

Junior quarterback Matt Foltz (Mount Joy, Pennsylvania/The Hill School) completed 23-of-39 passes for 224 yards, adding eight carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore tight end Kaleb Lutton (Middletown, Connecticut/Xavier) collected four of those passes for 65 yards, while junior Kevin Dick (Tewksbury, Massachusetts/Tewksbury Memorial) added six catches for 55 yards. Freshman Matthew Haite (Kingston, Massachusetts/Silver Lake Regional) kicked a pair of field goals for the Skyhawks in his collegiate debut.

Senior Ryan Doherty (Methuen, Massachusetts/Central Catholic) led a Stonehill defense which limited Bloomsburg to just seven total yards in the second half, giving the Skyhawks a chance to mount a comeback, with a game-high ten tackles (four solo), including a sack for a loss of three. Classmate Anthony Leggio (Commack, New York/Saint Anthony's) added career-high seven solo tackles, including 3.0 for a loss of 15 yards. Junior Nick Bona (Peabody, Massachusetts/Bishop Fenwick) chipped in seven stops (four solo) and an interception.

Bloomsburg jumped out to a 10-0 lead with an Elliott junior four yard touchdown run and a 22-yard field goal by sophomore Ryan Abbott (Hagerstown, Maryland/Saint James School) on its first two possessions. Stonehill responded with Cordova's first career touchdown from nine yards out with 1:50 remaining in the opening quarter and then knotted the score with a 36-yard Haite field goal five minutes into the second frame.

However, Elliott Jr., reeled off a 75-yard touchdown run on Bloomsburg's next play from scrimmage, and then added his third touchdown run with a one yard plunge with 49-seconds left in the half to give the Huskies a two touchdown lead at the half.

Stonehill pulled within a score when Foltz capped its second drive of the third quarter with a one yard touchdown push with five minutes left in the third. The Skyhawks had opportunities to pull level or take the lead after Haite added his second field goal of the night from 30 yards with 4:18 to play. Dick fumbled inside the Bloomsburg 20 with three minutes left to stall a drive and then a handful of costly penalties put the Skyhawks well out of position late in its final possession.

Stonehill (0-1, 0-0 NE-10) opens its Northeast-10 Conference schedule next Friday night at Southern Connecticut State University at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, September 17, to host LIU Post at 6 p.m. Bloomsburg (1-0, 0-0 PSAC) hosts Clarion University next Saturday, September 10, at 3 p.m.

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