PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Fresh off an historical season, senior Willie Lombard (Bridgewater, Mass.) of the Plymouth State University football team was honored as the PSU Male Athlete of the Month for November, sponsored by the New Hampshire Army National Guard.
 
In the Panthers' three games during the month, Lombard amassed 587 rushing yards on 77 attempts, averaging a healthy 7.6 yards per carry alongside seven touchdowns. He added four catches for 38 yards and a receiving touchdown, with 146 total return yards to his stat line for an impressive 771 all-purpose yards (257.0 per game).
 
Lombard had a huge game as the Panthers rolled past Framingham State, 41-20, on Nov. 2, netting 231 yards on the ground with four touchdowns, a 19-yard reception and 30-yard return on the opening kickoff. After ripping off a 12-yard run, he scampered to the end zone for a 48-yard score and the early lead. Lombard added scoring runs of 10-yards and 22-yards as the lead grew to 20-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter, and he cashed in once more in the fourth quarter from six yards out to help put the icing on the cake. Lombard was honored as MASCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
 
Plymouth State held off Fitchburg State, 26-21, a week later with Lombard again clearing the century mark with 104 rushing yards while adding two catches for 15 yards and a score to go with 24 return yards. He once again opened the scoring, this time when he was targeted on a screen pass where he cruised into the end zone from 11 yards out for a 7-0 lead. From there he carried the ball 24 times to average 4.3 yards per carry as PSU rallied from a one-point halftime deficit for the key conference victory.
 
Lombard's best work came in the season finale against unbeaten MASCAC champion UMass Dartmouth on Nov. 16 when he recorded a career-high 252 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Lombard's total made him the first 1,000-yard rusher since Hall of Famer Jeff Mack set the single-season rushing record in 2008, while his 252 yards on the ground were the most since Joe Dudek ran for 265 in the 1985 ECAC North Championship.
 
UMD took a two-score lead in the first half, but Lombard scored three third-quarter TDs as PSU rallied into the lead. He posted scoring runs of 60-yards and 65-yards on back-to-back possessions, then added a one-yard plunge as the Panthers went ahead, 35-27, midway through the quarter. The Corsairs would rally for the 47-42 win, despite Lombard's best efforts.
 
Lombard would go on to claim All-MASCAC First Team honors at both running back and return specialist and was named New England Football Writers All-New England as a rusher. His name appears several times among the national leaders, ranking second in all-purpose yards per game (207.6), sixth in rushing yards per game (131.0), ninth in scoring per game (11.3), while also ranking in the top 25 in yards per carry (6.27), rushing TDs (16), rushing yards (1,179) and total touchdowns (17).
 
Plymouth State went 5-4 on the season to finish .500 or better in league play for the eighth straight year. The Panthers finished tied for third in the final MASCAC standings.