CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton football team went down to the wire with Gallaudet on Saturday at Dave Wolk Stadium in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference season-opener, but ultimately fell 24-23 to the Bison.
The Spartans (2-4, 0-1 ECFC) outgained Gallaudet (2-4, 1-0 ECFC) 295 yards to 265 yards total on the day and forced four takeaways, but the Bison turned Castleton miscues into key points late in the contest to come from behind. The Spartans had 20 first downs and gained 142 yards rushing. Gallaudet ran for 192 yards—its second-lowest output of the season.
Evan Smith completed 10-of-15 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown before being knocked out of the game in the second quarter on a late hit out of bounds by the Bison that resulted in an ejection for the Gallaudet player for targeting.
James Galarneau came on from there, completing 8-of-15 for 27 yards and a touchdown.
Christian Keeling had 58 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving, with one of his receptions going for a touchdown.
Devin Wollner added 55 yards on 14 carries.
Wyatt Jackson caught the other touchdown for Castleton, finishing the day with five catches for 43 yards in addition to the touchdown.
Caezar Williams caught six passes for 66 yards.
Noah Crossman's three field goals tied a single-game record for Castleton, a mark that was set by Andy Kenosh in 2019.
Jordan Wright had a team-leading 11 tackles for the Spartans and
Kevin McDonough reached double figures with 10 stops in the game.
Tyler Buxton had seven tackles including 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. He also forced a fumble for the Spartans. McDonough,
Mark Howland,
Connor Chilson and
Ryan Duclos all recorded tackles for a loss as well, with Chilson chipping in an interception for the defense.
Ian DeTulleo also picked off a pass just before halftime to thwart a would-be scoring chance for Gallaudet.
Dawson Pierson had nine tackles and a pass breakup in the secondary.
Dre'Vaughn Mackall had 112 yards and a touchdown for Gallaudet on the ground while Mika Harvey added 49 yards rushing with a score. Jaylen Johnson was the top target in the passing game, catching four passes for 40 yards. Gabe Segovia went 7-of-11 throwing the ball with two interceptions. Defensively, Gallaudet was led by an 11-tackle effort from Jacob Hartman that included a tackle for a loss. Carter Johnson added 10 tackles as well.
The Spartans got off to a strong start, forcing a Bison punt on the opening drive before marching down and kicking a field goal on offense. Wollner's first carry went for 20 yards before a second-down completion to Willams gained 22 yards for VTSU Castleton. The drive sputtered near the goal line, but Crossman's 22-yard field goal gave the team a 3-0 lead five minutes into the game.
Another Gallaudet punt on the ensuing drive led to more points for Castleton, as Smith found Willams for 11 yards on the first play before a rush by Williams gained nine on the next snap. Facing third down at Gallaudet's 35-yard line, Williams took another handoff and fought for the first down to keep the drive alive. On second down, Smith looked left and found Keeling on a swing pass. The running back motored down the sideline for a 29-yard touchdown and a 10-0 lead for VTSU Castleton after the extra point.
Gallaudet coughed up the football on the next drive, with Buxton punching the ball free from Brandon Washington and
Isaiah Oufiero diving on the ball for the Spartan recovery. Castleton faced fourth down on the ensuing drive when Smith found Williams for a first down, but a big hit sent him to the sideline briefly and brought Galarneau on for the first time. A pair of incomplete passes brought on third down, and a bobbled hand-off fell loose for Gallaudet to recover and stifle a Spartan scoring chance at the end of the first quarter.
The VTSU Castleton defense held firm after the giveaway, forcing a three-and-out with negative yardage that set the Spartans up near midfield for the next drive with Smith back under center. A 28-yard completion to Jackson on third-down pushed Castleton into the red zone, but that was as much progress as the team could make before bringing Crossman on for a 33-yard field goal. The kick split the uprights, giving Castleton a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter—a score that held until halftime.
After deferring to begin the game, Castleton got the ball out of the half and began at its own 22-yard line. The Bison held Castleton to a three-and-out, but Crossman's 66-yard punt flipped the field position and was downed at the Gallaudet 8-yard line. The Bison then notched a three-and-out of their own once more and set the Spartans up on the plus-side of midfield for their next drive.
Keeling opened the drive with a pair of carries totaling 13 yards before an incomplete pass by Galarneau. Keeling then carried twice more for a total of 14 yards to get the Spartans into the red zone. A second-down completion to Jackson moved the ball inside the 10-yard line, but a timely sack by Gallaudet pushed Castleton back to the 15-yard line and forced a 32-yard field goal attempt by Crossman. He knocked it through once more, tying the single-game mark that Kenosh set in 2019 at Alfred State and making it a 16-0 lead for the home side.
Gallaudet got onto the board on its ensuing drive, using 10 plays to cover 69 yards in 4:41 before knocking through a 23-yard field goal. The Spartan defense did a stellar job holding firm at the goal line, stuffing a 1st-and-goal opportunity to hold Gallaudet to three points, 16-3.
Castleton came up empty on its next drive, but the defense again held up its end of the bargain by forcing a fumble in Gallaudet territory and recovering to five the Spartans possession. Washington botched a handoff for the Bison and
Robert Guerin pounced on the loose ball for the Spartans. Keeling then helped Castleton inch closer to the goal line with four rushes for 24 yards early in the series. A penalty gave the Spartans a first down at the 5-yard line, and Galarneau hit Jackson for a touchdown to extend the lead for VTSU Castleton, 23-3.
The Bison hit back immediately on the ensuing kickoff. Carter Johnson fielded the ball at the 9-yard line and handed it off to Andrae Green, who sprinted down the left sideline all the way to the end zone for the Bison's first touchdown of the game, cutting Castleton's lead to 23-10 after the PAT.
Gallaudet's defense forced a fumble on the following drive for Castleton, halting a nine-play drive and giving its offense another chance. Galarneau hit Keeling on a screen pass, but a strong effort from Andrew Suarez forced the ball loose. After both sides bobbled the ball around, Darico Castillo recovered for Gallaudet at Castleton's 45-yard line. The Bison then used a nine-play drive of their own to pull even closer, 23-17, thanks to a four-yard touchdown run by Harvey.
A short kick off gave the Spartans the ball at their own 35-yard line, but a three-and-out brought Crossman on to punt. The snap sailed over Crossman's head, and he tried to get off a desperation punt, but Gallaudet blocked the kick out of bounds at the Spartans' 14-yard line. It took only one play for the Bison to find the end zone, as Mackall drove through Spartan tacklers for a touchdown on the next play, giving Gallaudet a 24-23 edge with 2:39 to play.
The Spartans faced 4th-and-7 near midfield when Galarneau lofted a ball up for
Hunter Swan downfield. Swan was unable to haul it in, but a defensive pass interference penalty gave Castleton 15 yards and a fresh set of downs across midfield. An 11-yard run by Galarneau brought Castleton closer to field-goal range at the 17-yard line. Colegrove carried for seven yards to set up a 28-yard field goal attempt directly into a stiff breeze for Crossman. A low snap altered the timing of the kick, and it missed the uprights to the left to give Gallaudet the ball back to kneel out the final seconds.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, October 28, when they host Dean College for the final home contest of the 2023 season. The Spartans will honor their seniors prior to the game. Kick-off is slated for 4 p.m. at Dave Wolk Stadium.
