HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Sophomore quarterback
Michael Ruisch (Fogelville, Pa./Parkland) threw three touchdown passes while six different River Hawks scored a touchdown as the No. 16/18 Susquehanna University football team ended the regular season on a seven-game win streak. Susquehanna (9-1, 8-1 CC) blasted Juniata College (2-8, 2-7 CC), 63-7, Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale.
The River Hawks scored early and often, putting up 56 unanswered points. Today's 56-point victory is the largest by SU over the Eagles since the River Hawks' 45-3 triumph in the 'Grove in 2010. Additionally, this is the second time Susquehanna has dropped 63 points on Juniata, matching a 63-point performance in a 63-34 win for the River Hawks in 2016 on Amos Alonzo Stagg Field.
No. 5 Muhlenberg College captured its 11th Centennial Conference title with an undefeated 10-0, 9-0 CC record following its 52-7 home win over Moravian College. Susquehanna finished second followed by Johns Hopkins University (7-3, 6-3 CC) in third and Franklin & Marshall College (6-4, 5-4 CC) in fourth.
The River Hawks will now wait to see if they earn an at-large bid when the NCAA releases the 2019 NCAA Division III Football Championship Tournament bracket on Sunday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. on
www.ncaa.com.
Susquehanna 63, Juniata 7
How It Happened
First Quarter
- Susquehanna scored 22 seconds into the game after junior defensive back Sean Ryan's (Verona, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) interception set up sophomore wide receiver Kyle Good's (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) 10-yard rushing touchdown.
- The River Hawks stretched their lead to 14-0 at 11:52 as junior running back Da'Avian Ellington (Carteret, N.J./Woodbridge) covered 21 yards on two carries, including a nine-yard score.
- Ryan's fumble recovery on Juniata's four-yard line led to Ellington's second TD of the afternoon – a one-yard run.
Second Quarter
- Ellington picked up his third consecutive rushing touchdown at 13:24 after rushes of 8, 10, and 8.
- Ruisch connected three times with sophomore wide receiver Darius Copeland (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin), hitting Copeland with an 8-yard pass for his first career touchdown and a 35-0 River Hawk lead.
- Susquehanna would head into halftime with a 42-0 advantage after senior captain Mitch Carsley (Elverson, Pa./Twin Valley) caught a 24-yard strike from Ruisch with less than two minutes left in the half.
Third Quarter
- After scoring a rushing touchdown in the first quarter, Good caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ruisch to cap off a seven-play, 50-yard drive. Good also had a 22-yard reception on the scoring drive.
- Senior wide receiver Robert Marks (Mount Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) tallied his first touchdown of the season following a 37-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Hezekiah Patterson (Trenton, N.J./Hamilton West).
Fourth Quarter
- Juniata avoided the shutout at 8:53 of the fourth as Calvin Bembry caught two passes for 13 yards and rushed twice for two yards, including a one-yard rush for the touchdown.
- It was all senior running back Torey Brown (Riviera Beach, Fla./Dwyer) on the River Hawks' final drive of the game. Brown put up a career-long 79-yard rush before scoring on a six-yard run.
Inside the Box Score
- The Susquehanna defense racked up season-bests of 70 tackles, 54 solo tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions while forcing the Eagles into five turnovers and tallying seven sacks.
- The River Hawks scored on all seven red zone opportunities, finishing the game with 376 yards of total offense.
- Susquehanna rushed for over 200 yards for the fourth consecutive game.
Top Performers
- Brown rushed for a career-high 138 yards on a career-best 12 carries with one touchdown.
- Ruisch completed 12 of 20 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
- Ellington had eight carries for 55 yards and three touchdowns.
- Good recorded a rushing as well as a receiving touchdown in today's win. He had four catches for 40 yards while having one rush for 10 yards.
- Senior captain Cole Dixon (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) registered his second straight double-digit tackle game, and fourth of the season, with a game-best 10 tackles. He also added season-bests of 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks with one pass breakup.
- Senior captain David Simpson (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) contributed nine tackles, including 3.0 TFLs.
- Sophomore kicker Elijah Hoffman (Elysburg, Pa./Southern Columbia) was 9-of-9 on PATs while averaging 52.8 yards on 10 kickoffs for a total of 528 yards. Hoffman has now made 26 consecutive PATs.
- Sophomore punter Clay Olley (Galloway, N.J./Cedar Creek) punted four times for 130 yards with three inside the 20.
- Senior captain Mitch Carsley (Elverson, Pa./Twin Valley) returned six punts for 139 yards with a long of 37.
Up Next for the River Hawks
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