Fitchburg State Nipped By Alfred, 11-10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alfred (8-3) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
|
Fitchburg St. (7-4) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Feliz totals game-best 15 stops of Falcons
NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – The Fitchburg State football team was in action this evening, dropping an 11-10 decision to the Saxons of Alfred University in the 2015 ECAC Robert M. "Scotty" Whitelaw Championship Bowl, hosted by Central Connecticut State University.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Alfred took a 8-0 lead early in the second quarter as junior quarterback Tyler Johnson hit classmate Brendan Buisch in the near corner of the end zone for the five yard touchdown before senior tight end Mike Brien hauled in a pass for the two point conversion, capping a seven play, 61 yard drive..
The Falcons cut the deficit to one, finishing off a ten play, 70 yard drive with 31 seconds remaining in the half when junior QB Garrett Dellechiaie found fellow junior Devin Summiel for a ten touchdown strike to make the score 8-7 going into halftime.
Following the break, Fitchburg State took advantage of good field position after a botched punt by Alfred, The Green and Gold took its first lead of the contest as junior place kicker Christopher Ludwig connected on a 38 yard field goal, capping an eight play, 28 yard drive for the 10-8 margin after three quarters of play.
The Saxons regained the lead with 1:37 left in the contest, driving 56 yards on 11 plays, capped by a 22 yard field goal off the foot of sophomore kicker Trevor Monk for the 11-10 advantage. Fitchburg State threatened on its final possession, only to have Ludwig's potential game-winning field goal attempt blocked as time expired.
Fitchburg State's offense was paced by Dellechiaie, who completed 19-of-39 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown, while junior running back Jevon Brown-Simpson ran for 47 yards on 15 carries. Senior receiver Ty Spencer was also solid, catching seven passes for 59 yards.
Defensively, senior linebacker Luis Feliz totaled a game-best 15 tackles, including nine solo stops and one tackle for loss, while junior Mamour Samb posted 13 stops with four solo tackles and a pair of TFL's
For Alfred, Johnson finished 3-for-13 for 36 yards and one TD, while adding 119 rushing yards on 23 rushes. Junior tailback Casey Bright was also solid for the Saxons, running for 97 yards on 19 carries and one catch for 23 yards.
On the defensive side, senior linebacker Corry Wallace led the way, registering 15 tackles, including six solo stops and pair of interceptions, while sophomore Jared Watkins added ten sops, including seven solo tackles and one TFL.
Fitchburg State concludes it 2015 season with an overall record of 8-3 and a 6-2 mark in the MASCAC, while Alfred University ends its season with an overall record of 8-3 and a 5-3 clip within Empire Eight play.