Widener University Takes ECAC South Atlantic Bowl
(Courtesy of Widener Sports Information)
Junior Chris
Haupt (Bloomsburg, PA) threw for a school-record 470
yards to go with 35 completions and three touchdowns, leading
Widener to a 48-27 victory over Waynesburg in the ECAC South
Atlantic Bowl at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium.
Trailing 14-7 at halftime, Widener (9-2) got the ball to start the
second half and responded by going 71 yards to tie the
contest. Haupt was responsible for 47 yards on the drive,
including a 38-yard strike to freshman Anthony
Davis (Upland, PA) just 2:53 into the half.
Waynesburg (5-5) retook the lead, 21-14, on its next possession
with Jeff Young catching a five-yard scoring pass from Josh Graham
with 9:35 left in the third quarter.
From there, it was all Pride as the next drive resulted in a 21-21
tie with 7:37 to go in the quarter. Haupt, who was named
first team All-MAC, threw for 67 yards on this march that ended
with an 11-yard catch to senior and fellow first-team selection
Cedrick
Clayton (Cinnaminson, NJ).
Widener got the ball back late in the quarter when sophomore
Colin
Masterson (Swarthmore, PA) returned an interception 20
yards and 15 more yards were added on a horse-collar tackle to
place the ball at the Waynesburg 32 yard line. Haupt threw a
31 yard pass to Davis and senior Brendan
Curran (Sinking Spring, PA) followed with a one-yard
burst for a 28-21 lead with 4:22 to go in the quarter.
Jamelle Bowers countered with an 18-yard touchdown run with 13:03
to go, but the extra point hit the right upright and Widener held a
28-27 cushion.
There were no worries for the Pride, who came back on the next
drive with a 55-yard march. This ended when sophomore Terrant
Morrison (Smyrna, DE) scored on a three-yard run with
9:26 remaining for a 35-27 lead.
Curran had another one-yard run and junior Dante
Pergolese (Havertown, PA) added a 14-yard scoring jaunt
for the final.
Haupt was simply spectacular by breaking the yards mark previously
held by Mike Warker, who threw for 462 yards against Moravian on
September 22, 2001. He completed 35-of-57 passes to fall two
completions shy of the record set by Mike Lomas versus Lycoming on
November 8, 2003.
Haupt also set a new school record with 3,025 yards passing this
year, besting Lomas’ mark from 2005 by one yard. His 31
touchdown passes this year are one shy of the school record, his
ninth 200-yard passing game this season ties a school record and
his sixth career 300-yard game is one shy of Pride’s top
mark.
He is the first Widener quarterback to throw for at least 400 yards
since Lomas did it against King’s on September 25, 2004.
Clayton finished with 11 catches for 149 yards for the Pride, who
closed with a 593-432 advantage in total offense that included 30
first downs and a 10-for-17 third-down-conversion mark.
Freshman Nick
Rodriguez (Haddonfield, NJ) notched a team-high eight
tackles that included seven solos for the Pride. Rodriguez,
Masterson and sophomore Trevor
Hicks (Charlotte, NC) each posted a forced fumble.
Graham played great for the Yellow Jackets, completing 29-of-48
passes for 340 yards and three scored. Adam Moses had 10
catches for 97 yards and Christian Jackson totaled eight receptions
for 153 yards.
Widener improved to 3-2 in ECAC bowls, which include wins in the
last three. The squad now is 18-12 in postseason games and
competed in a postseason contest for the 17th season in its
illustrious history.
The squad also posted its best mark since the 2002 team finished
9-1.
Waynesburg took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter with Young
getting a two-yard touchdown catch from Graham and Jackson adding a
97-yard scoring reception down the left sideline. Davis
posted the first of his two scores on an 11-yard scoring pass from
Haupt.
