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Chris Haupt's Historic Day Leads Football to 48-27 Triumph in ECAC South Atlantic Bowl

(box score)

Junior Chris Haupt (Bloomsburg, PA) threw for a school-record 470 yards to go with 35 completions and three touchdowns, leading Widener to a 48-27 victory over Waynesburg in the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium.
 
Trailing 14-7 at halftime, Widener (9-2) got the ball to start the second half and responded by going 71 yards to tie the contest.  Haupt was responsible for 47 yards on the drive, including a 38-yard strike to freshman Anthony Davis (Upland, PA) just 2:53 into the half.
 
Waynesburg (5-5) retook the lead, 21-14, on its next possession with Jeff Young catching a five-yard scoring pass from Josh Graham with 9:35 left in the third quarter.
 
From there, it was all Pride as the next drive resulted in a 21-21 tie with 7:37 to go in the quarter.  Haupt, who was named first team All-MAC, threw for 67 yards on this march that ended with an 11-yard catch to senior and fellow first-team selection Cedrick Clayton (Cinnaminson, NJ).
 
Widener got the ball back late in the quarter when sophomore Colin Masterson (Swarthmore, PA) returned an interception 20 yards and 15 more yards were added on a horse-collar tackle to place the ball at the Waynesburg 32 yard line.  Haupt threw a 31 yard pass to Davis and senior Brendan Curran (Sinking Spring, PA) followed with a one-yard burst for a 28-21 lead with 4:22 to go in the quarter.
 
Jamelle Bowers countered with an 18-yard touchdown run with 13:03 to go, but the extra point hit the right upright and Widener held a 28-27 cushion.
 
There were no worries for the Pride, who came back on the next drive with a 55-yard march.  This ended when sophomore Terrant Morrison (Smyrna, DE) scored on a three-yard run with 9:26 remaining for a 35-27 lead.
 
Curran had another one-yard run and junior Dante Pergolese (Havertown, PA) added a 14-yard scoring jaunt for the final.
 
Haupt was simply spectacular by breaking the yards mark previously held by Mike Warker, who threw for 462 yards against Moravian on September 22, 2001.  He completed 35-of-57 passes to fall two completions shy of the record set by Mike Lomas versus Lycoming on November 8, 2003.
 
Haupt also set a new school record with 3,025 yards passing this year, besting Lomas' mark from 2005 by one yard.  His 31 touchdown passes this year are one shy of the school record, his ninth 200-yard passing game this season ties a school record and his sixth career 300-yard game is one shy of Pride's top mark.
 
He is the first Widener quarterback to throw for at least 400 yards since Lomas did it against King's on September 25, 2004.
 
Clayton finished with 11 catches for 149 yards for the Pride, who closed with a 593-432 advantage in total offense that included 30 first downs and a 10-for-17 third-down-conversion mark.
 
Freshman Nick Rodriguez (Haddonfield, NJ) notched a team-high eight tackles that included seven solos for the Pride.  Rodriguez, Masterson and sophomore Trevor Hicks (Charlotte, NC) each posted a forced fumble.
 
Graham played great for the Yellow Jackets, completing 29-of-48 passes for 340 yards and three scored.  Adam Moses had 10 catches for 97 yards and Christian Jackson totaled eight receptions for 153 yards.
 
Widener improved to 3-2 in ECAC bowls, which include wins in the last three.  The squad now is 18-12 in postseason games and competed in a postseason contest for the 17th season in its illustrious history.
 
The squad also posted its best mark since the 2002 team finished 9-1.
 
Waynesburg took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter with Young getting a two-yard touchdown catch from Graham and Jackson adding a 97-yard scoring reception down the left sideline.  Davis posted the first of his two scores on an 11-yard scoring pass from Haupt.
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