By Doug Bonjour
With two consecutive losses, a playoff spot slipping out of grasp and the injured, star running back relegated to cheering his team on from the sidelines in a sweatsuit, Dave Cohen and the Hofstra Pride football team had hit their first major bump in the road. Once 6-0, Hofstra suddenly found themselves looking up in the standings; in need of a win if they wanted to keep their dream season alive and their playoff spot from hitting the midnight hour.
With Huggins out, the Pride suddenly had to turn to struggling junior quarterback Bryan Savage to right the ship. He entered the game second among all Colonial Athletic Conference quarterbacks in interceptions with 15, throwing a total of six during the team’s two-game losing streak.
However, on Saturday, all changed for the better for 20th-ranked Hofstra.
Hofstra ended its losing streak in convincing fashion, defeating CAA foe William and Mary 38-14 at Shuart Stadium behind a career-best performance from Savage. At a time when the Pride needed their quarterback the most, he delievered his most complete game of the season, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two more.
“It was great to have a win, especially that decisive. It was great to see us run the football in the manner we did,” said Cohen.
Despite question marks entering the contest regarding the rushing game because of the loss of Huggins, Hofstra continued its strong performance on the ground. The Pride rushed for a total of 160 yards, highlighted by their quarterback’s three touchdowns.
Savage, who scampered for 65 yards on 13 carries to go along with his touchdowns, became the first player wearing the blue and yellow to rush for at least three scores since Oct. 9, 2004, when Terry Crenshaw did so four times in a 61-21 domination of Stony Brook.
The game got off to a rough start for the Pride, as an errant snap on Hofstra’s first punt attempt forced senior punter Chris Hanly chasing after the loose football. Hanly opted to fall on the ball, giving William and Mary possession at the 3-yard line.
Two plays later, the Tribe punched the ball into the end zone, with freshman running back Terrence Riggins scoring from two yards out. The score gave the Tribe a 7-0 lead just five minutes into the game.
The poor snap added to Hofstra’s mistake-filled play of late, leaving Cohen frustrated.
“It certainly wasn’t a positive. It’s frustrating to give points away. That’s now 28 points in two weeks that when the defense hasn’t even been on the field, people have scored touchdowns,” explained Cohen.
But the Pride quickly turned their play around, scoring 38 unanswered points.beginning just 51 seconds after William and Mary took the lead, the Pride responded, tying the game 7-7 on a 12-yard run by Savage. Three minutes later, they would take lead for good on a six-yard touchdown strike to senior wide receiver Charles Sullivan, increasing the lead to 14-7
Along with the touchdown toss to Sullivan, Savage finished the day completing 14 of 16 passes for 196 yards, adding another touchdown later on in the game.
Following the overall solid performance at the quarterback position, Savage made sure to credit both his offensive line and running backs as key contributors in his success.
“I didn’t have to do much. The line did a great job,” said Savage.
“Our running backs ran the ball great, so for me, it was kind of an easier game because I’m faking the ball to Everette [Benjamin] and Jeff [Aime], and it’s easier for me to pull it and run in the open,” added Savage.
Benjamin and Aime proved to be an effective duo in the absence of Huggins, as the two combined for 143 yards on 38 carries.
While the offense rebounded from prior weeks with an impressive performance, the defense continued its strong play with another dominant performance, with being William and Mary held to only 263 total yards.
“When we play our best defense, it’s not one guy doing good, it’s us flying to the ball, and you don’t even know who’s making the tackle,” said Gian Villante, senior, linebacker.
The defense will continue to have to fly to the ball if Hofstra wants to win the CAA North and earn a playoff spot, which the Pride can now do if they win their final two games.
The Pride will next be in action on Saturday, when they visit Northeastern,2-7,(1-5),
Charles Sullivan and company celebrate after one of Bryan Savage’s two touchdown tosses. (Sean M. Gates)