DUDLEY, Mass. (9/13/2025) – In their first home game of the 2025 season, the Nichols football program suffered a 56-24 defeat at the hands of the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday afternoon at Vendetti Field.

The Bison drop to 0-2 overall with the loss, while the Mariners improve to 2-0.

Junior Ethan LaGuardia started at quarterback, and went  8-of-13 for 127 yards passing and one touchdown. Senior Ian Snow also suited up in the game, and was 11-of-18 for 140 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Graduate student Jack Morvan was the top target with six  catches for a game-high 111 yards and one touchdown, with senior Kevin Fuoroli Jr. and freshman Ricardo Navedo also finding the end zone for the Bison. Sophomore Nick Foynes went 2-for-2 on field goals, included a long attempt from 26 yards out.

Despite the Mariners controlling the bulk of the run game, the Bison held a stiff advantage over the opposition in passing yards, going 20-for-32 with 287 total yards as compared to the Mariners' 71.

Both sides of the field scored on each drive of the opening quarter, with USMMA owning a 14-6 edge through the first 15:00 of play. For Nichols, LaGuardia connected with Morvan in the back of the end zone with 5:41 left in the period, which helped them answer the Mariners' first touchdown to make it an 8-6 game, after missing the extra point.

However, the USMMA offense pile on another 28 points in the second quarter to put the game relatively out of reach, while also limiting the Bison to just two field goals to make it a 42-12 difference at halftime.

Out of the locker rooms, the second half saw a more balanced game between the two sides, with the Mariners only outscoring the Bison by a 14-12 margin throughout. Fuoroli Jr. was the lone scorer for Nichols in the third quarter, which came off a pass from Snow from 15-yards out, while Ricardo Navedo owned their fourth quarter strike from 26 yards, his first collegiate touchdown.

Up next, the Bison will travel to the United States Coast Guard Academy for a 1:00 PM kickoff on Saturday, September 20th at Cadet Memorial Field.