Capped off with a 34-yard field goal as time expired by sophomore kicker Joey Tolgyesi, on Saturday, Sept. 24, the LIU Post football team bested the Falcons from Bentley University, 27-24, in front of the Pioneer faithful in Brookville.
The game-winning kick by Tolgyesi came two minutes after the Falcons orchestrated a four-play, 80-yard drive which ended with a 50-yard touchdown, tying the score at 24.
Rewinding to earlier in the game, it was a defensive battle. The first quarter saw zero points combined.
The big play came in handy for both teams in the second quarter though. LIU Post struck first when senior quarterback Jeff Kidd connected with red-shirt junior receiver Kyle Ward on a 40 yard touchdown, to give the Pioneers a 7-0 lead.
The Falcons, however, one upped the Pioneers with a 69 yard touchdown pass just three minutes later to pull even.
At the break, the score was knotted at seven.
The Pioneers got a huge momentum boost after the intermission, when their defense made a huge play and got a safety; putting them up 9-7.
Less than three minutes before the start of the fourth quarter, red-shirt senior wide out Shane Hubbard hauled in a seven yard touchdown from Kidd, making the score 16-7.
After another passing touchdown by the Falcons, the Pioneers saw their lead disappear when the Falcons connected on a field goal to go ahead 17-16.
The Hubbard-Kidd connection worked well once, so why not try it again?
The duo successfully gave the Pioneers the lead on a game-changing 52-yard touchdown pass which, thanks to a two-point conversion by Kidd, gave the Pioneers a seven point lead.
That lead was not safe though, as the Falcons tied it up but left too much time for the Pioneers to get Tolgyesi in field goal range.
The 27-24 win is the Pioneers’ fourth of the season. They remained undefeated.
Kidd finished with 377 yards in the air and three touchdowns and 80 yards on the ground.
The halfback combination of senior David White and red-shirt sophomore Malik Pierre rushed for 77 and 58 yards respectively.
In the receiving department, Hubbard led the way with 14 catches for 167 yards and two scores, while Ward totaled seven catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Junior defensive back Richard Wright was all over the place — totaling six tackles and snagging an interception.
Red-shirt junior defensive lineman Anthony DeNunzio and red-shirt senior defensive lineman Kenny Scotland also played well, each adding a sack.
The LIU Post football team opened its 2016 season on Saturday, Sept. 3, led by head LIU Post football coach Bryan Collins, who is also the LIU Post director of athletics and recreation.
The team is back in action Saturday, Oct. 1, when it visits Worcester, Mass. to do battle with Assumption College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, LIU Post’s award-winning student newspaper that is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016, liupostpioneer.com.
The article is republished by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer.
