WATERBURY, Connecticut – The American International College football team won its third straight Northeast-10 Conference contest, edging Post University 28-27 on Saturday, November 9.
AIC is now 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the NE10.
The Yellow Jackets opened with possession and took full advantage, driving 75 yards to punch the ball in. The first big play was a 44-yard strike to Dahvey Hicks over the right side, with the veteran receiver dodging defenders on the way into Post territory. A pair of Sidiki Kone rushes gave AIC a fourth-and-one play on Post's 16, but rookie quarterback Connor Dietz again proved his mettle in the big moment, not only breaking past the line to gain but into the end zone, going around the right side for the score.
The Eagles quickly answered with a big play of their own; the fifth play of their first drive was a bomb over the right side from Malakai Taylor to Joshua Tracey for a 72-yard touchdown.
Neither team scored for the remainder of the first; AIC had a drive stall on a turnover on downs inside of Eagles territory. It was only in the second that Post broke the tie, taking advantage of another AIC turnover deep in Yellow Jackets territory. The Eagles needed to drive just 13 yards to score, with Taylor taking it the final yard himself.
The turnovers did not stop for either side, including an interception by Jahsiah Narcisse and a costly Eagles fumble by Taylor on AIC's one-yard line that Ahsin Jacobs scooped for a touchback. The Yellow Jackets turned what seemed to be a sure Eagles touchdown into one of their own, moving 80 yards downfield on 10 plays, with a 21-yard catch by Amiyn Hanks to the Post 10 and Kone finishing the job from there to tie things back up.
Post jumped out to the lead again in the third; they returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown that was nullified by a holding call, and then found their way in anyway, working 83 yards for the score, capped by a 10-yard touchdown catch by Jermaine Tillery. However, David Jaylin Eppinger jumped in front of the point-after try, knocking it down to keep the Eagles lead at six.
That point proved crucial. Kone kicked off the next drive with three straight runs before Dietz hit Jadye Foxworth and then Fatir Bell twice, all for double-digit yardage totals, to move into Eagles territory. Three more Kone runs moved AIC into the red zone, and Dietz wasted no time in ending the drive, hitting fullback Marcus Thurston with a screen that he carried into the end zone. After Santana Fonseca's third straight PAT, AIC led 21-20 late in the third.
The lead lasted one play, as the Eagles burst through the defense with an Isaiah Emmanuel 78-yard touchdown run. The Yellow Jackets, as a result, headed into the fourth trailing 27-21.
In the final frame, AIC started with possession, and quickly regained the lead again. Kone broke the first big play of the drive, a 30-yard scamper to inside Eagles territory. Penalties pushed AIC backwards, leaving the Yellow Jackets with a 4th-and-7 on the 26.
Once again, Dietz shined.
The rookie quarterback broke to the right, flew past the defense, and ran right into the end zone, scoring another breathtaking touchdown, and with Fonseca booting the extra point through, AIC led by one with 9:59 to go.
Now it was the Eagles turn to lead a desperation drive, but they stalled out and were forced to punt. However, their defense turned back AIC, and then, with Fonseca back to punt, hauled the kicker to the turf on AIC's 10.
The Eagles seemed set up to retake the lead, only to have the ball literally ripped away again on the next play. Eppinger was once more the center of the show, blasting the ball out of Taylor's hands at the three, and putting it where Tyson Thornton could fall on it.
AIC used its next drive to run and run the clock out, but ultimately were forced to punt. This time, Fonseca was able to get the kick away. The Eagles pushed forward briefly, but were stymied by the defense, and a fourth-down toss by Taylor was picked off by Chris Chasia.
Kone and Dietz combined for the last plays of the game; an 11-yard rush with under a minute to play gave AIC a first down, and Dietz kneeled twice to melt the rest of the clock away in the back-and-forth 28-27 win.
Kone ultimately totaled 169 scrimmage yards, with 167 of those coming on 27 carries. Dietz rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries and threw for 161 more on 22 pass attempts, completing 13. He accounted for the other three AIC touchdowns, along with Thurston on the one passing touchdown.
Makail Muhammad led AIC with 10 tackles; Chasia was second with five as well as his key interception. Eric Jennings and Michael Grant combined on the lone sack of the game for AIC, one of five tackles-for-loss by the defense that ultimately generated five turnovers.
AIC next returns home to Abdow Field on Saturday, November 16 for a noon kickoff against Southern Connecticut State University. It will be Senior Day for the team.
