Offensive Records Fall in Springfield Rout of USMMA
Springfield, Mass. -- October 2, 2010 -- Led by freshman quarterback Austin Bateman, the Springfield College football team established single game records in rushing (676 yards) and total offense (717 yards) this afternoon at Amos Alonzo Stagg Field while defeating the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 64-0. With the win, the Pride is now 4-1, while Kings Point falls to 1-4.
It was a day of record-book watching as Springfield led 20-0 after one quarter and 55-0 at the half. SC scored nine more points in the fourth quarter as substitutes played liberally during the entire second half.
It was during the fourth quarter that the Pride broke the two records mentioned above. The old school record of rushing yardage -- 596 yards versus William Paterson in 1996 -- was set first. Shortly thereafter, the old record in total offense of 662 yards versus UMass Dartmouth in 2000 was also broken. The new records are 676 yards rushing (in 70 attempts) and 717 yards in total offense. Springfield averaged 9.7 yards per rush and 10.1 yards per play on the day.
Kings Point gained 196 yards of total offense, averaging 3.5 yards per play, rushing for 105 yards and passing for 91 more.
Springfield played without three of its top four rushers -- junior quarterback Josh Carter, junior fullback Alex Mendez, and senior halfback Joe Myhren, all nursing minor injuries. Bateman filled in very nicely at the QB slot, rushing for a game-high 171 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, including a long of 52 yards, and an average of 14.2 yards per rush. Right behind him was sophomore Mike Davis, who rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, including a long of 67 yards, and an average of 12.0 yards per carry. All the above yardage came in the first half.