September 16, 2023
Boyle to Bingham Two-Point Conversion Pass Lifts Hounds Past Apprentice in Final Seconds
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team saw a 21-0 lead disappear before scoring eight points in the final 20 seconds on a touchdown pass and two-point conversion to defeat visiting Apprentice School, 29-28, in non-conference action at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday afternoon in the Greyhounds’ 2023 home opener to give first-year Head Coach Jeff Long his first career victory.
The Apprentice School
1-2
28
Moravian University
1-2
29
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 28 |
|
|
0 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
Team Stats
Game Leaders
The Apprentice School
Pa:
Mason Tatum
- 189
Ru:
Lawrence Reed
- 97
Rec:
Ernest Harris
- 65
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | The Apprentice School | Moravian University |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 189 | 354 |
| Rushing Yards | 209 | 66 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 32:09 | 27:45 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team saw a 21-0 lead disappear before scoring eight points in the final 20 seconds on a touchdown pass and two-point conversion to defeat visiting Apprentice School, 29-28, in non-conference action at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday afternoon in the Greyhounds' 2023 home opener to give first-year Head Coach Jeff Long his first career victory.
How It Happened
- For the third straight week, the Hounds received the opening kickoff. The Blue & Grey picked up a first down before punting
- The first quarter saw Moravian punt three times and the Builders punt twice and turn the ball over on downs once for a scoreless opening 15 minutes
- The second period started with each team punting again before both squads committed turnovers on back-to-back plays. The Hounds fumbled a pass after a reception; however, on the next play, senior defensive back Zach Scillia intercepted an Apprentice pass and returned it 18 yards to set the Moravian offense up near midfield
- The Hounds would convert the miscue into points as senior running back Nate Boyle burst off the left side and raced into the end zone for a 10-yard scoring run to finish off the seven-play drive. Boyle will also kick the extra point to put the Blue & Grey up 7-0 with 5:02 left in the second quarter
- The Builders had to punt again after gaining one first down
- Moravian began deep in its own territory at the five-yard line. On the second play of the drive, junior quarterback Jared Jenkins connected with senior wide receiver Jordan Bingham on a 47-yard pass to get past midfield. Two plays later, Jenkins found junior wide receiver Jordan Lewis behind the Apprentice defense for a 37-yard scoring strike. Boyle added the PAT for a 14-0 lead with just 38 seconds left in the first half
- The Builders had possession to start the third quarter, but the Hounds would get the ball when sophomore linebacker Ethan O'Neill stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception 18 yards to the Apprentice 47-yard line
- The Greyhounds needed just three plays to capitalize on the turnover as Jenkins hit Bingham with a 42-yard touchdown pass. Boyle split the uprights again to push the Blue & Grey edge to 21-0 with 11:06 to go in the third quarter
- Apprentice countered with a seven-play, 62-yard drive to get onto the scoreboard at the 6:45 mark on a four-yard touchdown run. The Hounds' junior defensive lineman Jeremy McGuigan blocked the extra-point to keep the Hounds' edge at 21-6
- The contest remained 21-6 through the end of the third quarter
- Early in the fourth quarter, Jenkins was sacked and lost the ball with the Builders recovering at their own 41-yard line. Apprentice turned the miscue into points on a 14-yard touchdown pass, and the Builders converted on their two-point attempt to cut the Moravian lead to 21-14 with 11:50 remaining
- After a punt from the Hounds, Apprentice needed just three plays to knot the score at 21-21 with a 42-yard touchdown pass at the 9:13 mark
- Moravian was forced to punt again after one first down. The Builders had the momentum and put together a 10-play, 83-yard drive to take a 28-21 lead with just 1:49 remaining after a three-yard touchdown
- The Greyhounds took over at their own 25-yard line after a fair catch on the kickoff. Jenkins went to work with passes to Bingham for 12, six and 15 yards to get into Apprentice territory. Jenkins then hit senior wide receiver Brad Bryan with a four-yard pass and found Boyle for an 11-yard completion. After a seven-yard pass to Bingham, Jenkins would run for a first down and put the Hounds in the red zone. Jenkins connected with Boyle on a 14-yard pass to the two-yard line, and on the next play, he threw a jump ball to the corner of the end zone that Bingham hauled in for a touchdown with 19 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 28-27
- Coach Long went for the win in his home opener, keeping the offense on the field for the two-point conversion. Jenkins handed off to Boyle, who then threw a jump pass to Bingham in the end zone for the winning points
Inside the Numbers
- The Greyhounds win in the final minute was their first since the September 5, 2015 when the team earned a 21-17 victory at King's College. The contest was also the first one-point win since a 17-16 triumph versus Franklin & Marshall College on November 2, 2019
- Moravian gained 420 yards on 64 plays including 354 yards through the air
- Jenkins completed 27-of-36 passes for 354 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and he gained eight yards on seven rushing attempts despite being sacked three times
- Bingham finished with 11 receptions, just one shy of the school record, for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Bryan Monge pulled in five catches for 59 yards. Bryan caught four passes for 82 yards while Lewis had one catch for 37 yards and a touchdown and senior wide receiver Tim Garlick added one reception for six yards
- Boyle picked up 49 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, and he also caught two passes for 25 yards while sophomore running back Camron Tinajero had nine yards on four rushing attempts to go with three receptions for 20 yards
- Jenkins punted once for 22 yards while senior defensive back Colin Conway average 42.3 yards on six punts with a long of 59 yards and four inside the 20-yard line
- Bingham returned a pair of kickoffs for 45 yards while junior wide receiver Will Castel had three punt returns for 33 yards
- Sophomore linebacker Clay Basile led Moravian's defense with ten tackles including one and a half sacks and two pass breakups in the contest. O'Neill contributed eight stops with a sack to go with his interception and two passes defended while senior linebacker Chris Ortalano made seven tackles
- Freshman linebacker Jackson Lake and sophomore defensive lineman Nathan Carr each recorded six tackles with Lake breaking up a pass while Scillia and sophomore defensive lineman EJ Harvey both had five tackles with Scillia making an interception and Harvey recording two and a half sacks
- McGuigan registerde four tackles and a sack to go with his blocked kick while junior linebacker Jeremiah Espinosa and junior defensive back Isaiah Johnson both made three stops with Johnson adding a pair of pass break-ups
- At halftime, Moravian honored Gary Martell '76 on 50 years as a player and assistant coach with the program dating back to 1969, his freshman campaign on the gridiron
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Saturday, September 23 vs. SUNY Morrisville, 2:00 p.m.
- Saturday, September 30 vs. Keystone College, 1:00 p.m.
