By Adam Levine
Sports Editor
By Dante Curry
Staff Writer
The Framingham State Rams lost their home opener to the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs 33-7 Sept. 16.
Framingham’s loss drops them to a record of 0-2 after a 29-0 loss to Salve Regina Sept. 7.
UMass Dartmouth won the 2023 MASCAC Tournament and are the top-seeded team going into this season. The Corsairs were 2-0 going into the game, with a 57-6 win over Nichols College and a 28-14 win over Curry College.
Framingham’s offensive lineman, Brian Callery, said, “We knew they were a good team coming out here.
“Definitely thought if we executed a little better, the scoreboard would have been a lot different,” Callery added.
Framingham’s head coach, Tom Kelley, said, “In games like this, everybody owns a piece of it.
“We put our defense in bad situations two weeks in a row, and we’ve got to clean that up,” he added.
The Corsairs received the opening kickoff, but the Rams struck first.
Framingham’s defensive end, Kymauny Roland, forced a UMass Dartmouth fumble on a strip sack, giving the Rams possession of the ball.
Framingham’s running back, Devaun Ford, took over the offense and rushed for a combined 53 yards over the next three consecutive plays.
Framingham’s wide receiver, Noah Demoranvil, rushed in the final two yards for the first touchdown of the game.
The Rams’ kicker, Matthew Farley, scored the extra point, extending Framingham’s early lead to 7-0.
This early touchdown was Framingham’s only score of the game.
The Corsairs received the ball and quickly scored a touchdown of their own, tying the score 7-7.
UMass Dartmouth continued to score with little resistance, tallying 33 points before the end of regulation.
Despite Framingham’s 33-7 loss, the team showed promise with defensive stops and offensive diversity.
In the second quarter, Framingham’s cornerback, Devine Johnson, intercepted the Corsairs’ quarterback.
Later, during UMass Dartmouth’s final drive, Framingham’s defensive lineman, Adeboye Oyaronbi, forced a fumble from the Corsairs’ offense.
On the offensive end, three of Framingham’s quarterbacks received snaps behind center.
Starting quarterback Henri Borque was injured during the first half and did not return for the remainder of the game.
Kelley said, “It's hard when you work with a starting quarterback because they get the majority of the snaps there in the week and to throw somebody in at halftime, it’s hard.
“It's a hard challenge,” he added.
Framingham’s backup quarterbacks, Terry Smith and Khyle Pena, each spent time behind center during the game.
Framingham’s safety, Chris Buono said, “All quarterbacks work in our system.”
Framingham’s ground game proved dominant. Ford rushed for an impressive 157 yards on 27 carries.
Buono said, “Honestly, we tried our best today. There's a lot of things that we’ve got to fix - go back to the drawing board.”
Framingham now holds an overall record of 0-2 and a conference record of 0-1.
The Rams host Westfield State for a MASCAC matchup at Bowditch Field Sept. 23.