Fitchburg State Outlast UMass Dartmouth, 25-20

Teague tops 100 yards with two scores; Saint-Juste ties single-season TD receptions mark

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 9, 2013) - The Fitchburg State football team registered its second consecutive victory this afternoon, posting at 25-20 victory over UMass Dartmouth in MASCAC action at Elliot Field.

Junior running back Steph'fon Teague (Fitchburg, Mass.) stole the show for the Fitchburg State offense, totaling 182 yards on 27 carries, while adding one rushing TD and one receiving score. Freshman quarterback Garrett Dellechiaie (Leominster, Mass.) was also strong with a 15-for-22 day, including 167 yards and three touchdown passes, while receivers Phillip Saint-Juste (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Ty Spencer (Foxboro, Mass.) combined for 13 catches, 153 yards and two scores.

With his touchdown catch, Saint-Juste tied the Fitchburg State, all-time, single season mark for receiving touchdowns (10) set by Carlos De La Rosa during the 2009 season.

In the first half, Fitchburg State took at 19-14 advantage into the locker room, led by the hard rushing of Teague. Teague totaled 12 first half carries for 111 yards and one TD, including an opening score of 36 yards at the 13:06 mark.. Saint-Juste was also solid with six catches for 75 yards and a score while Spencer added three catches, including an 11 yard TD catch.

The Falcons opened the contest with a 6-0 lead thanks to Teague, but the Corsairs answered with a six play, 51 yard drive resulting in an Anthony LaRose (Canton, Mass.) three yard touchdown. Fitchburg State countered with back-to-back scores from Saint-Juste and Spencer, before UMass Dartmouth closed out the half with a two-yard touchdown from Scott Tupper (Holden, Mas.).

In the second half, Fitchburg State opened the scoring with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter as Dellechiaie connected with Teague out of the backfield for a five yard touchdown. The score remained locked at 25-14 for a majority of the frame, before UMass Dartmouth inched within five with just 0:25 remaining in the contest. Wide receiver Jason Ferri (Billerica, Mass.) put the Corsairs on the board, reeling in a ten yard TD pass from quarterback Cullen Hanna (Richmondville, N.Y.) to make the score 25-20.

On the ensuing kickoff, UMass Dartmouth went for the onside kick attempt, however an illegal touch by the Corsairs gave Fitchburg State the ball back, allowing the Falcons to run out the clock and secure the victory.

UMass Dartmouth was led offensively by Trent Barneys (Avenel, N.J.), who rushed 20 times for 59 yards and also threw for 83 yards on 21 attempts. Receiver Brendan LaRosa (Everett, Mass.) led the Corsairs receivers with four catches and 30 yards, while Tupper notched 54 yards on the ground and a score.

On the defensive side, junior Talib Barksdale (Hudson, N.Y.) led the Falcons, posting nine stops, including 1.0 TFL, while senior Tony Louis (Medford, Mass.) also had a standout game with eight tackles and four TFL's. Defensive back Elizear Torres (Bronx, N.Y.) rounded out the Falcons defense with seven tackles (6 solo) and one pick.

Fitchburg State (5-4, 4-3 MASCAC) will be back in action next weekend as it hosts Plymouth State at 1 p.m. UMass Dartmouth concludes its season with an overall record of 3-6 and a 3-5 mark in the MASCAC.