By Brian Bohl
Kareem Huggins nearly ran into a wall of four Maine defenders; his traction seemingly halted in Hofstra territory. But the senior running back and kick returner kept moving his legs, employing a juke move that allowed enough time for his blocker to create a hole.
Huggins spun and raced down the sideline before shifting towards the hash marks, racing unimpeded the rest of the way for a 92-yard touchdown return late in the first half. His dynamic cut-back was simply a precursor to a 71-yard run from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, single-handedly supporting a strong defensive effort from the Pride in a 38-13 victory over Maine on Saturday afternoon.
Huggins continued to take pressure of quarterback Bryan Savage, tallying his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 148 yards on 18 carries. He also was credited with 248 all-purpose yards, giving him over 500 the past two contests.
“To be honest with you, the kid’s a freak,” Savage said. “He can run the ball. He can be a receiver. Sometimes when I hand the ball off to him, I don’t understand how he can cut like that. They’ll be three guys running at him and he’ll cut two yards to the right and cut back to the left and still be able to go full speed. It’s unbelievable playing with the kid. And he’s a great leader.”
The 12th-ranked Pride sustained its best start since 1999 and opened the conference portion of the schedule with a convincing victory over the struggling Black Bears. Hofstra harassed red-shirt freshman quarterback Adam Farkes, holding him to 21-40 passing to improve to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
“The thing that’s different for Kareem from other good players is that Kareem is physical enough to get some ugly yardage as well,” said coach Dave Cohen about Huggins, who recorded a 58-yard rushing touchdown against Stony Brook the week prior. “He makes the pretty plays, but also has the ability to make those ugly internal runs. He can move the pile, and that’s what makes him a complete player.”
Maine entered with the CAA’s second-ranked pass defense, though the secondary couldn’t compensate for the Pride’s special teams and defensive pressure. That aggressiveness set the tone early, with Hofstra showing signs of a team ranked first in pass-defense efficiency in the 12-team conference.
“Our goal is to keep opponents under 300 yards, and we were able to do that,” Cohen said after Maine finished with 290 yards. “Absolutely: this was our most complete game.”
Part of that complete game was generating pressure from the outset. Midway through the first quarter, Farkes’ pass was deflected at the line, staying in the air long enough for linebacker Stanley Gutierrez to dive forward and complete the interception at Maine’s 11-yard line. Three plays later, Savage capitalized on the turnover by finding a seam in the center and scrambling for the game-opening touchdown.
Gian Villante and Luke Bonus took away Farkes’ options in the flat, forcing incompletions on his first eight attempts. It took until there was 4:14 left in the first half before he completed his first pass, setting up the first of Bobby Donnelly’s two field goals in the half.
“We knew since he was a red-shirt freshman that they wanted to get him involved early with simple passes out to the flat,” Bonus said. “In the first quarter, he wasn’t really allowed to that. That was definitely something we’re happy with.”
.After Donnelly’s kick made it 14-3, Huggins recorded his second kickoff return for a touchdown this season-making him the first Pride player to return two kicks for scores since Robert Thomas in 1998. His run galvanized the announced homecoming crowd of 7,424 and helped Hofstra improve to 3-0 in games at Shuart Stadium. They were 0-4 at home during a 2-9 campaign in 2006.
“This is the closest attention to detail since the Furman preparation,” Cohen said when asked about the practice sessions. “I thought the players did a great job of just being mentally focused. We knew they’d be a bigger challenge than we’ve faced the last few weeks.”
The Black Bears fell to 0-3 in the conference. With the offense averaging a meager 11.2 points per game, Savage didn’t need to do much to benefit from the strong defense. The junior quarterback continued to foster a rapport with leading receiver Charles Sullivan, waiting for his man to gain a step in one-on-one coverage before floating a 28-yard touchdown lob down the Hofstra sideline late in the first quarter.
“I really don’t care about numbers. My main goal as a quarterback is to put our team in position to win,” Savage said. “I felt in control. I was relaxed. I don’t let bad games bother me. I just came out with the same confidence I have every week. It just clicked.”
Savage’s showing came after the Wisconsin transfer threw seven interceptions in his previous two games. His 33-yard third-quarter scoring strike to Ottis Lewis generated irrevocable momentum, allowing the struggling passer to gain confidence by going 16-20 for two touchdowns. He also did not throw an interception, meaning Savage (185 yards) will have something positive from which to build as the next six regular season games come against CAA opponents.
Hofstra will face a struggling Towson team next week, meaning they could be 6-0 before hosting No. 14 New Hampshire on Oct. 20. That could be a key game in the standings, as the Wildcats upset previously undefeated Delaware earlier in the afternoon. Cohen’s team is currently tied with No.4 Massachusetts for first-place in the North Division and could qualify for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 2001.
“We felt like offensively, defensively and special teams; we haven’t played a full game like we’re capable of playing,” Bonus said. “Today, we knew that was our main goal: 60 minutes.”
With over 500 all-purpose yards the past two weeks, Kareem Huggins has stepped up in a way nobody expected, playing a key role in the Pride’s surprise start. (Kyle Martel)