**NOTE: This press release has not been approved for display in the official UMass Dartmouth press release area.**
Football Defeats Fitchburg State, 45-17
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's football team scored three touchdowns in a span of 12 minutes, opened up a 31-10 lead and went on to defeat visiting Fitchburg State, 45-17, in a New England Football Conference crossover game at Cressy Field Saturday evening.
NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's football team scored three touchdowns in a span of 12 minutes, opened up a 31-10 lead and went on to defeat visiting Fitchburg State, 45-17, in a New England Football Conference crossover game at Cressy Field Saturday evening.
Senior running back Aaron Russo (Johnston, RI/Johnston HS) broke a 10-10 tie when he scored from a yard out with 6:04 remaining in the first half. He also scored the last of the three touchdowns, going over from four yards out with 9:34 left in the first half. Senior running back J.T. Harold (North Andover, MA/Austin Prep HS) scored from 66 yards out 1:38 into the second half, and the Corsairs had a three-touchdown advantage with 9:34 left in the third quarter.
Fitchburg State quarterback Jim Miller threw his second touchdown pass of the game, a 43-yarder to Devon Jennings, with 8:09 left in the third quarter. But Russo scored for the third time on a nine-yard pass from senior quarterback Alex Garro (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester Regional HS) less than four minutes later, and junior running back James Moore (Wakefield, MA/Wakefield HS) capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 12:45 remaining.
Harold opened the scoring with a seven-yard run with 4:53 left in the first quarter, but the Falcons tied it when Miller connected with Kenneth Russell, Jr. from 46 yards out 2:24 later. Junior George Vasiliadis (Worcester, MA/St. Peter-Marian HS) made it 10-7 with a 26-yard field goal 1:53 into the second quarter, but Evan Georgopoulos tied it when he booted a 29-yarder less than four minutes later.
"This was a great win," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. "J.T. is a phenomenal running back, and he had a great game, and James Moore also had some yards. We ran the ball really well, our offensive line played great. We fumbled going in at halftime, but we came out in the second half and stepped it up. We're 2-1 going into our division games, which are the biggest games of our season."
UMass Dartmouth gained 439 of their 504 yards on the ground. Harold rushed 22 times for 222 yards, the second consecutive week he has amassed that total. Moore added 88 yards on 12 carries, sophomore running back Alex Duff (Acushnet, MA/Old Colony HS) rushed seven times for 53 yards, and Russo gained 36 yards on nine carries and also caught three passes for 28 yards and scored three times. Marlon Thornton rushed 21 times for 135 yards for FSC, Miller was 11 of 27 for 187 yards, and Russell caught five passes for 89 yards.
Freshman linebacker John Cordasco (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls HS) led the Corsairs with nine tackles, including two solo stops, and an interception. Steve Witherell had seven solo stops and 12 tackles for Fitchburg State, including a sack and two tackles for lost yardage.
The Corsairs improved to 2-1 with the victory, while the Falcons dropped to 0-3 with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they open NEFC Boyd Division play at Plymouth State next Saturday. Fitchburg State will host Framingham State next Saturday in a Bogan Division game.
UMASS DARTMOUTH FOOTBALL
Box Score (Final)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Fitchburg State..... 7 3 7 0 - 17 Record: (0-3)
UMass Dartmouth..... 7 10 21 7 - 45 Record: (2-1)
Scoring Summary:
1st 04:53 UMD - J.T. Harold 7 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 4-20 1:40, FITFB1 0 - UMD 7
02:29 FITFB1 - Kenneth Russell, Jr. 46 yd pass from Jim Miller (Evan Georgopoulos kick), 6-59 2:15, FITFB1 7 - UMD 7
2nd 13:07 UMD - George Vasiliadis 26 yd field goal, 10-59 4:14, FITFB1 7 - UMD 10
09:52 FITFB1 - Evan Georgopoulos 29 yd field goal, 10-48 3:15, FITFB1 10 - UMD 10
06:04 UMD - Aaron Russo 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 8-41 3:39, FITFB1 10 - UMD 17
3rd 13:22 UMD - J.T. Harold 66 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 3-73 1:38, FITFB1 10 - UMD 24
09:34 UMD - Aaron Russo 4 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 6-37 2:07, FITFB1 10 - UMD 31
08:09 FITFB1 - Devon Jennings 43 yd pass from Jim Miller (Evan Georgopoulos kick), 4-80 1:17, FITFB1 17 - UMD 31
04:26 UMD - Aaron Russo 9 yd pass from Alex Garro (George Vasiliadis kick), 8-87 3:43, FITFB1 17 - UMD 38
4th 12:45 UMD - James Moore 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 12-47 4:55, FITFB1 17 - UMD 45
FITFB1 UMD
FIRST DOWNS................... 16 25
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 29-185 65-439
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 187 87
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 31-11-2 18-11-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 60-372 83-526
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 1-0 1-23
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 7-112 4-75
Interception Returns-Yards.... 1-0 2-12
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 2-33.5 1-37.0
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards............... 3-25 5-50
Possession Time............... 20:49 39:11
Third-Down Conversions........ 4 of 11 9 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 2 2 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 1-2 6-7
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 2-12 0-0
RUSHING: Fitchburg State-Marlon Thornton 21-135; Steve Austin 3-25; Jim Miller
3-21; Jordan Cannava 1-5; Team 1-minus 1. UMass Dartmouth-J.T. Harold 22-222;
James Moore 12-88; Alex Duff 7-53; Aaron Russo 9-36; Alex Garro 11-33; Steven
Trudeau 1-5; Michael Allen 1-2; David Menapace 1-0; Chris Pinheiro 1-0.
PASSING: Fitchburg State-Jim Miller 11-27-2-187; Jordan Cannava 0-4-0-0. UMass
Dartmouth-Alex Garro 11-18-1-87.
RECEIVING: Fitchburg State-Kenneth Russell, Jr. 5-89; Carlos De La Rosa 2-40;
Steve Austin 2-9; Devon Jennings 1-43; Marlon Thornton 1-6. UMass Dartmouth-Aaron
Russo 3-28; John Henry 2-34; George Vasiliadis 2-23; A.J. Tavares 1-6; Cameron
Pontes 1-5; J.T. Harold 1-minus 4; Marc Fiore 1-minus 5.
INTERCEPTIONS: Fitchburg State-Andrew Cavanagh 1-0. UMass Dartmouth-Rich Braley
1-12; John Cordasco 1-0.
FUMBLES: Fitchburg State-Marlon Thorton 1-1. UMass Dartmouth-J.T. Harold 1-0;
Aaron Russo 1-1.
Stadium: Cressy Field Attendance: 1050
Kickoff time: 6:00 pm End of Game: 8:40 pm Total elapsed time: 2:40
Officials: Referee: William Donahue; Umpire: John Reen; Linesman: Rich Anderson;
Line judge: Jay Gledhill; Back judge: Robert Hertigan; Field judge: Craig McDonnell;
Side judge: Craig Smail;
Temperature: Wind: Weather:
Fitchburg State vs UMass Dartmouth (Sep 20, 2008 at North Dartmouth, MA)
SACKS (UA-A): Fitchburg State-Joshua Francis 1-0; Steve Witherell 1-0. UMass
Dartmouth-None.
TACKLES (UA-A): Fitchburg State-Steve Witherell 7-5; Sean Golden 5-5; Eugene
Boakye 5-3; Andrew Cavanagh 4-4; Dan Underwood 3-5; Bobby Johnson 2-5; Jesus
Moore 2-4; Tim Beane 1-5; Dale Whittredge, Jr. 3-2; Joshua Francis 2-3; Josh
Cote 1-4; Jason Basely 2-2; Alex Bourassa 1-3; Steve Austin 3-0; Daniel Marcum
2-0; Bruce Rogers 2-0; Zach Hertel-Therrien 0-2; Marlon Thorton 1-0; Taylor
Santos 0-1; Jim Jaworski 0-1. UMass Dartmouth-John Cordasco 2-7; John Waldron
5-1; Anthony Musto 2-4; John Kelly 1-5; Ross O'Toole 5-0; Darrien Furr 2-1; Matt
Lamoureux 1-2; Rich Braley 1-2; Jordan Wright 1-2; Chris Bell 1-2; Luke Poirier
1-1; Jarrod Wallace 1-1; Chris Girdis 1-1; Alvin Morris 1-0; Rolando Andrade
1-0; Matt Prunier 1-0; Matt Brune 0-1; Dave Bombardier 0-1; Adam Houghton 0-1.
Senior running back Aaron Russo (Johnston, RI/Johnston HS) broke a 10-10 tie when he scored from a yard out with 6:04 remaining in the first half. He also scored the last of the three touchdowns, going over from four yards out with 9:34 left in the first half. Senior running back J.T. Harold (North Andover, MA/Austin Prep HS) scored from 66 yards out 1:38 into the second half, and the Corsairs had a three-touchdown advantage with 9:34 left in the third quarter.
Fitchburg State quarterback Jim Miller threw his second touchdown pass of the game, a 43-yarder to Devon Jennings, with 8:09 left in the third quarter. But Russo scored for the third time on a nine-yard pass from senior quarterback Alex Garro (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester Regional HS) less than four minutes later, and junior running back James Moore (Wakefield, MA/Wakefield HS) capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 12:45 remaining.
Harold opened the scoring with a seven-yard run with 4:53 left in the first quarter, but the Falcons tied it when Miller connected with Kenneth Russell, Jr. from 46 yards out 2:24 later. Junior George Vasiliadis (Worcester, MA/St. Peter-Marian HS) made it 10-7 with a 26-yard field goal 1:53 into the second quarter, but Evan Georgopoulos tied it when he booted a 29-yarder less than four minutes later.
"This was a great win," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Mark Robichaud. "J.T. is a phenomenal running back, and he had a great game, and James Moore also had some yards. We ran the ball really well, our offensive line played great. We fumbled going in at halftime, but we came out in the second half and stepped it up. We're 2-1 going into our division games, which are the biggest games of our season."
UMass Dartmouth gained 439 of their 504 yards on the ground. Harold rushed 22 times for 222 yards, the second consecutive week he has amassed that total. Moore added 88 yards on 12 carries, sophomore running back Alex Duff (Acushnet, MA/Old Colony HS) rushed seven times for 53 yards, and Russo gained 36 yards on nine carries and also caught three passes for 28 yards and scored three times. Marlon Thornton rushed 21 times for 135 yards for FSC, Miller was 11 of 27 for 187 yards, and Russell caught five passes for 89 yards.
Freshman linebacker John Cordasco (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Knolls HS) led the Corsairs with nine tackles, including two solo stops, and an interception. Steve Witherell had seven solo stops and 12 tackles for Fitchburg State, including a sack and two tackles for lost yardage.
The Corsairs improved to 2-1 with the victory, while the Falcons dropped to 0-3 with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they open NEFC Boyd Division play at Plymouth State next Saturday. Fitchburg State will host Framingham State next Saturday in a Bogan Division game.
UMASS DARTMOUTH FOOTBALL
Box Score (Final)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Fitchburg State..... 7 3 7 0 - 17 Record: (0-3)
UMass Dartmouth..... 7 10 21 7 - 45 Record: (2-1)
Scoring Summary:
1st 04:53 UMD - J.T. Harold 7 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 4-20 1:40, FITFB1 0 - UMD 7
02:29 FITFB1 - Kenneth Russell, Jr. 46 yd pass from Jim Miller (Evan Georgopoulos kick), 6-59 2:15, FITFB1 7 - UMD 7
2nd 13:07 UMD - George Vasiliadis 26 yd field goal, 10-59 4:14, FITFB1 7 - UMD 10
09:52 FITFB1 - Evan Georgopoulos 29 yd field goal, 10-48 3:15, FITFB1 10 - UMD 10
06:04 UMD - Aaron Russo 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 8-41 3:39, FITFB1 10 - UMD 17
3rd 13:22 UMD - J.T. Harold 66 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 3-73 1:38, FITFB1 10 - UMD 24
09:34 UMD - Aaron Russo 4 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 6-37 2:07, FITFB1 10 - UMD 31
08:09 FITFB1 - Devon Jennings 43 yd pass from Jim Miller (Evan Georgopoulos kick), 4-80 1:17, FITFB1 17 - UMD 31
04:26 UMD - Aaron Russo 9 yd pass from Alex Garro (George Vasiliadis kick), 8-87 3:43, FITFB1 17 - UMD 38
4th 12:45 UMD - James Moore 1 yd run (George Vasiliadis kick), 12-47 4:55, FITFB1 17 - UMD 45
FITFB1 UMD
FIRST DOWNS................... 16 25
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 29-185 65-439
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 187 87
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 31-11-2 18-11-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 60-372 83-526
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 1-0 1-23
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 7-112 4-75
Interception Returns-Yards.... 1-0 2-12
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 2-33.5 1-37.0
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards............... 3-25 5-50
Possession Time............... 20:49 39:11
Third-Down Conversions........ 4 of 11 9 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 2 2 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 1-2 6-7
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 2-12 0-0
RUSHING: Fitchburg State-Marlon Thornton 21-135; Steve Austin 3-25; Jim Miller
3-21; Jordan Cannava 1-5; Team 1-minus 1. UMass Dartmouth-J.T. Harold 22-222;
James Moore 12-88; Alex Duff 7-53; Aaron Russo 9-36; Alex Garro 11-33; Steven
Trudeau 1-5; Michael Allen 1-2; David Menapace 1-0; Chris Pinheiro 1-0.
PASSING: Fitchburg State-Jim Miller 11-27-2-187; Jordan Cannava 0-4-0-0. UMass
Dartmouth-Alex Garro 11-18-1-87.
RECEIVING: Fitchburg State-Kenneth Russell, Jr. 5-89; Carlos De La Rosa 2-40;
Steve Austin 2-9; Devon Jennings 1-43; Marlon Thornton 1-6. UMass Dartmouth-Aaron
Russo 3-28; John Henry 2-34; George Vasiliadis 2-23; A.J. Tavares 1-6; Cameron
Pontes 1-5; J.T. Harold 1-minus 4; Marc Fiore 1-minus 5.
INTERCEPTIONS: Fitchburg State-Andrew Cavanagh 1-0. UMass Dartmouth-Rich Braley
1-12; John Cordasco 1-0.
FUMBLES: Fitchburg State-Marlon Thorton 1-1. UMass Dartmouth-J.T. Harold 1-0;
Aaron Russo 1-1.
Stadium: Cressy Field Attendance: 1050
Kickoff time: 6:00 pm End of Game: 8:40 pm Total elapsed time: 2:40
Officials: Referee: William Donahue; Umpire: John Reen; Linesman: Rich Anderson;
Line judge: Jay Gledhill; Back judge: Robert Hertigan; Field judge: Craig McDonnell;
Side judge: Craig Smail;
Temperature: Wind: Weather:
Fitchburg State vs UMass Dartmouth (Sep 20, 2008 at North Dartmouth, MA)
SACKS (UA-A): Fitchburg State-Joshua Francis 1-0; Steve Witherell 1-0. UMass
Dartmouth-None.
TACKLES (UA-A): Fitchburg State-Steve Witherell 7-5; Sean Golden 5-5; Eugene
Boakye 5-3; Andrew Cavanagh 4-4; Dan Underwood 3-5; Bobby Johnson 2-5; Jesus
Moore 2-4; Tim Beane 1-5; Dale Whittredge, Jr. 3-2; Joshua Francis 2-3; Josh
Cote 1-4; Jason Basely 2-2; Alex Bourassa 1-3; Steve Austin 3-0; Daniel Marcum
2-0; Bruce Rogers 2-0; Zach Hertel-Therrien 0-2; Marlon Thorton 1-0; Taylor
Santos 0-1; Jim Jaworski 0-1. UMass Dartmouth-John Cordasco 2-7; John Waldron
5-1; Anthony Musto 2-4; John Kelly 1-5; Ross O'Toole 5-0; Darrien Furr 2-1; Matt
Lamoureux 1-2; Rich Braley 1-2; Jordan Wright 1-2; Chris Bell 1-2; Luke Poirier
1-1; Jarrod Wallace 1-1; Chris Girdis 1-1; Alvin Morris 1-0; Rolando Andrade
1-0; Matt Prunier 1-0; Matt Brune 0-1; Dave Bombardier 0-1; Adam Houghton 0-1.
