BUZZARDS BAY, Mass – Friday evening, the Buccaneers hosted the SUNY Maritime Privateers in the 13^th edition of the Chowder Bowl game at Clean Harbors Stadium at the Academy. In their first game since November 16^th, 2019, the Buccaneers came out on top, 14-6.

Final Score: Mass. Maritime 14, SUNY Maritime 6

Records: Mass. Maritime 1-0

                 SUNY Maritime 0-1

For The Bucs

• Senior quarterback Curtis Cann (Easton, Ma) completed 14-of-25 passes for 213 yards and an interception.
• Sophomore running back Kobe Copeland (Virginia Beach, Va) led the Bucs rushing attack with 14 carries for 31 yards and a touchdown.
• Sophomore wide out Andrew Brightman (Wareham, Ma) caught seven passes for 124 yards. Senior receiver Dane Campbell (Peru, Ma) caught two passes for 67 yards, including a 46 yard gainer, in his first action since a season ending injury against Worcester State in week four of the 2019 season.
• On defense, Cole Keefe (Merrimack, N.H.) intercepted a pass for a touchdown. Juniors Cobey Williamson (North Easton, Ma) and Carlos Gamboa (Dodge City, Ks) also had interceptions for the Bucs.
• The Buccaneers racked up 10 tackles for loss in the win, two apiece from Ian Ahearn (Mashpee, Ma) and Hugh Wells (West Hartford, Ct).
• Safety Andrew Longwater (Tybee Island, Ga) led the defense with six total tackles. Senior captain Kyle Rogers (Abington, Ma) and Keven Paul (Plymouth, Ma) each had five tackles.
• On special teams, George Lampros (Bridgewater, Ma) converted both extra points he attempted. Lampros also punted the ball eight times for an average of 35.3 yards per punt with a long of 54 yards and four inside the opponent's 20 yard line.
• In total, the Buccaneers gained 276 yards of total offense, 213 passing yards, 63 rushing yards.

For The Privateers

• SUNY quarterback David Keogh completed 23-of-42 passes in the game for 259 yards and three interceptions. He also ran the ball six times for 13 yards.
• The running attack for SUNY couldn't gain and steam, Nicholas Morman led the team with 16 yards on seven carries.
• Wide receiver Kevin Murphy hauled in eight passes for 92 yards.
• Defensively, SUNY compiled 10 tackles for loss including two from Abdoulaye Konate and Justin Jimenez.
• Sean Murphy recorded the only sack on the game for either team.
• Frank Vano intercepted a Cann pass for SUNY and broke up a pass.
• Leading the Privateers in the tackle department, Sergio Borda made eight total tackles. Vano and Konate each had six.
• On special teams, kicker Joseph Gagliardi made two-of-three field goals, with a long of 23 yards, scoring the only six points for the guests in the game.
• Gagliardi also punted five times for an average of 41.0 yards and one pinned the Bucs inside their own 20 yard line.

How It Happened

After a great tribute to the 13 American service men and women lost last month that was coordinated by members of the Buccaneer football team, a moment of remembrance for 9/11, a rousing rendition of the National Anthem and a tribute to longtime Director of Athletics Bob Corradi, who has been inducted in to the MASCAC Hall of Fame, it was time to play football at Clean Harbors Stadium for the first time since November 16^th, 2019 in the 13^th edition of the Chowder Bowl game.

It was a defensive driven game for both teams as neither offense totaled over 300 yards in the game. Points were scored in each quarter, though only one score came from an offensive touchdown. In the first quarter, the Buccaneers kicked to the Privateers and though they were helped by penalty on the Bucs, went three-and-out on the first series. The Buccaneers offense took over for the first time with 13:20 remaining in the first. On their first drive they picked up two first downs on a Copeland carry and a Cann to Campbell hook up. They gained 31 yards in 4:41 of possession and their drive came to an end on a Lampros Punt. SUNY proceeded to take the ball over midfield on a nine-play drive though it ended on a failed fourth down conversion. Taking over at midfield, Cann and Campbell connected again, this time for 46 yards that put the Bucs inside the Privateer five yard line. From three yards out, Copeland pounded his way in to the end zone for his first career touchdown, giving the Bucs a 7-0 advantage after Lampros's converted PAT. The teams traded possession one more time in the opening quarter and the teams went to the second, 7-0 Buccaneers.

The second quarter started with a bang. After a punt from Lampros, SUNY's Keogh threw an interception to Keefe at the Privateer 15 that the junior linebacker took in to the end zone, untouched, to give the Bucs a 14-0 lead following the Lampros extra point. The Privateers took up a lot of time and space on their follow-up drive, going 65 yards in 11 plays. The Buccaneer defense Held strong as SUNY ran three plays, including two from the Buccaneers one yard line, and were unable to get in to the end zone, on fourth down from the five, Gagliardi came in to attempt a 23-yard field goal and put it off the right post to keep the score 14-0. With neither team able to get on the board and the Privateers shutting down a Buccaneers drive to end the second quarter, the hosts took their 14-0 advantage in to the halftime break.

The second half opened with back and forth drives from the Bucs and Privateers with the first three drives of the third ending in punts. At the 7:38 mark of the quarter, SUNY took over after a short, 24-yard punt from Lampros that gave the Privateers the ball on the Buccaneer 30 yard line. Once again, SUNY got inside the Academy 10 yard line and were unable to get to pay dirt. Instead, on fourth and goal from the six, Gagliardi came on to put the Privateers on the board with a 23-yard field goal, cutting the Buccaneer lead to 11, 14-3. That field goal was the only points of the third as the teams traded interceptions on consecutive drives with Vano picking off Cann after a seven-play, 53 yard drive by the Bucs, and Gamboa intercepting Keogh to essentially end the third. The Buccaneers led after three, 14-3.

In the fourth, the SUNY defense continued to hold the Buccaneers at bay causing two three-and-outs early in the quarter. On their first possession of the final period of play, the Privateers took the ball 74 yards on 11 plays but were cut down by Andrew Luciano and the defensive line for the Bucs on a failed fourth and goal play from the two yard line. On their second drive of the quarter, SUNY took the ball 36 yards on seven plays and once again the Buccaneer defense thwarted any chance of a touchdown from the guests on a huge goal line stand that included three big tackles from Gamboa. The Privateers settled for a field goal as Gagliardi converted from 22 yards to make the score 14-6. The Buccaneers weren't able to do much with their next drive as the SUNY defense held them to 29 yards on five plays. Lampros pinned the Privateers at their own 20 forcing SUNY to have to go eighty yards, get a touchdown and convert a two-point conversion just to tie the game with only three minutes left to play. SUNY ended up going 28 yards on five plays. On the fifth play of the drive, Keogh threw his third interception of the game as Cobey Williamson made the interception at his own 25 and took the ball in to SUNY territory to their 33 yard line. With 1:31 left on the clock the Bucs gave the ball to Reynolds twice for ten yards, followed by two kneel downs from Cann. The clock hit triple zeros and the Buccaneers won the 13^th Chowder Bowl, 14-6.

What's Next?

The Buccaneers are on the road next week, Saturday, September 18^th, in Paxton, Ma to take on Anna Maria College at 1pm. The game is the first meeting ever between the two teams.