Team PA wins Big 33 Thriller, Kenny Johnson steals the show.
Tagged under: All-Stars, News
Billy Splain | May 29, 2023
Mike Farr said it has been nearly a life long dream of his to coach in the Big 33 Football Classic, and during a recent interview he said “nothing less that winning is acceptable. That condition nearly took a hit when Maryland took the lead for the first time since their victory in 2018. But it was the defense of Team PA and a superb catch from Kenny Johnson with just over a minute to play that carried team PA to the 31-27 win before a huge crowd at Rocco Ortenzio Stadium. “He’s a special player, that kid can ball. Pitt is getting a great athlete” said Farr.
PA got on the board quickly and for nearly the entire first quarter it began to look like it has the past four years, a Maryland team that was about to get dominated. Jahmil Perryman busted loose for a 52 yard td to put PA up 7-0 just minutes into the game. Then Ben Sosnowski hit a 43 yard field goal to increase the lead to 10-0 midway through the first quarter.
Jahmil Perryman 52 yd run, Pennsylvania 7 Maryland 0, 10:37 1st, @JahmilPerryman pic.twitter.com/qq4axW5lEX
— Pennsylvania Football News (@PaFootballNews) May 28, 2023
But this was a different Maryland team loaded with talent. On the ensuing drive Maryland drove to the PA 15 and Bryce Cox turned the corner and the momentum around with a 15 yard td run to end the first quarter. The Marland defense clamped down on team PA and for a while they controlled the game, until Sincere Smith got a chance to field a punt. 66 yards later Team PA went back up 17-7 and it stayed that way through halftime. “My guys just made room for me” said Smith.
Sincere Smith 66 yd punt return, Pennsylvania 17 Maryland 7, 2:23 2nd, @Sincere_Smith8 pic.twitter.com/Npl5MtlZzq
— Pennsylvania Football News (@PaFootballNews) May 29, 2023
The PA defense came up huge near the end of the first half, coming up with a crucial drive stopping interception in the end zone, then getting a goal line stand to end the half. Maryland punted to PA but the receiver for PA lost control of the ball, giving Maryland the ball with a very short field.
Bryce Cox, who won the MVP for Maryland, kept the momentum up for Maryland in the second half. Cox got his second td of the game to draw MD within three points with this 2 yards run.
Sincere Smith 66 yd punt return, Pennsylvania 17 Maryland 7, 2:23 2nd, @Sincere_Smith8 pic.twitter.com/Npl5MtlZzq
— Pennsylvania Football News (@PaFootballNews) May 29, 2023
But this game was never fully controlled by either team. PA shot right back with a huge reception from Johnson, then a 1 yard td run from Perryman. “This is my MVP” said an exuberant Johnson of the McKeesport running back. Perry took the ball in from two yards out to put PA up 24-14 with 4:17 left in the third. Then Maryland had perhaps their best shot at winning the Big 33 trophy since 2018. Sean Williams drove team MD downfield and took the ball in from 10 yards out to close the gap. They missed the crucial point after, but in the end it wouldn’t come into play. With just over 4 minutes left, the Maryland team drove with purpose and desperation and took the lead with Sean Johnson driving in from 10 yards out.
Sean Johnson 10 yd run, Maryland takes their first lead with 2:29 to play, 27-24, @Big33MD #Big33 pic.twitter.com/Lsvnw2E4b0
— Pennsylvania Football News (@PaFootballNews) May 29, 2023
It looked like Johnson was going to get the winning score with a long td run but that play was called back on a penalty, a crack back block that didn’t even need to happen. But the Pitt bound ath just came up with another way to win the game when he out stretched a Maryland defender and hauled in a perfectly placed pass by Upper Dublin’s Colin O’Sullivan to preserve the win.
OMG – Kenny Johnson 31 yd TD from Colin O’Sullivan, Pennsylvania leads 31-27 over Maryland with 1:15 to play @DtownWildcats @UpperDublinFB pic.twitter.com/PaNmYzTDNk
— Pennsylvania Football News (@PaFootballNews) May 29, 2023
For the first of many galleries coming from our staff photographers CLICK HERE
| Scoring Summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | PA | MD | |||
 |
TD | 10:37 | Jahmil Perryman 52 YD RUN (Ben Sosnowski kick). | 7 | 0 |
|
FG | 05:50 | Ben Sosnowski 43 YD FIELD GOAL | 10 | 0 |
 |
TD | 00:03 | Bryce Cox 15 YD RUN (Alan Zhao kick). | 10 | 7 |
| 2nd Quarter | PA | MD | |||
|
TD | 02:29 | Sincere Smith 66 YD PUNT RETURN (Ben Sosnowski kick). | 17 | 7 |
| 3rd Quarter | PA | MD | |||
|
TD | 05:45 | Bryce Cox 2 YD RUN (Alan Zhao kick). | 17 | 14 |
|
TD | 04:17 | Jahmil Perryman 1 YD RUN (Ben Sosnowski kick). | 24 | 14 |
|
TD | 02:44 | Sean Williams, Jr. 4 YD RUN (Alan Zhao kick missed). | 24 | 20 |
| 4th Quarter | PA | MD | |||
|
TD | 02:29 | Sean Johnson 10 YD RUN (Alan Zhao kick). | 24 | 27 |
|
TD | 01:15 | Kenny Johnson 31 YD PASS from Colin O’Sullivan (Ben Sosnowski kick). | 31 | 27 |
| Team Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat | Pennsylvania | Maryland |
| First Downs | 13 | 18 |
| Rush Atts-Yards | 21-129 | 37-100 |
| Rush Avg. Yards | 6.1 | 2.7 |
| Pass Yards | 184 | 219 |
| Pass Comp-Atts | 12-24 | 15-24 |
| Pass Pct. | 0.500 | 0.625 |
| Pass Avg. Yards | 15.3 | 14.6 |
| Total Plays-Offense | 45-313 | 61-319 |
| Penalties-Yards | 10-89 | 4-40 |
| Punts-Avg. Yards | 5-37.2 | 5-32.2 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Touchdowns | 4 | 4 |
| Extra Points | 4-4 | 3-4 |
| 2-Point Conversions | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Maryland Passing |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | COMP-ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Jack Pellicciotti | 9-14 | 180 | 20.0 | 0 |
| Sean Johnson | 6-10 | 39 | 6.5 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 15-24 | 219 | 14.6 | 0 |
Pennsylvania Passing |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | COMP-ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Colin O’Sullivan | 9-17 | 153 | 17.0 | 1 |
| Cadin Olsen | 3-7 | 31 | 10.3 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 12-24 | 184 | 15.3 | 1 |
Maryland Rushing |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Sean Johnson | 10 | 55 | 5.5 | 1 |
| Bryce Cox | 13 | 39 | 3.0 | 2 |
| Sean Williams, Jr. | 8 | 20 | 2.5 | 1 |
| Malique Leatherbury | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 |
| Mekhi Dukes | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 |
| Jack Pellicciotti | 4 | -18 | -4.5 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 37 | 100 | 2.7 | 4 |
Pennsylvania Rushing |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Jahmil Perryman | 4 | 90 | 22.5 | 2 |
| Nigel Linton | 9 | 25 | 2.8 | 0 |
| Mikey Bentivegna | 6 | 14 | 2.3 | 0 |
| Cadin Olsen | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 |
| Colin O’Sullivan | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 21 | 129 | 6.1 | 2 |
Maryland Receiving |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | REC | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Max Moss | 6 | 98 | 16.3 | 0 |
| Trey Goodridge | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 0 |
| Corey Jones | 1 | 35 | 35.0 | 0 |
| Malique Leatherbury | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 0 |
| Mekhi Dukes | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 15 | 219 | 14.6 | 0 |
Pennsylvania Receiving |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | REC | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Kenny Johnson | 9 | 161 | 17.9 | 1 |
| Wakeem Page | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 0 |
| Da’Quan McCraw | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 12 | 184 | 15.3 | 1 |
Maryland Kick Returns |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Max Moss | 1 | 27 | 27.0 | 0 |
| Asa Locks | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 0 |
| Mekhi Dukes | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 0 |
| Ricardo Cooper | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 5 | 87 | 17.4 | 0 |
Pennsylvania Kick Returns |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Jahmil Perryman | 2 | 52 | 26.0 | 0 |
| Wakeem Page | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 |
| Sincere Smith | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 0 |
| Donovan Walker | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 5 | 86 | 17.2 | 0 |
Maryland Punt Returns |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Kshawn Cox | 1 | 32 | 32.0 | 0 |
| Anthony Hawkins | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 |
| Tony Hart, III | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 3 | 52 | 17.3 | 0 |
Pennsylvania Punt Returns |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| Sincere Smith | 2 | 71 | 35.5 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 2 | 71 | 35.5 | 1 |
Maryland Punting |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | LNG | SRT | AVG |
| Alan Zhao | 5 | 45 | 18 | 32.2 |
| TOTALS | 5 | 45 | 18 | 32.2 |
Pennsylvania Punting |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | LNG | SRT | AVG |
| Seth Turner | 5 | 46 | 26 | 37.2 |
| TOTALS | 5 | 46 | 26 | 37.2 |
Maryland Extra Points |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | CVT | PCT | PTS |
| Alan Zhao | 4 | 3 | 0.750 | 3 |
| TOTALS | 4 | 3 | 0.750 | 3 |
Pennsylvania Extra Points |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | CVT | PCT | PTS |
| Ben Sosnowski | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 4 |
| TOTALS | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 4 |
Maryland Field Goals |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | CVT | PCT | PTS |
| TOTALS | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
Pennsylvania Field Goals |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | ATT | CVT | PCT | PTS |
| Ben Sosnowski | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 3 |
| TOTALS | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 3 |
Maryland Defense |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | TKLS | INT | PB | FUM | SKS |
| Nate Furrow | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Anthony Hawkins | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Tony Hart, III | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Dustin Hottel | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Matthieu Longa | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Ebubedike Nnabugwu | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Damarcus Butler | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Julien Moutome | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Asa Locks | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Kshawn Cox | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Joshua Fedd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Devin Malloy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Abraham Olugbemi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| Dajuan Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Alan Zhao | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Dillon Dunathan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Bryce Cox | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Ricardo Cooper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 50 | 1 | 1 | 0-0 | 1 |
Pennsylvania Defense |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | TKLS | INT | PB | FUM | SKS |
| Daimon Jacobs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Gavin Moul | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Max Heckert | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Cameron Jones | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Terrell Reynolds | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| Dylan Darville | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Racari El | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1-0 | 1 |
| Rocco Daugherty | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Jamieal Lyons | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1-0 | 1 |
| Neco Eberhardt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Amir Jones | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Rahmir Stewart | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Riley Robell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| Kyree Butler | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Semaj Bridgeman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Donovan Walker | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Campbell Melzer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Jahmil Perryman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Colin O’Sullivan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 68 | 1 | 0 | 2-0 | 4 |
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