PLYMOUTH, N.H. – A blocked punt touchdown and 70-yard fumble return touchdown were the highlights as Plymouth State University cruised past Westfield State University, 35-7, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) football game at Panther Field on Saturday.
The Panthers used three rushing touchdowns in the first half to take a 21-0 lead into the break. Sophomore
Jonah Bassett, Jr. (Rutland, Vt.), fresh off a two-interception game last weekend, tore around the edge to block a Westfield State punt before collecting the bouncing ball and running 39 yards to the end zone to make it 28-0, and junior
Nick Marcinowski (Lynnfield, Mass.) added a 70-yard fumble recovery TD in the fourth quarter as PSU upped the lead to 35-0.
Westfield State spoiled the shutout bid with a 4-yard TD run with just 14 seconds left on the clock.
Plymouth State evens out at 3-3 (3-3 MASCAC), while the Owls slide to 2-5 (2-4 MASCAC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 35, Westfield State 7
- Plymouth State (3-3, 3-3 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (2-5, 2-4 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- PSU went three-and-out on the game's opening possession, but on fourth-and-one at midfield the Owls' fumbled the ball out of bounds for a nine-yard loss and turnover on downs.
- The Panthers took advantage, using a seven-play, 41-yard drive to take the lead. Senior Braden Lynn (Littleton, Mass.) connected with classmate Willie Lombard (Bridgewater, Mass.) for a 26-yard catch-and-run and junior Mitchell Cripps (Dracut, Mass.) hauled in a 14-yard reception to push the ball to the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Lombard cut to the outside to make it 7-0.
- The Owls answered back with a drive into the red zone, but sophomore TJ Taveras (Rochester, N.H.) pressured the Westfield State quarterback on fourth-and-seven from the PSU 16-yard line to force another turnover on downs.
- Lynn hit sophomore Jacob Morris (Kennebunk, Maine) for a 34-yard gain as the first quarter expired. Junior Gregory Walker (Boxford, Mass.) picked up 21 yards on a screen pass to open the second and the Panthers pushed the ball to the 15-yard line, but the Owls' defense came up with two big stops to get the ball back.
- The Owls went three-and-out and a short punt gave Plymouth State excellent field position as the Panthers took over at the Westfield State 39-yard line.
- Cripps picked up five yards through the air on fourth-and-five to keep the drive alive and a steady diet of Walker and Lombard running plays, capped by Walkers' three-yard dive, extended the lead to 14-0.
- Senior Evan Wilson (Derry, N.H.) forced a fumble three plays later, with classmate Mikey Levesque (Manchester, N.H.) recovering in Westfield State territory for another short field. PSU steadily drove down field, with Lombard cashing in from two yards out with just 31 seconds left in the half to make it 21-0.
- Both teams struggled to move the ball on their initial possessions of the second half. With the Owls set to punt, Bassett, Jr. got around the edge to block the kick before scooping the ball and scampering 39 yards to the end zone to push the advantage to 28-0 midway through the third.
- The Owls followed with a time-consuming drive, chewing up nearly 11 minutes of game time to drive to the 2-yard line. Facing the four-score deficit, Westfield State went for it on fourth-and-goal, but Wilson stuffed the goal line run to keep the Owls off the scoreboard.
- PSU was forced to punt from its own end zone and Westfield State took over at the PSU 27-yard line. The Owls went for it on fourth down once again, and this time Taveras knocked the ball out of the quarterback's hands and Marcinowski snagged it before sprinting up the left side for a 70-yard score to make it 35-0 with 8:11 left on the clock.
- After trading punts, the Owls put together their lone scoring drive, finding the end zone on a four-yard run with just 14 seconds to play to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Lynn completed a season-high 13 completions (13-for-17) for 144 yards, finding six different receivers.
- Cripps snagged six balls for 47 yards, while Morris added 40 receiving yards on two catches.
- Walker rushed for 27 yards and a touchdown, while Lombard was held to just 25 yards but scored twice.
- Wilson was all over the field for a game-high 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops, to go with his forced fumble.
- The Panthers held Westfield State to 4-of-14 on third down and 2-for-6 on fourth down.
- The Owls had four fumbles on the day.
- PSU improves to 18-3 against Westfield State all time. The Panthers have won each of the last seven meetings.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to Framingham State next Saturday (Nov. 2) for a noon kickoff.
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