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HAMILTON – Red-zone interceptions by Vinny Russo and Mike Armiento helped Colgate rally past Holy Cross 20-17 for a crucial Patriot League win here Saturday.
 
The Raiders (3-2, 2-0) made it three wins in three tries on their current four-game homestand, thanks to a defensive effort that blanked the Crusaders in the second half.
 
Possessions were at a premium, with Colgate having the ball just seven times and Holy Cross six. But after the Crusaders posted a field goal and two touchdowns in the opening half to lead 17-13 at intermission, they were halted on downs and via two Colgate interceptions in the second half.
 
Raiders quarterback Jake Melville threw his first two touchdowns of the season, finding C.J. Stempeck from 3 yards midway in the second and Alex Greenawalt from 14 yards just before halftime. He then bootlegged across from a yard out for the winning margin early in the fourth quarter.
 
Armiento's pick was the 13th of his career, lifting him into a tie for third on the Colgate all-time chart. This was also the second-straight year Armiento picked off Holy Cross quarterback Peter Pujals to thwart a serious Crusaders scoring drive and spark a late victory.
 
The Raiders then ran out the final 7:35 on the clock for the win.
 

Bottom Line
• Colgate 20, Holy Cross 17

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the Patriot League.
• Holy Cross dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in conference.

Facts & Figures
• Jake Melville threw his first two touchdown passes of the season, and also his second interception. The TD passes went 3 yards to C.J. Stempeck and 14 yards to Alex Greenawalt. The interception was in the end zone, thwarting a red-zone chance, but Holy Cross couldn't take advantage.
• Demetrius Russell led all rushers with 94 yards on 16 attempts. Melville gained 75 yards on 22 tries and also completed 15-of-22 pass attempts for 159 yards.
• The Raiders as a team rushed for 224 yards to just miss their season average of 227.8 coming in.
• Kris Kent was the Colgate tackle leader for the third straight game, finishing with nine total stops. He's tied with Chris Morgan for the team tackle lead with 39. Morgan posted eight tackles, all solo.
• Russo added seven tackles, followed by Armiento and Kyle Diener with six apiece.
• Three Colgate receivers caught three passes apiece: Kevin O'Connell finished with 32 yards, while John Quazza and Brian Lalli both posted 28 yards.
 
More Key Info

• Holy Cross did not punt in the game and still didn't win. The Crusaders had three possessions in each half. In the first half, they went FG-TD-TD; in the second half, it was downs-INT-INT.
• Matt Bhaya of Holy Cross led all tacklers with 12, just one ahead of teammate John Zakrzewski.
• Time of possession in the game favored Colgate by a 34:13 to 25:47 margin. It was crucial in the fourth quarter, when the Raiders held the ball for 11:09 of the 15 total minutes. Included was that closing 15-play drive after Armiento's interception that ate the final 7:35 off the clock.
• Colgate on the final drive was a perfect 4-of-4 on third down conversions, finishing 12-of-18 for the game. The Raiders also were 3-of-3 on fourth down tries.

Turning Point
• Two interceptions in the final 20 minutes sandwiched around an 83-yard TD drive for the winning score.
• Russo's pick with 3:20 left in the third quarter halted what could have been a game-clinching drive for Holy Cross. The Crusaders led 17-13 and had first-and-10 at the Raider 18 when Russo dropped into coverage and grabbed his first career interception. The 7-yard return set the stage for Colgate winning drive.
• The Raiders turned Russo's pick into a 14-play, 83-yard scoring march that culminated in Melville's 1-yard keeper with 11:26 showing.
• Holy Cross drove right back into Colgate territory, reaching the 22-yard line. But Armiento intercepted Pujals at the Colgate 5 to ice that threat.
• Holy Cross never regained possession over the game's final 7:35.
 
Records Watch

• Armiento's interception was his first of the season and 13th of his Colgate career. The senior safety is now tied for third on the all-time Colgate chart with Sheldon Spicer (1985-87) and Marcus Cameron (1993-96).
• Last season, Armiento posted six interceptions to tie for the fourth-best mark in school history. One of those picks was in the end zone and late at Holy Cross to set up a game-winning touchdown drive in a 28-24 Raiders victory.
• Greenawalt's 14-yard touchdown catch was the first of his career. It was the only catch of the day for the first-year from Erie, Pennsylvania.
 
From the Sources
• Colgate head coach Dan Hunt: (On the hard-fought win) "It was good to have one like that. Our two wins before today, we led from start to finish. It was good to be down and have to respond in the second half. We challenged the defense in particular at halftime and, boy, they did a great job.
"Holy Cross scored 17 points and didn't punt, which is really strange. It was good to see the defense step up with those two huge interceptions."
(On the closing drive) "That's Colgate; that's what we do. The minute we got the ball, the players knew it. They kept saying, 'This is it. They're not getting the ball back. We're going to drive it home.' Boy, they did it."
(On Armiento's heroics) "I'm sure Coach (Tom) Gilmore's going to be happy that Mike's graduating. But that's what great players do. When it's time and we need a play, he makes the play. That's what he's done for four years. And it's good to see him get an interception, because he's been deserving of that with the way he's been playing.
"Good players make good plays at big times, and certainly he did it."
(On passing game improvements) "It was good to get two touchdown passes, to get us in the end zone via the air. Jake is comfortable when he gets a couple of early completions. On his first third down, he scrambled and had a nice completion to Lalli. From there, he was going pretty well."
• Colgate linebacker Vinny Russo: (On his interception) "It was cover-2 and I'm the long-dropper. I saw the zone-read fake and thought it was a run, so I came up. But I was able to get back on the seam route. When I looked back, the ball was coming right to me."
• Colgate safety Mike Armiento: (On intercepting Holy Cross two years in a row) "It's all about preparation. That's what we were looking for in the red zone, and it's all about understanding what they were going to do.
(On watching the offense close out the game) "Offense is your best defense, and when they're allowed to go down the field in seven minutes against all three timeouts, and they're still driving the field and they can't do anything about it, it's an awesome feeling."
(On the victory) "This is a great win for us. "We rallied when we had to and pitched a shutout in the second half, which was awesome. We just need to keep on this run and get the four-game winning streak next week at home against Princeton."
• Colgate wide receiver Alex Greenawalt: (On his touchdown) "I had a curl-route on the play but then saw Jake rolling out. It was just scramble-drill, working side to side. I thought the defender was on my back, but I guess I had a little more room and Jake put a great ball on me."
(On his sideline prowess) "I'm long, so it's easy to put it up and outside. I like playing on the sideline. It's fun, it's easy to get open and you can make some exciting catches."
• Colgate quarterback Jake Melville: (On Saturday's hard-fought win) "They played us tough. We came out a little slow in the first half, but our run game picked up in the second half and that just helped our offense."
(On his TD passes) "On C.J.'s, it was a play-action pass near the goal line. He was standing wide open and it gave me a nice little easy throw. And then Greenie, I escaped the pocket and he made a play to get some separation. He gave me a nice little window and I hit him."
(On the closing drive) "Our line was dominating. We were doing whatever we wanted. Our running backs were hitting the holes and getting 5 yards a pop. That's how you end a game."
• Colgate tight end C.J. Stempeck: (On his touchdown catch) "It's mostly the play. I kind of get lost in all the hustle and bustle. I popped out the back and Jake found me. It's all the play.
"In my career, I've scored on that exact play probably five times. I've been begging them to put it back in. It works. It's all the design."
 
Gate Grab Bag
• Saturday's crowd was 3,720 despite intermittent rain showers.

Up Next
• Colgate caps its four-game homestand with a 1 p.m. kickoff next Saturday against Princeton. The Tigers are 2-1 after Saturday's 38-6 thumping of Columbia. Campus Insiders once again is providing the online streaming coverage.

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