Bulldogs grind out win over Howard

NEW HAVEN — On a wet and rainy day the ground game was clicking for the Yale football team and produced a successful 2022 home opener at Yale Bowl against Howard.

Tre Peterson ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Nolan Grooms ran for 130 yards and a touchdown to lead Yale to a 34-26 win on Saturday. Joshua Pitsenberger added 87 yards on the ground including a touchdown.

The Bulldogs (2-1) have excelled on both sides of the ball this season and the defense played its part against the Bison. Hamilton Moore led the team with 12 tackles and an interception. Yale had two interceptions overall and three sacks.

“This was an amazing day for all of us at Yale today,” Yale coach Tony Reno said. “We knew Howard is a good team with a good quarterback. We expected a close game. It’s a lot more fun to play close games and the thing is we are built for close games.

“We feel it’s a stronger test for your team when you have to battle when it’s close. In a blowout you cruise and you don’t really learn as much about your team. Coming into this season we knew we had the nucleus of key players to be strong on both sides of the ball. These guys have worked hard for that and it showed on the field today.”

The game was part of the NAACP Harmony Classic event that coincided with the matchup between the teams. For more than 10 years, the Connecticut NAACP State Conference has been organizing the classic, which this year included marching band performances, games and vendors to inspire peace, fellowship and harmony on college campuses.

In the first half, with light rain falling, it took a while for the offenses to get in a rhythm.

Howard (1-4) got the scoring started on a 31-yard field goal by

Aaron Bickerton with 5:40 to go in the first quarter for a 3-0 lead.

The Bulldogs took the lead early in the second quarter. Yale had a fourth and 1 at the Howard 25. Reno decided to go for it and Pitsenberger came though, bolting up the middle untouched for a 25-yard touchdown run to give Yale a 7-3 lead with 13:05 to go.

Jackson Hawes added to the lead with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Grooms with 6:02 to go in the second quarter to make it 17-3.

“That was a great play by Jackson who made a move to beat his man for the touchdown,” Grooms said. “That really got our offense going and gave us momentum to have a strong second half.”

The Yale defense flexed its muscle late in the first half. Howard had a first and goal at the Yale 2 yard line with 1:18 to go and came away with a field goal. A pair of tackles for losses and a 5-yard penalty for a false start put the ball on the 10 yard line with fourth down. Bickerton kicked a 27-yard field as time expired to cut Yale's lead to 17-6 at halftime.

Yale answered with a TD on its first possession of the second half. Grooms swept right and bolted down the right sideline for a 54-yard touchdown run and a 24-6 lead with 13:28 to go in the third quarter.

After Yale took a 27-6 lead, Howard answered with two TDs to cut the lead to 27-20 with 5:20 to go in the game. Peterson answered with a 44-yard touchdown run to make it 34-20 with 2:18 to go and the Bulldogs hung on for the win.