(Posted September 2, 2006)

Dickinson 14, Juniata 0 Carlisle, Pa. - In a game played in a steady rain some key defensive stops and some special teams miscues were enough to spoil a solid effort from the Juniata College football as the Eagles suffered a 14-0 set-back to Dickinson College in both team\'s season-opener in Carlisle Saturday afternoon. In a contest where neither offense was able to move the ball with much consistency, the home team made the most of a pair of scoring chances. With time running down in the first half a low snap eluded Juniata punter Tyler Templeton (Central Cambria/Ebensburg) and gave Dickinson the ball at Juniata\'s 15-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining in the half. The Red Devils took advantage immediately as quarterback Matt Torchia found Chris McInerney alone in the end zone for the game\'s first score. The point after sent the teams into halftime with Dickinson leading 7-0. It appeared that Juniata had seized momentum on its first drive of the third quarter as the Eagles put together their best drive. With several runs from Duane J. Ehredt Jr. (Bellwood-Antis/Altoona) and three completions from Jay Leonard (Big Spring/Newville) to Jason Koch (Kutztown/Kutztown) moved Juniata inside the Dickinson 10. But the Red Devils snuffed a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-one to take possession. That momentum buoyed Dickinson who promptly marched down the field into Juniata territory. Ryne Cantwell did the bulk of the work on the ground for the home team, moving the ball inside Juniata\'s 20. A Michael Campbell (Walter Panas/Cortland Mano, N.Y.) sack on third down forced the Devils into a long fourth down, but the home team elected to go for it rather than attempt a long field goal, and Torchia found McInerney again, this time for 17 yards to extend the lead. The point after gave the home team the final margin of 14-0. With conditions making it difficult to operate offensively, the two squads combined for 417 yards of total offense, with Juniata accounting for 159, and Dickinson finishing with 258. In holding Dickinson to 258 yards, the Eagles have already bested their top defensive effort from all of last season in terms of fewest yards allowed in a game. Ehredt did end the game just a shade under 100 yards as he posted 96 yards rushing on the day to lead the Juniata offense. Dickinson moved down the field on its first drive, converting three third downs to bring the ball inside Juniata\'s 10. Torchia scored on a rush, but a holding penalty took the points off the board. The defense then held and a missed Dickinson field goal kept the score 0-0 with five minutes left in the first quarter. Juniata\'s first scoring chance of the game was snuffed out by Dickinson\'s defense. A 47-yard completion from Leonard to David Nicklaus (Lampeter Strasburg/Lancaster) moved the ball into Red Devils territory. The Eagles rode Ehredt inside the 20 but Andrew Ackley picked off a Leonard pass at the two-yard line to stall the drive. Leonard finished his day 8-for-18 for 114 yards. Koch was his favorite target as the senior caught five passes, while Nicklaus led the team with 66 receiving yards. Defensively Nick Reiter (Philipsburg-Osceola/West Decatur) led the team with nine tackles. Torchia finished 10-for-12 for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the home team in the contest. Cantwell finished the game with 97 yards rushing, while McInerney caught four passes for 62 yards. Ackley led the home team with 12 tackles, while Eric Dube was also in double figures with 11 stops. Juniata will return to action next Saturday as the Eagles host Lycoming in their first MAC game of the season. ###

Our readers respond...

Be the first to provide a response.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.