BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Framingham State University football team posted a 27-17 victory over Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.
With their seventh straight win, the Rams (8-1, 7-0 MASCAC) secure their sixth consecutive MASCAC title and earn the conference's automatic qualifier to the 2015 NCAA Division III Tournament. The NCAA tournament appearance will mark Framingham's third in the last four seasons. The Rams also extended their winning streak against the Bears (6-3, 5-2 MASCAC) to six games.
Senior quarterback Matt Silva (Dracut, Mass.) completed 21 of 30 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns to lead the visitors. With his three TD passes, Silva increased his season total to 35 as he eclipsed Kurt Leone's single-season program mark of 33 touchdowns set back in 2010.
Senior Tevin Jones (Springfield, Mass.) and Marcus Grant (Carver, Mass.) and freshman Napoleon Miller (Boston, Mass.) were Silva's main targets as they each hauled in six receptions. Jones finished with 63 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Grant recorded a team-high 101 receiving yards.
Jones capped off a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown reception from Silva with one minute remaining in the first quarter to open the scoring.
The Bears answered with a 17-play, 76-yard drive resulting in a Liam Murphy (South Hadley, Mass.) 27-yard field goal.
Bridgewater closed out the first half with a 31-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Danny Higgins (Manahawkin, N.J.) to sophomore receiver Brandon Giles (Old Bridge, N.J.) with just four seconds showing on the clock. The drive started at the BSU 14-yard line as the Bears moved the ball 86 yards on 12 plays.
After the two teams exchanged punts to open the second half, the Rams marched 71 yards on eight plays with Silva connecting with Jones on a five-yard touchdown pass. Less than two minutes later, the Rams took advantage of great field position thanks to a short punt and a 41–yard return by freshman Quron Wright (Worcester, Mass.). One-play later, Silva hooked up with junior running back Jalen Green (Brockton, Mass.) on an eight-yard touchdown pass to give Framingham the 21-10 lead.
A pair of Sean Wlasuk (Peabody, Mass.) field goals (28 and 20 yds.) extended the FSU advantage to 27-10 as the game moved into the fourth quarter.
The Bears' only points of the second half came on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Higgins to senior wide receiver Michael Viola (Wrentham, Mass.). The long TD reception cut the deficit to 27-17 with 9:32 remaining in the final period. Viola finished with six catches for a game-high 109 yards on the day as he became the 12th player in program history to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving milestone. Viola has amassed 1,073 yards in four seasons with the Bears.
Following a 33-yard kickoff return by freshman Isaiah White (Beverly, Mass.), Framingham strung together an 11-play non-scoring drive which ate up six and half minutes off the clock and all but secured the win for the Rams.
The Bears took over at their own ten-yard line with 2:52 left to play and moved the ball down to the FSU 35. However, a big 11-yard sack by senior defensive end Quentin Jones (Springfield, Mass.) on second down (his second sack of the drive) put a damper on any hopes of a BSU comeback.
Senior linebacker A.J. Pascuzzo (Wallingford, Conn.) paced the BSU defense with six tackles (four solo), including two for loss, to go along with three pass breakups. Sophomore defensive end Emmanuel Omere (Bessemer, Ala.) added seven tackles (solo) and a sack, while sophomore linebacker Andrew Frigault (Assonet, Mass.) recorded a team-best eight tackles (four solo) with a pass breakup. The Bears limited the Rams to 51 rushing yards and just 1.8 yards per carry. Framingham entered the game averaging 133.8 yards on the ground.
Higgins threw for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Bridgewater' passing attack. Sophomore quarterback Alex McLaughlin (Littleton, Mass.) finished with a game-high 47 rushing yards on 11 attempts, while senior running back Carlton Williamson (North Easton, Mass.) also averaged over four yards a carry as he rushed for 25 yards on just six attempts. The Bears, who had been averaging slightly over 50 rushing attempts per game, finished with only 30 on the day.
Sophomore linebacker Svenn Jacobson (Cumberland, Maine) led the Rams with eight solo tackles, while Jones finished with five solo stops including three for loss and a pair of sacks.
Both teams wrap up regular season play next Saturday at noon. The Bears travel to Massachusetts Maritime Academy for the 37th Annual Cranberry Bowl, while the Rams head to Worcester State University.