NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University football team opened its 2026 season with a spirited effort under the lights Friday evening, remaining within striking distance deep into the fourth quarter before St. Lawrence University held on for an 18-10 victory in the annual Hoffman Cup matchup on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.
Meeting for the 49th consecutive season in one of college football's longest-running non-conference series, Norwich made an immediate statement offensively, answered a two-score deficit with an explosive fourth-quarter touchdown drive, and finished the night with a 321-299 advantage in total offense. The Saints, however, capitalized on field position and received three field goals from Aidan Morris to retain the Hoffman Cup.
Norwich struck first with one of its best drives of the night.
Beginning at its own two-yard line following a St. Lawrence punt, the Cadets methodically marched 82 yards across 12 plays.
Landon Beecher (Holliston, Mass.) connected with
Connor McFarland (Manchester, N.H.) for 20 yards to escape the shadow of the Norwich goal line before finding
Fionn Parker-Cummings (Bangor, Maine) for a 39-yard gain that moved the Cadets deep into St. Lawrence territory.
Facing fourth-and-10 from the Saints' 36 later in the possession, Beecher kept the drive alive by completing a 16-yard pass to
Jahmir Dixon (Philadelphia, Pa.). Norwich ultimately reached the St. Lawrence 16 before
Zack Zegarra (Ridgewood, N.J.) converted a 31-yard field goal, putting the Cadets ahead, 3-0, with 6:13 remaining in the opening quarter.
St. Lawrence answered early in the second quarter after taking possession in Norwich territory following a turnover late in the opening frame. Morris connected from 37 yards to even the game at 3-3 just eight seconds into the period.
Norwich's defense continued to bend without breaking through much of the quarter. The Saints put together an 11-play drive midway through the frame and advanced inside the Norwich 10, but the Cadets held firm and ultimately forced St. Lawrence to punt after penalties pushed the visitors backward.
Moments later, Morris missed a 35-yard attempt, keeping the score level.
The Saints finally broke through late in the half after taking over at the Norwich 15. Sean Miles finished the short drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds remaining, and Morris added the extra point to send St. Lawrence into halftime with a 10-3 advantage.
Norwich threatened again midway through the third quarter. Beecher found Dixon twice for gains of 19 and 13 yards before connecting with
Jack Berthiaume (Plainville, Mass.) for 17 more, helping the Cadets move from their own 16 to the St. Lawrence 34.
The drive stalled on fourth down, however, and field position later worked against Norwich when a St. Lawrence punt pinned the Cadets at their own three. William Longfield tackled Beecher in the end zone on the ensuing possession for a safety, stretching the Saints' advantage to 12-3 with 2:41 remaining in the third.
St. Lawrence opened the fourth quarter with a lengthy possession and Morris connected from 33 yards with 9:46 remaining, giving the Saints their largest lead of the night at 15-3.
Norwich responded immediately.
Starting at its own 15, the Cadets covered 85 yards in just six plays and 1:45. After Dixon picked up 11 yards, Beecher connected with McFarland for a 37-yard strike down the left side. Dixon followed with a 13-yard reception to move Norwich to the Saints' 24 before Beecher went back to him on the very next snap.
Dixon hauled in the pass and took it into the end zone for the 24-yard touchdown, and Zegarra's extra point pulled Norwich within 15-10 with 7:43 still to play.
St. Lawrence answered with a clock-consuming possession, moving 42 yards across nine plays and taking more than five minutes off the clock. The Norwich defense again prevented the Saints from reaching the end zone, but Morris converted a 30-yard field goal with 2:28 remaining to restore an eight-point cushion.
The Cadets still had opportunities in the closing minutes.
Beecher connected with
Declan Lay (Brunswick, Maine) for 13 yards on Norwich's next possession before St. Lawrence intercepted a pass at its own 30. The Cadet defense quickly forced the Saints to punt, giving Norwich one final possession with 1:16 remaining.
Norwich moved from its own 11 to the 38 behind completions to Parker-Cummings and Dixon, but the Saints came away with another interception with 20 seconds remaining to seal the decision.
Beecher finished his first start of the season with 304 passing yards, completing 22 of 47 attempts with one touchdown. His production helped Norwich finish with 304 passing yards compared to 143 for St. Lawrence, while the Cadets also held a 321-299 edge in total offense.
Dixon turned in the night's biggest performance for Norwich, catching 11 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown while adding 64 yards on kickoff returns. His 203 all-purpose yards led the Cadets and helped earn him Norwich's Hoffman Cup Most Valuable Player honor.
McFarland added five receptions for 72 yards, Parker-Cummings totaled 51 yards on two catches, and Berthiaume contributed a 17-yard reception.
Defensively,
Brady Botelho (Essex Junction, Vt.) paced Norwich with a game-high 13 total tackles, including eight solo stops, while
Corey Stone (Piscataway, N.J.) and
Madux McGrath (Amherst, N.H.) each finished with nine.
Elijah Torres (Bronx, N.Y.) added four tackles, including a team-best two tackles for loss, while
Harry Ells (Barnstable, Mass.) recorded another tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
The Cadet defense limited St. Lawrence to just one offensive touchdown and repeatedly forced the Saints to settle for field-goal opportunities. St. Lawrence finished 3-for-5 in the red zone and converted only four of 15 third-down attempts.
Morris was named St. Lawrence's Hoffman Cup Most Valuable Player after converting field goals from 37, 33, and 30 yards along with an extra point.
The night also carried several moments of significance beyond the final score. Prior to the national anthem, Norwich observed a moment of silence in memory of
Daniel "Dan" Evans '87, a longtime supporter of the University and member of Norwich University Fins and Feathers and the Partridge Society.
At halftime, Norwich and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference recognized
Seth Varin '26 and
Reilly Laitala '26 as the 2025-26 GNAC Athletes of the Year. Their selections marked the first time in conference history that student-athletes from the same institution swept the men's and women's Athlete of the Year awards in the same academic year.
Friday's game also represented the first Norwich football contest played on the newly redesigned turf at Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.
The Cadets will remain at home for their next outing, welcoming intrastate rival Vermont State University Castleton to Sabine Field on Saturday, Sept. 12, for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff in the annual Battle for the Maple Sap Bucket.
