Football puts it all together to take down Southern Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut - It was a first half filled with offense and a second half where the defense shined as the American International College football team held on for a 27-21 Northeast-10 Conference win over Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, October 14.

AIC is now 2-5 on the year with a 1-4 NE10 mark.

The Owls jumped to the lead with a big play, as Tylon Papallo took a Keith Ridley pass 56 yards to the house just 3:19 into the game, but AIC answered with an impressive drive. The Yellow Jackets moved the ball 70 yards on 10 plays, with Sidiki Kone punching in the touchdown from two yards out.

The Owls went down field fairly easily on the following drive, getting to within the AIC 10-yard line, but the Yellow Jackets defense came up clutch in the end, and on fourth down, Michael Grant sacked Ridley to turn the ball over. 

As the quarter flipped from first to second, AIC busted out the big play. Seba Nekhet broke free for a 79-yard gain, moving AIC from its own 11 to the Owls 10, and on the next snap, Kone finished it off, putting AIC up 14-7 after Joseph Caloiero hit the extra point.

Southern Connecticut went three-and-out and the punt only went 13 yards, giving the Yellow Jackets the ball at the Owl 40. They took advantage, with Kone rushing for seven yards on the first play and Lukas Kasko throwing a dart through the middle to Fatir Bell for a 33-yard touchdown on the following play, ultimately giving AIC the 21-7 lead.

The hosts responded with a big play of their own, as Papallo caught another huge touchdown pass, going 51 yards this time. AIC answered again on the next drive with an even bigger play, as Kasko found Omari Hutchinson for a 62-yard touchdown. The Owls did block the PAT, and then came back on their next drive to score, as E'lijah Gray busted a 41-yard run before scoring from 11 yards out. When the dust settled, it was 27-21 AIC at the half.

If the first 30 minutes was all offense, the second half was anything but. Although Bell caught a 23-yard pass on AIC's first drive, AIC came up empty, turning over on downs at the Owl 30. AIC came close two drives later, but a pass in the end zone was picked off with just 23 seconds left in the third quarter.

In the fourth, the Owls took over with 10:06 to play and had a determined drive. The longest play was for 11 yards, and the home side converted a 4th-and-1 on the AIC 29. Following a pass interference penalty, the Owls had 1st-and-goal at the AIC 2-yard line. The defense had to get four stops, and it did, forcing an incompletion on first down before Jaylen Encarnacion stopped Gray on second down, Tyson Thornton and JJ Gonzalez stuffed him on third down, and D'Andre Alvelo came up with the decisive fourth-down tackle. 

The Yellow Jackets still needed one more first down, and Kone came through, pushing back-to-back five-yard carries to move the chains with 1:31 to play, allowing Kasko to kneel twice to end the contest.

Kasko was 13-of-22 for 227 yards and two touchdowns; Kone and Nekhet each rushed for 92 yards. Bell led the receiving corps with eight catches for 143 yards. On defense, Shawn Belle's nine tackles led the team, and he added half a sack and an interception; Thornton had two of his seven tackles in the Owl backfield, including a sack.

AIC returns home Saturday, October 21 at noon to face Bentley University.