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Plymouth State pulls away

PLYMOUTH – Junior Terrell Lewis (New Boston) had three catches for a career-high 103 yards and a pair of scores and senior Matt Shea (Atkinson) made two interceptions, including a 40-yard pick-six, as Plymouth State University blanked Fitchburg State University, 42-0, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) football game at Currier Field during Homecoming and Family Weekend on Saturday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

            The game stayed scoreless for the first 25 minutes, but PSU scored twice in the final five minutes of the half including a 70-yard TD pass hauled in by Lewis. The Panthers added a pair of touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters, with senior Matt Shea returning an interception 40-yards for a score and classmate David Carlson (New Milford, Conn.) adding a 15-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

       Plymouth State improved to 4-1 (2-1 MASCAC). The Falcons dropped to 1-4 and 0-3 in conference play.

    How it Happened.

  • PSU had a chance for an early lead, but the Panthers’ field goal attempt from 31-yards out sailed wide right with 10:37 left in the first quarter.
  • Plymouth State moved the ball to the Fitchburg 2-yard line early in the second quarter, but the Falcons defense forced a fumble to keep the game scoreless.
  • The Panthers broke through with 4:45 remaining in the half when PSU took advantage of a short field. Senior Nick Lancia (Bedford, N.Y.) capped the 6-play, 38-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run, while sophomore quarterback Brett Lavanchy (Walpole, Mass.) connected with classmate Zach Caffrey (Hampton, Conn.) for a 21-yard gain to jumpstart the drive.
  • Fitchburg State was unable to run out the clock as the Panthers used all three of their timeouts and PSU got the ball back on its own 30-yard line with 1:59 left in the half. On third-and-10, Lavanchy hit Lewis in stride deep down the left sideline for a 70-yard score and PSU took a 14-0 lead into the half.
  • PSU got good field position again to start the second half, taking over on the Fitchburg 36-yard line. Four plays later, Lewis got past his defender along the right sideline on a play-action pass for a 24-yard score to make it 21-0 with 13:11 left in the third.
  • The Panthers added a defensive touchdown just three plays later when Shea jumped in front of a Falcons’ pass and returned it 40-yards, untouched into the end zone.
  • Lavanchy found junior Max Osgood (Nashua, N.H.) for a 1-yard score with just over nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter for a 35-0 lead and PSU added another defensive score on the ensuing Fitchburg possession. Junior Elijah Bussell (Athens, Maine) forced a fumble and Carlson picked up the loose ball and returned it 15 yards for the final score.

            Inside the Numbers:

  • Lavancy finished 11-of-21 for 191 yards and three touchdowns, while senior David Hamilton (West Deptford, N.J.) and Lancia combined for 87 yards on the ground.
  • Lewis led all receivers with his 103 yards, while Caffrey added 40 yards on a pair of catches.
  • Senior Connor Fitzsimons (Flushing, N.Y.) was 25-for-45 for 190 yards for the Falcons, but threw four interceptions, as sophomore Steven Lawton (Ayer, Mass.) picked up a game-high 78 yards rushing on ten carries.
  • Sophomore Misael Gilot-Oquendo (Manchester, N.H.) led Fitchburg State with eight catches, as senior Jesse Brown (Yonkers, N.Y.) led the Falcons with 53 receiving yards on six grabs.
  • The Plymouth State defense forced five turnovers.

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