Last-minute touchdown sinks Gulls, 25-20
Sept. 6, 2008
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - Senior quarterback Bruce Rich (Chelmsford, Mass.) rushed for a 23-yard touchdown with twenty-four seconds remaining to lift Framingham State College to a 25-20 win over visiting Endicott College in the season opener for both schools. Saturday's win was the first time the Rams have defeated Endicott and the first time the Rams have won their opener since 2005 when they defeated MIT, 14-7.
After forcing the Rams to turn the ball over on downs on the first possession of the game, Endicott notched a 30-yard field goal by junior Chris Brennan (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) that capped a 17 play, 85 yard drive that took over nine minutes off the clock.
The Rams took the lead on their next possession on 4-yard touchdown run by sophomore Shawn Miller (Tyngsboro, Mass.). Senior Steve DaSilva's (Milford, Mass.) extra point was good and gave the Rams a 7-3 lead with 9:54 remaining in the opening half. The Rams lead was short lived as junior Colby Hawkins (Scituate, Mass.) scored on an 11 yard run and after the extra point by Brennan; the Gulls led 10-7. It took the Rams just two minutes to recapture the lead on a 43 yard touchdown strike from Rich to sophomore wide receiver Dustin LeClair (Townsend, Mass.).
The Rams would hold onto the advantage until the final minutes of the game, when Endicott took the lead with 1:05 remaining in the contest on a 22-yard touchdown pass from freshman Phil Konopka (Shelton, Conn.) to senior tailback Drew Cusato (Merrimack, NH). After Brennan's second extra point of the day, the Gulls led 20-19.
Sophomore Anthony Kewley (Rutland, MA) gave the Rams excellent field position as he returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to the Endicott 37-yard line. After Rich completed passes to Kewley and LeClair, the Rams moved the ball to the Endicott 16 with 36 seconds remaining. Rich was sacked on the next play by Jason Devonshuk (Cheshire, Conn.) for a seven yard loss that forced the Rams to call a timeout with 32 seconds left on the clock. On the next play, Rich eluded the rush of the Gulls and scampered in for what turned out to be the winning score. After a failed extra point, the Rams led 25-20 with 24 seconds remaining. Endicott had one last possession but Konopka was picked off by Brenton Loveless (Billerica, Mass.) on the last play of the game to preserve the win.
The Rams amassed 404 yards of total offense on the day to Endicott's 338. Rich finished the afternoon 17-of-27 for 229 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 44 yards despite being sacked 5 times. Sophomore Jonathan Hayes (Framingham, Mass.) led the Rams receivers with 6 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, while LeClair finished with 4 catches for 83 yards and a score. Junior running back/wide receiver Dave Leach rushed for 112 yards on 16 carries.
Konopka had a good day for the Gulls going 21-of-31 for 230 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Senior Angelo Ortiz (Mashantucket, Conn.) had five receptions for 93 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, freshman defensive lineman Kevin Eagan (West Hartford, Conn.) had 5.5 total tackles, including three that resulted in a total loss of 11 yards. Eagan also broke-up a pass and forced a fumble in the losing effort.
The Rams return to action next Friday night as they travel to Nichols College at 7:00 p.m., while the Gulls host Rensselaer at 1:00 in the home-opener for the Blue and Green.