BROOKLINE- After concluding the regular season with the first conference title in Northeastern football history, as well as the school’s first ever playoff berth, Fordham University turned out the lights on the Huskies’ Cinderella season Saturday, 29-24.
“Bottom line, they made more plays than us,” said NU coach Don Brown. “I’m not unhappy with the effort. We fought for 60 minutes, and I’m proud of this football team and the way they carried themselves as men. Someone’s got to go home unhappy, and unfortunately it’s us.”
The visiting Rams didn’t take long to find the scoreboard. After just four plays, quarterback Kevin Eakin hit Peter Modelski on a quick pass. Modelski was able to escape one would-be tackler before racing to the endzone for a 52-yard score. A little over two minutes had evaporated from the game clock on the drive.
The Northeastern defense, which carried the team through most of the season, gave up the most points of the year against the Rams. Nowhere to be found were the three takeaways a game the unit had thrived on. Nowhere to be found were the seven defensive touchdowns NU was able to post throughout the year. The hounds turnover ratio, which was a plus-18 during the regular season, was a negative two versus Fordham.
“We’ve prided ourselves on taking care of the ball. We were minus two today. We’re a team that doesn’t have a big margin for error,” Brown said. “I’ve got to give credit to them, they didn’t turn the ball over once.”
Fordham coach Dave Clawson saw the turnover battle as a key to the game as well.
“That had to happen today. Northeastern is the most opportunistic defense I’ve ever seen at the 1-AA level. We could not turn the ball over today,” he said. “I think at one point during the season their defense was outscoring their offense. Versus James Madison last week, the Huskies scored two defensive touchdowns. It was absolutely critical that we didn’t give them those opportunities, and I think it was a big difference maker in the game.”
Before they knew it, NU was down 10-0 after going three and out on their first possession and giving up the first of Rams kicker Matt Fordyce’s playoff-record five field goals on the day.
After trading punts, NU got on the scoreboard when junior tailback Tim Gale burst through the offensive line virtually untouched on a fourth and one play. His 43-yard jaunt was his 15th of the year, tying an NU record. Despite the big run, NU’s ground game was held in check throughout the afternoon. Gale finished the day with 128 yards, 43 coming on one run. Coach Clawson consistently stacked eight defenders at the line of scrimmage, leaving little daylight for Gale.
“They dropped a free safety down, and did a little more run blitz than they had showed on tape. When you run the ball as successfully and efficiently as we have, you’ve got to be ready for that kind of defense. Credit them though, I think it worked out today,” Brown said.
“Coming into today’s game, I saw the running game and turnover battle as the two keys for us winning the game. That’s Northeastern football. Get turnovers, control the line of scrimmage, control the clock and pound away with the run,” Clawson added. “If we didn’t stop their run today, I don’t think we would’ve won.”
Matt Fordyce piled up his second and third field goals of the day before the half, giving Fordham a 16-7 lead after 30 minutes. NU took the opening kickoff of half number two, and was able to deposit three points on the board by way of a 34-yard Miro Kesic field goal.
With 11:22 left in the game, Rams QB Kevin Eakin guided his troops on a drive that would turn out to be the most pivotal sequence of the game. Clinging to their two-point lead, it would only take nine plays for the Rams to drive the necessary 69 yards for a touchdown.
On one play, Eakin, the beneficiary of two consecutive defensive pass interference calls, faced a fourth down from the Husky 32-yard-line, still three yards short of his next first down. The Rams ran a fake hand-off, on which most all of the players and spectators bit. Cornerback Art Smith sped past Eakin on his way to the opposing running back, only to realize Eakin still had the ball. Eakin dove forward at the 29, and made the first down by a matter of inches.
On the next play, running back Kirwin Watson took the hand-off, bounced off a few NU defenders, and stumbled his way past the goalline. Fordham had exchanged its shaky two point advantage for a roomy nine-point lead.
“Their quarterback is outstanding. We banged him every which way but loose, but he hung in there,” Brown said.
“That play is completely representative of what kind of a quarterback Kevin Eakin is. He had a guy open in the end zone, but had the presence of mind to not try and throw it,” Clawson said. “One of his best assets as a quarterback is that he makes excellent decisions on the run.”
Brown was reflective moments after his season was ended.
“I do know one thing, we’re going to have a helluva banquet in February, we’ve got a lot to celebrate. There will be some pain to get through in the next couple days, but we’ve got a lot to be proud of,” he said. “We’ve got some unfinished business with the guys that are coming back next year.
“The character of every team is decided in the winter and spring. I know we’ll have a good group, a good off-season, a good winter workout, a good spring practice, and we’ll come back ready to go.”
Senior cornerback Art Smith had to fight back tears while talking about next year’s team.
“Next year they’ll finish it,” Smith said. “These guys are like my brothers, coach is like my dad,” he said.
