By Riley Crowell Asst. Sports Editor By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams were defeated by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buccaneers 21-6 in a MASCAC matchup at Bowditch Field Oct. 26. With the loss, Framingham’s overall record fell to 2-5 and their conference record fell to 2-4. Mass. Maritime received the ball to begin the game and wasted no time getting points on the board. The Buccaneers put together a 73-yard drive, capped off by a 7-yard touchdown rush by quarterback Evan Pierce. Kicker James Sansone converted the extra point to give Mass. Maritime a 7-0 advantage over the Rams with 9:00 remaining in the first quarter. The Rams received the ensuing kickoff and began their first offensive drive of the game at their own 31-yard line. A defensive stand by the Buccaneers led to a 3-and-out for Framingham, forcing them to punt. Mass. Maritime received the punt at their own 28-yard line and began their second offensive drive of the game with 6:27 to play in the first quarter. The Buccaneers once again stormed down the field, advancing all the way to the Framingham 23-yard line in just seven plays. From there, Pierce attempted his first pass of the game and found wide receiver Brennan Keefe in the end zone for a 23-yard completion and touchdown. Following the touchdown, Sansone booted the ball through the uprights, converting the extra point to give Mass. Maritime a 14-0 lead with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter. The Buccaneers’ first two drives featured 17 rushing attempts and only one passing attempt, something that was entirely by design. Mass. Maritime’s offense utilizes a formation known as the triple option, in which the quarterback receives the snap and can decide to either run the ball himself, pitch it to the fullback, or pitch it to the running back. The triple option, most notably used in college football by Army, Navy, and Air Force, is designed to keep defenses off balance and give the quarterback freedom to keep or get rid of the ball based on what he sees. Head Coach Thomas Kelley said the Rams have seen this offense before and have been preparing for it. “We’ve been working on the triple option for three weeks. In the first quarter, it was like we had never seen it. “Westfield ran it the week before … so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have been ready for it. It took us a quarter to figure it out,” he added. Junior defensive end Kymauny Roland said, “We’ve been watching this for three weeks. We knew what was coming at us.” The Rams and Buccaneers both punted on their first drives of the second quarter. Framingham received the Mass. Maritime punt at their own 48-yard line with 12:35 to play in the second quarter. On this drive, the Rams showed their first signs of life offensively. Graduate student quarterback Luke Thompson completed six passes and Framingham picked up three consecutive first downs. The Rams worked their way down to the Buccaneers' 19-yard line, where they would unfortunately falter. A rush for a loss, a false start penalty, and three incomplete passes by Thompson led to a turnover on downs, giving possession back to Mass. Maritime. A strong defensive stand by Framingham forced a 3-and-out and a punt from the Buccaneers. The Rams received the punt at their own 35-yard line with 3:33 remaining in the second quarter. Thompson completed five passes, most notably a 20-yard completion to senior wide receiver EJ Nichols, to lead the Rams to the Mass. Maritime 10-yard line. On third down, Thompson dropped back to pass and threw the ball to sophomore wide receiver Alex Maia in the end zone. The ball was tipped in the air, but was ultimately able to be taken in by Maia for a 9-yard completion and Framingham touchdown. This touchdown brought the score to 14-6 Mass. Maritime, where it would stand at halftime. The second half opened with a 49-yard kickoff from Mass. Maritime’s Connor Malone, which quickly set Framingham up for their first possession at their own 30-yard line. Thompson got the Rams moving, completing a pass to Nichols for an 11-yard gain to the Framingham 41-yard line. On the next play, freshman running back Makoto Uchikawa found a gap and gained 5 yards before Mass. Maritime’s Liam Hines forced a fumble. Their defensive back recovered it at the 49-yard line, flipping possession back to the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers initiated a steady ground attack, weakening the Rams’ defense. The Buccaneers rushed for a few short gains before attempting to open up the field with a pass by Pierce, who connected with Keefe for a significant 19-yard gain to the Framingham 11-yard line. Despite the hopeful drive, Mass. Maritime could not convert on their red zone opportunity and Framingham gained possession of the ball. The Rams’ next drive stalled and they were forced to punt - allowing the Buccaneers another chance to break through the Rams’ defense. Mass. Maritime struggled offensively, with Framingham’s freshman defensive lineman Korrey Barron consistently stopping plays in the backfield.
A 37-yard punt by Mass. Maritime’s Logan Tsika pushed Framingham back to their 13-yard line, but freshman wide receiver Ty Kelley provided a spark with a 22-yard return to the Framingham 35-yard line.
The Rams started their drive with 4:04 left in the third, looking to push down the field, but their offense quickly faltered. On first down at their own 35-yard line, junior quarterback Donovan Cole attempted a pass to sophomore wide receiver Ayden Ramirez, but it fell incomplete.
Facing third-and-10, the pressure mounted as Mass. Maritime's defensive back TJ Jones hurried Cole, forcing him to rush his throw.
Out of options, Framingham turned to Uchikawa on fourth down. Uchikawa launched a solid 48-yard punt, pinning Mass. Maritime back at their 17-yard line.
With the drive ending in a 3-and-out, the Rams missed a chance to put points on the board and gave possession back to the Buccaneers.
Mass. Maritime's drive stalled at their own 17-yard line despite a push by the offense. John Carlson attempted to gain yards, but the Rams' strong defense, led by Roland, held the offensive line off.
Tsika executed a powerful 51-yard punt, placing Framingham at their own 29-yard line with 1:10 remaining.
With possession of the ball, Cole connected with Maia for a 5-yard pass on first down and then found junior running back Camari Glasgow on a 14-yard pass to advance to the 48-yard line.
Glasgow added a 4-yard rush to cap the series, positioning the Rams on the edge of the Buccaneers’ territory as they looked to turn their defensive hold into offensive momentum. The Rams had possession on the Buccaneers' 48-yard line in the opening of the fourth quarter.
Glasgow faced a setback with a 5-yard loss, and a series of incomplete passes left the Rams unable to gain ground, forcing them to punt from the Mass. Maritime 47-yard line.
On fourth down, Uchikawa punted for a total of 36 yards to Mass. Maritime’s 17-yard line, with Mass. Maritime’s freshman quarterback Owen Lane returning it one yard to the 18-yard line.
Despite a strong 22-yard burst by Mass. Maritime’s running back Daniel Molloy, the team fumbled on a later possession, with freshman safety Carl Renaudin recovering the ball for the Rams.
Despite the turnover, Framingham’s offense couldn’t capitalize on it.
Cole had another incomplete pass and was pressured relentlessly by Mass. Maritime's defense, including a crucial sack by defensive lineman Ian Gauch.
Cole later connected on a few short passes to Nichols, but another sack by Gauch left the Rams with little momentum for the remainder of the game.
After the Buccaneers gained possession once again, Pierce fumbled - allowing Framingham to regain possession, but the team struggled to convert.
The Buccaneers’ defense continued its dominance, blocking another series of passes and causing the Rams to turn over on downs with 3 minutes left in the game.
Mass. Maritime ran down the clock with short gains. However, the Rams held on defensively and the Buccaneers were unable to extend the drive any further.
Nichols was named Most Valuable Player of the Homecoming game. “It feels good. I hate that it didn't come with a win, but it’s good for self-esteem.”
Nichols said they’re working on consistency before their last three conference games. “Since we have a young team, it's hard for us to execute consistently - so consistency and focus is what we’re working on.” Roland said the team is working on intensity and effort. “We have to score on offense and lock down on defense - that’s the focus this week.” The Rams host the Plymouth State Panthers for a conference matchup Nov. 2. Nichols said, “We’re definitely motivated, for sure. We had little momentum. … This was kind of a shocker for me and the guys, but we just have to come back focused next week - start off Monday great and hope for a different outcome.”