NCAA Division III Playoffs : Ehrhardt Hits 43 of 70 Passes for 472 Yards as Rhode Island Scores 35-27 Win Over Akron
Record-setting quarterback Tom Ehrhardt threw five touchdown passes, four of them to tight end Tony DiMaggio, Saturday at Kingston, R.I., to lead Rhode Island to a 35-27 victory over Akron in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
Ehrhardt completed 43 of 70 attempts for 472 yards to set three New England passing records--most attempts and completions in a game and most touchdown passes in a season with 40.
DiMaggio tied a New England record with his four touchdowns.
The victory for Rhode Island (10-2) set up a quarterfinal meeting with Furman next week at Greenville, N.C. Akron finished its season 8-4.
Akron’s plan was to take Ehrhardt’s favorite targets, wide receiver Dameon Reilly and tight end Brian Forster, out of the game with mixed coverages. But Ehrhardt went to other receivers, hooking up with DiMaggio on scoring plays of 3, 4, 3 and 7 yards, and adding a 21-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bob Donfield to improve Rhode Island’s record to 10-2.
Reilly and Forster had 16 catches between them, while DiMaggio grabbed 11 for 81 yards and Donfield had 7 catches for 99 yards.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
