Army routs Franklin Pierce

By rbrown
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Updated: September 23, 2017

RINDGE – Freshman quarterback Jared Lubas connected on 8 of 14 pass attempts for 108 yards Saturday, but the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team was held to 36 yards rushing on 34 carries as Army West Point earned a 51-0 victory at Sodexo Field.

Senior running back Quay Gilmore rushed for 109 yards and two scores on 13 attempts to lead Army, which posted its second straight shutout victory to open the Collegiate Sprint Football League season.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in North Division play, while Army improves to 2-0 overall and 2-0 within the division.

Franklin Pierce forced Army into a three-and-out on its first possession of the game, but it would be all Black Knights from there. A nine play, 75-yard drive opened the scoring with 5:39 to play in the first quarter. Army converted on third-and-9 at one point, as junior quarterback Keegan West hit sophomore wideout Tom Williamson for 35 yards to keep the drive alive. It all set up a read-option play on first-and-goal at the 3-yard line, with West keeping the ball and plunging up the middle for the score.

The Black Knights added a 28-yard field goal by sophomore Peter Davis with 1:13 to play in the opening quarter to push the lead out to 10-0.

The next two Army scores came as a result of Franklin Pierce miscues. After the defense forced a three-and-out situation, sophomore Bailee Johns muffed the catch while attempting to fair-catch a punt, with Army recovering the ball at the Franklin Pierce 25. Gilmore took care of all 25 yards himself, on a pair of carries, which included a 10-yard touchdown rush.

Franklin Pierce lost fumbles on each of the next two drives, with the latter proving especially costly. Lubas completed a pass in the backfield to freshman back Tionne Brown, but Brown fumbled after being met with force by sophomore defensive back Devon Moore. Senior defensive lineman Curtis Jerzerick was on the scene to corral the loose ball and take it 13 yards the other way for the scoop-and-score. Davis pushed the point-after wide to the right, but Army was now staked to a 23-0 lead, which it would hold through halftime.

Two Army quarterbacks threw touchdown passes in the third quarter, as the Black Knights extended the lead. First, West found Williamson for a 22-yard score in the first five minutes of the stanza. Later, junior quarterback Brady Miller hooked up with sophomore back Jake Gigliotti for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Gilmore added his second score of the day three minutes later, with a 12-yard touchdown rush, to push the lead out to 44-0 through three quarters.

The Black Knights tacked on one more touchdown in the fourth quarter, as sophomore wide receiver John Descisciolo pulled in a six-yard touchdown pass from Miller to create the 51-0 final.

Sophomore back Kobie Smith, who rushed for 133 yards in last week’s opener, was held to just 17 yards on 16 carries (1.1 yards/rush), but was still the Ravens’ leading rusher on the day. Brown hauled in a game-best five receptions for 35 yards. Smith had the longest gain for either side on the day, as he hauled in a 62-yard pass in the second quarter, as the Ravens converted on a third-and-30 from deep in their own end.

Senior defensive back Ryan Becerra led the way for Franklin Pierce defensively, with 10 total tackles (six solo). Sophomore defensive lineman Bobby Kierce collected two tackles for loss, while sophomore linebacker Jon Nogueira added 1.5 of his own.

For Army, Gilmore chalked up 8.4 yards per carry while rushing for his 109 yards and two scores on only 13 carries. Junior back Jaylen Collier added 45 yards on eight carries (5.6 yards/rush). West went 9-for-16 for 110 yards and a touchdown through the air, while Miller added two touchdown passes as part of a 3-for-5 day. Williamson led the Army receiving corps with three catches for 66 yards and a score.

Army 51, Franklin Pierce 0: Box Score