BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- It was Homecoming weekend at the Academy this weekend and the Buccaneers played host to Anna Maria on Saturday afternoon. The Bucs took an early lead on the AMCATS in the first half but were unable to hang on losing 23-14.

The Basics

Final: AMCATS 23, Buccaneers 14

Records: Anna Maria 2-0

              Maritime 0-2

On The Field

For The Bucs

• Offensively, quarterback Marc Murphy threw for 197 yards and a touchdown on 12 completions. 
• Ja'iel Johnson led the way in receiving with 65 yards on three catches, including a 51 yard pass and catch with Murphy.
• Andrew Brightman caught one ball for 40 yards and a touchdown. 
• Leo Allgaier caused three passes for 36 yards.
• Owen Roth scored a touchdown on the ground for the Bucs on a one-yard run.
• On defense, linebacker Joshua Cannon led all players with nine tackles and had 1.5 tackles for loss.
• Sam Huffman had two interceptions in the game for Maritime and added two tackles from his safety position.
• Cobey Williamson, who led the MASCAC in interceptions last season, had a pick of his own in the game.
• Hugh Wells recorded the only sack of the day and had three tackles for loss to go along with his six total tackles.
• On special teams, freshman kicker Mike Epifano converted his two PAT attempts in the game. 
• Jack Mulligan punted eight times for 343 yards, an average of 42.9 yards per punt with a long of 55 yards and one that pinned the AMCATS inside their own 20 yard line.
• The Bucs produced 209 yards of total offense in the loss.

For The AMCATS

• Offensively, quarterback Alex Cohen threw for 282 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He completed 30 of 43 passes.
• Kahlil Bowens caught five balls for 49 yards and a score. Vincent Marrone also caught a TD pass on his three catches for 40 yards.
• Devin Tolbert led all receivers with 60 yards on 10 catches. 
• Justin McMillan had four grabs for 50 yards.
• Defensively, Armstrong Antoine led all AMCATS with six tackles. He also recorded a forced fumble in the win.
• Marino Vedova had the lone sack for AMC with three tackles and a forced fumble.
• Terrence Jackson had a fumble recovery in the game along with two tackles and a tackle for loss.
• On special teams, kicker Harvey Lambert converted a 29 yard field goal for the 'Cats.
• Anna Maria posted 300 yards of total offense in the win.

How It Happened

Maritime opened the ballgame with the football and drove 70 yards in 10 plays, scoring on Roth's one yard scamper up the middle. The game remained 7-0 in favor of the hosts for the remainder of the first quarter. Each team punted multiple times and Cohen threw an interception in the mix.

In the second quarter, the Bucs extended their lead on their first drive of the second. On a flea flicker, Murphy found Brightman wide open for a 40-yard score. Epifano converted the PAT and the Bucs held a 14-0 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the quarter. After a few more punts and another Cohen interception, the AMCATS got the ball back with 59 second left in the half. On a second down and 10 play from the Maritime 26, Cohen found Bowens for a 26-yard score. AMC failed to convert the PAT and still trailed the Bucs 14-6. On the ensuing kickoff, Maritime fumbled the ball on their 23 yardline. Bowens picked up the loose ball and took it to the endzone for another AMCATS score. Failing the PAT again, Maritime still held a 14-12 advantage going into the half.

Anna Maria opened the second half with the ball and went 45 yards on 14 plays in just over six minutes. They capped off the drive with Lambert's 29-yard field goal to take a one point, 15-14 lead on the Bucs. The AMCATS clung on to the one-point lead for the remainder of the third quarter.

The fourth began with a forced fumble by the AMCATS defense on a sack of Murphy. The visitors recovered the ball at the Buccaneers three yard line. After a loss of three on first down, Marrone caught a pass from Cohen for the six-yard score. They went for two points to make it a two-score game and converted with Cohen hitting Tolbert in the end zone. The Buccaneers got the ball back multiple times in the fourth but were unable to erase any of the nine-point deficit and lost to the AMCATS, 23-14.

What's Next

The Buccaneers travel to Fitchburg State on Saturday, September 24th for a 12 pm kick off with the Falcons in the Bucs MASCAC Opener.