Newton, Mass- The Plymouth State Football team Panthers defeated the Mount Ida Mustangs in an away game last Saturday by a score of 37 to 26. The week two win puts Plymouth back at .500 with a 1-1 record, while Mount Ida drops to the same record of 1-1.
The Panthers came out pounding in the first quarter after Senior Running Back Andrew Foglia (Montauk, NY) ran the ball 34 yards to the house, putting PSU up quickly 6-0. After keeping possession of the football into the second quarter, Mt. Ida capped off an 80 yard drive when Jawad Yatim completed a red zone touchdown to Mike Babich. The score put Mt. Ida on top, 7-6.
Plymouth took the lead 20-7 with 1:28 left in the first half after Foglia ran a 6 yard touchdown and also caught a 21 yard pass. Mount Ida decided they weren’t finished yet when Jawad Yatim tossed a 35 yard strike to Jordan Hyman (Middleton, Conn) as time expired. At halftime, the score stood at 20-13.
The third quarter would be split a touchdown each by Mount Ida and Plymouth State. Mount Ida tied the game after a four play 23 yard drive finished with a one yard run by their quarterback. The Panthers came back quickly to back up 27-20, after Junior Fullback Mark Hennessy (Westford, Ma) banged in from 4 yards out.
The Mustangs were down but not out. Early in the fourth quarter, Mount Ida’s Yatim and Hyman connected on a 55-yard strike. After the extra point was missed the score stood at 27-26, but not for long. The Panthers struck quickly, capping off a 48 yard drive with a 42 yard field goal by Junior Kicker Rob Giles (Derry, NH). The Panthers were now up 30-26 with half a quarter left.
Senior Captain Josh Morgan (Foster, RI) made a huge fourth quarter play when recovering a Mustang’s fumble. The pickup put the Panthers at the opposing 32 yard line, which quickly led to another Foglia rushing touchdown. The 15-yard run gave Plymouth a comfortable lead with only 2:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. After Mount Ida committed a four and out on the ensuing drive, PSU QB Jake Tyler (Maynard, Ma) was able to rush out the clock, ensuring a 37-26 win.
On Offense, Senior Andrew Foglia had a monster game compiling a total of 219 total yards (198 rush, 21 receiving) and 4 total touchdowns (3 rush, 1 receiving). On the defensive side, Jake Matthews (Windham, NH) led the Panthers in tackles for the second week in a row, with 11 in total (10 solo, 1 asst). Matthews also had a clutch game on special teams, taking a punt return 38 yards to put PSU into scoring positon.
The Panthers look to continue their offensive success when they take on Western Connecticut State in their first MASCAC conference battle. The game is a 1:00 pm home game, at Currier field.