United States Merchant Marine Academy

KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Sept. 12, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy tied the Academy record for points in a game with 63, powered by five rushing touchdowns and 216 yards from junior quarterback Bubba Mustain (Oro Valley, Ariz.), as the Mariners rolled past Nichols, 63-14, in their 2026 home opener on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium. USMMA improved to 2-0 with the Parents Weekend victory, scoring touchdowns on nine of its offensive possessions and reaching the end zone in all four quarters.
 
Game Files

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Bubba Mustain
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Zatyk Holub
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Coach Croall 

Mustain needed just 19 carries to rack up 216 rushing yards, averaging 11.4 yards per attempt with touchdown runs of 18, 16, five, three and 59 yards. He also completed a 48-yard pass on the day. Freshman Cooper Wolocko (Kingwood, Texas) added 56 yards and a touchdown on just two carries, while sophomore Alexander Hackwelder (Hubbard, Ohio) rushed six times for 46 yards and a score. Sophomore Mason Wilson (New Orleans, La.) finished with 28 yards on three carries, senior Will Surdez (Colts Neck, N.J.) added 24 yards on four attempts, and sophomore Harrison Garrido (St. John's, Fla.) had 23 yards and a touchdown on two carries.
 
Defensively, senior Aidan Graham (Allen, Texas) led the Mariners with nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, while classmate Zatyk Holub (Mount Vernon, Iowa) turned in another disruptive performance with five tackles and a team-high two sacks for 11 yards. Kings Point brought down Nichols quarterback Will Migliaccio five times for a total loss of 33 yards, with Holub leading a pass rush that also featured sacks from juniors Jonathan Wheeler (Golden, Colo.) and Andrew McConnell (San Antonio, Texas), Graham and senior Armondo Orcesi (Dexter, N.Y.).
 
On special teams, sophomore Karson Bye (Liberty Hill, Texas) was a perfect 9-for-9 on extra points to tie the Academy record for PATs in a game, while also producing six touchbacks on 10 kickoffs. Garrido added 147 return yards, totaling 67 yards on three punt returns and 80 yards on two kickoff returns.
 
USMMA dominated the statistical comparison, piling up 452 rushing yards on just 47 attempts for an eye-popping 9.6 yards per carry, compared to only 62 rushing yards for Nichols. The Mariners outgained the Bison 518-203 overall, held a 25-12 advantage in first downs and averaged 10.2 yards per offensive play. KP converted all five of its third-down opportunities, scored touchdowns on eight of nine red-zone trips and never punted.
 
After forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession, Merchant Marine quickly established control. Garrido returned the ensuing punt 14 yards to midfield, and five plays later Mustain scored from 18 yards out to give the Mariners a 7-0 lead. Mustain capped the next KP possession with a 16-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 before Nichols answered with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Migliaccio to Skyler Burgess with 20 seconds left in the opening quarter. Garrido responded just 48 seconds into the second with a 14-yard touchdown run before Mustain added scoring runs of five and three yards, sending USMMA into halftime with a commanding 35-6 advantage.
 
The Academy also held a poignant ceremony during halftime as part of its Fifth Annual First Responders Game, unveiling a piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero that was donated to the Academy during the weekend commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
 
Mustain wasted no time adding his fifth touchdown after the break, breaking free for a 59-yard scoring run just 18 seconds into the third quarter to stretch the lead to 42-6. Hackwelder's six-yard touchdown later in the period made it 49-6, and senior Jake Kenney (Lisbon, Conn.) scored from one yard out early in the fourth. Nichols added its second touchdown with 3:15 remaining before Wolocko broke off a 49-yard run and scored from seven yards out two plays later, with Bye's ninth extra point supplying the record-tying 63rd point.
 
For Nichols, Migliaccio completed 15-of-25 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown, while Ricardo Navedo led the ground game with 40 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Noah Gincastro paced the Bison receiving corps with three catches for 49 yards. Defensively, Jonathan Ferrara recorded a team-high seven tackles, including six solo stops, while Noah Roberts finished with four.
 
Up next, the Mariners have a week off before returning to Brooks Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, for their Homecoming & Hall of Fame Weekend matchup against Norwich. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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