2009 Week 1

Burlington, Vt. - In the season to come, The University of Vermont Catamounts will be viewed as the underdog in nearly all of their games, but for their first game, they were the favorite.

THey were matched up against a Division 2 opponent that they knew well when they used to play in that inferior division.

And Vermont handled themselves well against their former foe, cruising to victory, in crushing fashion.

When Vermont came out, it looked as if they might be a bit nervous for their bowl division debut. Neither team scored in the first quarter, exchanging a few three-and-outs.

But Vermont started to get it going in the second quarter. They put their first ever score on the board by capping off an 80 yard, six minute drive with a 15 yard Erik Rostad run. (They made sure to save the ball.)

Villanova actually responded with a drive of their own, moving down the field well, but stalling at UVM's 30 yard line, where they had to kick the field goal, to make the score seven to three, Vermont.

But that was all the offense they could muster against a now butterfly-less Vermont team.

Vermont finished off the second quarter with an eight minute drive, finished with a one yard pass to star wide receiver Andrew Matson.

Once starting the second half, the Catamounts never looked back, with a 29 yard FG from Alex Kennedy, a beautiful 47 yard TD pass to Matson from Kramer a 52 yard WR option run by Tim Monaghan, and an interception returned for a touchdown by Dan Haluska, all in the third quarter. That left Vermont at 38 to 3 going into the fourth.

Vermont then gave the ball to the runningbacks Rostad and Ryan Bohling to finish the game, and that they did. They ran off nearly 7 minutes of clock with no pass plays, on an exhausted wildcat defense. After running it four times at the Villanova goal line, the Catamounts kicked the field goal to make the final score 41 to 3.