Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The American International College football team closed the 2009 season with a 34-7 loss to visiting Assumption College Saturday afternoon at Ronald J. Abdow Field. The Yellow Jackets finished the season with an overall record of 5-5 and a 3-5 mark in the Northeast-10.
AIC opened the scoring when senior quarterback Shane Murphy (Bogota, N.J.) hit senior wide receiver Kertis Hussey (Paterson, N.J.) on a nine-yard scoring pass 1:19 into the second quarter, but it was all Assumption from there as the Greyhounds (6-4, 5-3 NE-10) scored 34 unanswered points.
Junior wide receiver John Barker (Avon, Mass.) got Assumption on the board when he caught a 16-yard scoring pass from junior quarterback John Kupec (Wyckoff, N.J.) with 6:25 to go in the second quarter. The PAT was blocked by junior linebacker Terrance Holley (Bronx, N.Y.), making it a 7-6 game in favor of the Yellow Jackets.
Assumption then got the ball right back and drove down the field to take a 13-6 lead into the half. The nine-play, 60-yard drive was capped by a 10-yard pass to senior wide receiver David Canney (Templeton, Mass.). Canney then opened the second half scoring when he caught a 26-yard scoring pass from Kupec midway through the third quarter, giving Assumption a 20-7 lead.
AIC appeared ready to answer with first and goal from the five-yard line, as the third quarter expired, but Murphy was picked off by senior linebacker Dustin Zitzmann (Pineellas Park, Fla.) on the one-yard line on third and goal from the five-yard line. Zitzmann then broke several tackles as he returned the ball 99-yards for a touchdown 23 seconds into the fourth quarter. Junior running back Herb Woodard (Bridgeton, N.J.) then capped the scoring with a 17-yard scoring run with 6:55 left in the game.
Murphy completed 18-of-33 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. He finished his collegiate career with 2,763 career-passing yards, placing him ninth on the career passing yardage list. Hussey caught seven passes for 71 yards and a score. He closed out his AIC career ranked second in career receptions with 162, fourth in career receiving yards with 2,175 and seventh in scoring with 178 career points.
Kupec completed 17-of26 passes for 164 yards and three scores, while Woodard carried the ball 23 times for 100 yards and one score. Canney finished the game with eight catches for 90 yards and two TDs.
Junior linebacker Ethan Maxfield (Newport, N.H.) recorded 12 tackles (six solo) with 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as the Greyhounds held AIC to just 188 yards of total offense. Zitzmann totaled 10 tackles, all in the second half, with 1.5 tackles for loss.
Senior linebacker Rich Reichert (Nesconset, N.Y.) had a game-high 15 tackles for the Yellow Jackets, while junior linebacker George Hudson (Philadelphia, Pa.) registered 13 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. Holley had eight tackles with one blocked kick and one fumble recovery.