New London - The moment it became clear Coast Guard was going to win Saturday's game against Merchant Marine revolved around tight end Jordan Groff.

Groff, running from the left side to the middle of the field, reached behind him for a pass from quarterback Derek Victory, caught it in front of one defender, then left another defender at his heels as he sprinted for a 47-yard touchdown to give the Bears an 11-point lead with 5 minutes, 20 seconds to play.

"Our passing offense was the thing that dwarfs every other aspect of that game for either team," Coast Guard Academy football coach Bill George said at Wednesday's weekly football luncheon, addressing the Bears' 42-31 victory over the Mariners which evened their record at 1-1. "We threw it and caught it and we didn't get sacked.

"(Groff) made two athletic plays (for touchdowns). The ball is thrown a little bit behind him and we're up by four. You make a catch behind your back. I watched it 10 times."

Coast Guard came into the season with a proven wide receiver in senior Collis Brown, a preseason All-American and a member of last year's New England Football Conference all-star team. Brown is 13 catches shy of the program's all-time record of 159 held by Sam England.

But the rest of the receiving corps?

Groff played a little bit of defensive back and a little receiver last year. He caught two passes for minus-two yards. He made a mark for the team receiving kicks, leading the Bears with a 19.7-yard average. Of the other starting receivers, Blake Thompson began last year at quarterback before heading back to receiver with his timing off by just a bit. Bryan Popp, a freshman last year out of Grapevine High School - a Class 5A school from Texas - missed the bulk of the season with an injury to his hand.

Groff made six catches Saturday for 136 yards and the first two touchdowns of his career, while Popp had six catches for 68 yards, Brown five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown and Thompson two catches for 40 yards.

Thompson caught a 32-yard pass from Brown on what was a double pass, despite being in full coverage and Brown caught a 31-pass from Victory in stride for a touchdown on the next play. Popp leads the team with nine catches for 109 yards.

So much for teams who want to cover just Brown.

"With the four guys we have out there right now, if they want to double-team Collis, the rest of us are going to be that much more open," Thompson said. "I said it at the beginning of the season, these two (Popp and Groff) have the potential ... they are electric."

Said Thompson of the sprawling catch he made from Brown on the drive which tied the game for the Bears: "I don't even remember the defensive guy being there. I was going to go get it. ... I don't think I've seen (that much depth at receiver) since I've been here."

George said with a small senior class last year, Groff was needed to play in other spots. Now that the team has a more veteran presence, returning 20 starters, players are better positioned, he said.

"We can play to what is our best identity, having four wide receiver kind of guys," George said. "It gives us some extra plays. You don't have to worry about a mistake on the next play when you're already in the end zone. ... We've got (Groff) in the right spot now. He's a calm, mild kid. He slept though two football meetings last spring."

"When you're back there (now), you don't notice who you're throwing it to, you just throw it," Victory said after Saturday's game.

Victory is 29-for-58 for 348 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Bears, who meet Hampden-Sydney, 1-1 and ranked No. 25 in the nation in Division III, at 1 p.m. Saturday in Virginia before opening conference play the following week. Popp is tied for fifth in the NEFC with 4.5 receptions per game and Groff is fourth with 68.5 receiving yards per game. Groff was named to the league's offensive honor roll last week.

Groff, a civil engineering major who has earned a blue star for performance on the Coast Guard Physical Fitness Exam, had the best game of his career Saturday in front of his mom and dad, Patricia and Brian Groff, and his entire family.

"I think my favorite thing is us as a unit. As a group, we have a pretty fast receiving corps," Groff said. "I think that really helps us."

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Twitter: vickie@theday.com