EAST STROUDSBURG – Bloomsburg was able to hold off East Stroudsburg's late comeback attempt and  come away with a 22-17 victory over the Warriors on ESU's Homecoming on Saturday at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

The Huskies, who improved to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in conference with the win, collected the victory without scoring an offensive touchdown in the game. The Bloomsburg special teams accounted for 13 points on a pair of field goals from Cameron Shollenberger and an 87-yard kickoff return by Chris Monaco, while the defensive unit scored on a fumble recovery for a touchdown and also added a safety.

ESU (5-2, 5-2 PSAC East) posted 279 yards of total offense on the day, while Bloomsburg registered 243. Warriors quarterback Jake Cirillo went 13-of-23 with 118 yards passing and 56 on the ground, but was injured in the fourth quarter and unable to return. Ben Moser, who took over for Cirillo following the injury, nearly led the Warriors to a fourth-quarter comeback. The redshirt junior completed 5-of-12 passes for 61 yards, and rushed for 19 yards and a touchdown on three attempts.

Devante Robinson ran for 44 yards on four attempts and hauled in a team-high five receptions for 27 yards, and Gunner Anglovich tallied 24 yards and one touchdown on the ground, while adding four receptions for a team-best 52 receiving yards.

On the defensive end, Andre Eldridge racked up nine tackles and one sack, Jameer Brooks added eight tackles, and Tyler Watson registered the team's lone turnover on an interception in the second quarter.

The only scoring in the opening quarter came off the foot of Jordan Walters, as the senior drilled a 35-yard field goal with 4:56 remaining in the period to put the Warriors up 3-0.

Early in the second quarter with the Warriors deep in their own territory, a bad snap went over Cirillo's head and into the ESU end zone. Bloomsburg's Aaron Trumino jumped on the loose ball for a touchdown, giving the Huskies a 7-3 advantage with 13:31 on the clock in the second.

Late in the half, Bloomsburg worked the ball deep into ESU territory and Logan Leiby found TJ Tornetta in the corner of the end zone for what was originally ruled a touchdown. The ball was ruled incomplete after a discussion by the officials, and the Huskies settled for a 33-yard field goal from Shollenberger, padding the lead to 10-3, which Bloomsburg eventually carried into the half.

ESU and Bloomsburg combined for a total of just 240 total yards in the opening half, with the Warriors accounting for 110 of those. Cirillo passed for 85 yards and added 28 on the ground for ESU in the half.

After a 27-yard field goal from Shollenberger to open the scoring in the third quarter, the Warriors were able to convert their first touchdown of the game as Anglovich found the end zone with a 19-yard run to bring ESU within three, 13-10, late in the third.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and ESU backed up deep in its own territory, Cirillo was pressured by Alex Findura in the end zone and forced to throw it away. After the play, the refs huddled and threw a flag for intentional grounding, resulting in a safety as Bloomsburg extended its lead to 15-10.

On the ensuing kickoff by ESU, returner Chris Monaco botched the initial reception as the ball trickled off his hands and bounced down to the Bloomsburg 13-yard line. Monaco made up for the mistake and weaved his way past multiple Warriors and all the way for the 87-yard kickoff return, pushing the Huskies' advantage to 22-10, as they tallied nine points in just 15 seconds of play.

On ESU's next possession, Cirillo dropped back for a pass on third down and was sacked by William Martin III. Cirillo was injured on the play and forced from the game. The Warriors were forced to punt, but the defense came up big and got Bloomsburg on a three-and-out, giving ESU back possession with 7:22 remaining in the contest and Moser in at quarterback.

With the Warriors facing a 4^th-and-7 from the Bloomsburg 48, Moser showed off his play-making ability and brought the packed house to life. After a bad snap went over his head, Moser rushed back to recover the ball, rolled out to his left, broke a tackle and threw off his back foot to Rece Bender down the field. Bender made a leaping grab and hauled it in over a Bloomsburg defender for a 28-yard reception and key first down for the Warriors.

ESU worked the ball down close to the goal line, where Moser was able to scamper one into the end zone from six yards out and pull the Warriors within just five, 22-17, with just over five minutes remaining.

The ESU defense stepped up once again on the ensuing BU drive, forcing a three-and-out from the Huskies. ESU got the ball back at its own 30-yard line, and advanced it to near midfield with just under two minutes to play. After a pair of Warrior penalties put them in a 4^th-and-13 situation, Moser pulled out some magic once again, connecting with Javier Buffalo for an 18-yard gain this time. Unfortunately for ESU, the play was nullified due to an ineligible man downfield, pushing the Warriors back to their own 32. On another 4^th-and-long, Moser wasn't able to connect with Bender on a deep ball, giving BU the ball on a turnover on downs.

Khalil Nelson picked up seven yards on the first play of BU's drive, forcing ESU to use its second-to-last timeout of the game. Nelson then registered three yards on the next play to pick up the first down and ice the 22-17 victory for the Huskies.

The Warriors hit the road to face West Chester next Saturday, October 26 at 2 p.m.