Fitchburg State Stuns Coast Guard, 44-29

Falcons snap Bears' 16-game divisional unbeaten streak with key conference victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 11, 2008) - The Fitchburg State football team collected a key New England Football Conference victory, defeating two-time conference champions, Coast Guard Academy, 44-29 this afternoon at Elliot Field. The loss marks Coast Guard's first divisional setback since joining the Bogan Division in 2006.

Fitchburg State junior transfer Steven Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) sparked the Falcons' first half offense with two scores, while senior Marlon Thornton (Bromfield, Conn./Bromfield) paced Fitchburg State in the second half to lift the Falcons into first place in the Bogan Division. Thornton led the Falcons ground attack with a game-high 167 yards on 31 carries and a season-high three touchdowns, while Austin posted 232 all-purpose yards and two TD's.

Senior quarterback Jim Miller (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) ignited the Fitchburg State aerial attack with a 24-for-39 performance. The veteran leader tossed 314 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore wide-out Kenneth Russell, Jr. (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) led all receivers with a game-high 104 yards on five catches, including a key 42 yard reception late in the third quarter.

Fitchburg State came out firing, finding the end zone in the first 2:44 as Austin took in a 17-yard pass from Miller to cap a seven play, 63 yard drive. Coast Guard responded just 3:29 later as junior Sam England (Grand Prairie, Texas) collected a 9-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Niles Pierson (Cheshire, Conn.) to knot the score at 7-7.

JIM MILLER

The Falcons added three scores in the second quarter to take a 27-21 lead into the half. Thornton opened the scoring for Fitchburg State with five-yard dash early in the frame, while Austin and sophomore wide-out Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) tacked on scores late in the half. The Bears totaled two rushing scores in the half, led by the ground attack of Pierson and newcomer Ryan Webster (Melrose, Mass.).

Both teams remained silent in the third quarter, but the Falcons broke the scoring silence early in the fourth as junior Evan Georgopoulos (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) connected for a 29-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 30-21 edge. After a quick four and out by Coast Guard, Fitchburg State put together a 14-play, 86 yard drive that took 7:28 off the clock and resulted in Thornton's second TD of the game. The Bears inched closer with a 9-yard TD run by Webster, but Thornton clinched the game for the Falcons with a 32-yard run through the heart of the line with 1:26 left in regulation.

Pierson led the Coast Guard offensive attack with 123 yards and one touchdown on the ground, while tossing for 55 yards in the air on 8-of-17 passing and one TD. Webster was also solid on the ground, posting a team-high 125 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

Freshman Andrew Cavanagh (Brattleboro, Vt./Brattleboro Union) led the Fitchburg State defense with eight tackles (six solo, two assists), one fumble recovery and one key interception down the stretch. Senior Dan Underwood (Bellflower, Calif./Bellflower) totaled 11 tackles on the day (five solo, six assists), while freshman Jesus Moore (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence) made ten stops (five solo, five assists) with 1.5 sacks for a loss of 11 yards. Sophomore Kyle Ennis (Mayo, Md.) led Coast Guard with a game-high 17 tackles (13 solo, four assists).

Fitchburg State (2-4, 2-1 NEFC) is back in action next Saturday as it hosts Worcester State College at 1:30 p.m. Coast Guard (2-3, 2-1 NEFC) will travel to Bridgewater State next Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 44, Coast Guard 29

Scoring:
First Quarter: FSC: Steve Austin (17 yd pass), 12:16; CGA: Sam England (9 yd pass), 8:45;  
Second Quarter:  FSC: Marlon Thornton (5 yd run), 11:57; CGA: Niles Pierson (7 yd run), 5:48; FSC: Austin (10 yd pass), 3:11; CGA: Ryan Webster (5 yd run), 1:10; FSC: Carlos De La Rosa (9 yd pass), 0:22;
Third Quarter: none  
Fourth Quarter: FSC: Evan Georgopoulos (29 yd FG), 12:44; FSC: Thornton (1 yd run), 3:55; CGA: Webster (9 yd run), 1:36; FSC: Thornton (32 yd run), 1:26;