Fitchburg State Upends Westfield State, 26-23

Teague and Saint-Juste combine for four TD's in Falcons MASCAC victory

WESTFIELD, Mass.. (November 2, 2013) -  The Fitchburg State football team improved to 4-4 on the season using a balanced attack to post a 26-23 victory over Westfield State University in MASCAC action this afternoon.

The Falcons mustered 416 total yards offense led by senior running back Steph'fon Teague (Fitchburg, Mass.) and junior wide receiver Phillip Saint-Juste (New Rochelle, N.Y.). Teague accounted for two scores on the afternoon, notching 121 yards on 25 carries, while Saint-Juste found the end zone twice with seven receptions and 166 yards on the day.

After a silent first quarter, Fitchburg State opened its scoring, posting a trio of touchdowns over a nine minutes stretch in the second. Saint-Juste put the Falcons on the board first with a five-yard TD reception from Garrett Dellechiaie (Leominster, Mass.) before Teague plunge through the goal line with a two-yard TD run for a 12-0 advantage at the 2:18 mark.

Westfield State marched back just one minute later, breaking its scoring silence on a 64 yard TD reception from Kane Terilli (Cranston, R.I.), but Fitchburg State answered two players later as Saint-Juste hurled in a 61 yard touchdown with 52 seconds remaining in the half. The Owls would not be out-done however as Terilli brought in his second TD of the day, a 17 yard pass from Tim Rich (Chelmsford, Mass.) to cut the Falcon lead to five (20-15) with just 0:11 left in the half.

In the third, Fitchburg State opened its lead as Teague capped a four play, 43 yard drive with an 11yd touchdown for a 26-15 advantage. The Owls managed a touchdown in the fourth to cut the Fitchburg State lead to three (26-23), but the Falcons held strong down the stretch, forcing Westfield State to punt on its final three possessions for the victory.

For the game, Teauge led the running attack with 121 yards on the day, while Mike Delaney (Marion, Mass.) added 26 yards with six carries. Dellechiaie finished 15-of-30 on the afternoon with 271 yards and two TD's, while Ty Spencer (Foxboro, Mass.) added to the receiving mix with five catches for 89 yards.

Defensively, line back Talib Barksdale (Hudson, N.Y.) led all scorers, totaling 12 tackles with six solo stops and six assists, while Elizear Torres (Bronx, N.Y.) added ten stops on the day, including 2.0 TFL's. Punter Christopher Ludwig (Fort Myers, Fla.) was also solid with 190 yards on the afternoon, including a long of 46 yards and two touchbacks.

Fitchburg State (4-4, 3-3 MASCAC) will be back in action next weekend as it hosts UMass Dartmouth at 1 p.m.