![Football stuns Pace with epic comeback, last-minute victory](/images/2020/2/24/_10_Jason_Demild_9_.jpg?max_width=600)
Football stuns Pace with epic comeback, last-minute victory
PLEASANTVILLE, New York – Down 20 midway through the third quarter, the American International College football team scored 34 points in the final 17:23 to earn a stunning 40-33 victory against Pace University on Friday, September 10.
FAST FACTS:
Final Score: AIC 40, Pace 33
Records: AIC rises to 2-0, while Pace drops to 0-2
Location: Peter X. Finnerty Field, Pleasantville, New York
KEY STATS:
Pace:
Carlton Aiken: 17-of-38, 277 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions; 14 carries, 82 rushing yards
Ramir Tann-Davis: Eight receptions, 158 yards, three touchdowns
Michael Diiorio: Five tackles, one interception
Nasier Givens: Five tackles, 1.5 sacks
Dustin Huseinovic: 11 tackles, 0.5 sacks; six punts for 233 yards
AIC:
Jayson Demild: 16-of-28, 354 yards, four touchdowns, one interception; 18 carries, 94 rushing yards
Samad Davila: 14 carries, 73 yards, one touchdown; three receptions, 35 yards
Jaheim McGuire: Four receptions, 157 yards, two touchdowns
Kequan Jamison: Two receptions, 23 yards, two touchdowns
Jaxon Ramsay: Five receptions, 102 yards
Kobe Miranda: One rush, 10 yards, one touchdown; one reception, 20 yards
Jaysen Thompson: 10 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one interception
Terrell Wallace: Five tackles, one interception
Rady Rojas-Portilla: Five tackles, four pass breakups; three punts for 128 yards
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Yellow Jackets came out hot and forced Pace to punt after a three-and-out on the host's opening drive. AIC's offense needed just seven plays to score, as Jayson Demild hit Kequan Jamison for a 10-yard touchdown pass 5:57 into the game.
- The Setters drove the field in response on their ensuing drive, but were stalled out around the 19, having to settle for a field goal. However, AIC's subsequent possession went disastrously, as a botched handoff was fumbled, and rather than concede a touchdown, Demild kicked the ball out of the end zone for a safety, making the score 6-5.
- Following AIC's kickoff, Pace once again showed its mettle offensively, driving 74 yards for a touchdown in just nine plays. Carlton Aiken hit Ramir Tann-Davis for a 29-yard score to put his team ahead just 56 seconds into the second.
- The offenses stagnated after Pace's first touchdown; AIC had a field goal attempt blocked in the middle of the frame on the longest drive by either team, but after 30 minutes, the tally remained 12-6 for the Setters.
- In the third, AIC started with possession, and seemed to have a touchdown awaiting as the team drove to Pace's five. But a missed field goal gave the Setters the ball, and two plays later, Aiken went deep to Tann-Davis for a 72-yard touchdown. Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, a fumble by the Yellow Jackets was recovered by Neimar Santouse for a touchdown, and in the blink of an eye, AIC trailed 26-6.
- With the game slipping away, AIC started its next drive strong, as Chase Speller and Demild ripped off runs of 12 and 18 yards. Demild then hit Jaxon Ramsay with a pair of passes, for 17 and 18 yards respectively, to get inside the red zone. Kobe Miranda finished the job, rushing over the line to cut AIC's deficit to 26-12 heading into the final frame.
- After forcing the Setters to punt to start the fourth, the Yellow Jackets offense went back to work. This time the big play came from Jaheim McGuire, who caught a 42-yard strike from Demild for a touchdown, as the Yellow Jackets needed just four plays to go the distance and cut the deficit to seven. The defense likewise did its job, forcing a three-and-out.
- Demild opened the next drive with a bang, going over the Pace defense for a 68-yard pass to McGuire to get into the red zone immediately. The Yellow Jackets went aggressive, taking four shots in the air, and the final one proved the best as Demild found Jamison in the end zone for the last 13 yards needed to tie the game with 8:44 to play.
- AIC's defense fed off the offense's momentum, as Trevor Catlin sacked Aiken on the first play of Pace's next drive, and two plays later, Jaysen Thompson picked Aiken off on Pace's nine-yard line. Suddenly, the Yellow Jackets were staring the lead in the face, and Samad Davila wasted no time in grabbing it, bolting the nine yards for the score and the 33-26 advantage with 7:39 to play.
- Stunned to find themselves trailing, the Setters drove to midfield but stalled there, as a penalty set them back, and a fourth-down attempt to Tann-Davis by Aiken was swatted away by Terrell Wallace to turn the ball over.
- AIC's offense was finally stopped by Pace and forced to punt, leaving the Setters with a chance to tie the game with 2:15 to play. Aiken hit Tann-Davis for 19 yards on a pass, and later added a rush of 10 yards to help break into AIC territory. He then scrambled for 23 yards, getting inside the red zone, before landing the tying touchdown pass to Tann-Davis with 39 seconds left in regulation.
- The Yellow Jackets made the choice to go for it and it paid off as Demild combined with Ramsay for a 43-yard play, and after spiking the ball to stop the clock, the quarterback found McGuire open in the end zone for 27 yards to cap a drive that took just 18 seconds of game time.
- Pace needed to match, and Aiken had an answer in a 31-yard dart to Lamar Moore to get to AIC's 44 with four seconds left. His final pass of the game was caught as well, but it was by Wallace, who came down with the win-sealing interception at AIC's 10 and slid triumphantly to end the game with his Yellow Jackets on top 40-33.
QUOTABLES:
- "We never stopped believing. This football team didn't flinch when adversity struck tonight. We knew we had to take it play by play to get back in to the game. I'm extremely proud of this team. These guys are incredibly resilient. We have a lot of room for growth," said Interim Head Coach Kris Kulzer, adding"Hats off to Pace; they're a tough team who we have to play again at the end of the year."
- "I'm most impressed by how our team handled adversity tonight. It's feeling a lot different throughout the team than it has in past years and we haven't even scratched the surface of our potential yet. We're a resilient group of guys that are getting closer and closer as the weeks go by. We believed in each other and we had an enormous will to win tonight, and we made that happen. I'm extremely proud of these guys, especially my O-Linemen.I saw who really had heart on our team tonight. Looking forward getting better with this group," Demild said.
THE LAW OFFICES OF JAYSON AND JAYSEN:
- Demild was the game's leading passer and rusher, combining his 354 aerial yards with 93 on the ground for a net of 447 total yards to go with four touchdown passes.
- 210 of his yards in the air came in that final frame, on just six completions, for an average of 35 yards per catch.
- Thompson thumped the Pace offense with a team-best 10 tackles, including half a sack, as well as his interception.
MAKE THEM COUNT:
- Jamison only had two receptions in the game, but both were for touchdowns.
- Likewise, Miranda's only rush of the game ended in six points for his team.
BIG NIGHT FOR THE OFFENSE:
- AIC had not broken the 40-point barrier in six years; the last time the Yellow Jackets did so was on October 3, 2015, in a 44-17 win over LIU Post.
- AIC hit 44 twice that season, winning on September 12, 2015 by a 44-13 count over the Owls.
COMEBACK KIDS:
- AIC had not overcome a 20-point deficit in five years.
- On November 12, 2016, Saint Anselm College roared out to a 21-0 lead just 7:58 into regulation, but AIC returned the next kickoff for a touchdown to start a 28-0 run and win that game 28-21 to close the season on a high note.
NEXT UP:
- The Yellow Jackets visit Franklin Pierce University for a football game for the first time ever on Saturday, September 18 at 6:00 p.m. to open Northeast-10 Conference play.