Football shuts out Plymouth State
By Andrew Louis
Interim Asst. Sports Editor
Categorizing the Rams’ defense as good is an understatement.
Framingham State football delivered a dominant defensive performance Saturday afternoon, shutting out Plymouth State 14-0 at Bowditch Field. The victory improved the Rams' overall record to 5-2 and 4-2 in conference play.
The Rams' defense held the Panthers to just 62 total yards, including negative six rushing yards and 68 passing yards. Framingham State recorded five sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble, earning its first shutout of the season.
Leading the defensive effort was sophomore Zimari Omosefe, who recorded 7 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His performance earned him MASCAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Sophomore Jordan Cabbagestalk also had a major impact, finishing with 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.
Junior Gabe Grzyboski contributed 5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and a sack.
Junior linebacker Tyrese Herring said, “We knew the game had to be won with the front 7.” He added, “The way we practiced, we knew we were going to have a shutout.”
The offense also had a part in the shutout, with sophomore quarterback Michael Marcucella throwing for 70% completion, totaling 298 yards and a touchdown.
To start, Marcucella opened with a pass to senior captain Alex Maia for 17 yards, putting them at Plymouth's 48-yard line.
The Rams wanted to get the ground game going, having junior Makoto Uchikawa rush for 7 yards in two attempts. The first down wasn’t yet secured, so Marcucella passed the ball to senior Ayden Ramirez to gain 5 yards to move the sticks.
The Rams continued to march down the field with only one penalty to their name, but weren’t able to finish with a score.
Plymouth St. started their first drive with nothing in hand.
The Rams’ defense allowed 20 yards in eight plays, as well as a sack from Cabbagestalk.
The Rams got the ball back with 1:11 left in the first quarter. The first pass of the drive was sent to senior Ezana Zemene for 5 yards, and right after, Uchikawa got involved with the pass game with a gain of 39 yards to end the first quarter.
This drive ended with a punt by freshman Brandon Snyder for 47 yards.
The Panthers tried to get the ground game going, but Cabbagestalk, alongside Grzyboski, made sure not to allow that, with 4 rushing yards in four attempts and only 11 yards in the air, forcing them to punt.
Marcucella went four-for-four in completions, two of which led to first downs.
Back-to-back throws to senior Mathias Fowler for a total of 22 yards allowed Marcucella to throw to junior Adrian Sarrette for a gain of 29 yards, resulting in a Framingham touchdown. Junior Ty Kelly was good for the extra point.
Framingham State 7, Plymouth 0.
The Rams’ defense went back to business, allowing nothing. The Panthers’ drive ended with a loss of 7 yards in only three plays.
The Rams were everywhere, making even a yard impossible for the Panthers to gain.
The Rams’ defense continued to assert dominance throughout the first quarter while the offense tried to score again.
The half ended with the Rams at 7, and Plymouth yet to score.
Plymouth started the half with the ball and could not make anything happen. Framingham State kept them to another negative-yardage drive. The Panthers couldn’t pass it or run it. Everything they tried only benefited the Rams. The drive ended with -3 yards in three plays.
The Rams had brief possession of the ball for only a minute and 29 seconds.
The Rams’ defense made sure to make the Panthers regret their short offensive drive. They kept their foot on the gas, forcing -2 in three plays.
The third quarter ended the same way it started - Plymouth St. 0, Framingham St. 7.
The Rams started their drive with 13:40 left on the clock. Marcucella threw the ball five times, only completing three passes for 20 yards. They were able to get the ball to their own 35-yard line, but couldn’t score.
Brandon Snyder punted the ball 62 yards to the Panthers’ 3-yard line. The Panthers tried to recover the ball, but the Rams forced the fumble. Senior Stephen Gallant was able to recover it and score, adding 6 for the Rams, with an extra point good from Kelley.
There wasn’t a lot of offense for the remainder of the fourth. The Rams spent their possession of the ball draining the clock, while the Panthers tried to gain their first points of the game. The game ended with Plymouth St. 0, Framingham St. 14.
The Rams will be going against 1-7 Dean College in a conference matchup Nov. 7th.
