NEW HAVEN (Interstat) — Dante Reno accounted for four touchdowns and threw for 298 yards as Yale defeated Merrimack 41-24 on Saturday at Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn., in an NCAA Football Championship Division game. The Bulldogs improved to 2-1. The Warriors fell to 2-4. Merrimack was the visiting team, and Yale was the home team. Reno, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback from Sturbridge, Mass., completed 22 of 39 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. He also carried five times for 39 yards.

Yale scored 10 points in the first quarter, seven in the second, 17 in the third and seven in the fourth. Merrimack scored seven in the first quarter, three in the second and 14 in the fourth. The Bulldogs led 17-10 at halftime and 34-10 through three quarters before the Warriors added two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Bulldogs scored in every quarter, while the Warriors were held scoreless in the third quarter.

The first quarter included a 79-yard touchdown pass from Merrimack’s AJ Hairston Jr. to Kenyon Massey. Merrimack’s Will Claude intercepted a Reno pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Yale’s Noah Piper made a 37-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Merrimack’s Guytano Bartolomeo missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. The 79-yard connection came with 10:44 remaining in the first quarter. Claude’s interception return came with 2:21 remaining in the first quarter. Piper’s field goal came with 4:15 remaining in the second quarter. Bartolomeo’s miss came with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter.

Hairston, a 6-3, 215-pound quarterback, completed 11 of 26 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He ran 10 times for 69 yards. Dennis Morgan caught a 40-yard touchdown pass. Ethan Crite, a 6-2, 188-pound wide receiver, had two receptions. Galamama Mulbah, a 6-1, 220-pound running back, returned four kickoffs for 78 yards. Bryce Goulet, a 5-10, 170-pound wide receiver, returned two punts for 10 yards. Mike Ryan, a 5-11, 160-pound kicker, punted seven times for 317 yards. Tafari Corson-James returned one kickoff.

Graham Smith, a 6-5, 240-pound tight end, caught two passes for 10 yards and a touchdown. Garon Kemp, a 6-1, 192-pound wide receiver, had one reception for 20 yards and a touchdown. Reid Jones, a 6-3, 197-pound wide receiver, caught three passes for 27 yards.

Merrimack’s Juice Ricks, a 5-11, 195-pound defensive back, made five tackles. Adrian Rufo, a 6-1, 230-pound defensive lineman, had two tackles. Jerrium Berry Jr. had three tackles. Bryce Gentry-Warrick, a 6-0, 295-pound defensive lineman, had three tackles. Xavier Maple had three tackles. Dwayne Green Jr., a 6-1, 240-pound defensive lineman, had three tackles. Bryce Ricks, a 6-1, 325-pound defensive lineman, had three tackles. Bertin Placide, a 5-11, 175-pound defensive back, had four tackles. Logan Graham, a 6-2, 240-pound defensive lineman, had five tackles. Will Claude, a 6-1, 210-pound linebacker, had five tackles, one interception and one touchdown. Tyler Martinovich had two tackles. Kamden Wyatt, a 5-11, 190-pound defensive back, had six tackles. Rajahn Cooper, a 6-0, 220-pound linebacker, had eight tackles. Danny Simms, a 6-2, 205-pound safety, had nine tackles. Micah Green, a 5-10, 225-pound linebacker, had 11 tackles. DJ Frazier, a 6-0, 210-pound linebacker, had two tackles. Trent Brown, a 5-11, 185-pound defensive back, had one tackle. J.P. Methodius had one tackle. Liam Shintaffer had one tackle. Darrell Hamilton, a 5-11, 300-pound defensive lineman, had one tackle. Justyce Hathaway, a 6-0, 275-pound defensive lineman, had one tackle. Corday Bethel had one tackle. Markeith Hogan, a 6-0, 210-pound linebacker, had one tackle. Emilie Dore had two tackles. Shaheed Armstrong had two tackles. Jacob Wilson, a 6-0, 215-pound linebacker, had two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Kendall Carter, a 6-2, 270-pound defensive lineman, had two tackles. Kasir Hicks had two tackles. Justin Wallace had two tackles.

Yale’s Phoenix Grant, a 6-2, 185-pound defensive back, made 10 tackles. Jaylin Tate, a 6-4, 275-pound defensive lineman, had six tackles. Jesse Schutzman had five tackles. Billy Eastep, a 6-2, 210-pound defensive back, had four tackles. Brandon Webster, a 6-0, 188-pound defensive back, had four tackles. Abu Kamara, a 6-1, 190-pound defensive back, had four tackles and one quarterback hurry. Osize Daniyan, a 6-2, 175-pound defensive back, had three tackles. JP Schmidt, a 5-11, 200-pound defensive back, had three tackles. Charles Barkley-Smith, a 5-11, 175-pound defensive back, had two tackles.

Merrimack entered the game with a 2-4 record after a 17-10 win over New Haven, a 45-20 loss at Tarleton State, a 23-14 win at Maine, a 42-7 loss at Delaware and a 34-7 loss to Rhode Island. Yale entered with a 2-1 record after a 38-25 loss at Cornell and a 38-28 win at Holy Cross. Merrimack next plays at Dartmouth. Yale next hosts Dartmouth. Merrimack also has upcoming games against New Hampshire, Wagner, Wake Forest, Monmouth and Sacred Heart. Yale has upcoming games against Rhode Island, Penn, Columbia, Brown, Princeton and Harvard.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Yale 43, Merrimack 19. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Yale with a 91.1 percent probability to win. Merrimack had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +12.5. The total score of 65 went under the over/under line of 51.5.