Catholic Wins Overtime Thriller

WINCHESTER, Va. - Catholic University used a perfect fake field goal on its first overtime possession Saturday night at Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium to earn a 23-20 victory over host Shenandoah.

Trailing 20-17 after the Hornets' Nic Hoover nailed a 36-yard field goal on the first OT possession, Catholic (1-0) was faced with converting a 4th and 12 on the SU 27 to keep its hopes alive.

The Cardinals lined up for a 42-yard attempt, but faked it and third string quarterback Dan Jones found Sean Green streaking down the hash mark as Jones approached the line of scrimmage.

Jones hit Green, the Cards starting nose guard, in stride and Green lumbered into the endzone untouched for the game-winning score.

The play erased a furious comeback by Shenandoah (0-1).

The Hornets found themselves down 14-3 at the end of one and 17-3 by the 11:06 mark of the second, but roared back to tie it at 17-17 with 36 seconds remaining in third.

With the comeback complete, the hosts nearly finished Catholic off in the final minute of regulation. Hoover, who tied a school record with a 43-yard field goal for the team's first points of the game, attempted a 54-yarder that fell inches short at the 45-second mark.

After Catholic won the overtime coin toss, Hoover brought the Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium crowd to its feet with the 36-yarder in overtime to give SU its first lead of the game.

Shenandoah dominated the stat sheet; led by Kevin Roberts' 132 yards rushing on 33 carries, the Hornets outgained CUA 345 to 262, including 197 to 32 on the ground.

Keith Ricca led Catholic's offense with 203 yards passing on 18 completions in 37 attempts. He threw two touchdowns but was picked off three times, including twice by SU senior Dionte Beatty.

Shenandoah also had a 100-yard receiver for the third consecutive game - Adam McGhee had seven catches for 110 yards in his first career start.

Box Score

The Hornets will travel to Bridgewater next Saturday for a 1:00 contest.