By Doug Bonjour
Entering Saturday’s game against Northeastern, a golden opportunity had presented itself for Dave Cohen and the Pride. After a convincing defeat of Colonial Athletic Conference opponent William and Mary 38-14 last week, the Pride found themselves knocking at the playoff door. Hofstra stood second in the CAA-North Division at 7-2 (4-2) and one game behind leader Massachusetts, who was upset by lowly Rhode Island 12-6 the week before. By winning the final two games, the Pride would be headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2001, when the team were known as the Flying Dutchmen.
However, on Saturday, dreams of competing in college football’s version of the Sweet 16 ostensibly ended for the 18th-ranked Pride, as they were dealt a crushing 35-31 defeat to Northeastern at Parsons Field. Only this time, it was the defense that let the Pride down; surrendering a 92-yard scoring drive in the final minute of the heartbreaking loss.
“We were out-coached and out-played today on [the defensive] side of the ball. It’s unfortunate that we lost in that fashion,” said Cohen.
Now with a 7-3 overall record and 4-3 mark in CAA play, the Pride’s dim playoff hopes rest on a victory this week, and also on losses from an assortment of other teams. In other words, the hopes have all but crashed.
The Hofstra defense entered the contest allowing a conference-best 281 yards per game, but they were outdone by the suddenly-potent Northeastern offense. After posting 31 points on New Hampshire the week before- a team in which Hofstra managed only a field goal against- the Huskies moved the ball at will against the Pride. They gained 446 yards against a Hofstra defense that had not allowed more than 400 yards at any time in 2007.
“No one has handled us like that in the two years I’ve been the Head Coach at Hofstra. They really had us on our heels; they did a great job,” said Cohen.
Even with the defensive struggles, the Pride almost escaped with a win. Trailing Northeastern 28-24 with just 9:13 remaining in the game and with the ball placed on their own 31-yard line, junior quarterback Bryan Savage directed one of his finest drives of the season. The Pride traveled 69 yards in 15 plays, as Savage capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Savage’s score gave the Pride a 31-28 lead with just 2:16 remaining.
But with a playoff spot almost in reach for the Pride, the defense buckled.
After the ensuing kickoff placed Northeastern on their 8-yard line, junior quarterback Anthony Orio delivered a clutch-drive of his own. Orio went 4-for-5 on the drive, capping a nearly flawless performance in which completed 19 of 23 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown.
Facing a third-and-7 on the Hofstra 9-yard line with less than one minute remaining, Northeastern used a bit of trickery to give themselves the lead, and the win. Orio handed the ball to junior running back Alex Broomfield, but instead of running the ball, Broomfield rolled out to his right, and threw a touchdown to the wide open junior tight end Brian Mandeville,
Following the game, Cohen commented on Northeastern’s efficiency in the game-winning drive.
“We didn’t get to the quarterback pressure-wise and they ran some mid-level out routes and some deeper routes and not only were they able to throw and catch, but they were able to get out of bounds,” explained Cohen.
With only 17 seconds left, a shocked Hofstra team could do nothing but hope. However, Hofstra was unable to produce any miracles, as time would eventually run out.
On a day when the Pride defense seemingly was unable to make a big play, the offense shined for the second consecutive week.
“Our offense played really well. One or two times you would have liked to convert in the second half, but you’ve got to be proud. We ran the ball well. I thought we played well on offense. We executed, we played hard, nothing was easy,” said Cohen.
Savage completed 20 of 33 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. Freshman wide receiver Anthony Nelson grabbed six of those passes for 105 yards, while senior wide receiver Charles Sullivan continued his solid play with seven catches for 45 yards and one score.
The Hofstra running game again moved the ball effectively in the absence of Kareem Huggins, as freshman running back Everette Benjamin gained 93 yards on 20 carries. Benjamin also rushed for a touchdown, the third score of his young career.
Besides the defensive lapses, the only other sore-spot for the Pride was senior kicker Rob Zarrilli. Zarrilli continued his disappointing season with another poor performance, as he missed field goal attempts from 46 and 47 yards. The preseason All-American is now 13-for-24 on the season.
The Pride will play their regular-season finale on Saturday, when 8th-ranked Massachusetts visits Shuart Stadium for a noon kickoff.
With their playoff bubble set to burst, the Pride will look to avoid dejection against the University of Massachusetts this Saturday. (Sean M. Gates)