As the ball floated 32 yards in the air toward his waiting hands, COD wide receiver Jayvon Blissett knew the entire game was on the line as the clock expired. When he came down in the back left corner of the end zone, victory was in his grasp.

The Chaps defeated Ellsworth College 39-35 on the Hail Mary pass from quarterback Brayden Miller to Blissett Saturday night to move to 2-3 overall on the season.

“Honestly, I am super ecstatic that we were able to get a team victory, a heartfelt win,” Blissett said after the game. “It was one of the best games I have ever been a part of.”

The winning catch capped a fourth quarter that saw the two teams score 25 points within the span of 92 seconds. The score was tied at 28-28 until the Chaps took the lead with a seven-play drive that culminated in a touchdown and a missed two-point conversion. That left the score at 33-28 and only 41 seconds on the clock.

But Ellsworth took the ensuing kickoff all the way to the house with a 75-yard return to take a 35-33 lead with 17.3 seconds remaining.

After a 27-yard kickoff return and a 13-yard pass completion, the Chaps sat at the Ellsworth 32 yard line with only 5.4 seconds on the clock. Rather than risk a long field goal, Miller launched a rainbow throw into the end zone that found Blissett for the winning score.

Offensive lineman Josh Weichel was part of the raucous victory celebration that followed the miracle catch.

“It was a great experience, and probably the best game I have ever played in,” Weichel said. “There were so many emotions going on through my head, and we never gave up as a team. That was the biggest message. It just shows that you can do anything.”

The coaching staff shared in that sentiment. Assistant Coach Joe Furco said he hopes the team carries the lessons learned in victory into the rest of the season.

“It was an awesome back-and-forth game coming down to the wire there at the end,” Furco said. “We preach keep your head in the game, no matter what the situation is. It was good to see the guys fight through the adversity of it. One of the best games I have been a part of at all levels.”

The Chaps look to get to .500 with road game against Erie College in Orchard Park, N.Y. this Saturday. Ellsworth College fell to 1-4 on the season.