Northeastern takes direct route to rout of UCD
By Justin A. Rice - Special to the Bee
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 28, 2008
BROOKLINE, Mass. – When in New England, play like New England.
Northeastern made UC Davis look like the New England Patriots during Saturday afternoon's 27-10 defeat of the Aggies at Parsons Field. While that might sound like a good thing, the Patriot-like performance came six days after Ronnie Brown and the Miami Dolphins' spread option offense scorched New England 38-13 at Gillette Stadium.
"We put that package in after watching the Dolphins game last week," Northeastern running back Alex Broomfield, a Miami native, said of the unbalanced formations featuring direct snaps to the running back.
Broomfield, a senior, rushed for 152 yards, including two carries on direct snaps for 87 yards. He also threw a 21-yard touchdown pass.
"We know they do direct snaps," said Aggies defensive lineman Mike Faletoese, who had four tackles and two sacks. "We've seen them do it in their first three games. We were prepared for it. I guess not enough."
One play after the Aggies (1-4) took a 10-0 lead on Brandon Tucker's 15-yard touchdown run and redshirt freshman Sean Kelley's 27-yard field goal, Broomfield took his first direct snap of the game for a 48-yard jaunt to the Aggies' 19. Three plays later, the Huskies (1-3) scored on a three-yard pass to wide receiver Conor Gilmartin-Donohue.
On the Aggies' next possession, they ran a play that featured a wacky formation in which three offensive linemen lined up near the left sideline.
Then, after Wil Colon sacked and stripped sophomore quarterback Greg Denham from behind, the ball squirted to the Aggies' 4-yard line, where linebacker David Akinniyi recovered it. Northeastern scored three plays later to go up 14-10 with 10:17 left in the first half.
Just after Denham tossed his second of four interceptions, Broomfield took his second direct snap with 2:03 left in the half. This time, the 5-foot-7, 192-pound back found tight end Brian Mande-ville in the end zone for a 21-10 lead.
Late in the game, UCD drove to the Northeastern 15 before Denham's pass went through Conor Kirkpatrick's hands and into the arms of Nate Thellen. The sophomore safety went 92 yards for Northeastern's final score with 3:01 remaining.
"I don't want to make any excuses," said Denham, who finished 30 of 51 passing for 288 yards with four interceptions, five sacks and two fumbles. "I take full responsibility. It doesn't matter that the weather (was bad). We have to get it done.
"It's my job to lead the team."
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