NORTHFIELD, Vt. (Oct. 7, 2023) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy football team won its road NEWMAC showdown with Norwich University, 28-21, on a rainy Saturday up in Vermont. With the victory, the Mariners improve to 4-1 (2-1 NEWMAC) on the season, while the Cadets fall to 1-5 (0-3) after suffering the loss.
 
Game Link

• Box Score 

Senior fullbacks Ceaser Gonzalez (Norco, Calif.) and Cole Simmons (Montrose, Colo.) led the Mariners' ground game that amassed over 300 rushing yards, with Gonzalez accounting for 116 yards and one touchdown and Simmons adding 91 while finding the end zone twice.
 
Sophomore QB Gervy Alota (San Diego, Calif.) ran for 48 yards and had one score on the ground, while also throwing one TD on 2-of-4 passing for 26 yards. That TD reception was caught by sophomore Ben Rini (Vermilion, Ohio) for five yards. Rini finished the day with both catches for 26 yards. Junior kicker Jackson Tinkis (Bossier City, La.) was a perfect 4-for-4 on PATs.
 
Defensively, freshman Aidan Graham (Allen, Texas), senior Thomas Joyce (Taunton, Mass.) and junior C.J. Livesay (Morristown, Tenn.) all tied for the team-high with seven tackles, with Graham adding a sack for a loss of eight yards as well as a forced fumble and Joyce recording a half-sack for a loss of three and one quarterback hurry.
 
Junior Chad Hollar (Wilmington, N.C.) and senior Teddy Brunger (Indialantic, Fla.) both had six tackles each, as Hollar recovered the fumble Graham forced back 40 yards and Brunger finished the day with a team-best two tackles for combined losses of six yards including a sack that dropped Norwich back four yards.
 
Junior Ryan Vannini (Moorpark, Calif.) recorded his second interception of the season and brought it back 39 yards. Both of the Mariners' forced turnovers resulted in touchdowns.
 
USMMA held a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter before the Cadets outscored the Mariners, 14-7 in the fourth to make it just a one-score game. The host's final TD came with just 1:42 left on the clock, and despite getting the ball back with just eight second remaining, Norwich's final attempt with multiple laterals ended at the Mariner 34 yard-line with time expired.
 
For the Cadets, quarterback Ryan O'Keefe finished the day with 272 passing yards on 28-of-37 completions with one touchdown and an interception. On the ground, Justin Bryant amassed 43 yards and one TD, while O'Keefe also ran one in but was in the negative in rushing due to being sacked four times on the day by the Mariners.
 
Will Thornton was Norwich's top receiver with 93 yards on nine catches, but it was Justin Bryant who had the TD reception, as he finished the day with 48 yards on four catches. On defense, Jeremy Henault led all players in the game with 17 tackles and he picked up an interception returned for 19 yards.
 
Up next, the Mariners will host MIT next Saturday, Oct. 14, beginning at 12-noon at Brooks Stadium. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links posted on the USMMA Football Schedule Page.
 
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