Carraha passed for three touchdowns and completed 64% of his passes this afternoon (PHOTO BY Keith Haupt)

McCray passes for 405 yards as Pioneers and Skyhawks combine for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense in shootout

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (October 15, 2022) – Sacred Heart University and Stonehill College combined for nearly 1,000-yards of total offense as the reigning Northeast Conference champions outscored the Skyhawks 40-27 in an NEC football matchup before a standing room only crowd of 10,153 at Campus Field for the first meeting between the two programs in 26 years this afternoon.

Senior Marquez McCray passed for 405 yards as he completed 21-of-30 passes with a touchdown, while adding another on the ground as he rushed the ball seven times for 29 yards to finish the afternoon with 434 of Sacred Heart's 594 yards of total offense in the contest. Classmate Malik Grant added 104 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown as four different Pioneers found the end zone on the ground.

Sacred Heart and Stonehill combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense on 136 plays for the afternoon, with the Skyhawks adding 402 total yards in the contest. Junior Tom Comella reached the end zone twice for the first time in his collegiate career, finishing with a career-high 164 all-purpose yards, while sophomore quarterback Ashur Carraha continues to show poise in his first year as the Skyhawks starting quarterback, completing 18-of-28 passes (64.3%) for 221 yards and three touchdowns for the afternoon without an interception for a 165.9 pass efficiency rating. 

Comella scored a pair of touchdowns and finished with a career-high 164 all-purpose yards (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

Leaders

Stonehill

Comella: Career-high 164 all-purpose yards, career-high 13 carries, career-best 96 yards and a touchdown. Career-high 68 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. 

Carraha: 18-for-28 (64.3%), 221 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions. 

Junior wide receiver Cameron Alvesding career-best seven receptions for career-high 67 yards and touchdown. 

Sophomore CJ Davis: Career-high ten tackles (career-best nine solo). 

Junior Justin Waters: Four tackles (two solo), 1.0 sacks for loss of a yard. 

Sacred Heart

McCray: 21-for-30 (70%), 405 yards, touchdown, no interceptions. Seven carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Grant: 25 carries, 104 yards, touchdown.

Junior wide receiver LJ Haskett: Five receptions for 135 yards, touchdown.

Junior wide receiver Kenneth Womack

Junior Ernest Howard: Ten tackles (seven solo), pass breakup.

How it Happened

• Davis posted a career-high ten tackles for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

  Sacred Heart grabbed a 10-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter as junior Jalen Madison followed up the first of two field goals on the day by classmate Sam Renzi with a 22-yard touchdown carry.
• Stonehill got on the scoreboard on its next possession with Comella hauling in a pass from Carraha for a 46-yard pass and catch just four plays and 1:15 later.
• Sacred Heart stretched its lead to 13 (20-7) at the half after a one-yard touchdown run from Grant at the end of an eight play, 72-yard drive, with 6:37 to play in the second quarter, before Renzi added his second field goal of the day with 2:38 remaining.
• The Pioneers extended the advantage to 20 points (27-7) with 5:47 remaining in the third quarter after a McCray three-yard keeper.
• Stonehill closed back within two scores when Carraha hit Alves for a four-yard touchdown toss with five-seconds left in the third quarter, but McCray and Haskett connected for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the very next play to close out the third with a 34-14 Pioneers lead.
• Stonehill wouldn't go down without a fight, pulling back within two scores as freshman Nicholas Saccu collected his first collegiate touchdown off a 17-yard toss from Carraha 2:11 into the fourth.
• Sacred Heart responded once more with a four-yard touchdown run by sophomore Xavier Leigh with just under ten minutes to play.
• Stonehill marched to the Sacred Heart two-yard line in just five plays, aided by a 23-yard Carraha pass to senior tight end Cam Boes and 43-yard run by Comella, but the Pioneers defense held on fourth and goal.
• The Skyhawks got the ball back and then time drew back within two scores with a two-yard run from Comella with 2:16 remaining, but was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick to seal the game.

Noteworthy

• Stonehill and Sacred Heart were meeting for the first time since November, 1996, in a game also at Campus Field, where Stonehill entered the day 3-0 all-time, having won five-straight in the all-time series during the 1990s.
• Sacred Heart and Stonehill entered the game ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the NEC for most defensive categories.
• Stonehill surpassed 400 yards of total offense for the third time in four games this season.
• Stonehill sees a six-game winning streak dating back to last season come to an end and a run of four-straight road wins halted.
• Neither team committed a turnover in the contest.
• Carraha completed 13-of-17 passes (76.5%) for 160 yards in the second half.
• Sacred Heart has now won 13-straight at home, the fourth-longest uptick in NCAA FCS.

Up Next:

Stonehill (3-1, 1-1 NEC) is back on the road next Saturday when it visits Saint Francis (Pa.) University for an NEC matchup on ESPN3 as part of the NEC's Game of the Week package from Loretto, Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return to W.B. Mason Stadium the following Saturday, October 29, to host Merrimack College for an NEC clash at 1 p.m. Sacred Heart (4-2, 2-0 NEC) visits Merrimack next Saturday at 1 p.m.

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