Framingham State Nips Fitchburg State, 14-0

Summiel finishes with five catches for 106 yards for Falcons in MASCAC setback 

FITCHBURG, Mass. – Fitchburg State and Framingham State opened-up MASCAC action on the gridiron under the lights of Elliot Field tonight with the Falcons falling to the Rams 14-0 - It was the first time being shutout in a game for the Falcons since October 22^nd 2011.

Framingham State rode a touchdown from both sides of the ball as junior quarterback Zak Walker picked up his sixth throwing touchdown of the season while linebacker Aaron Owens returned an interception to the house, the only scores of the game for either team.  

Senior quarterback Garrett Dellechiaie and company moved the ball well in the first-half with 192 yards of total offense through the first 30 minutes of play. The offense finished the game with 313 total yards with 121 coming during the second-half. For Framingham State, 148 of its 220 yards came on the ground as senior tailback Trevon Offley picked up a game-high 65 yards on six carries including a 29-yard scamper during the opening quarter.  

Framingham State was able to strike first in the divisional-clash with 11:04 left in the opening quarter as Walker linked up with classmate Mike Calicchio in the corner of the end zone to cap off a 57-yard, nine play drive for the 7-0 advantage.

Fitchburg State nearly responded when Dellechiaie ran his team down the field with nine plays (66-yards) into the opponent's goal line. However, the Rams defense rose to the bell, halting the Falcons on three-straight plays before blocking an attempted field goal as junior defensive linemen Campbell Marchant got a hand on the ball to close out the first-half as Framingham State took its 7-0 lead into the intermission.

Following the half-time break, the Rams received a huge momentum boost when Owens intercepted a pass at the Falcons 30-yard line and scampered into the end zone, padding Framingham State's lead (14-0).

With time winding down in the final frame, Fitchburg State nearly cut into its deficit when sophomore James Antonelli found freshman wide out Jesse Brown for 18 yards before connecting with Summiel for another 32 yards to bring the ball inside the Framingham 15, but the drive stalled out as Framingham State regained possession on downs, resulting in the 14-0 final.

Throughout the game, Fitchburg State moved the chains more affectively, picking up 20 first-down to the Rams 12 and were more successful on third-down attempts, converting 10-of-19 (53%) to Framingham State's 5-of-14 (36%), while the time of possession was swayed in the visitor's direction as the Rams controlled the ball for 33:08 minutes.

Dellechiaie led all-passers with his game-high 215 yards on 21-39 through the air,, while Walker finished 12-20 passing with 72 yards. On the ground, senior running back Jevon Brown-Simpson led the Falcons, registering 43 yards on 13 attempts while sophomore Sterlin Gavin added 27 yards.

Fitchburg State wide-out Jesse Lastra finished as the game's leading receiver with nine receptions, while Summiel ended with a game-high 106 yards on five targets. Calicchio paced the Rams receiving corps, hauling in four passes for 40 yards and a TD.

Defensively for the Falcons, senior linebacker Tre Watson totaled a game-best 11 tackles with four solo stops, seven assisted tackles, 1.5 TFL's and one sack, while classmate Ousmane Samb registered nine stops, including five solo tackles, four assisted stops and one tackle for loss.

Junior linebacker Svenn Jacobson paved the way for the Rams on the defensive side of the ball, collecting a team-leading ten tackles on four solo stops, six assisted tackles and one tackle for loss, while Marchant posted seven stops with five solo tackles, two assisted stops, 3.5 TFL's and 2.5 sacks.

Fitchburg State (2-1, 0-1 MASCAC) continues divisional action with another game under the lights when they travel to Bridgewater State to take-on the Bears on September 23^rd. Framingham State (2-1, 1-0 MASCAC) host Western Connecticut State on September 24^th for a 12:00 P.M. contest. 

Release Courtesy of Fitchburg State student journalist Kyle Prudhomme

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