MADISON, NJ - Sophomore quarterback Tom Secky (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove) connected with junior wide receiver Ryan Thon (Victor, NY/Victor) on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 0:27 left in the game to give Alfred a 33-28 victory over the College at Florham Devils in FDU's season opener on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Saxons improved to 2-0 while the Devils dropped to 0-1.

Alfred got the ball first and drove right down the field, going 52 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on a seven-yard touchdown run by senior running back Vinson Hendrix (Rochester, NY/East).  Neither offense got much going after that until the Devils got the ball with 4:07 left in the first quarter on their own nine yard line.  Senior quarterback Bill Winters (Brick, NJ/Brick) converted a third-and-one with a seven yard rush before he hooked up with senior wide receiver Lou Pietrangelo (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) for a 65-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7.

The Saxons got the ball back and started another scoring drive, this time going 49 yards in nine plays with Hendrix taking it from a yard out to put Alfred up 14-7 with 12:30 left in the first half.  The Saxons then made it 21-7 when Secky found senior wide receiver Jared Manzer (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) for a 28-yard touchdown reception with 4:25 to go.  After the Devils stalled on their next possession, senior safety Dan Labrutto (Brick, NJ/Brick) picked off a Secky pass at the Alfred 33 yard line to set the Devils up with 2:25 left in the half.  Unfortunately, FDU was not able to move the ball and turned it over on downs.  Each team had one more chance before halftime but both defenses held allowing Alfred to take a 21-7 lead at intermission.

Each team went three-and-out to start the second half and the Devils got the ball on their own 25-yard line when Winters cut the deficit to 21-14 with a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play.  The two defenses allowed nothing for the next seven minutes but Alfred took over on their own nine with 4:56 left in the third quarter.  Hendrix was stopped for a loss of three on their first play and then sophomore defensive end John DiIorio (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) sacked Secky in the end zone for a safety to pull FDU to within 21-16.  The Devils got the ball right back on the safety kickoff and started a drive on their own 47 yard line.  Winters found senior tight end Beau Reed (Ocean, NJ/Rumson) for eight yards on first down, scrambled for three yards and a first down on the second play, hit senior wide receiver Kyle Bukowiec (Howell, NJ/Howell) for 10 yards on the third play and connected with sophomore wide receiver Tim Grey (Ft. Washington, PA/Upper Dublin) for four yards on the fourth play to put the ball on the 28 yard line.  On the very next play Winters and Pietrangelo connected again, this time for a 28-yard score to give FDU their first lead of the game, 22-21, with 1:40 to go in the third.

Alfred responded on their next possession again, going up 27-22 when Secky hit senior wide receiver Milton Harding (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) for a 38-yard scoring strike.  After each team went three-and-out, the Devils took over on their own 20 yard line with 10:43 left in the game.  Winters led FDU methodically downfield until he found Bukowiec for 17 yards and a touchdown to put the Devils ahead again, 28-27, with 2:32 left in the game.  On the drive, Bukowiec had four catches for 42 yards.  The Saxons got good field position to start the game-winning drive, as they began on their own 40.  They then went 60 yards in 10 plays to take a 33-27 lead on a 14-yard touchdown grab by Thon with 0:27 to go.  FDU had a chance on their last possession as they returned a squib kick to midfield but they could only get to the Alfred 42 before time ran out.

Winters finished the game 23-of-39 for 240 yards and three touchdowns through the air while gaining an additional 118 yards on 19 carries with another score on the ground.  Bukowiec hauled in 10 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown while Pietrangelo made six grabs for 116 yards and two scores.  On defense, senior safety Jason Glezman (Lincroft, NJ/Mater Dei) had a team-high 11 tackles while junior linebacker Ian Moore (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights) finished with 10 stops.  Labrutto had three tackles and two interceptions while DiIorio, senior defensive end James Gartland (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) and junior defensive end George Gibson (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) each had a sack.

The Devils return to action on Friday, September 18, 2009, at The College of New Jersey beginning at 7 pm.