NORTHFIELD, Vt.- As the colors of the foliage shone bright in the green mountains surrounding Sabine Field, the Norwich Football team played its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener against the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) on Saturday afternoon.

The Cadets opened the contest with the ball, with Henri Bourque (Claremont, N.H.) hauling two receptions. After the drive stalled, the Mariners broke through on their opening drive, capped off by a Danny Ferris 1-yard run after USMMA turned the Cadets over with an interception. Bubba Mustain powered in another score to extend their lead.

In the second quarter, Mustain again found the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown to put the Mariners up 21-0. Halfway through the quarter, Jalen Elibert-Fowlkes (Saint-Hubert, Que.) forced a Mustain fumble, which Madux McGrath (Amherst, N.H.) jumped on. However, the Mariner defense held firm, preserving their three-score lead into the break.

USMMA found the end zone for a fourth time to open the second half, before three turnovers in short order. First was John Dixner (Fenton, Mich.) jumping on a bobbled snap, followed by a Mariner interception, and third was Corey Stone (Piscataway, N.J.) stripping Mustaine and the Cadets recovering. Merchant Marine found the end zone three more times in the fourth quarter to bring the game to its final score.

Offensively, Landon Beecher (Holliston, Mass.) completed 50% of his passes while Bourque hauled five receptions. Ben Primich (Yardley, Pa.) led the way in the tackle department with 12 total, with Stone right behind with 11 in addition to the forced fumble and a pass breakup. Caleb Laisch (Alexandria, Va.) added 232 yards on six punts, an average of 38.7 yards per boot, with a long of 53 and one inside the 20.

Norwich will close out their brief homestand by continuing NEWMAC play on Oct. 4 when it hosts WPI during Parents and Family Weekend with a 1 p.m. kickoff.