Rams Score Late Touchdown to Defeat Nichols 20-19
Dudley, Mass. – Senior wideout Shawn Miller (Tyngsboro, Mass.) caught a five-yard touchdown pass from senior Kurt Leone (Marshfield, Mass.) with 1:20 remaining in the game to lift the Framingham State University football team to a 20-19 win over Nichols College tonight to spoil the Bison's home opener in New England Football Conference cross-divisional action at Michael J. Vendetti Field. Nichols rushed for 197 yards on the night, the most since 2007, but Rams' senior quarterback Leoneled the visitors with a pair of touchdowns on 186 yards and 23-of-36 passing.
The game began as a defensive battle early on. Midway through the first quarter Framingham State began a 14 play drive that ended one yard shy of the end zone. Nichols junior Mike Mainero (Bridgeport, Conn.) forced a fumble that senior captain Brandon Wallace (Windsor, Conn.) recovered at the Nichols one yard line.
The ensuing Nichols drive stalled at about midfield leading to a punt that pinned Framingham inside the 10 yard line. Just two plays later the Rams fumbled the ball into their own end zone which resulted in a safety to give Nichols a 2-0 lead after the first quarter. The safety marked the first for the Bison since 2007.
Framingham responded quickly in the opening moments of the second quarter. Miller returned a Nichols punt from the 16-yard line and proceeded to fumble the ball, but this time the fumble worked in Framingham State's favor. Jason Patterson (Attleboro, Mass.) picked it up at the Nichols 35-yard line and returned it for a touchdown putting the Rams up, 7-2, after Phil Cosmos's (Natick, Mass.) kick.
Framingham continued the scoring, this time in a more conventional way. Leone connected with Patterson for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 4:27 remaining in the frame to cap a 10 play, 67-yard drive making the score 14-2. Patterson ended the game with six receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown catch.
Nichols sophomore Cody Jankins (West Brookfield, Mass,) kicked a field goal with 1:06 remaining in half to make the score 14-5. The 32 yard field goal was the first of Jankins' career.
Defense was the story of the third quarter. Nichols senior Jonathan Merjuste (Norwich, Conn.) led the way with five tackles and 1.5 sacks in the stanza alone. He finished the game with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks.
The story changed quickly in the 4th quarter when Nichols freshman Joe Lambert (New Haven, Conn.) broke multiple tackles en route to a 32-yard touchdown run on just the second play of the quarter. This was Lambert's first career touchdown and brought Nichols to within two points, 14-12, with 13:58 left in the game.
The Nichols defense continued to stump Framingham's offense forcing a turnover on downs with 9:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bison offense only needed two plays to score again. This time it was freshman Antonio Thurston (West Palm Beach, Fla.) with a 66-yard touchdown run. This was a career first for Thurston as well and it gave the Bison a 19-14 lead with 9:04 remaining.
Framingham's offense finally woke up with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter. Nine plays, 54 yards, and 3:41 later, Leone found Miller for a five-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, but Framingham State still took a 20-19 lead with only 1:20 left. On Nichols' ensuing possession the offense turned the ball over on downs allowing Framingham State to run the clock out.
Rams' running back Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, Mass.) led all rushers with 89 yards on 15 carries while Bison first year Daquain Yarrell (Brockton, Mass.) ran for 71 yards on 17 carries. Nichols junior Sean Vaughan (Cumberland, Maine) threw for 85 yards on 11 of 34 passing with one interception.
Anthony Pappagallo (Malden, Mass.) led the Rams with 10 tackles and Dino Rizzo (North Reading, Mass.) had a game high 2.5 sacks. Senior Evan Greathead (Pepperell, Mass.) led the Bison with 10 tackles while senior Patrick Gregory (Webster, N.Y.) came up with nine tackles and two sacks.
Framingham State improves to 1-1, while Nichols will look to get in the win column when the Bison return to Vendetti Field next Friday, September 17th to take on Worcester State at 7 p.m. Framingham State returns to action next Saturday, September 18th at home against Salve Regina. The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m.
Release courtesy of Nichols Sports Information.