Image courtesy of Yale Athletics
By Aman Kidwai
NEFJ Correspondent
NEW HAVEN — In the first-ever gridiron meeting between two schools located just 22 miles apart, the Yale Bulldogs prevailed over Sacred Heart, 31-3, on a cold, rainy day at the Yale Bowl on Saturday.
Tony Reno’s squad maintained control throughout the game thanks to impressive short-field stops and two timely turnovers forced by the defense.
Yale got on the board first with a Nolan Grooms deep bomb to Mason Tipton for 40-yards, one of two touchdowns by Tipton on the day to put him at seven on the season.
“Anytime I’ve got him one-on-one, I think I’ve got a pretty good chance,” Grooms said of the TD pass after the game. “I just put it up there and let him make a play.”
Despite two major early gaffes by Yale — a Grooms interception that gave the ball back on their own 32 and a snap that sailed over the punter’s head and gave the Pioneers the ball at the Yale seven — Sacred Heart was scoreless at the end of the first half.
The drive after the interception ended with a field goal attempt that missed, and the drive that disastrously started on the Yale seven-yard line ended with a fumble.
“Our defense played well, especially down in the red area,” Reno said, adding that they “made some great stops.”
After the fumble, recovered on the two-yard line, Yale moved 98-yards to make it 14-0. Tre Peterson surged into Sacred Heart territory after a 32-yard run and on the ensuing first down Grooms hit tight end Jackson Hawes for 28 yards to get into the red zone. On the very next play, Tipton motioned into the backfield and took a hand-off 15 yards for the touchdown.
The two teams traded three-and-outs after that score. Following another SHU three-and-out, the Bulldogs took over on their opponents’ 44. Grooms hit tight end Ry Yates up the middle for 23 yards before finding Ryan Lindley on a slant for seven yards into the end zone, making it 21-0, which would be the halftime score.
“We did a nice job of capitalizing there in the first half,” Reno said. “Some big plays, got some points on the board, and held on.”
The Pioneers started the second half with their best drive of the day, going 65 yards before stalling and ending with a field goal for their first points. They had a long, near-touchdown pass taken back on their next drive due to an illegal man downfield penalty, but continued to move the ball well. They appeared poised to close the margin as they moved into Yale territory.
But a tipped Rob McCoy pass fell into the arms of linebacker Joseph Vaughn, who was gaining steam upfield as he returned it to the Sacred Heart eight-yard line. Three plays later, the lefty Grooms rolled left on a play-action pass and hit Mason Shipp two yards away in the end zone, 28-3.
The Bulldog defense forced a four-play turnover on downs on the next drive, and the offense responded with a field goal spurred by a 57-yard rush by Spencer Alston that made it 31-3. Despite some late attempts by the visitors, that was the final score.
Yale’s running backs shared carries across Peterson and Alston, who had four each, and Joshua Pitsenberger, who finished with 10 carries for 39 yards.
On a day where Yale managed 12 first downs offensively with just 123 passing yards, big plays and disruptive defense got the Bulldogs to their impressive point total. Reno noted that Vaughn’s interception “flipped the field” and that the defense really clamped down near the end zone to keep SHU off the board.
Pioneers head coach Mark Nofri agreed, saying “They don’t make mistakes…they play hard, they play smart and aggressive… when you get in the red zone they start tightening up and it showed today.”
The rain came down hard and certainly played a role on a slippery field where Yale fumbled twice, losing none, and Sacred Heart fumbled twice as well, losing one. Grooms completed just 10-of-19 pass attempts, but made them count with three touchdowns as Yale went 4-of-4 on red zone chances. His pick, made on an impressive individual effort by Marques Mason, was their only turnover.
“We’re outside year-round so it doesn’t really bother us, but obviously the passing game does get affected a bit,” Reno said. He credited Grooms and the receivers for powering through it to make game-changing plays. “You’ll never hear anything from a Yale football player about playing in the rain.”
The Yale offense was opportunistic, and its defense held strong most of the game, holding Sacred Heart to just six first downs in the first half and a 6-of-20 third-down conversion rate on the day.
“We’re playing better defensively,” Reno added. “We’re making plays and we’re playing our best when we need it the most, and that’s the most important part.”