Dwayne Lodge saw time at QB in place of the injured Michael Jump.

Michael Jump threw for 206 yards before being knocked out of the game in the third quarter.

Josh Brumfield scored on a seven-yard rush.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle football team came up just shy of its first victory, as the Ursinus Bears gutted out a 13-12 win. On an unseasonably hot day, the Explorers had the game's final possession but failed to find the end zone.

 

Trailing by a point, with just over a minute remaining, the Explorers received a punt on their own 10-yard line. La Salle managed to get the ball up to its own 44-yard line on a pair of passes to John Zabel (Ellicot City, MD/Centennial). With 11 seconds remaining, quarterback Dwayne Lodge (Neptune, NJ/Neptune), playing in place of injured starter Michael Jump (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South), dropped looked to get the ball to Zabel again, but the pass was incomplete. Then, with five ticks left on the clock, the Explorers were given a final chance. Lodge again looked for Zabel, who had the ball knocked out of his hands.

 

La Salle lost the services of both Jump, who was on the receiving end of a hard hit in the third quarter, and running back Kevin Sullivan (Nanuet, NY/St. Joe's-Montvale), who was stricken with dehydration and missed the entire second half. Sullivan was a huge part of the Explorers' offense in the first half, accounting half of the La Salle points with a second-quarter touchdown.

 

Ursinus' Josh Hannum opened the scoring in the second quarter with a four-yard reception on a pass from Vince Gallagher. La Salle answered back with a Josh Brumfield (Chester Springs, PA/Owen J. Roberts) seven-yard TD rush. Sullivan's score sent the Explorers to the locker room with a 12-6 halftime lead.

 

Both teams kickers struggled, as each team failed to convert a field goal a piece, and two La Salle extra-point attempts were not successful. Ursinus also had an extra point blocked.

 

The deciding play of the game happened in the third quarter, when Ursinus' Mike Kimpel intercepted Lodge and ran the ball back 79 yards to tie the game at 12. Kicker Matt Baney made good this time to give the Bears the lead, and eventually the win.

 

Lodge threw for 167 yards and two interceptions, going 11-for-23; Jump was 15-for-21 for 206 yards and threw one interception. Gallagher threw for a touchdown and 103 yards. Zabel led all receivers with 122 yards and Sullivan's 43 yards on the ground led all rushers.

 

The Explorers return to action on Saturday, Sept. 24 when they host St. Francis (PA) at 1:00 p.m. Gameday action can be heard at GoExplorers.com beginning at 12:30 p.m.