Every football fan at Robert T. Shields Field stayed on their toes Saturday during Stevenson’s nail-biting 24-21 win over FDU-Florham in Madison, New Jersey.
A 20-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Nyaire Wilson to senior wide receiver Pat Gorman with 4:40 left in the game put the Mustangs up 24-21. With 1:57 left, defensive back Anthony Lembo intercepted a pass from Ryon Thomas to solidify the score with SU on top. The Mustang offense ran out the clock to raise Stevenson’s record to 2-1, 1-1 in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. The FDU Devils dropped to 1-2, 0-2 with the loss.
Junior running back Louis Clouser made his name known during this game, scoring a 42-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7 going into the second quarter. He then came back to score Stevenson’s second touchdown of the game with another big 60-yard rush, tying the game at 14-14 going into halftime. Clouser led the Mustangs in rushing with 154 yards.
Neither team made much noise to start the second half thanks to 3 scoreless drives. Stevenson made the first move with a 25-yard field goal by fifth-year kicker Brody Campbell to make the score 17-14 Mustangs. SU held their lead for the rest of the quarter.
The Devils came back from their scoreless third quarter with a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 9:43 left in the game. The Mustangs fought hard against the FDU offense during this drive, with a sack by junior defensive linemen Kidduse Kebede and Tashan Fitzgerald for a loss of 3 yards.
The Stevenson offense quickly combated this score with a deep pass to Gorman for a 20-yard touchdown, making the score 24-21 SU. Clouser was a major component during this drive with 21 rushing yards on 4 attempts. Also contributing to the drive were Jaiheem Henderson with a 12-yard reception, and junior runningback Maurice Hammond with a 14-yard reception and a 4-yard rush. Wilson also added 3 completed passes and 7 rushing yards.
FDU-Florham was making a run at a comeback with 3 rushing attempts for 10 yards and a completed pass by Ryon Thomas to Adrian Reese for an 11-yard gain. The play of the drive, however, came from Lembo. His interception and return for 12-yards finalized the Mustangs win over the Devils.
