New London, Conn --- Senior quarterback Christian
George (Rumson, NJ) carried 26 times for a career-high 194
yards including the game winning touchdown, a three-yard run with
8:31 left as defending New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan
Division champion Coast Guard beat Bridgewater State 24-21 in the
battle of division unbeatens infront of a Parent’s Weekend
crowd.
The win was the 11th consecutive NEFC Bogan Division win for Coast
Guard which won the division with a perfect 7-0 record last season,
its first in the NEFC. Coast Guard won its fourth straight this
season to improve to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the division. George
scored the game winner vs. Bridgewater State last year, a two-yard
run with 50 seconds left as Coast Guard won 21-17. That was the
only loss for Bridgewater State as they finished 6-1 in Bogan
Division, runner-up to Coast Guard last season.
Bridgewater State, which drops to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in division
play, opened the scoring on a 52-yard touchdown pass from junior
quarterback Steven Clark (Falmouth, MA) (17
carries, 78 yards/10 of 17 for 176 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) to freshman
Patrick McGrail (Braintree, MA) (4 receptions, 80
yards, 2 TD) with 9:33 left in the first quarter. Bridgewater State
dominated
play in the first quarter out-gaining Coast Guard 141 to 10 in
total yards. Coast Guard turned the ball over twice in its first
five plays from scrimmage.
Coast Guard got on the board on a 21-yard field goal by senior
David Lieberman (Virgina Beach, VA) with 8:02 left
in the first quarter. The score was setup as sophomore
Steve Arguelles (Yuma, AZ) intercepted Clark and
returned it 14 yards to the Bridgewater 11-yard line.
Bridgewater State opened a 14-3 lead as Clark threw as 32-yard
touchdown to senior Chris Joyce (Bridgewater, MA)
(7 receptions, 109 yards, TD) capping a 12-play, 71-yard drive with
just 2:33 left in the half.
Coast Guard went 63 yards in just seven plays capped by a 23-yard
touchdown pass from George to sophomore Matt Keith
(Virgina Beach, VA) with 38 seconds left to cut the deficit to
14-10 at halftime. Lieberman’s extra point was the 71st of
this career, breaking the school record of 70 held by Ed
Daniels from 1949-52.
Bridgewater State out-gained Coast Guard 221-103 in the first
half.
Coast Guard had a game-changing drive in the third quarter in
which it went 98 yards on 22 plays in a drive which lasted 8:39 and
was capped by a one-yard run on 4th-and-goal by junior quarterback
Niles Pierson (Cheshire, CT), who came into the
game after George was injured after a three-yard run on 4th-and-two
from the Bridgewater 19-yard line. George (5 of 16, 51 yards, 1 TD,
2 INT) rushed for 43 yards and passed for 28 yards on the drive.
Following the Lieberman extra point, Coast Guard led 17-14 with
1:19 left in the third quarter.
Bridgewater drove to the Coast Guard 35-yard line, but turned it
over on downs. On Coast Guard’s second play, junior
Josh Duquette (Plymouth, MA) intercepted George
and returned it 13 yards to the Coast Guard 30-yard line. Three
plays later, Clark threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to McGrail for a
21-17 lead with 12:07 left in the game.
Coast Guard responded by marching 58 yards in nine plays capped by
the George game winning three-yard scamper. On the drive, George
converted yet another 4th down with a five-yard run on 4th and
three from the 11-yard line.
Following an exchange of punts, Bridgewater took over at its own
20-yard line with 4:21 left and backup quarterback Greg
Bosari (Kingston, MA) drove the Bears to the Coast Guard
17-yard line, but back-to-back incomplete passes put the game on
ice for Coast Guard as they took over with 1:21 left and just took
a knee for the victory.
Bridgewater State finished with 398 total yards, 195 rushing while
Coast Guard finished with 324 yards, 271 on the ground.