By Daniel Meade Staff Writer The Framingham State Rams were defeated by the Plymouth State University Panthers 41-20 at Bowditch Field Nov. 2. With the loss, Framingham’s overall record falls to 2-6 with a conference record of 2-5. Framingham fell behind 20-0 early as Plymouth scored on their first three possessions, all rushing touchdowns from star running back Willie Lombard from 48, 10, and 22 yards. Similar to previous opponents, Plymouth went for a run-heavy approach against Framingham. Plymouth attempted just seven passes on the day, completing four of them. The Rams entered the game having scored just 6 points against Mass. Maritime in their most recent matchup. EJ Nichols started at quarterback after spending this season as a star wide receiver. Framingham got on the board with 9 minutes remaining in the second quarter when running back Camari Glasgow, a junior, rushed for a 2-yard touchdown after sophomore wide receiver Ayden Ramirez caught two passes from Nichols for a total of 38 yards. Plymouth answered back with a four-play 69-yard drive capped off with a 14-yard touchdown run from running back Gregory Walker to make the score 27-7. Plymouth took over with 1:53 remaining, but was unable to score before time ran out in the first half. On the first drive of the second half, Nichols completed two quick throws to wide receiver Ty Kelley, a freshman, and receiver Alex Maia, a sophomore, for four and five yards, before running back Makoto Uchikawa ran the ball on four consecutive plays for 30 yards, the biggest being 22 yards. A 6-yard run by Kelley kept the chains moving on third-and-4, and Uchikawa added an impressive 19-yard run during which he hurdled a Panthers defender. The drive was finished by a 2-yard touchdown pass from Nichols to Kelley with 8:45 left in the third quarter. Kelley said of Nichols, “I love the way he plays. He is mobile and has a great playmaking brain and the connection will only grow from here.” A 10-play 48-yard drive in the fourth quarter resulted in Lombard scoring his fourth rushing touchdown of the day from six yards out. The next Rams’ drive ended when a pass intended for Ramirez was intercepted by Jonah Bassett Jr. and resulted in a 1-yard rushing touchdown for the Panthers by Shawn Harrington, making the score 41-13. The Rams made the most of their final drive. Nichols completed three out of four passes before running for a 14-yard touchdown with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter, making the score 41-20. Despite the loss, there was a sense of optimism from the Rams’ offense with Nichols at quarterback. Nichols said, “I feel like I came in and played pretty efficiently for the most part, which was the goal offensively coming in. A couple plays I wish I could get back after watching film, as far as playing more aggressively and relying on my legs a bit more. But overall, I think it was a decent performance with only three days of practicing at the new position.” Ramirez said he was impressed with his chemistry with Nichols, considering they had less than a week to practice with Nichols at quarterback. Nichols said the team’s goal for the end of the season is to continue to grow and go into the offseason on a high note. He said, “Just play with pride ... really try to find some good to build off for momentum going into the offseason, and certainly leave Bowditch with a win in our final home game of the season.” The Rams’ next game will be at Western Connecticut State University Nov. 9. Their final home game is Nov. 16 against Worcester State.