WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A drive that started at the six-yard line came within inches of resulting in the game-winning score, but the No. 3/4 University of New Haven football team ultimately fell, 17-14, to No. 11/12 Indiana (Pa.) in an NCAA Division II Football Championship Second Round game on Saturday at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. The Chargers’ Northeast-10 Championship season ends with a 10-1 overall record.
Third-seeded IUP (12-1) advances to play at top-seeded Winston-Salem State next Saturday, Dec. 1 in a quarterfinal matchup.
Ryan Osiecki (Seymour, Conn./Seymour / Univ. of Louisville) and Jason Thompson (Indiantown, Fla./South Fork ) connected on both Charger touchdowns. Osiecki finished the day with 194 yards on 15-of-32 passing, and Thompson hauled in two receptions for 69 yards and two scores. Josh Smart (Hamden, Conn./Hamden ) led the receiving corps with five grabs for 54 yards, and Nick Music (West Milford, N.J./West Milford ) had four catches for 29 yards.
A platoon of rushers combined for 158 yards on the ground for the Chargers. Mike DeCaro (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay ) ran for 54 yards, Victor Jones (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech) picked up 45, Anthony Tillman carried four times for 32 yards and Osiecki netted 22 with his legs.
The Crimson Hawks entered the game as the nation’s top-ranked defense, ceding 243.33 yards from scrimmage per contest. In total, the Chargers topped that mark by over 100 yards with 352 yards of total offense.
Defensively, New Haven held the one of the best rushing attacks in Division II to 155 yards on the ground; Indiana averaged 278.5 rushing yards per outing entering today’s game. Richard Long (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle / Iona College) led the Chargers with six tackles, while Brent MacLeod (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) had five stops – including a pair of tackles-for-loss. Sean Berglund (Wolcott, Conn./Wolcott) and Carlos Lozada (New London, Conn./New London) each had a sack.
IUP gained 252 yards from scrimmage, 125 of which came on the ground courtesy of De’Antwan Williams, who also caught one pass for 14 yards and started the game with an 86-yard kickoff return that set up the Crimson Hawks’ first score. Harvie Tuck – the 10th leading rusher in Division II – had eight carries for 39 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Mike Box was 6-of-13 for 97 yards and a touchdown pass to Tyler Dummermuth.
After Williams’ kick return started the Crimson Hawks at the seven-yard line on the game’s opening drive, Tuck carried twice to finish the drive and give IUP a quick 7-0 lead. Following a missed 42-yard field goal by the Chargers and a punt by each squad, the visitors struck again. This time, the Charger defense stuffed a first-and-goal from the three-yard line to force a field goal that extended the Crimson Hawks’ lead to 10-0.
On the ensuing drive, New Haven responded in just three plays. Tillman picked up 14 yards on the ground to start up the offense and, after an incomplete pass, Osiecki and Thompson connected for 68 yards and a touchdown. Following the extra point by Chris Scifo, the deficit was trimmed to three points at 10-7.
The Crimson Hawks picked up one first down on their next drive before a sack by Lozada helped the stall the possession. The punt went into the end zone for a touchdown, and New Haven took over with 12:48 remaining in the first half.
A 27-yard rush for DeCaro jumpstarted a 16-play, 80-yard drive over a span of 8:51 the propelled the Chargers into the lead. New Haven converted a 4th-and-1 early in the possession and was aided by three IUP offside penalties – all on fourth down. The march concluded with a one-yard strike from Osiecki to put the Chargers on top, 14-10, with 3:57 until halftime.
The following IUP drive ate up 3:43 of clock time – all but ending the first half – and produced what would prove to be the game-winning points. The Crimson Hawks’ nine-play possession was finished off by a six-yard pass to Dummermuth on third-and-goal to send the visitors into the locker room with a 17-14 lead.
The second half was a defensive battle, as the Charger defense ceded only two IUP first downs over the final 30 minutes. New Haven, however, was also stifled offensively as the score remained unchanged late in the fourth quarter. With 3:40 to go, the Chargers took over – still trailing, 17-14 – with one final chance to extend or win the game.
New Haven was able to rush for three first downs, advancing into IUP territory with one minute remaining. Osiecki then completed consecutive passes to Music and then a first-down to DeCaro on 4th-and-1 to reach the IUP 31-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Following a broken play that saw the Chargers forced to throw the ball away, the Blue and Gold had one last chance at the end zone with eight seconds to go.
On the final play, Osiecki avoided pressure and sent a spiral into the back of the end zone. Thompson elevated and got his hands on the ball, but could not control it as he hit the turf amidst a pair of Crimson Hawk defenders. The final second ticked off the clock with IUP escaping DellaCamera Stadium with a 17-14 decision.
The Chargers’ 2012 season marked their third-consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Championship – including a win in the inaugural NE-10 Championship Game – and second trip to the NCAA Championships. The program’s 27 seniors, many of whom came to New Haven when Charger football returned in 2009, finish their careers with a 34-10 record.
