PHOTO GALLERY
WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven football team closed out its 2017 season with a 31-21 loss to Merrimack on Saturday afternoon at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. Leading the Chargers on the day was quarterback Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) who finished with 279 passing yards and was a part of all three New Haven touchdowns, throwing one and running for a pair. New Haven finished the season with a 6-4 overall record.
Patterson's 279 yards secures his sixth 250-plus performance of the season as he closes out his third year under center with 2,611 yards, eighth most in a single season. He also improves his second best in school history career passing yards to 7,250. Patterson also ends the season with 27 total touchdowns, recording at least one passing touchdown in all but two of the 10 games.
Joining Patterson in leading the Chargers is wide receiver Devin Martin (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) who finished with seven catches for a career-high 183 yards, the first player to haul in 150 or more receiving yards since Jason Thompson compiled 160, also against Merrimack, on September 1, 2012. The seven catches for Martin against Merrimack also means the wide receiver has finished all 32 games he has played in his career with at least one catch.
Martin was one of five received that Patterson relied on with Damon Rodgers and Justin White following him with 52 and 24 yards respectively. The majority of White's 24 yards came on Patterson's one passing touchdown as the pair connected for a 21-yard score that opened up the third quarter.
On the ground, the Blue and Gold was led by sophomore Ryan McCarthy who finished with 46 yards on nine carries. Patterson's two rushing touchdowns came on 12 attempts carrying the ball as he scampered in from one yard out in the second quarter and five yards out in the third quarter.
Defensively, New Haven was led by linebacker C.J. Fitzpatrick (Pearl River, N.Y./Saint Joseph Regional) who finished with nine tackles while defensive back Jordan Francklin chipped in eight. Each of the two finished with seven solo tackles. Joining Francklin with eight tackles was linebacker Scott Lavelle and defensive lineman Christian Sullivan (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville). Also among the defensive highlights was junior defensive lineman Markel Johnson who picked off a Merrimack pass and returned it 17 yards, helping to set up the Chargers opening touchdown.
HOW THE CHARGERS SCORED
· Patterson capped off the Chargers longest drive of the day with a dive into the end zone to put the Blue and Gold on the board early in the second quarter. Overall, the drive lasted 10 plays and took over four minutes off the clock. The drive was made possible thanks to Johnson who picked off a Merrimack pass on the second play of the quarter and returned it 17 yards, just shy of the 50 yard line. In addition to Johnson setting up the drive, the big play came on a 38-yard pass from Patterson to Martin that put the Chargers at the five yard line.
· The Chargers erased a halftime deficit on the opening drive of the third quarter. After deferring to the second half, CJ Anderson started off the half by returning the opening kickoff 19 yards with the Chargers using just five plays to gain 71 yards and tie the game at 14. Facing third and 10, Patterson and Martin connected again straight down the middle to pick up 28 yards and the first down. On the very next play, the Chargers used the exact same play with Patterson finding White this time as the junior transfer fought to the end zone for the score.
· Deep passes down the middle worked again for the Chargers as the Blue and Gold erased a three point deficit late in the third quarter with Patterson finding Martin (33 yards) and Rodgers (26 yards) on back-to-back completions. The first to Martin proved big as it erased a long third down attempts (19 yards) for the Chargers. Patterson closed out the drive with his second score of the day as he saw an opening to the right of the line and ran in from five yards out on the first down attempt.
