Holy Cross freshman QB Dom Campanile impresses after injuries give him opportunity
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WORCESTER – Holy Cross coach Dan Curran expects that sophomore quarterback Braden Graham, who exited HC’s Nov. 1 game against Lafayette in the first quarter with an undisclosed injury, will be available for this week’s matchup at No. 4 Lehigh, but freshman QB Dom Campanile will be ready to make his first start if needed.
Graham, who started HC’s last three games in place of injured sophomore Cal Swanson, was hurt after being strip-sacked. Campanile played the rest of the game and was 17-22 for 127 yards and an interception in the 21-13 loss. He was sacked three times.
“Thrusting a true freshman in a lineup at this level at quarterback is probably one of the hardest things to do in sports,” Curran said. “If anyone is equipped to do it, it’s him. He has the right mental makeup. He’s not going to be scared. He’s a competitor.”
Campanile, who played in goal-line packages in previous weeks, comes from a family of football players and coaches, including his dad, Vito, whom he played for at Bergen Catholic, his uncles and grandfather.
“Football is his passion,” Curran said.
Curran thought Campanile did some good things against the Leopards and also made some mistakes. Curran said Campanile’s third-quarter interception, which was the Crusaders’ fourth turnover of the game, was technically the right decision.
“He was just late with where the ball was delivered,” Curran said.
Campanile led a potentially-tying, 2-minute drive, but the Leopards sacked him for a 9-yard loss on fourth down to end the game.
“Dom is going to be a really good player,” Holy Cross senior receiver Max Mosey said. “I really like how he can manage the huddle. As a freshman, as a young man, he has some bass to his voice. He knows what he’s doing. I think the sky’s the limit for him going forward.”
Holy Cross’ offense will face a major challenge at Lehigh (9-0, 4-0). The Mountain Hawks have one of the best defenses in FCS. They rank third in the country in scoring defense (13.9 ppg) and sixth in total defense (279.8).
HC’s offense is averaging just 18.2 points and 271.1 yards per game.
Lehigh registered seven sacks and two takeaways in last week’s 41-0 win over Georgetown.
“They create a lot of chaos plays,” Curran said.
Last year, Holy Cross shared its sixth straight Patriot League title with Lehigh, which earned the automatic NCAA playoff bid based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The last two seasons have marked a resurgence for the Mountain Hawks, who finished 2-9 in 2022 and 2023.
“They are a veteran team and those guys have played a lot of football together,” Curran said. “As freshmen and sophomores, they had their struggles. They built some momentum starting midseason last year. The success they are having now is part of their humble beginnings and what they went through together.”
Mosey has been special for Crusaders
Mosey is one of only five players in FCS with two punt return touchdowns this season.
Against Lafayette, Mosey returned a punt 59 yards for a TD. The week before, against Colgate, he brought back a punt 47 yards for a score. Mosey had a long punt return of 72 yards against Harvard.
“He’s done a great job,” Curran said, “and continued to get more comfortable in that role with decision making and getting more confident with fielding the ball and making good decisions when he gets the ball in his hands.”
Mosey leads the Patriot League with a 22.4-yard punt return average.
“He doesn’t look super fast,” Curran said, “but he’s very slippery. He breaks a ton of tackles and he’s a really good competitor who finds a way in space to make guys miss.”
That unit has been a bright spot for the Crusaders during their 1-8 (1-3) season.
Holy Cross is tied for the top spot in FCS with five blocked punts, two each by junior Adam Due and senior Blake Youngblood and one by freshman Lincoln Fisher.
“We don’t call it ‘punt return,’” Curran said. “We call it ‘punt block.’ That’s our mentality. That’s an aggressive unit that’s been playing at a very high level.”
Assumption eyes NE-10 title
Assumption, which cracked two national polls this week, will play for the Northeast-10 Conference championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament when it plays at Bentley Nov. 8.
The Greyhounds (7-1, 6-0) racked up 558 yards of offense in last week’s dominant win over Southern Connecticut State.
Assumption entered the American Football Coaches Association poll at No. 24 and the D2Football.com media poll at No. 25.
–Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: College football notes: Freshman QB Campanile ready if needed for Holy Cross
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