FITCHBURG, Mass. – Fitchburg State University was unable to come back from an 11-point halftime deficit, falling to Framingham State, 29-18, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletics Conference (MASCAC) football contest on Friday night at Elliot Field.
Fitchburg State got on the board first at 10:27 in the opening quarter as junior running back Cody Titus capped a four play, 65 yard drive with a seven yard run up the middle. His first touchdown of the season resulted in an early 6-0 lead for the Falcons in the contest. The drive started with a 32 yard run by junior running back Kendall Perry to put the hosts in scoring territory.
Framingham State took a slim 7-6 lead at the 2:40 mark of the first quarter when junior quarterback Matt Silva hit classmate Tevin Jones in the back of the end zone on a 15-yard pass, finishing off a 10-play, 81 yard drive.
Jordan Almore rushed for three yards in his first touchdown of the season in the first play of the second half, giving the Green and Gold a 12-6 advantage. Fitchburg State got into the red zone after a seven-play drive that included a double-pass by senior wide receiver Ty Spencer to sophomore Devin Summiel.
Trevon Offley broke free for a 45 yard run with 12:29 in the second to regain the lead for the away side, capping off a six-play, 73 yard drive. It would be Offley again in the Rams ensuing drive, breaking away for a 69 yard run, which resulted in a Silva five-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Grant, giving Framingham State a 20-12 advantage.
After a Rams 21 yard field goal by Sean Wlasuk to extend their lead, Fitchburg State responded with a 42 yard pass by Garrett Dellechiaie to Ty Spencer, but the hosts were unable to capitalize and went into halftime trailing 23-12.
With Framingham State driving down the field into Falcon territory, the hosts would get a big break as Jonathan Gomes came up with an interception near the end of the third quarter. Fitchburg State responded with a ten-yard drive, but was stopped short, which included a 23-yard sack of Dellechiaie by sophomore defensive end Connor Doran.
Fitchburg State was able to cut the deficit to 23-18 at the 9:07 mark of the fourth quarter, as Titus again found the end zone on a one yard run. The drive started after an interception by Taron Seaforth, which put the offense at the opponents 26 to start off the series.
The Falcons seven-play, 43 yard drive late in the fourth quarter fell short as Framingham State's Matt Mangano intercepted a Dellechiaie pass at 3:10 and returned it for 60 yards to extend the guests lead to 29-18. Fitchburg however responded with a four-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in a Titus one-yard touchdown. It would be Titus again on the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 29-26. The Rams recovered the onside kick attempt by Christopher Ludwig however to seal the road victory.
Dellechiaie went 18-35 for 247 yards and two interceptions. Senior Devin Summiel finished with seven catches for 105 yards, while junior Kendall Perry rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries. Silva finished the day 17-38 for 212 yards, two touchdown passes and two interceptions. Offley led Framingham State on the ground, carrying 17 times for 151 yards, while Randall Kelleher hauled in three passes for 78 yards.
Junior Malcom Brown-Simpson led the Falcons' defense with 10 tackles (eight solo, two assists), while senior Elizear Torres had eight tackles in the losing effort. The Rams were led by freshman Svenn Jacobson, who amassed 10 tackles (five solo, five assists), while sophomore Lewis Bailey was also solid tor Framingham State, making nine tackles (seven solo, two assists).
Fitchburg State (2-1, 0-1 MASCAC) resumes play next Friday, traveling to MASCAC foe Bridgewater State for a 7:00 pm kickoff. Framingham State (2-1, 1-0 MASCAC) returns to action next Saturday, when it hosts the Colonials of Western Connecticut at 12:00 pm.