Gulls Fly by MIT on Senior Day
Nov. 4, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - Endicott College posted 480 yards of total offense to propel the Gulls to a convincing, 30-7, win over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on senior day at Endicott Stadium in Beverly, Massachusetts.
MIT threatened to get on board first as they controlled the ball at the Endicott six yard line on first and goal. However, the Gulls defense buckled down to close out the series as Daniel Orlando (Bradford, MA/Cushing Academy) and Jarron Randall (Brockton, MA/Brockton) were able to stop DeRon Brown (Galax, VA/Grayson County) just inches shy of the end zone for a turnover on downs.
After both defenses swapped three-and-outs, Vinny Orlando (Manchester, MA/Manchester-Essex) put the Gulls ahead for good as he hooked up with Drew Cusato (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) from 25-yards out for the games first score.
MIT's next drive stalled when Jarron Randall intercepted a pass from DeRon Brown on a trick play at EC's own 5-yard line. This happened just two plays after MIT single-caller Brian Doyle (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton) hit Thomas Franklin (Independence, MO/Truman) in stride for a 52-yard gain.
In the closing seconds of the first half, the Gulls took a 13-0 lead when Alex Smith (Winthrop, MA/Winthrop) found Ray Lynch (West Hartford, CT/Conard) in the end zone for a two yard score. Christopher Brennan's (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) PAT put the Gulls ahead, 14-0, heading into the break.
The Gulls found the end zone on their first drive of the second half, this time when Orlando connected with Neil Powers (Westford, MA/Chesire Academy) for a 36-yard TD strike. Brennan added on the extra point to give the Gulls a commanding 21-0 lead.
On the ensuing drive, the Engineers finally got on the board when Ben Grannan (Greenland, NH/St. Thomas Aquinas) plowed through the Endicott defense for a 15-yard touchdown. Corey Garvey (Garden City, NY/Garden City) tacked-on the PAT to cut the lead to 21-7.
On Endicott's very next drive, Colby Hawkins (Scituate, MA/Scituate) made two defenders miss and was off to the races, sprinting 30-yards for the score. The shifty sophomore finished the day with a game-high 105 yards on just 14 carries. He also had two catches for 34 yards.
The fourth quarter featured defensive stands from each team with the only points coming from a Brennan 23-yard field goal.
The Gulls finish the season 3-6 overall (3-4 NEFC Boyd) while the Engineers end their 2007 campaign with a 2-7 mark (2-4 NEFC Boyd).
Game Notes... Endicott set season highs for rushing attempts (50), rushing yards (268), and first downs (25)... Ben Grannan scored four of the final seven touchdowns by MIT to end the season... Alex Smith and Vinny Orlando combined for three passing touchdowns in their final collegiate game...Kevin Foley (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) led all players with a game high nine tackles...