Sacred Heart Notes

The Bulldogs improved to 3-2 following a 31-3 victory over the Pioneers of Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart managed to outgain Yale in total offensive yards and possessed the ball over 12 minutes longer than Yale, but the Bulldogs were again able to capitalize on opportunities. Grooms found Tipton wide open on the first drive to go up 7-0 and never looked back. Aside from one errant interception, Grooms played well considering the tough weather conditions completing 10 of 19 passes for 123 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. The offensive line only featured two Day 1 starters with Mendoza at LT, Sullivan at LG, Bluhm at C, Charron at RG, and Bennett at RT. Amegadjie was seen on the sidelines using a cane, so hopefully his injury is not a devastating one. The running game showed improvements over prior weeks with 4.7 yards per carry and if the 38-yard loss from the botched long snap is removed from the statistics, the Bulldogs averaged 5.9 yards per carry. It was great to see Alston and Peterson escape for long runs of 57 and 32 yards respectively. Blocking was still inconsistent as Pitsenberger and Grooms struggled to rack up yards on the ground and two sacks were allowed. Tipton had another strong showing with 3 receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown as well as one 15-yard rush for a touchdown. Hawes and Yates each had a 20+ yard reception in key moments. 3^rd downs proved troubling for the Bulldogs as they converted on just 2 of 11 3^rd down attempts. With five tough Ivy matchups ahead of us, we need to find ways to sustain drives, burn the clock and keep opposing offenses on the sidelines.

Yale’s defense wasn’t perfect but found ways to stymie Sacred Heart when needed. The Pioneers gained 344 yards or 3.8 yards per play yet were limited to 6 of 20 on 3^rd downs, 2 of 4 on 4^th downs, and were only able to score on 1 of 4 trips inside the redzone. Patterson was dominant racking up 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and half a sack on his way to becoming Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. Egodogbare looked explosive as he blew past offensive linemen to get into the backfield. Tyler, McDonough, and Oxendine each had half a sack in the contest along the defensive front. Vaughn and Moore each had productive days with 6 tackles and a forced fumble apiece. Vaughn also intercepted a Sacred Heart pass and returned it for 85 yards. Biggs had the best performance of his career with 6 tackles and half a sack. Tackling continues to improve in the secondary, although there are still lapses in pass coverage. Owens had a solid outing with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Tarver led all safeties with 6 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Haaland was a big contributor with 5 tackles and half a sack. The focus in practice this week needs to be sharpening up pass coverages as Penn is averaging 291.4 passing yards per game.

Bosman nailed a 42-yard field goal in the 4^th quarter and averaged 42.3 yards per punt. The botched long snap on a punt could have doomed Yale in a tight contest.