Springfield Roars Past Fitchburg State, 55-7

Guzman collects first collegiate touchdown with fumble recovery late in contest

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 5, 2009) - The Fitchburg State football team suffered a tough 55-7 season-opening setback to Springfield College this evening. The Pride totaled 531 yards of offense to cruise to their first victory of the season.

Springfield registered 55 unanswered points to open the contest as quarterback Josh Carter (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) led the Pride both on the ground and in the air. Carter led all rushers, totaling 184 yards on ten carries and two TDs, while throwing for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Senior running back Baldwin Cunningham (Manchester, Conn./E. Hartford) also broke the 100 yard plateau, rushing for 107 yards and two scores, while junior Tim Brady (Southbury, Conn./Holy Cross) brought in 75 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns.

Fitchburg State was held at bay throughout the entire contest, registering only 10 yards of total offense. Senior Steve Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) collected 31 yards on the ground for the Falcons, while junior quarterback Jordan Cannava (Woburn, Mass./Melrose) tossed for 78 yards on 11-of-22 passing. Senior Billy Flynn (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) led all Fitchburg State receivers with a team-high 33 yards on a pair of catches.

The Pride opened the scoring early as Carter connected with Flynn on a 25 yard pass just 1:37 into the first quarter. Springfield continued its offensive prowess, scoring two more times in the frame to take a commanding 21-0 lead. Carter notched his first TD run of the day with a 79 yard burst, before closing the quarter with a 67 yard touchdown run.

In the second, Springfield kept the pressure on the Falcons as Carter and Brady connected again, this time for a 21 yard reception. The Pride added another score as Cunningham pushed through the middle for a 1 yard TD run, giving Springfield a 35-0 lead at the break.

Springfield consistently moved the ball in the second half, scoring three more times to gain a 55-0 edge. In the fourth, Fitchburg State linebacker Christian Guzman (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence) put the Falcons on the board, registering his first collegiate touchdown with a 7 yard fumble recovery. Newcomer Nate Krikorian (Metheun, Mass./Metheun) led all Fitchburg State tacklers with a team-high eight stops (7 solo, 2 assists), while Chris Kulcsar (Haworth, N.J./Northern Valley Demarest) totaled 7.5 tackles and 3.5 sacks for the Pride.

Fitchburg State (0-1, 0-0 NEFC) will be back in action next Saturday as it travels to Anna Maria College at 1 p.m. Springfield (1-0, 0-0 E8) will travel to King's College next Saturday at 1 p.m.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Springfield 55, Fitchburg State 7

Scoring:
First Quarter: SPR: Tim Brady (25yd reception), 13:23; SPR: Carter (79yd run), 3:09; SPR: Carter (67yd run), 0:08;
Second Quarter: SPR: Brady (21yd reception), 10:02; SPR: B. Cunningham (1yd run), 3:49;
Third Quarter: SPR: B. Cunningham (1yd run), 10:31;
Fourth Quarter: SPR: Steve Nackley (42yd pass), 13:49; SPR: Brian Staub (68yd run), 11:50; FIT: Christian Guzman (10yd fumble recovery), 4:08;