Worcester, Mass. (November 15) -- Special teams and defense were the key on Saturday night as the Assumption College football team picked up a 16-7 victory over the University of New Haven at the Multi-Sports Stadium. The Hounds scored on a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, along with a short TD run after a blocked punt deep in New Haven territory and a late field goal.

The seven-win season for Assumption is the first for the program since the 1994 campaign.

New Haven jumped on the board with 9:56 left in the first quarter on the first trip into the red zone for the Chargers. After a catch by sophomore Rishawn Harris made it first and goal from the four, the Chargers got flagged for holding. New Haven eventually found the end zone on an 11-yard scoring catch by Harris as he caught the ball inside the two and was pushed in by a pile of Chargers for the score.

Assumption drove the ball into New Haven territory in the final two minutes of the first half, but that drive was ended by an interception of Sean Mayo (Holliston, Mass./Holliston) by Kendall Marks for the Chargers. The first half ended at 7-0 in favor of the Chargers as New Haven forced a pair of Assumption turnovers.

The Hounds were quiet on the scoreboard until late in the third quarter when senior Derrick Mann (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) picked up a New Haven fumble and took it back 54 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 2:27 remaining in the third. The fumble recovery for touchdown by Mann, a nominee for the Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year Award, was his second of the season.

Early in the fourth, the Hounds drove into New Haven territory behind a 32-yard rush by senior De'Ontray Johnson (San Diego, Calif./Hoover) got the Hounds down to the 42 of the Chargers. That drive eventually ended on a turnover on downs though, keeping the game tied at 7-7 with under 10 minutes remaining.

Another big play for the Hounds put Assumption in front for the first time with 7:57 left at 13-7. After a New Haven punt was blocked by freshman Garrett Pacy (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury), sophomore George Battle (Clinton, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) recovered the loose ball at the three. On the next play, senior Matt Heriveaux (Everett, Mass./Malden Catholic) scored from three yards out for the 13-7 edge. The PAT attempt hit the upright though, leaving the Hounds with a 13-7 lead.

With just 2:16 left, senior All-American Tad Beuchert (Danvers, Mass./St. John's Prep) extended the Assumption lead out to two possessions at nine as he drilled a 33-yard field goal for the 16-7 advantage. That field goal capped a 10-play, 34-yard drive that took 4:31 off the clock despite a number of New Haven timeouts in the possession.

With 1:21 left in the fourth, the Chargers faced fourth down and nine from their own 34 yard line before Mann caught QB Joey Bradley by his shoestrings for his second sack of the game and the clinching turnover on downs. Mann now has 15.5 sacks on the season, which ranks among the league leaders and easily leads the Northeast-10 Conference.

Assumption, the leading rushing team in the league, outgained the Chargers on the ground by a 163-93 margin and finished with a 232-190 advantage in total offense. Time of possession swung in favor of the Hounds as well, especially in the fourth quarter where Assumption ate up over 10 minutes of the clock.

Heriveaux led the team with 69 yards and one touchdown, along with Johnson with a 63-yard afternoon. Defensively, junior Bakari Blunt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Burke) and sophomore Jarrod Casey (Milford, Mass./Bridgton Academy) each had 11 tackles, while Blunt and senior Erik Abramson (Deerfield, Mass./Frontier Regional) each had a pair of pass breakups.

For the Chargers, Tyler Condit led all players with a 21-tackle performance that included 13 assisted stops. Jacob Weaver was also in double figures with 11 tackles, including a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss. Offensively, Trevor Officer had 66 yards on 15 carries and Bradley completed 14 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown. Harris was the leading receiver with five receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown, along with four catches by Collin Hill.

Assumption completes the 2014 season at 7-4 overall, while New Haven ends 2014 at 6-5.

For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.