Greensburg, Pa. (September 10) -- Junior Uly Gibson (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) scored a 12-yard touchdown in overtime to cap a fourth-quarter rally as Assumption defeated Seton Hill by a 28-21 final on Saturday afternoon. The Hounds trailed by a 21-7 margin midway thru the fourth before mounting the comeback.

Seton Hill jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 8:10 left in the first quarter as Daniel Butler rumbled in from 58 yards out for the early advantage. The Greyhounds had two possessions down inside the Seton Hill 10-yard line later in the first quarter, but were unable to convert on either and the score remained 7-0.

Assumption tied the game with 4:23 left in the second quarter to go into the halftime break tied at 7-7. On a third-down play, freshman quarterback Kevin Bumpus (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) found junior wideout Paul Perez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian N.Y.) for an 18-yard gain to keep the drive going. The Hounds found the end zone two plays later as sophomore Matt Pedone (Holden, Mass./Wachusett) ran up the middle from eight yards out for the score.

Following a scoreless third quarter, the Greyhounds had the ball early in the fourth and were pinned inside the five yard line. Assumption moved the ball up to near midfield before the Griffins forced a Greyhound turnover and recovered the ball at the Assumption 42-yard line. Seton Hill capitalized on the turnover as senior quarterback DJ Lenehan  found senior wide receiver Jeorge Valdovinos in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score with 11:10 left in the game.

On the ensuing possession, the Griffins took advantage of another Assumption turnover and added to their lead with 8:02 left on an eight-yard rush from David Miller for the seemingly comfortable 21-7 edge.

The Greyhounds came right back though, marching down the field for a long drive that was capped by a 25-yard touchdown reception in the right corner of the end zone by Adam Gruschow (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) to cut the lead in half.

Assumption got the ball back for one last offensive possession with 3:38 left and made it count. On the drive, Bumpus hit Gruschow and freshman Ben Kiley (Newton, Mass./Newton North) with passes of 28 and 25 yards each, respectively, to get the ball down to the two-yard line. From two yards, Pedone found the end zone and with 1:07 remaining, the Greyhounds had tied the game at 21-21.

In the first overtime, Gibson took a handoff  on third down and tip-toed down the far sideline and just inside the pylon to put the Hounds in front for the first time at 28-21. Seton Hill took possession at the 25-yard line and threw four straight incompletions against an energetic Greyhound defense as Assumption capped off the improbable rally.

Pedone rushed the ball 23 times for 138 yards and one touchdown as the Greyhounds piled up 185 yards on the ground. Bumpus finished the game 19-for-31 for 259 yards and one touchdown, while Perez and Gruschow each pulled down six receptions for 80 yards. Sophomore Mike Bates (Holden, Mass./Wachusett) led the defensive effort with nine solo tackles, including 4.5 for a loss of 28 yards and one forced fumble. Senior Pat Jordan (Marlton, N.J./St. Joseph Prep) also recorded nine solo tackles and added one pass breakup.

For the Griffins, Lenehan was 32-for-50 passing for 301 yards and one touchdown, while Valdovinos pulled down a game-high 14 receptions for 125 yards. Butler picked up 111 yards rushing with a touchdown, while Nick McGahagan recorded a game-high 13 tackles.

The Greyhounds improve to 1-1 overall on the season, while Seton Hill drops to 0-2 overall. Assumption returns to action on Saturday, September 17 as the team travels to American International for the Northeast-10 Conference opener. Game time is scheduled for Noon.