Ursinus deals La Salle another loss

By Adam Bagni
Collegian Staff
September 20, 2006

In sports, sometimes the score doesn’t tell the story. This wasn’t one of those times.

The La Salle football team lost to its second straight Division III opponent Saturday, falling 6-2 to Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. The Explorers fell to 0-3 on the year, with their once potent offense now looking more and more anemic as the season progresses.

The football team started the season 0-2 at McCarthy Stadium and lost on the
road this week. - John McGrail/www.johnmcgrail.com

Ursinus could only muster 110 yards of total offense in the game, but the Bears were able to take advantage of 10 La Salle penalties for 108 yards.

The only touchdown of the game came with a little less than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter. Starting with great field position on the La Salle 49-yard line, Ursinus running back David Ashworth chalked up solid runs of six and eight yards respectively. With the ball now on the La Salle 35-yard line, the Explorers committed two consecutive pass interference penalties, placing the ball all the way down at the five-yard line. Two plays later, Ashworth rumbled in for a two-yard touchdown run.

For the second straight week, the Explorers had the opportunity to drive down the field late in the game for the win, but they again came up one yard short on a fourth down attempt. Sophomore quarterback Chris Hanson (13/25, 138 yds, INT), playing in place of injured junior Joe Procopio, attempted a quarterback keeper on fourth and two, but came up short for the second straight week.

La Salle did get the ball back in the final minute, but Hanson threw an interception on third and eight to DeVohn Butler (17 tackles), at the Ursinus 23-yard line, to ice the game. The game was Hanson’s first collegiate start.

The only Explorer points of the game came on a safety, when junior linebacker Nick DePinto sacked Bears quarterback Ted Wallingford (2/13, 39 yds, INT) in the second quarter.

Junior defensive back John Costello recorded the Explorers’ first takeaway of the year, intercepting a Wallingford pass in the final minutes of the third quarter. Sophomore punter Anthony Perlozzo was also a bright spot, pinning Ursinus inside their own 20-yard line four times, including a career-long 58-yard punt. Perlozzo did, however, miss his second field goal attempt – a 36-yarder that hit the right upright on La Salle’s opening drive of the fourth quarter.

Senior running back Kevin Sullivan only ran for 22 yards on 13 carries (1.7yds/rush), while fellow senior Josh Brumfield only touched the ball five times for five yards. Hanson did record 64 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Ironically, La Salle actually moved up two spots in Tuesday’s USA Today’s Sagarin College Football Ratings to 239 out of 241 teams, surpassing Butler and fellow Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League member St. Peter’s. In the Bowl Championship Series, La Salle is now ranked 238 with 15 BCS points. The fact that the Explorers gave up only six points was probably the main factor in the change.

Of the 10 worst teams in the nation, four of them are from the five-team MAAC, according to USA Today. Perennial league champion Duquesne (nine championships in 11 years) has stated that they hope to leave the MAAC as soon as next season for the Pioneer League, but the Dukes have not yet confirmed that move.

bagnia1@lasalle.edu