THE BASICS:

- Score: Assumption 36, Merrimack 29

- Records: Assumption (2-1, 1-1 NE-10); Merrimack (0-3, 0-2 NE-10)

- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Multi-Sport Stadium)

- The Lead: In the 2015 home opener, the Assumption College football team rallied in the fourth quarter to come away with a 36-29 victory over Merrimack College on Friday night in front of 2,093 fans at the Multi-Sport Stadium. The teams traded the lead six times in the game before the Hounds were finally able to secure the Northeast-10 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- The game featured 1,078 yards of total offense that included 301 Assumption rushing yards as both Alex Shain (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) and James Ward (New Haven, Conn./Williston Northampton) surpassed the 100-yard mark. Ward rushed for a career-high 143 yards, while Shain posted 126 yards for his third straight 100-yard outing.

- Sophomore Ashton Grant (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) finished with a team-high eight catches for 103 yards and a touchdown, marking his second 100-yard game of the season. Sophomore Marc Monks (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon) was impressive in his first home performance as well, completing 20-of-33 attempts for 210 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

- Defensively, sophomore Levi Fancher (Beacon Falls, Conn./Woodland Regional) was the top tackler for Assumption with nine stops, including seven assisted tackles. Overall, the Hounds posted three tackles for loss and five pass breakups.

- Two Merrimack quarterbacks combined for 388 passing yards, while Cody Demers posted 192 yards and two touchdowns and Jere Brown had six catches for 150 yards.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Merrimack got on the board first in a relatively quiet first half as senior back Adriell Mayes scored on an 11-yard rushing score for the 7-0 lead with 3:46 left in the opening quarter.

- Assumption answered in the early moments of the second quarter as freshman Deonte Harris (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) caught his third touchdown of the season with a four-yard catch across the middle with 13:51 on the clock.

- The Warriors converted their second fourth down opportunity of the first half with 2:09 remaining as Mayes scored from one yard out for the 14-7 halftime lead. Merrimack got down into the red zone thanks to a sideline catch by Brown that gave the Warriors the ball inside the one.

- Assumption tied the game for the second time with 9:44 left in the third as Harris pulled down a nine-yard scoring pass across the middle for the 14-14, capping an eight-play, 73-yard drive for the Hounds. The Hounds took their first lead of the game with 3:47 on the clock as sophomore Cole Tracy (Camarillo, Calif./Newbury Park) booted a 24-yard field goal for the 17-14 lead.

- Merrimack answered with a big play as Warrior quarterback Nick Davis hit Demers for a 48-yard scoring strike and the 21-17 edge. The big plays continued just 12 seconds later as Ward took the handoff and was off to the races as he scored a career-long 75-yard touchdown run for the 23-21 Assumption advantage. The extra point attempt was wide for the Hounds.

- Davis and Demers connected for a second time in just over a minute as Demers pulled down a 32-yard scoring strike and Davis ran in the two-point conversion for the 29-23 Warrior lead at the 13:39 mark. The back-and-forth action continued as Grant pulled down an 18-yard touchdown as he streaked across the end zone and got his foot just in for the score from Monks.

- With 4:27 left in the game, Shain found the end zone for the first time in the game as he just stretched the ball over the goal line for the 36-29 lead. The Hounds came up big on defense late in the game, turning the Warriors over on downs twice that included a key pass breakup from sophomore Chris Caraballo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell).

UP NEXT:

- Assumption is back in action on Saturday, September 26th as the Hounds host Pace University for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup beginning at 1 p.m. at the Multi-Sport Stadium. That game, along with every Assumption College home football game, will be available free online at www.assumptiongreyhounds.tv with Roei Biberstain and Andrew Kupec on the call.

STAY CONNECTED:

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

- Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the football team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.