Yale gets first shutout since 2017
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Backup Nolan Grooms threw for two touchdowns, Mason Tipton caught three passes for 122 yards and a score, and Yale cruised past Lehigh 34-0 on Saturday for its first shutout since 2017.
Tipton’s 57-yard catch-and-run gave Grooms his first career touchdown for a 21-0 lead late in the second quarter. Grooms also completed a 15-yard scoring pass to Chase Nenad early in the fourth.
Yale outgained Lehigh 272-63 in the first half as the Mountain Hawks only had four first downs. Lehigh finished with 146 total yards.
Stater Griffin O’Connor was 9 of 18 for 123 yards and a score for Yale (2-1). O’Connor opened the scoring with a 27-yard pass to freshman David Pantelis in the end zone for his first catch of the season. Grooms was 6 of 8 for 122 yards.
Zane Dudek rushed for his first touchdown of the season and Spencer Alston scored on a 15-yard run in the third.
Lehigh (0-5) is on a 12-game losing streak dating to 2019 — tying the program’s longest from 1925-26.
New Haven 28, Pace 14: At Pleasantville, N.Y., quarterback Connor Degenhardt scored a pair of 1-yard rushing touchdowns as the Chargers picked up an NE-10 road win.
Zach Mauro (87 yards rushing) and Jake Conlan (59 yards rushing) also scored touchdowns on the ground for UNH (3-1, 2-0 NE-10). Khyon Fitzpatrick finished with 13 tackles to pace the Chargers defense.
Quarterback Sean Kehley scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for Pace (0-4, 0-2).
Trinity 28, Middlebury 0: At Hartford, Brian Casagrande returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown and the Bantams’ defense dominated in a NESCAC win.
Spencer Fetter tossed a pair of touchdowns for Trinity (3-0, 3-0 NESCAC), connecting with Jack Barrett from 10 yards out and with Thomas Walsh on a 57-yard strike. William Kirby rounded out the scoring for the Bantams with an 18-yard rushing TD in the fourth quarter.
Middlebury fell to 1-2 (1-2 NESCAC). Howard 22, Sacred Heart 17: At Washington, Quinton Williams threw three touchdown passes including a 38-yarder to Kasey Hawthorne with just over two minutes remaining to lift Howard to its first win of the season.
Hawthorne leaped to make the catch against tight coverage at the 5-yard line then stumbled backward into the end zone. The Bison (1-4) failed on a two-point conversion try but their defense held off the Pioneers (2-3).
Faraji Woodson’s field goal gave Howard an early lead but Sacred Heart scored the next 17 points before Williams threw an 18-yard pass to Matthew McDonald for a touchdown. The PAT failed and Sacred Heart led 17-9 at halftime.
Williams threw a 29-yard score to McDonald to cut the deficit to two in the third quarter.
Sacred Heart’s points came on short touchdown runs by Marquez McCray and Jalen Madison plus a field goal by Ricky Lancaster.
Wesleyan 27, Bates 24: At Lewiston, Maine, David Estevez completed a gamewinning 5-yard touchdown pass to Luis Sanchez to lead the Cardinals to a comefrom-behind victory.
Estevez dominated for Wesleyan and went 12-for-12 in his pass attempts for 123 yards, and two touchdowns. He also rushed 16 times for 40 yards and added two receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Estevez accounted for 224 of the Cardinals' 291 total yards on offense.
Bates quarterback Brendan Costa rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, his second rushing touchdown of the day, with 12:09 left in the fourth quarter to give the Bobcats a 24-20 lead, setting up Estevez’s game-winning effort.