Rutherford shook off the effects of a sore hamstring to run for two first-half touchdowns, and completed 21 of 36 passes for 225 yards and three more touchdowns. The aggressive Huntington defense did force Rutherford into two interceptions and a fumble in the Heroes end zone. All three Erie receivers made important contributions as Brandon Jackson led the team with 10 receptions, David Dinkins recorded 84 yards on six catches, including a 35-yard touchdown in the first half, and Whitfield added five receptions and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. Rats DB Jovon Johnson began the second half for Erie with a 50-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and LB Roosevelt Benjamin led the Rats defense with six tackles and added one sack.
Huntington got on the scoreboard first on a 14-yard connection from Kennedy to WR Tario Frederick. After Erie PK J.R. Cipra missed a long field goal after a stalled drive, the Rats defense created the game's first turnover as DL Phil Tillman sacked Kennedy, forcing a fumble recovered by Benjamin at the Huntington 2-yard line. Erie capitalized on the turnover with a 2-yard quarterback keeper by Rutherford to even the score at 7-7. Neither offense could get untracked the rest of the first quarter as Huntington turned the ball over on downs, and Rutherford was intercepted by Heroes DB Michael Owens. However, Huntington could not score on three tries from within the Erie 9-yard line and had to settle for a Jason Cherry field goal to take a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.
The Rats offense came to life early in the second quarter as Rutherford connected with Dinkins from 35 yards out, setup by a great Rutherford pump fake, to give Erie a 14-10 lead. Then the Rats defense created its second turnover of the game as LB Glenroy Watkins recovered a fumble giving Erie the ball near midfield. Rutherford's 1-yard touchdown run, setup by a 25-yard completion by Rutherford to Whitfield, gave the Rats an 11-point lead. The Heroes scored on their next drive on a 16-yard pass from Kennedy to WR Marcus Bryant to pull within four, and then took the lead on a Rutherford fumble recovered by DL Joshua Pugh in the end zone for a Huntington touchdown. Both defenses dominated the play in the last three minutes of the half, and each team missed field goal attempts, and Huntington's lead was 24-21 at halftime.
Erie got a jumpstart to their second half on Johnson's opening kickoff return for a touchdown to take the lead back at 28-24. However, Huntington's offense came to life, as Kennedy and Frederick connected for a second touchdown, this one from 27 yards, to take a 3-point lead back. The Heroes got the ball back after a wobbly pass from Rutherford was intercepted in the end zone by DB Curtis Keys in the end zone for a touchback, but couldn't capitalize as they turned the ball over on downs. The Erie offense drove down to the Huntington 4-yard line but couldn't score. But Cipra's field goal and his first "uno" of the game, his league-leading 14th of the season, gave Erie the lead by one. The Heroes then drove 45 yards in just four plays, capped off by the second TD reception by Bryant, as time expired in the third quarter, and Huntington led 37-32.
On their first drive of the fourth quarter, the Rats chose not to try a field goal on fourth-and-three from their own 16-yard line, but Rutherford's pass intended for Jovon Johnson was overthrown and the ball was turned over on downs. Huntington appeared to score four plays later on a 1-yard run by QB Kennedy, but it was negated by a penalty and the Heroes had to settle for a 22-yard field goal to push their lead back to eight. Rutherford completed 4 of 6 passes on the next Erie drive, including a 15-yard touchdown catch by Whitfield to pull the Rats within one. Cipra then added his second "uno", number 15 on the season, to tie the game at 40-40 with four minutes remaining.
The Rats defense gave up a big play, a 29-yard completion from Kennedy to WR Kenny Davis to move the ball from deep in Huntington's territory, but then tightened their defense as the Heroes could complete only one short pass on three tries. The field goal attempt by Cherry was good, giving Huntington a 3-point lead. But an attempt for an "uno" by Huntington sailed straight up and hit the ceiling, and Erie was the beneficiary of good field position at its 20-yard line with just over one minute remaining. And then it happened, similar to the previous week.
Rutherford calmly led the Erie offense down the field with short controlled passes, 6 yards to Dinkins, 14 yards to Whitfield, and 4 yards to Jackson putting the Rats at the Huntington 6-yard line. Rutherford then found Whitfield on third down near the back of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. The referees had a short meeting to make sure the ball didn't hit the back wall first, and then signaled Erie touchdown. Cipra made an important extra point to give Erie a 4-point lead at 47-43, as the Heroes would now have to score a touchdown rather than set up for a field goal. Rats DB Reynolds waited for the inevitable long pass towards the end zone, intercepted it at the three-yard line, and Erie celebrated another win, its seventh in nine games.
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