Football to Face Norwich in ECAC Northeast Bowl
Framingham, Mass. — The Framingham State University football team has been selected to participate in one of the seven 2010 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Football Bowl Championship games. The Rams will face off against Norwich University in the Northeast Bowl which will be played on Saturday, November 20th at noon at Norwich. The Rams, who will be making their first appearance in an ECAC Bowl game, and Norwich both enter the game with identical 8-2 records.
The Rams are led by the 2010 New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division Coach of the Year in head coach Tom Kelley, the Bogan Division Co-Defensive Player of the Year in senior safety Anthony Pappagallo (Malden, Mass.) and the Bogan Division Offensive Rookie of the Year in running back Melikke Van Alstyne (Salem, Mass.). Framingham State finished the 2010 regular season with a school best 8-2 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the Bogan Division which placed them in a tie with Maine Maritime atop the Bogan Division standings. The Rams captured their first MASCAC Regular Season Championship in 2010 as they went 5-0 against MASCAC opponents.
Pappagallo led the Rams defense which ranked first in the Bogan Division in total defense, rushing defense, and first in the NEFC in passing defense as he racked up 62 tackles including 45 solo stops on the season to go along with two interceptions and five pass breakups. Senior linebacker Joe Treacy (Wakefield, Mass.), who became the Rams career tackle leader during the 2010 season, sophomore defensive tackle James Muirhead (Middleboro, Mass.), and senior linebacker Adam Emery (Dorchester, Mass.) were all integral parts of the Rams 2010 defense as they all earned all-division honors.
The Rams high powered offense, which shattered the FSU single season points record, led the conference in passing offense and was second in total offense, was led by the trio of senior quarterback Kurt Leone (Marshfield, Mass.), junior wide receiver James McCarty (Newton, Mass.) and Van Alstyne.
McCarthy, who is leading the nation in scoring, became the first FSU wide receiver to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a single season as he broke six school records during the season. McCarthy led the NEFC in receptions per game, receiving yards per game, touchdowns and scoring as he made 57 catches for 1,017 yards and 21 touchdowns. He averaged 127.1 receiving yards per game which is also among the national leaders.
Leone led the NEFC in passing yards per game, total offense and passing efficiency. He completed 207 of 310 passes (66.8%) for 2,704 yards and 31 touchdowns with only five interceptions as he also rushed for 104 yards and two scores on the year. Leone averaged 270.4 passing yards per game as he tied the NEFC single season touchdown pass record and broke the Framingham State single season touchdown pass mark, while also establishing a new single season passing yardage record. Leone tied the FSU single game touchdown record of five which he did three times this season and tied the school record for completions in a season.
Van Alstyne became the just the second Rams running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season as he rushed for 1,019 yards on 197 carries with five touchdowns during his rookie season.
Juniors Dan Fox (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and Bobby Donoghue (Wilmington, Mass.) anchor the Rams offensive line whose solid play led to the Rams having one of their best offensive seasons to date, while senior wide receiver Shawn Miller (Tyngsboro, Mass.) was one of the Rams most versatile players as he earned all-division honors while making 47 catches on the year for 491 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 204 yards on 48 carries with a touchdown.
Norwich University finished the 2010 season 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) which placed them behind SUNY Maritime.