FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Faced with a first-and-goal at the PSU 9-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, the Plymouth State University defense held strong to lift the Panthers to a 14-9 win over Framingham State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) football game at Bowditch Field on Saturday.
The Panthers led 14-7 late in the fourth quarter, but Framingham State looked poised to pull even. The hosts drove 79 yards over 15 plays to get to second-and-goal from the PSU 6-yard line, but the defense came up huge to preserve the win. Three straight incomplete passes, including a clutch breakup from senior
Quinn Girard (Glens Falls, N.Y.), extended the Panthers' perfect record to 4-0 (2-0 MASCAC).
Framingham State drops to 2-3 and 1-2 in the MASCAC.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 14, Framingham State 9
- Plymouth State (4-0, 2-0 MASCAC)
- Framingham State (2-3, 1-2 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- After a scoreless first quarter, Plymouth State got on the board with a nine-play, 67-yard drive in the second quarter. Aided by a Framingham State penalty and a 42-yard pass from sophomore Braden Lynn (Littleton, Mass.) to graduate student Jake Donahue (Hudson, N.H.), Plymouth State brought the ball down to the 2-yard line. Graduate student Thanos Boulukos (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) capped the drive with a one-yard run and the extra point was good for a 7-0 lead with just over two minutes left in the half.
- The Rams tied the game on their second possession of the third quarter with 4:10 left in the third.
- Plymouth State answered right back on the following drive. Senior Manny Sanchez (Hartford, Conn.) jumpstarted the drive with back-to-back big gains before scoring from six yards out to give PSU a 14-7 advantage.
- Sanchez and junior Willie Lombard (Bridgewater, Mass.) helped the Panthers kill nearly six minutes of clock in the fourth behind several strong runs, but PSU was forced to put with 7:03 left in the frame.
- Starting from its own 15-yard line, Framingham State put together the longest drive of the afternoon. A Rams' rush set up first-and-goal from the 9-yard line, and the hosts picked up another three yards on the ground. Framingham State had a chance to tie on second down, but the Rams' receiver was unable to come down in bounds and Girard broke up the third-down attempt before the hosts came up empty again on fourth down.
- Plymouth State was able to run out the remainder of clock but did surrender a safety on the final play of the game to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Sophomore Evan Wilson (Derry, N.H.) posted a game-high 13 tackles, including 11 solo, to pace the PSU defense. Girard added eight tackles and the key breakup.
- Lynn completed 5-of-12 passes for 87 yards, while Donahue caught three balls for 53 yards.
- Sanchez carried the ball 18 times for 43 yards and a TD, with Lombard adding another 34 yards on nine carries.
- The Panthers found the end zone on both of their red zone chances, continuing a perfect season. PSU is now 13-for-13 with ten TDs in the red zone this season.
- Plymouth State has won three of the last five meetings, though the win was the first in the series since the 2018 season.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State returns home to host WestConn in a Homecoming matchup at Panther Field next Saturday (Oct. 8). Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
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