BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior linebacker Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.) blocked a field goal late in the fourth quarter as the Bridgewater State University football team held off visiting Framingham State University, 20-19, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletics conference (MASCAC) matchup on Saturday at Swenson Field.
The Bears improve to 5-4 on the season and 5-2 in the MASCAC with their first win over the Rams since 2016. Framingham falls to 4-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Bridgewater now holds a 33-16 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1973.
Trailing 20-19 with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Rams moved the ball 79 yards on nine plays with junior quarterback Noah Leonard (Taunton, Mass.) completing passes of 17, 19 and 27 yards on the drive which stalled at the BSU six. Sophomore kicker Matthew Farley's (Middleboro, Mass.) 22-yard potential go ahead field goal, however, was blocked by Albert.
Framingham still had a chance after the Rams' defense forced a three-and-out. A 66-yard punt by junior punter Shane Drake (Franklin, Mass.) and subsequent 27-yard return by freshman Jaden Lewis (Fall River, Mass.) gave the visitors the ball at the BSU 49 with just one minute left to play. With no timeouts, Leonard completed a 13-yard pass to Lewis. A four-yard pass sandwiched around a pair of incompletions set up fourth and six from the 32. A false start penalty, however, moved the ball back to the 37 with just 11 seconds remaining. The Rams lined up for a field goal, but senior Henrique De Boni's (Rio Claro, Brazil) 54-yard attempt came up short as Bridgewater held on for the win.
Senior quarterback James Cahoon (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) completed 20 of 33 pass attempts for 251 yards and a touchdown to lead the BSU offense. Senior wideout Kyle Torres (Waltham, Mass.) hauled in six receptions for 92 yards and a score, while senior running back Adam Couch (Winchendon, Mass.) rushed for 69 yards on 19 carries and added two receptions for 36 yards. Sophomore tight end Jalen Kopecky (Warren, R.I.) punched in a pair of rushing touchdowns to go along with two catches for 35 yards.
Albert, senior linebacker Steven Silvia (Dighton, Mass.) and senior defensive end Dan Cataldo (Wakefield, Mass.) paced the Bears' defensive effort. Albert notched 12 tackles (five solo), including the 200th of his career, with one tackle for loss to go along with his game-saving blocked field goal. Silvia led all players with 15 tackles (nine solo) and also broke up a pass, while Cataldo tallied ten tackles (seven solo) with a sack and a pair of pass breakups.
Drake averaged 50.1 yards on seven punts with a long of 66 and two inside the 20 to highlight the BSU special teams. He also averaged 52.8 yards on four kickoffs with three touchbacks.
Junior running back Devaun Ford (Mashpee, Mass.) rushed for a game-high 112 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown to lead the way for Framingham State. Ford also caught two passes for 31 yards. Leonard completed 15 of 34 pass attempts for 163 yards and a touchdown to go along with 39 rushing yards.
The Rams scored on their first possession as they moved the ball 73 yards on 16 plays capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to sophomore wideout Manny Lara (Lawrence, Mass.). The drive consumed over seven minutes (7:16).
The BSU offense struggled through most of the first half, but midway through the second quarter the Bears capitalized on great field possession following a booming 63-yard punt by Drake and a quick Framingham three-and-out. Taking over at the FSU 42, Cahoon hooked up with Kopecky on a clutch 22-yard pass on third and ten. Four plays later, Kopecky punched in a four-yard touchdown run to knot the score at 7-7 with 5:19 showing on the scoreboard.
Later in the second quarter, Bridgewater took advantage of a short 21-yard punt. On the very next play, Cahoon connected with Torres on a 39-yard touchdown pass to give the Bears a 13-7 lead. The extra point, however, was blocked by sophomore linebacker Dylan DeWolfe (Wareham, Mass.) and junior MoMo Nazaire (Somerville, Mass.) returned the blocked PAT for a Ram two-point conversion.
That would complete the scoring in the first half as the two teams headed to the locker room with the score 13-9 in favor of the hosts.
The Rams took advantage great field position following an attempted onside kick to start the second half as well as a personal foul penalty. Ford capped off a short six-play, 36-yard drive with a two-yard TD run to give the visitors a 16-13 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Farley booted a 29-yard field goal to extend the Framingham lead to 19-13 with 12:38 left to play.
On the ensuing drive, the Bears moved the ball 61 yards on seven plays. Cahoon connected with Couch on a 30-yard completion out of the backfield, and then hooked up with senior wideout Michael Nocera (Cumberland, R.I.) on a 23-yard strike to set up first and goal at the Framingham four. After an incomplete pass and two short runs brought up fourth down, Kopecky punched in a one-yard touchdown to knot the score at 19-all. Freshman kicker Joey Naso (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) then converted the extra point attempt to give the hosts a 20-19 lead and set the stage for the dramatic finish.
Bridgewater racked up 349 yards of total offense with 251 coming through the air. The Bears went 4-for-13 on third down conversion and 1-for-2 on fourth down.
Framingham finished with 321 yards of total offense including 158 on the ground. The Rams converted 5 of 18 third down opportunities and went 2-for-3 on fourth down.
Neither team turned the ball over.
Junior linebacker Chase Buono (Lynn, Mass.) led the FSU defense with eight tackles (seven solo) with a pair of tackles for loss, while senior safety Cully Curran (Arlington, Mass.) notched nine tackles (eight solo) and graduate safety Michael Brooks (Brooklyn, Mass.) recorded seven solo stops.
Both teams will wrap up regular season play next Saturday at noon. The Bears host the Buccaneers of Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the 43rd Annual Cranberry Bowl sponsored by A&A Metro Transportation. The Rams entertain the Lancers of Worcester State University.
Notes: Cahoon moved past BSU Hall of Famer Adam Camobreco (2002-2005) into sixth place on the Bears' all-time passing list. Cahoon has thrown for 4,492 yards in three seasons at Bridgewater State.