RB, Fr., 6-1, 225 lbs., Akron, OH/Archbishop Hoban
Week 2 Stats: 111 rush yards, 19 rushes, TD rush
Dawson delivered for a Merrimack ground game that netted 200 yards against Patriot League preseason favorite Holy Cross. The rookie running back carried 19 times for 111 yards and one touchdown in the Warriors’ first-ever win over a NCAA FCS Top 25 occupant. With a long run of 19 yards, Dawson averaged 5.8 yards per carry against a Holy Cross team that defeated FBS member UConn in Week 1. Dawson rushed three times for 20 yards on Merrimack’s nine-play touchdown drive that tied the score at 7-7 with 12:51 remaining in the first half. He chewed up 48 yards of ground on a possession that spanned the final stages of the third quarter and the first 2:45 of the fourth quarter. Dawson capped the 12-play, 89-yard drive by bursting into the end zone from four yards out to give the Warriors a 35-14 lead. In addition to his first collegiate touchdown, he registered four first downs in the road win.