Football Falls to First-Place M.I.T., 49-20

Football Falls to First-Place M.I.T., 49-20

MILTON, Mass. – Curry College fell to visiting M.I.T., 49-20, in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) contest Friday night in Milton. The first-place Engineers improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the Colonels dropped to 0-5 on the season and 0-2 in NEFC action.

Late in the opening frame, M.I.T. put the first points on the board after senior Brad Goldsberry (Elizabeth, Colo.) used a nine-yard rush to reach the end zone with 5:11 on the clock. The Engineers would later extend their lead to 14 and cap off the first quarter scoring with a 35-yard touchdown pass from senior Peter Williams (Portland, Ore.) to junior Seve Esparrago (St. Louis, Mo.) and a converted extra-point attempt.

Senior Justin Wallace (Palatine, Ill.) would give M.I.T. a 21-0 lead with a three-yard scoring run with 14:52 remaining before halftime. Curry answered on the ensuing drive, capping off a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a 29-yard toss from freshman Spencer Tyler (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) into the hands of senior Skubie Mageza (Revere, Mass.) with 8:16 on the clock. On the following drive, the Engineers used six plays before Williams made a 37-yard scoring scramble to extend the lead to 21 (28-7) heading into intermission.

On the opening possession of the second half, the Colonels drove 61 yards downfield on 13 plays to trim the deficit to 15 (28-13) with 10:37 left in the third frame. Tyler used a one-yard rush to record the touchdown. M.I.T. would score twice in the quarter, claiming a 42-13 edge heading into the fourth. The first score came on a nine-yard pass from Williams to Goldsberry, while freshman Mitch Turley (Westfield, Ind.) returned an interception for an 86-yard TD later in the period.

With 5:34 left in regulation, Esparrago recorded his second touchdown with a three-yard rush to extend the lead, 49-13. Several possessions later, Curry senior Trae Weathers (Revere, Mass.) used a 39-yard rush for the final score of the day with seven seconds left on the clock.

Williams went 9-for-16 for 151 yards, with two passing touchdowns, one rushing TD and one interception. Wallace led all rushers, carrying the ball 18 times for a game-high 196 yards and one touchdown. Tyler finished 18-for-35 for 139 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Weathers had 14 carries for 101 yards to go with his touchdown, while Mageza reeled in four receptions for 57 yards and a TD.

The Engineers were led on defense by sophomore Kodiak Brush (Yorba Linda, Calif.) with a team-best nine solo tackles. Turley added four total tackles (2 solo) to go along with his 86-yard interception return for a touchdown. Colonels' senior Parrish Rogers-Reed (Westfield, Mass.) had a game-high 13 total tackles (12 solo), including three tackles for loss (-11 yards). Freshman Devin Williams (Gardner, Mass.) chipped in with eight total tackles (5 solo), while senior Stanley Sainterlien (Providence, R.I.) recorded five solo tackles, one interception and one pass break-up.

Curry resumes play next Saturday, traveling to Coast Guard for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff. M.I.T. is idle until October 18, when it travels to Nichols for a 12:00 p.m. contest.