San Diego Survives Marist 41-40 as Late Field Goal Misses After Dom Nankil's Go-Ahead Run

Marist had never won a football game in San Diego. Eleven tries, five of them decided by one score, and the Red Foxes kept finding new ways to leave Torero Stadium empty-handed. On Halloween, they found the most painful one yet.

San Diego beat Marist 41-40 at Torero Stadium on Saturday, surviving when Luke Stenson's 30-yard field goal try with 43 seconds left was no good. Dom Nankil threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns and ran for the go-ahead score with 2:48 to play in a game that saw 12 touchdowns and four lead changes.

A shootout from the opening drive

San Diego set the tone on its first possession, going 90 yards in 14 plays and 6:11. Dom Nankil finished it with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Taylor, the receiver who had caught 15 balls for 204 yards at Dayton a week earlier, and Emiliano Salazar added the extra point.

Marist answered in kind. Sonny Mannino led a 12-play, 76-yard drive and capped it with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Lincoln Cardillo, one of the Red Foxes' first-time captains, at 3:16 of the first quarter. Then the Marist defense struck. Wayne Adair intercepted Nankil at the San Diego 46 for his interception in a fourth straight game, and three plays later Isaiah Simmons broke a 35-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left in the quarter. San Diego's J. Williams blocked the extra point, a detail that would matter more than anyone in the building realized.

Marist's best quarter, then the Torero answer

Early in the second quarter, Kade Werner forced an Adam Criter fumble near midfield, and R. Bropleh Jr. recovered for Marist. San Diego challenged, and the call stood. The Red Foxes made the Toreros pay with an 11-play, 85-yard drive that ended in a 43-yard touchdown pass from Mannino to Jayden Taylor. Marist did not get a point after on that one either, but it led 19-7 with 8:47 left in the half.

San Diego spent the rest of the half proving why it was the preseason pick to win the Pioneer Football League. Nankil found Christopher Hall for a 10-yard touchdown at 5:27, finishing a seven-play, 75-yard drive. After a Marist incompletion on fourth-and-8 from its own 27 handed the ball back, Nankil led a 10-play, 61-yard march and threw a 4-yard touchdown to Cole Monach with 1:49 left. Three straight Salazar extra points against two missing Marist conversions added up to a 21-19 San Diego lead at the break.

Trading haymakers in the third

The second half opened with a gamble that backfired. Marist went for it on fourth-and-2 from its own 47, and Mannino's pass fell incomplete. San Diego took the short field, went 47 yards in eight plays, and Criter plunged in from 1 yard at 9:28 of the third. It was 28-19.

The Toreros had a chance to stretch it further after a Marist punt, but Salazar's 53-yard field goal try missed at 5:29. Marist made them pay immediately. Mannino hit Jayden Taylor for 52 yards, and the Red Foxes covered 65 yards in three plays and 1:25, with Mannino scoring on a 4-yard run at 4:04. That made it 28-26.

San Diego responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended when Nankil found Luke Morgan for a 38-yard touchdown with five seconds left in the quarter. It was Morgan's first career touchdown, and San Diego led 35-26 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter: punch, counterpunch

Marist refused to fade. The Red Foxes put together their longest drive of the day, 13 plays and 80 yards over 5:57, and Mannino scored again on a 1-yard run at 9:03. Luke Stenson's extra point made it 35-33. N. Ridore sacked Nankil for a 9-yard loss on the ensuing series, San Diego punted from its own 20 on fourth-and-15, and Marist took over at its own 47.

Simmons needed two carries. After a 2-yard gain, Simmons went 51 yards up the middle for a touchdown at 6:17, and Marist led 40-35. With six minutes left, the Red Foxes were a defensive stand away from finally winning in San Diego.

Nankil had other ideas. Stenson's kickoff went out of bounds, giving San Diego the ball at its own 35, and the Toreros moved methodically. A Marist offside penalty handed them a free first down. A face mask penalty on Chase Hatton added 15 more yards. Nankil hit Hall for 13 yards, and then the quarterback took it himself, running 4 yards for a touchdown with 2:48 left to finish a nine-play, 65-yard drive. The two-point try failed, leaving San Diego up 41-40.

The kick that would have changed everything

Marist started at its own 33 needing only a field goal. Mannino kept the drive alive with a 4-yard run on fourth down, then hit Zach Garmont for 10 yards and 28 more to the San Diego 19. Simmons ripped off 8 yards to the 11, and from there Marist worked the clock rather than chase a touchdown. San Diego spent timeouts at 53 and 43 seconds, the second to make Luke Stenson wait. His 30-yard try was no good.

San Diego still could not run out the clock. Criter was stopped twice, Marist used its final timeouts, and Salazar punted with 18 seconds left. Mannino found Marco Lainez III for 21 yards to the San Diego 40 and spiked the ball, and Dillon Kellner broke up a deep shot for Jayden Taylor. Marist's last snap from the 40 came up empty, and the Toreros held on.

The players who decided it

Nankil completed 34 of 41 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers, then won it with his legs. He threw an interception in the first quarter and took the sack that set up Simmons' go-ahead run, and he answered both. Elijah Taylor caught nine passes for 138 yards, Hall had the 13-yard catch that set up the winning run, and Criter added 117 rushing yards on 25 carries.

For Marist, Simmons was spectacular, carrying 21 times for 182 yards and two long touchdowns. Mannino threw for 260 yards and two scores without an interception and ran for two more, and Jayden Taylor caught five passes for 124 yards. Adair picked off a pass for a fourth straight game.

The stats that matter

This was as even as a game can be. San Diego outgained Marist 524 to 516 and had 31 first downs to 26. Marist ran for 251 yards at 7.0 per carry, while San Diego converted 8 of 11 third downs, which is how the Toreros kept answering. Marist won the turnover battle 2-0 and scored touchdowns off both takeaways.

The kicking game decided it. Salazar made all five extra points. Marist had one point after blocked and another come up empty, then missed from 30. Two points left on the field after touchdowns, and three more at the end, were the whole story.

What it means

San Diego bounces back from a 37-32 loss to Dayton and improves to 4-5 and 3-3 in the Pioneer Football League. The Toreros now lead the series 17-2, and Marist is 0-12 in San Diego. Marist falls to 4-5 and 3-2 in league play, a costly loss with three weeks left in the PFL race.

Both teams play Nov. 7, with San Diego at Drake and Marist home against Morehead State. For more, see our recaps of Dayton's win over San Diego and St. Thomas' win over Marist. The full numbers are in the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab).

The last word

Marist led 40-35 with six minutes left and lined up a 30-yard kick to win it in the final minute. San Diego just kept coming, and the 12th trip to San Diego ended like the other 11.

Sources: ESPN box score and play-by-play (opens in a new tab), Marist Athletics game preview and football roster (opens in a new tab), and San Diego Athletics. More college football coverage on Undrafted.

Photos: San Diego Athletics.