The Misericordia University football team used another late rally to beat Alvernia, 21-17, Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 17-14 late in the fourth quarter, the Cougars took the lead with 1:15 to play and then made a defensive stand as time expired.
Ronnie Borden connected with Zander Schied for his for catch of the season on a 34-yard TD down the right seam to put MU in front.
Alvernia drove to the Misericordia 5-yard line with less than :20 to play, the MU defense forced three incompletions to preserve the win.
Angelo Fluri led the Cougars with 109 yards on the ground and a score and
Amir Major added 60 yards rushing and a TD.
Austin Lyons had a team-high 10 tackles.
Alvernia took the opening kick off and marched 66 yards in eight plays before taking a 3-0 lead on a 26-yard field goal less than four minutes into the game.
The Cougars went three and out on their first possession and turned the ball over on their next two drives.
MU put together a lengthy drive to start the second quarter, but turned the ball over on downs after moving 46 yards on 11 plays.
The Cougars fumbled on their next possession and Alvernia converted the opportunity to take a 10-0 lead with 2:16 left in the first half.
MU took advantage of a personal foul on the second-half kickoff to open the third quarter with good field position.
Borden connected with
Jordan Alston and
Anthony Rucci to move across midfield. Major picked up six yards on two carries and Alvernia jumped offsides as the Cougars converted a fourth-and-four.
Borden hit
Jassan Whittaker over the middle for nine yards and Major carried five times to move the ball to the Alvernia one yard line. Major bounced outside around right tackle to get MU on the board with 8:05 to play in the third quarter.
The Cougars got the ball back after
Talyn Lope's sack forced a three-and-out for Alvernia.
Fluri picked up five yards on first down and raced 38 yards for a score on third down to give MU a 14-10 lead with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter.
The score stood until Alvernia used a quick three-play drive to take a 17-14 lead with 5:40 to play.
Starting at their own 30 with 5:34 to go, Borden hit Whittaker for eight yards and Major went up the middle for a first down.
Derek Infante made an 11-yard catch on the right sideline and second-and-12.Â
Major's short gain converted a fourth-and-one and Whittaker's 12-yard reception moved the ball to the Alvernia 34 to set up the winning score.
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