Bears Snap Football's Four Game Win Streak
Bridgewater, Mass. - Junior running back Justin Fuller (Berkley, Mass.) rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns and also threw for one, to lead the Bridgewater State College football team to a key 26-20 New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division victory over Framingham State this afternoon at Swenson Field in Bridgewater.
With the win, the Bears improve to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in the Bogan Division. Framingham dips to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in divisional play. The loss snaps a four game winning streak for the Rams.
Fuller opened the scoring with a nine-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. The Bears had forced a fumble on Framingham's previous possession and took over on the Rams' 31-yard line. Eight plays later, Fuller bounded into the end zone to give BSC the 7-0 lead.
After forcing a punt, the Bears struck quickly as Fuller found some daylight on the far sideline and rambled 54 yards for his second touchdown run of the day and 13th of the season.
Framingham State responded on their ensuing possession, marching 60 yards on nine plays capped off by a Dave Leach (Chelmsford, Mass.) 16-yard TD run. The extra point attempt however was no good thanks in part to a holding penalty which forced the Rams to kick from the 13-yard line rather than the three.
The Bears maintained the 14-6 lead into the intermission and throughout the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, in the midst of a six-play, 78-yard drive, senior quarterback Steve Clark (East Falmouth, MA) broke free on a run up the middle and rambled 47 yards to put the Bears on top, 20-6. Bridgewater would miss the conversion attempt which sailed wide right.
Framingham would turn the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession thanks to a Casey Florence (Bridgewater, Mass.) sack on a fourth and five play from the BSC 23-yard line. The Rams, however, managed to force a Bridgewater State punt and got the ball back with 8:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 43, the Rams moved 57 yard on nine plays with Leach finding the end zone from two yards out to cut the deficit to 20-13. The biggest play of the drive was a 29-yard pass from junior quarterback Patrick Franey (Waltham, Mass.) to sophomore wideout James McCarthy (Newton, Mass.) on fourth down and 12 from the BSC 36.
Bridgewater State answered the Framingham scoring drive as senior running back Jeff Creeden (Mansfield, Mass.) put the Bears in business with a 41-yard scamper to move the ball down to the Framingham 24. Three plays later, the Bears faced a fourth down and six situation from the Ram 20. On a halfback option pass, Fuller connected with senior wideout Jesse Teixeira (Taunton, Mass.) on a 20-yard touchdown to up the lead to 26-13 with 3:30 left to play. BSC, however, failed to convert the point after try which again sailed wide right.
The Rams would not go quietly as Franey hooked up with McCarthy on a 30-yard scoring strike down the left sideline. Framingham was able to move the ball 57 yards on seven plays and took just 1:14 off the clock. Down by just six points, 26-20, the Rams attempted an onside kick which was recovered by BSC junior Nikko Beck (Brockton, Mass.). Thanks to a Creeden six-yard run on fourth and one with just over a minute to play, the Bears were able to run out the clock with Clark taking a knee on the final two plays.
Clark led all players with 116 yards on the ground which included his 47-yard touchdown run. He also completed 3 of 10 passes for 44 yards. Creeden rushed for 78 yards on just nine carries with four of his runs resulting in first downs. Teixeira hauled in four receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Bridgewater racked up 368 yards of total offense with 304 yards coming on the ground. BSC also turned the ball over just once and did not fumble the ball in 49 rushing attempts. Both teams converted just 3 of 12 third down attempts, but were each 3-for-4 in fourth down conversions.
Florence paced the Bears defensively as he registered nine tackles including two for loss to go along with a blocked punt. Fellow senior linebacker John Ferbert (East Bridgewater, Mass.) recorded nine tackles to go along with a fumble recovery. Senior defensive lineman Chris Dijak (Lunenburg, Mass.) tallied seven solo tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. Junior cornerback Maradona Alcime (Everett, Mass.) chipped in with five solo tackles and also intercepted a pass.
For Framingham State, Franey completed 15 of 26 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Leach rushed for 103 yards and two scores on 22 carries. McCarthy caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Junior linebacker Anthony Pappagallo (Malden, Mass.) recorded nine tackles to go along with an interception and a pass breakup.
Release courtesy of Bridgewater State Sports Information.