Fitchburg State Downs Framingham State, 41-34

Russell Jr. leads Falcons to first victory of season with two TD's

FITCHBURG, Mass. (September 27, 2008) - The Fitchburg State football team collected its first victory of the season, defeating Framingham State College, 41-34 in New England Football Conference action this afternoon at Elliot Field.

Sophomore wide-out Kenneth Russell, Jr. (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) led the Fitchburg State attack with a game-high 128 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Jim Miller (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) went 18-for-33 with 274 yards and three throwing touchdowns, while recording two rushing scores as well. Transfer running back Steven Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) added 126 yards on 34 carries and one touchdown.

Junior David Leach (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) led the Framingham State offensive front with 184 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, while senior quarterback Bruce Rich (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) went 16-for-27 with 153 yards throwing. Junior Anthony Kewley (Rutland, Mass./Wachusett) led all Rams receivers with 70 yards on six catches.

SEAN GOLDEN

Fitchburg State jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as Miller pushed through a one yard run at the 8:39 mark in the first quarter. Framingham responded five minutes later on a Leach 9-yard touchdown run to tie the game, but the Falcons gained 13-6 advantage moments later as  Russell's recorded first TD of the game to close out the quarter.

Framingham State opened the second quarter with a quick score as Rich punched through a 3-yard run to cap a five play, 49-yard to knot the score at 13-13. Both teams traded scores midway through the quarter to take a 20-20 score into the half. Austin posted a 1-yard TD run for the Falcons, while Leach notched a two-yard run for the Rams.

Framingham State took a 34-27 lead after the third quarter as Leach connected for two rushing scores, including a 49 yard run midway through the quarter. Fitchburg found the end zone once as Miller found Russell, Jr. deep down the field with a 45 yard pass for Russell's second score of the game.

In the final frame, Fitchburg State exploded for 14 unanswered points and silenced the Framingham State attack. Sophomore Kyle Callahan (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) evened the contest at 34-34 with his second touchdown of the season, while Miller put the Falcons on top with his second running TD of the game.

Sophomore Sean Golden (Montville, Conn./Montville) and junior captain Steve Witherell (Westchesterfield, N.H./Brattleboro Union) paced the Falcon defense. Golden collected five tackles (three solo, two assists), while making three-game saving plays, including an interception with a 36 yard return late in the fourth quarter. Witherell totaled a team-high seven tackles (six solo, one assist) with 2.5 sacks for a total loss of 27 yards. Freshman David Akasa (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) tallied five solo tackles for the Rams.

Fitchburg State (1-3, 1-0 NEFC) is back in action next Saturday as it travels to Bridgewater State College at 12 p.m. Framingham State (2-2, 0-1 NEFC) will host Worcester State College next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 41, Framingham State 34

Scoring:
First Quarter: FSC: Miller (1 yd run), 8:39; FRA: David Leach (9 yd run), 3:41; FSC: Kenneth Russell, Jr. (7 yd pass), 1:45;  
Second Quarter:  FRA: Bruce Rich (3 yd run), 15:00; FSC: Steve Austin (1 yd run), 10:28; FRA: Leach (2 yd run), 7:44;
Third Quarter: FRA: Leach (3 yd run), 11:10; FSC: Russell, Jr. (45 yd pass), 9:38; FRA: Leach (49 yd run), 07:38;
Fourth Quarter: FSC: Kyle Callahan (7 yd pass), 13:03; FSC: Miller (1 yd run), 6:04