WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior
Reece Davis (Livermore, Maine) ran for 136 yards and a touchdown, and graduate student
Gregory Walker (Boxford, Mass.) added 87 rushing yards and two scores as Plymouth State University held off Westfield State University, 42-35, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) football game at Alumni Field on Saturday afternoon.
Walker's 7-yard touchdown on the opening possession gave the Panthers a quick lead, but Westfield State answered immediately, then capitalized on a turnover to go ahead 14-7 after one.
Walker scored from 3 yards out to tie the game, and sophomore
Devin Connally (Boynton Beach, Fla.) made a spectacular catch in the end zone in the final seconds of the half as PSU took a 21-14 lead into the break.
The Owls scored on the opening possession of the second half, then turned an interception into another score to go back in front 28-21 midway through the third. Plymouth State took over from there, with Davis finding the end zone from 8 yards out before graduate quarterback
Braden Lynn (Littleton, Mass.) put the Panthers ahead for good with a 6-yard rush to make it 35-28 after three.
Lynn ran it in against to make it a two-score game midway through the fourth, though Westfield State answered with a 66-yard screen pass to pull within 42-35 with six minutes remaining. PSU kept the ball on the ground as Davis and Lynn powered an 11-play, 62-yard drive to run out the clock.
Plymouth State improves to 6-1 (5-1 MASCAC), while Westfield State is 2-5 (2-4 MASCAC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 42, Westfield State 35
- Plymouth State (6-1, 5-1 MASCAC)
- Westfield State (2-5, 2-4 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Walker ripped off a 45-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage, then capped the drive with a 7-yard score for an early 7-0 lead.
- Westfield State responded with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that chewed up more than six minutes to tie it at 7-7.
- PSU fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Owls needed just three plays to take a 14-7 lead.
- Facing with third-and-17 from his own 21-yard line, Lynn connected with senior Mitchell Cripps (Dracut, Mass.) for a 54-yard strike. Runs by Walker and Davis pushed the ball to 3-yard line, and Walker punched it in to even the game at 14-14 with 11:23 left before halftime.
- Sophomore Hunter Burke (Pembroke, Mass.) intercepted a pass to end the Owls' next drive. PSU was forced to punt, but junior Aidan Fritz (Colchester, Conn.) recovered a fumble to set up the Panthers in Westfield territory.
- Lynn hit Connally for a short gain to convert a fourth-and-2, then found him again two plays later as Connally hauled in an incredible catch on the side of the end zone for a 21-14 halftime lead.
- Westfield State opened the second half with a long kickoff return that set up a touchdown pass to tie it at 21-21. The Owls then turned an interception into a 10-yard TD run to move ahead 28-21 midway through the third.
- Plymouth State answered immediately, aided by a Westfield penalty to keep the drive alive. Davis raced around the left side for an 8-yard score to tie it at 28-28 with 5:12 left in the quarter.
- A fumble on the next play from scrimmage gave the Panthers the ball back, and Lynn went untouched into the end zone on an option play to reclaim the lead, 35-28.
- The PSU defense forced a punt early in the fourth, and the Panthers followed with a 10-play, 82-yard drive capped by another Lynn keeper along the right side to extend the lead to 42-28.
- The Owls wouldn't go quietly, turning a third-and-16 screen pass into a 66-yard touchdown to pull within 42-35.
- Plymouth State stayed on the ground the rest of the way, as Davis and Lynn combined for an 11-play drive that drained the final six minutes to seal the win.
By the Numbers:
- Davis finished with 24 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown.
- Walker added 87 yards and two scores on the ground.
- Lynn went 10-for-16 for 144 yards and a touchdown, while adding five carries for 13 yards and two rushing TDs.
- Cripps caught two passes for 84 yards, and Connally had four receptions for 38 yards and a score.
- Junior TJ Taveras (Rochester, N.H.) and Burke led the defense with nine tackles apiece. Taveras added two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery, while Burke made one stop behind the line and an interception.
- Sophomore Seamus Ross (Windham, N.H.) converted all six extra-point attempts.
- Plymouth State is 19-3 in the head-to-head matchup and has won each of the last eight meetings between the two teams.
Up Next:
- The Panthers return home to face league-leading Framingham State on Saturday (Nov. 1). Kickoff is set for noon.
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