THE BASICS:
• Score: Holy Cross 51, Morgan State 24
• Records: Holy Cross 1-0; Morgan State 0-1
• Location: Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, Md.
• The Lead: Senior quarterback Peter Pujals accounted for 307 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, as the Holy Cross football team defeated Morgan State, 51-24, in its season opener at Hughes Stadium.
MAN OF THE MATCH PRESENTED BY THE UNITED STATES MARINES:
• Junior tailback Diquan Walker was selected as the Man of the Match presented by the United States Marines.
• He rushed the ball eight times for a team-high 92 yards and two touchdowns on the day, in addition to catching one pass for 17 yards.
• Walker's 61-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter was the longest run of his collegiate career.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Pujals hit on 22 of 38 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing eight times for 67 yards.
• Senior tailback Gabe Guild ran the ball 17 times for 85 yards and two scores on the afternoon.
• Senior wide out Jake Wieczorek finished with a team-best seven receptions for 66 yards.
• Junior linebacker Nick McBeath and junior strong safety Ahmad Tyler tied for the team lead with 10 tackles each.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Bears led 17-14 midway through the second quarter, before a safety and a three-yard touchdown run by Walker put the Crusaders ahead.
• Pujals then hit sophomore Teddy Capsis (a defensive end who lined up at fullback) with a three-yard scoring strike to give Holy Cross a 30-17 halftime lead.
• In the third quarter, Guild scored on a 12-yard run and Pujals threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Lucas Nikolaisen to put the Crusaders up 44-17.
• After Morgan State responded with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Walker concluded the scoring with his 61-yard touchdown run.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• Holy Cross won its season opener for the second year in a row.
• The Crusaders' 51 points were their most since a 51-27 victory at Bucknell in 2013, and their most in an opener since defeating Sacred Heart 56-21 in 2005.
• Holy Cross rushed for 258 yards as a team, its highest total since running for 269 yards at Lafayette in 2014.
UP NEXT:
• Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 10, when it travels to New Hampshire for a 7:00 p.m. game which will be televised live on the American Sports Network.
BE A PART OF THE ACTION:
• Tickets for the 2016 Holy Cross football season are available by calling 1-844-GOCROSS or by visiting GoHolyCross.com/tickets. Order your tickets today, to make sure you don't miss out on a minute of the action!
KEEP CONNECTED:
• To stay updated on the Holy Cross football team, follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossFB and on Facebook at Holy Cross Football.
• You can also subscribe for email alerts for all news and information on the team by clicking here.
