BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Redshirt freshman quarterback
Logan Leiby (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) plunged into the endzone from one yard out with 28 seconds left in regulation to lift the Bloomsburg University football team to a 20-17 victory over visiting Edinboro University at Danny Hale Field at Redman Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies wrapped up the season with a 5-6 overall record while the Fighting Scots finished the campaign with a 3-8 mark.
Redshirt sophomore
Logan Yohn (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) gave the Huskies a chance as he picked off a pass from Levi Becker at the Bloomsburg 13-yard line with 3:49 left in regulation for his first collegiate interception. Leiby led Bloomsburg down the field and capped off a 12-play, 87-yard drive that took 3:26 off the clock with his one-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left in regulation. Yohn then sealed the victory with his second interception of the game at the Bloomsburg 21 with ten seconds left as the Huskies closed out the year with four wins in the last five games.
A pair of significant plays aided the game-winning drive. Midway through the possession, Leiby scampered for a 14-yard run and a first down at the Edinboro 45 yard line, which grew to a 29-yard gain after a targeting penalty on the Fighting Scots put the ball at the Edinboro 30. Then, following a sack and an incomplete pass, the Huskies faced a third-and-12 from the 32 when Leiby found a wide-open redshirt senior
Duffy Gilhool (Upper Chichester, Pa./Chichester) in the middle of the field for a 25-yard gain and a first down. Three plays later, Leiby was in the endzone for the game-winner.
Bloomsburg scored on the opening drive of the game as it went 73 yards in 10 plays, which culminated with a two-yard touchdown run from redshirt junior
Nyfease West (Philadelphia, Pa./North Penn). Sophomore
Cameron Shollenberger (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) added the extra point to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead after a possession that took 7:28 off the clock.
Shollenberger pushed the advantage to 10-0 with a 30-yard field goal with 10:32 left in the first half as he ended another long possession for the Huskies - a 13-play, 44-yard drive that took another 6:33 off the clock.
The visitors cracked the scoreboard on a 35-yard field goal from Vicente Arriagada with 4:47 left in the opening half, which cut the Bloomsburg lead to 10-3. But, the Huskies responded with Shollenberger drilling a 21-yard field goal at the buzzer to give them a 13-3 lead as both teams headed to their respective locker rooms for halftime.
Edinboro, however, scored two touchdowns in the opening three-and-a-half minutes of the second half to turn a ten-point deficit into a four-point lead with 11:25 left in the third quarter. Becker hooked up with Andre Dowdell on a 17-yard touchdown pass just 50 seconds in, and then Aaron Rogers returned an interception 52 yards to paydirt to give the Fighting Scots their first lead of the game - 17-13. Neither team generated much in the way of offense until Edinboro marched downfield early in the fourth quarter and had an opportunity to extend its four-point lead. The possession stalled at the Bloomsburg 17, but a 34-yard field goal attempt by Arriagada was yanked wide left to keep the Huskies within four with 6:22 left in regulation.
Five plays into Bloomsburg's ensuing possession, Leiby was picked off by Brandon Anderson at the Bloomsburg 45 which gave the Fighting Scots the ball with 3:55 remaining. However, instead of taking some time off the clock, Edinboro went for the dagger as Becker tried to find Ta'Nauz Gregory deep downfield. Yohn stepped in front of Gregory and picked off the pass, which led to Bloomsburg's game-winning drive.
Bloomsburg had 347 yards of total offense and held the Fighting Scots to just 213 yards on the afternoon. Aiding the margin in total offense was Bloomsburg's ridiculous 42:23 time of possession and an enormous 79-34 margin in offensive plays.
The Huskies had 155 yards on the ground with redshirt sophomore
Khalil Nelson (Philadelphia, Pa./Mastery Charter Thomas) leading the rushing attack with a career-high 128 yards on 16 carries. Leiby finished 18-of-33 for 192 yards but was picked off three times and was sacked ten times on the afternoon, keeping the Fighting Scots in the game. Gilhool had a team-high seven catches for 67 yards while redshirt freshman
Steven Arrington (Bensalem, Pa./Father Judge) caught four passes for 35 yards. Senior
Michael Allen (Oley, Pa./Fleetwood) was limited to one catch for seven yards after leaving his final game early with an injury.
Edinboro had 163 of its yardage through the air with Becker going 7-of-13 for 109 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Jordan Castelli was 3-of-4 for 54 yards. Gregory was the leading receiver with five catches for 93 yards while Alvin Lara led the ground game with seven carries for 26 yards. The Fighting Scots were held to just 50 yards rushing on 17 attempts.
Flags marred the game as Edinboro broke a school record with 19 infractions for 167 yards while the Huskies had nine penalties for 94 yards. Bloomsburg registered seven first downs via penalty on the afternoon.
Junior
Alex Findura (Stockbridge, Ga./Woodland) had a monster effort defensively for the Huskies as he led the way with nine total tackles, four tackles for a loss, and both of Bloomsburg's quarterback sacks. He also had two more quarterback pressures on the day. Junior
Aaron Trumino (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) had five total stops. Yohn had the first two interceptions of his career and added a pair of tackles. Redshirt sophomore
Chris Monaco (Pocono Pines, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) had the other Bloomsburg pick. On the flip side, Anderson led Edinboro with 12 tackles and an interception while Gilberto Ortiz II had four of the Fighting Scots' ten sacks.
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