Holy Cross offense has season-high output as Crusaders cruise to Homecoming rout of Yale

WORCESTER — Last week, Holy Cross junior wide receiver Jalen Coker caught the winning touchdown pass as the Crusaders beat Buffalo in dramatic fashion.

In HC’s home opener against Yale on Saturday, Coker threw the go-ahead score to teammate Tyler Purdy in the second quarter, and the Crusaders’ offense again dazzled in a convincing 38-14 victory at Fitton Field.

The Crusaders have scored more than 30 points in each of their first three games. For the second time this season, HC rolled up more than 500 yards of offense, and finished with a season-best 571.

“It was a well-played game,” Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney said. “I thought we played very, very hard in all three phases.”

On a splendid afternoon, a Homecoming crowd of 13,847 cheered the Crusaders, who began the year with wins at Merrimack and Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Buffalo.

MORE: Holy Cross football relishes Saturday's fantastic finish in Buffalo

After beating UConn last season for their first win over a FBS foe in 19 years, the Crusaders suffered a major letdown the next week in a 14-point home loss to Merrimack.

Coming off the emotional victory over Buffalo, HC saw to it that did not happen again.

“We understood last year we had the big win over UConn and came out against Merrimack and didn’t get it done,” HC junior quarterback Matthew Sluka said. “We wanted to change that path. Going into this week, we were definitely focused.”

The 24 points was HC’s largest margin of victory over Yale, bettering the Crusaders’ 21-0 victory on Oct. 6, 1945.

Holy Cross, ranked No. 12 in the AFCA coaches’ poll and No. 13 in the Stats Perform media poll, is 3-0 for just the third time since 2009. HC has won nine straight regular-season games.

Sluka, who unleashed the winning 46-yard TD throw to Coker as time expired last Saturday, finished 16 of 20 for 249 yards and touchdown throws to Coker and senior Ayir Asante against the Bulldogs, who were playing their 2022 opener.

Senior running back Peter Oliver of Auburn and St. John’s High, carried 16 times for 119 yards.

The game was tied, 7-7, when the pass play came in for Coker.

“As soon as it got called,” Coker said, “I could not wait to throw it.”

On second-and-1 from the Yale 36, Sluka lateraled to Coker. He lofted a pass to Purdy, who took it into the end zone.

Coker played some quarterback his senior year of high school.

“I do have a real arm in here,” said Coker, who hoped to get more zip on the throw. “(Purdy) was down there, and the ball hung up a little bit longer than I wanted, but it was good.”

Coker had four receptions for 96 yards, including a long catch for 43 yards during a second-quarter scoring drive, and a 32-yard touchdown in the third. Sluka hit Coker on a quick slant, and Coker took it the rest of the way for his fourth TD of the season.

“He made my job really easy,” Sluka said. “Great job by him.”

Coker was the recipient of the Johnny Turco Award as Homecoming MVP.

Holy Cross beat Yale, coached by Oxford native and former Worcester State star Tony Reno, for just the second time at Fitton Field. The Crusaders topped the Bulldogs in 2018 on Derek Ng’s overtime field goal.

With a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter Saturday, Ng became HC’s career leader in FGs with 38, breaking Anthony Pignio’s previous mark of 37 set from 1991-94.

HC held Yale to 306 total yards. The Bulldogs scored with 12:01 left in the second quarter, and not again until 2:02 remained in the fourth.

Senior linebacker Jacob Dobbs had a game-high 14 tackles, and sophomore corner Devin Haskins and junior corner Terrence Spence each had interceptions.

“We did a good job as a unit caging their quarterback (junior Nolan Grooms), who’s a very good player, and that allowed our DBs to make a lot of great plays,” HC senior defensive lineman Jake Reichwein said.

Grooms finished 11 of 21 for 98 yards, and was Yale’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 58 yards.

Holy Cross led, 21-7, at halftime and got the ball to open the second.

Yale sacked Sluka three times on HC’s opening drive of second half. After a 5-yard takedown by junior Clay Patterson, the Bulldogs, looking to close within a touchdown, took over at the Crusaders 45.

HC’s defense came up big as senior corner John Smith dropped running back Nathan Denney for a 3-yard loss, Reichwein and senior Dan Kuznetsov chased Grooms deep into the backfield and forced him into a throwaway, and on third down, Haskins intercepted Grooms.

After the pick, Oliver’s 41-yard gain set up sophomore Jordan Fuller’s 22-yard touchdown run.

“We had a ton of faith in our defense to to get the stop, and they got the stop,” Chesney said, “and offensively, we wanted to stay in attack mode as long as we possibly can.”

In the first quarter, Yale, aided by a Holy Cross pass interference penalty, drove to the Crusaders’ 20, but junior kicker Jack Bosman missed a 38-yard field goal.

The Crusaders went three-and-out on their first possession and, over the first 10 minutes, had the ball for just 1:15. Sluka, though, directed an 11-play, 80-yard drive, and scored from 2 yards on the first play of the second quarter.

Denney’s 34-yard run and Grooms’ 26-yard completion to junior David Pantelis highlighted Yale’s first-half scoring drive. Denney took it into the end zone from 1-yard out, and game was tied at 7-7.

Later in the second quarter, the Crusaders converted on third-and-11 with a Sluka 16-yard completion to senior Spencer Gilliam. Two plays later, Coker hit Purdy, and HC regained the lead.

After a holding penalty against HC during a Yale punt, the Crusaders started their next drive at their 8. Sluka, who began the game 9 of 10, connected with Coker for a 43-yard completion, and later fired a bullet over the middle to a streaking Asante for a 36-yard TD pass.

“We had a great matchup with Ayir on the nickel,” Sluka said, “and we were able to capitalize.”

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTolandTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Holy Cross football keeps rolling with offense in rout of Yale