Thomas Fallon found Jacoby Smith in the end zone on a 5-yard pass in overtime Saturday, lifting Salve Regina University to a thrilling 34-28 victory over Western New England University at Toppa Field.
The win marked the first overtime game at Toppa Field since 2000 and improved the Seahawks to 2-0 on the season after they nearly squandered a commanding 28-6 halftime lead.
Smith, who finished with six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, was the hero in the extra session after Western New England had mounted a remarkable comeback to force overtime.
“It was a tale of two halves,” said a source close to the program. “We dominated early but had to dig deep when they came back.”
The Seahawks appeared to be cruising after building their 22-point halftime advantage behind Fallon’s efficient passing attack. The senior quarterback from Freehold, N.J., connected with Spencer Chapman for touchdown passes of 19 and 20 yards, while Smith hauled in a spectacular 71-yard scoring strike.
Justan Luzzi also contributed a 35-yard touchdown run in the first half and finished the game with a team-high 154 rushing yards on 24 carries.
But Western New England (1-1) refused to fold. Sophomore quarterback Paul Gorry, who replaced injured starter Brady Lafferty in the first quarter, engineered three consecutive scoring drives in the second half to tie the game at 28-28.
The Golden Bears’ comeback included a pair of fourth-down conversions during a 13-play, 69-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Gorry capped that drive with a 25-yard pass to John De Camps on fourth-and-6, setting up Matt Lamontagne’s 5-yard scoring plunge.
In the fourth quarter, Gorry threw touchdown passes to De’Andre Harris and De Camps, with the latter score coming after Johnny Ferrentino intercepted Fallon at the Salve Regina 27-yard line.
The Seahawks had a chance to win in regulation when they drove to the Western New England 5-yard line with under two minutes remaining, but Brody Schaffer’s 28-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.
Both teams had opportunities in the final minutes of regulation before the game headed to overtime — just the third in Salve Regina football history.
In the extra session, Western New England won the coin toss and elected to take the ball first. The Golden Bears methodically drove to the Salve Regina 9-yard line, but Gorry’s pass to the corner of the end zone was intercepted by Marcues Jean-Jacques.
The Seahawks then needed just six plays to win it. Luzzi carried five times for 20 yards before Fallon delivered the game-winning strike to Smith over the middle.
Despite the victory, Western New England controlled much of the statistical battle, outgaining Salve Regina in first downs 27-15. Max Logrossa was perfect on four kicks for the Golden Bears, connecting on field goals of 30 and 27 yards plus two extra points.
Schaffer made all four of his extra-point attempts for Salve Regina.
The Seahawks now lead the all-time series against Western New England 17-14, though the Golden Bears had won eight of the previous 10 meetings before Salve Regina’s recent two-game winning streak at home.
Salve Regina will look to remain unbeaten when it travels to Wayne, N.J., next Saturday to face William Paterson at 1 p.m.
