NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The rainy and breezy conditions for the home opener at Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field weren't really conducive to throwing the football. So, Yale went to its rushing attack, and it sure worked out well. The Bulldogs ran for 366 yards on their way to an impressive 34-26 victory over Howard before a soggy crowd of 9,200 for the NAACP Harmony Classic.
Tre Peterson led the way on the ground with 144 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback
Nolan Grooms added 130 yards on 16 carries, and first year
Joshua Pitsenberger had 87 yards on nine carries. All three were the recipients of some outstanding blocking from Yale's talented and experienced offensive line.
"We were fortunate enough to have enough at the end," said
Tony Reno, The Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "We knew coming in Howard was really good. They are an incredibly well-coached team."
Howard scored first when Aaron Bickerton booted a 31-yard field goal late in the first quarter.
Yale then ran off 17 consecutive points in the second quarter, starting with a 25-yard scoring run from Pitsenberger.
Jack Bosman followed with a 42-yard field goal, and then tight end
Jackson Hawes got free in the end zone for a 7-yard scoring pass.
Bickerton's second field goal of the day, this time from 27-yards on the final play of the half, cut Yale's lead to 17-6.
Following an outstanding halftime performance from the Howard and Yale bands, the Bulldogs opened the scoring in the third quarter when Grooms scampered 54 yards for a touchdown on their first drive. Bosman's 21-yard field goal later in the quarter increased the advantage to 27-6.
The Bison, though, rallied, scoring the next 14 points.
Peterson then sealed the victory with a 44-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining.
Howard scored a touchdown on the final play of the game.
Defensively, Yale picked off Howard quarterback Quinton Williams twice and both were big momentum swings.
Dathan Hickey made a terrific play on the sideline to pick off Williams, and
Hamilton Moore got in the way of a screen pass to force the turnover.
Moore finished with 12 tackles to lead the defense.
Wande Owens and
Miles Oldacre each added seven. The Bulldogs also got sacks from
Joseph Vaughn, Reid Nickerson and
Adam Raine.
The Harmony Classic was organized by the Connecticut NAACP to inspire peace, fellowship and harmony on college campuses. In addition to the performances from the Yale and Howard bands, there were job and health fairs held in Hospitality Village prior to kickoff.
"It was an amazing opportunity for the Yale community to have such an outstanding group of football players and young people here that are so exceptional at what they do whether it is football or the music piece," Reno said. "It was two amazing institutions playing the game of football."
The Bulldogs are now 2-1 on the season and host Dartmouth next Saturday at the Bowl. Kickoff is slated for noon.
"We've had some nice things happen early in the season, but we are not even close to the team we can be," Reno said. "That is what is so exciting."
