CARLISLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College football team closed out the 2015 campaign on a high note, jumping out to a big lead and staving off a late charge by host Dickinson to secure a 28-20 Centennial Conference triumph. Freshman Asa Manley (Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast) carried 26 times for a career-high 103 yards and a touchdown and added a 54-yard touchdown catch to help the Bears extend their winning streak against the Red Devils to seven.
Ursinus (3-7, 2-7 CC) took control late in the first quarter, scoring 14 points in a span of just 2:27 – one on a lengthy march, the other on a single play. Sophomore quarterback James Emmett (Pittston, Pa./Pittston Area) capped a 14-play, 78-yard drive with a one-yard plunge, putting an exclamation point on a march that spanned nearly eight minutes and featured four third-down conversions. After a sack by senior Kyle Adkins (Holland, Pa./Archbishop Wood) forced a Dickinson (3-7, 3-6 CC) three-and-out, the Bears went for the shot play right away, and Emmett hit Manley for a long strike and a two-touchdown lead with 2:06 to play in the first quarter.
A second-quarter safety got the Red Devils on the board, but another one-play scoring drive set up by the defense propelled the Bears to a big response. Senior Steve Ambs (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) recovered a fumble by Dickinson rookie quarterback Billy Burger at the Red Devil 18, and Emmett hooked up with senior Nicholas Lundholm (Barrington, N.J./Haddon Heights) one play later for a 21-2 advantage. The Red Devils drove downfield for a field goal as time expired on the second quarter, sending the Bears into the break with a 21-5 lead in tow.
Dickinson stopped Ursinus on the opening drive of the third quarter and came back with an 11-play scoring drive, though the Red Devils' ensuing two-point attempt was stuffed, keeping the visitors in front by a 21-11 count. The home side made its move midway through the fourth quarter, when Burger threw a 24-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-7 to cut Ursinus' lead to a single point at 21-20. Another two-point failed, however, allowing the Bears to escape with their lead still intact.
Stagnant for the entire half, the Ursinus offense roared to life at the perfect time. Manley toted seven times on the next drive, which traversed 70 yards in nine plays, picking up a key third down before a 25-yard rumble got the Bears down to the Red Devils' 34. Two plays later, Emmett's pass to junior Matthew Raymond (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) covered 22 yards, and Manley took it from there, bulling in from a yard out to provide a 28-20 cushion with 2:40 to play.
A big sack by Ambs brought up a 4th-and-long for Dickinson, and the Bears snuffed out the hosts' last-ditch chance on the next play, putting a hard-fought contest on ice.
Burger threw for 171 yards and a score for the Red Devils, most of them to senior Anders Overhaug (Yarmouth, Maine), who hauled in nine receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Senior Cedric Madden (Norristown, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) carried 22 times for 97 yards and a score.
Emmett finished 15-of-25 for 209 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Ursinus, which snapped a five-game skid. Manley led the Bears in rushing (103) and receiving (69), with Lundholm adding six catches for 54 yards and the one score.
Adkins and Ambs notched two sacks and three tackles for loss apiece to lead an inspired defensive effort. Senior James Roccograndi (Dallas, Pa./Dallas) racked up a team-high 12 tackles, including three for loss and a sack, and broke up Burger's final pass to seal the victory. Senior Dysean Alexander (Bethlehem, Pa./Moravian Academy) had two pass breakups in his final game as a Bear.