After a tough start, Husson Football to begin conference play this weekend

September 29, 2022

The Husson University Eagles finished up the non-conference portion of their schedule last Saturday with a 49-7 loss at Springfield College. Husson (1-3) now gears up for Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action when they visit Endicott College this Saturday for a 12 noon kickoff in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Husson was dominated in the defeat at Springfield College, being outgained 540-147 in total yardage by the Pride and falling into a 28-0 halftime deficit that they couldn’t dig out of. The Eagles have been inefficient offensively with only six total touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) in their four games. They’ve been outscored 101-21 in the three losses, with the loan victory coming over Alfred State 23-17 at home in week three. Junior quarterback Nic Visser has gone 62-104 (59.6%) passing for 679 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. They’ve relied heavily on sophomore tailback Elijah Garnett who has rushed for 326 yards on 73 attempts with all three of his teams rushing scores so far on the season. Senior Jon Bell (11 receptions, 172 yards), sophomore Cullen Casey (6-43), and sophomore Dom Wilson (4-34) have caught the TD passes from Visser. Sophomore receiver Russ Walker is the leading pass catcher with 12 receptions for 181 yards. Juniors Tucker Buzzell and Adam Bertrand have been the leaders defensively with 45 and 39 total tackles respectively. Husson is only averaging 11 points per game and has only 56 first downs, compared to 29.5 points per outing and 99 first downs for their opponents.

Endicott (4-0) received one vote in the Top 25 Division III football poll this week, as the Gulls have outscored their first four opponents collectively 105-20. They are led by junior quarterback Clayton Marengi, who has completed 65% of his passes for 623 yards with four touchdowns and just one interception. He’s also added three rushing scores, with two in their most recent win last Saturday over Norwich. The defense has been superb for Endicott, allowing just 5.0 points per game and recording a total of 20 sacks in those victories. The Eagles and Gulls met at Husson University in Bangor last season, with Endicott winning a close 24-17 battle.