Senior Markell Rice returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, and intercepted two passes to lead the Yellow Jackets.
By DICK BAKER
SPRINGFIELD - There were very few seconds Saturday when it looked like American International College would win its biggest game of the season.
And when it ended happily, AIC coach Art Wilkins said he didn’t need his heart checked, but could really use some Tylenol – his head still hurting from the first half which ended with Bentley recording 17 first downs to AIC’s 2, and holding a net offensive yard advantage of 248-80. The Yellow Jackets also had played sloppily with 50 minutes of penalties while Bentley had none. It’s an understatement that things didn’t look good at the break.
But big plays from senior defensive back Markell Rice kept the Jackets within arm’s length in the first half, and the defense created timely turnovers in the second, as AIC punched its ticket to a berth in the Northeast-10 championship game, and knocked Bentley out of contention in the process, with a 27-23 victory before an estimated Homecoming Weekend crowd of 2,500 at Abdow Field.
By surviving, AIC (6-1 overall) remained perfect in the Northeast-10 at 6-0, tied at the top with New Haven. The loss dropped Bentley (5-2) to 4-2 in the conference. And with only two games left, the Falcons are eliminated, now having lost potential tie-breakers to both New Haven (17-13 last week) and AIC Saturday.
AIC is at Saint Anselm (1-7, 1-6) next week, and then returns home for the regular season finale against New Haven Nov. 3.
The Northeast-10 institutes a long-awaited championship game this season that will pit first and second place teams in the league. So regardless of what happens in the Nov. 3 contest, the Yellow Jackets and Chargers should go at it again the following week for the crown.
Then there’s the business of the NCAA tournament. Only two teams from the Northeast are taken, and AIC would likely have to run the table to be considered.
There’s also the possibility of making the Division II Top 25. Last week both AIC and Bentley were in the "also receiving votes" category.
After Bentley raced down the field 61 yards on six plays on its second possession of the game to jump out 7-0 lead, Rice answered back by taking the subsequent kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. And early in the second quarter with the Falcons leading 10-7, Rice made his first of two interceptions of the day, grabbing the ball on the Bentley 28, and taking it to the 1 from which Terrell Williams ran it in for the score.
Rice also clinched the game in the fourth quarter, picking off another pass on Bentley’s final drive. He has six interceptions this year.
“This is the biggest day I’ve had in my life,” Rice said. “I’m fortunate to have this happen in my senior year, and not just for me but for the team.”
Rice, who was a high school star at New Rochelle, N.Y, said that he has never before returned a kickoff for a touchdown at any level. Two interceptions in a day is new, too.
“I can count on one hand the number of interceptions I had in high school,” Rice said.
The Yellow Jackets had to rise above two missed kicks from normally sure-footed Daniel Bacx, one on an extra point that would have given AIC a 24-20 lead, and the second a field-goal attempt from 32 yards that would have widened the gap to 30-23.
The winning touchdown came after the Yellow Jackets had taken a timeout with 2nd and goal from the Falcons’ 10. AIC quarterback Kevin Arduino, rolling to the right, connected with sophomore Maurice Easterling with 9:55 remaining in the game. Tyrone Mans of the Yellow Jackets recovered a fumble on the subsequent kick off, and took it to the Bentley 9, but the drive stalled, and Bacx missed the field goal.
There were other defensive stars for AIC. With Bentley driving after the missed field goal, Akeem McFarlane forced the elusive Bentley quarterback Dan Quadagnoli to fumble, and Austin Morris pounced on the loose ball.