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Southern Connecticut State University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

20
Winner Southern Conn. St. SCS 4-6 , 3-4
14
Assumption ASM 5-5 , 3-4
Winner
Southern Conn. St. SCS
4-6 , 3-4
20
Final
14
Assumption ASM
5-5 , 3-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SCS Southern Conn. St. 14 0 0 6 20
ASM Assumption 7 7 0 0 14
tylon papallo
Danielle Minicucci

Game Recap: Football |

SCSU Football Ends 2023 Season With 20-14 Win At Assumption

WORCESTER, Mass. – Southern Connecticut football closed out the 2023 season with a 20-14 win at Assumption to cap the year on a three-game winning streak. With the win, Southern improved to 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the Northeast-10 Conference while Assumption dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play.



Tylon Papallo scored two of the Owls' three touchdowns as part of a seven-catch, 107 yard day. He finishes his final season in New Haven as the sixth receiver in SCSU Football history to record 10 receiving touchdowns in a season. In addition, Papallo compiled 20 for his career to become the eighth receiver to do so. Papallo finishes the year with 63 catches for 939 yards as well as 137 catches and 2,224 career yards, which stand as the seventh-most all-time at Southern Connecticut.

E'lijah Gray finished with 190 rushing yards on 34 carries in the game. Gray topped 120 yards in five of his last six games, while also totaling 409 rushing yards over his last two games. For the year, Gray totaled 929 yards on 170 carries for a 5.46 yard-per-carry average and the Owls' highest yardage total since Eli Parks topped 1,000 yards in 2018. Keith Ridley was 17-for-30 for 196 with two touchdown passes as well as the game-deciding rushing touchdown on the Owls' final drive. On defense, Hasan Dominick led the Owls with eight tackles for 78 for the season and 265 for his career, which ranks fifth all-time. Joe Digello had seven tackles and finishes the season with 53 as well as 152 for his career. 

Papallo's first touchdown came on the opening drive, following a forced fumble by Mason Hauser on the opening kick-off that was recovered by Winston Ware. Ridley's screen pass to Papallo gave the Owls receiving an eight-yard touchdown after he maneuvered around a block by Ryan Soules that allowed Papallo to sneak into the end zone.

After Assumption returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7, Ridley hooked up on with Papallo to give the Owls a 14-7 lead. Assumption stacked the box against the Owls on Southern's own 41-yard line, forcing Ridley to audible. He hit Papallo across the middle who blitzed pass the Assumption defense for the 59-yard catch-and-run.

After both teams traded possessions, Assumption picked off a pass by Ridley and then off a nine-play drive that resulted in a game-tying score. The Owls locked down after that and held Assumption scoreless over the remainder of the game. Ridley's touchdown capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive as he walked in a three-yard keeper in the closing minutes of the game.

The Owls win against Assumption is its first 2011. The season comes to an end with the Owls leading the NE10 in total offense (3,967 yards), yards per game (360.6) and passing yards (2,440) while its 1,527 rushing yards were second in the conference. Individually, Ridley led the NE10 in passing yards (2,244), yards per game (224.4), completions (194) and touchdown passes (17). Gray also led the NE10 in rushing yards (956), yards per game (95.6) and ranked in the top five with five rushing touchdowns.

Papallo closes the year with a league-leading 974 yards on 63 receptions with a conference-best 10 touchdowns as the top-scoring position play in the conference. He turned in five-straight 100-yard receiving performances to close the year while also scoring in the last six games of the seasons, totaling nine.
 
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Scoring Summary

Scoring Summary
Scoring Play Visiting Team Score Home Team Score
1st Quarter SCS ASM
SCS
12:06 - SCS - Papallo,Tylon 8 yd pass from Ridley Jr.,Keith (Lopez,Orlin kick) 5 plays, 30 yards, TOP 02:49
7 0
ASM
11:54 - ASM - Johnson,Gavin 86 yd kickoff return (Chodak,Nicholas kick)
7 7
SCS
04:08 - SCS - Papallo,Tylon 59 yd pass from Ridley Jr.,Keith (Lopez,Orlin kick) 4 plays, 70 yards, TOP 01:54
14 7
2nd Quarter SCS ASM
ASM
05:27 - ASM - Neal,Berrell 2 yd run (Chodak,Nicholas kick), 9 plays, 40 yards, TOP 04:51
14 14
4th Quarter SCS ASM
SCS
07:53 - SCS - Ridley Jr.,Keith 3 yd run ( ), 10 plays, 76 yards, TOP 04:36
20 14

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