WORCESTER, Mass. – Betting, Wagering, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering, The Holy Cross football team fell to Merrimack, 35-21, in its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Senior wide receiver Spencer Gilliam caught two touchdowns and had 65 receiving yards, while sophomore quarterback Matthew Sluka had 137 passing yards and 47 rushing yards for Holy Cross (1-1). Junior running back Tyler Purdy finished with 55 receiving yards and 52 rushing yards.
Junior linebacker Jacob Dobbs paced the Crusaders’ defense with 18 tackles, while senior safety Walter Reynolds finished with 10. Senior linebacker Liam Anderson had an interception and eight tackles.
Merrimack (2-0) had 459 total yards of offense, led by quarterback Westin Elliott, who had 259 passing yards. Running back Victor Dawson had 111 rushing yards and a touchdown and receiver Jacari Carter totaled 101 yards and a touchdown.
The Crusaders return to action when they head to Yale on Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Crusaders got on the board first after Sluka completed a nine-yard pass to Gilliam with 7:15 to go in the first quarter.
- Merrimack scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, including two touchdowns in the span of less than a minute. After tying the game with 12:51 to go in the frame, a 30-yard interception return gave the Warriors a 14-7 lead with 12:05 remaining. Merrimack added on another touchdown with just nine seconds left in the first half.
- The Warriors pushed their lead to 28-7 early with a seven-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
- Later in the third, Anderson had an interception that gave the Crusaders the ball at the Merrimack 18-yard line. Following the pick, freshman running back Jordan Fuller went on to score his first career touchdown off on a one-yard rush.
- Merrimack pushed its lead back to 21 with a touchdown with 12:15 to go in the fourth quarter.
- With 2:31 remaining, sophomore quarterback Marco Siderman completed a 28-yard pass to Gilliam for the senior’s second touchdown of the day.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Siderman’s touchdown pass marked the first touchdown of his collegiate career.
- This was Gilliam’s first multi-touchdown game since scoring a pair against Brown on Oct. 12, 2019.
· Dobbs’ 18 tackles marked a career high for the junior.
