PSU football was finally back in front of their home crowd as the Panther’s ran all over UMass Dartmouth 30-10 in the NEFC Boyd Division opener Sat., Sept. 27 at Currier Field.
The Panther’s started out on the first drive with a dominating rushing performance by Senior Jeff Mack. PSU’s offense would rush for 74 yards on seven rushing attempts, while Mack ended the drive with a nine-yard play that crossed the end zone to make the lead 7-0.
PSU would make some costly mistakes late in the first quarter when senior John Demarco fumbled the ball at their own 20-yard line. The Corsairs would take advantage of the mistake and capitalize with a 35-yard field goal to make the lead 7-3 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter would be a defensive performance by both sides of the ball. PSU would drive down the field but only to fumble again on the 10-yard line. PSU’s defense prevailed on a 4th down try by UMD in which ended the first half at 7-3.
Not only did PSU’s defense come up big before the half, but they played hard all game, “We played good team defense. We had very few mental mistakes like blown coverage and missed assignments. I think our defense did a good job on gang tackling and getting to the football,” said senior Zachary Parson, “We knew going into the game that UMass had a great running back and that it would take our whole defense to bring him down.”
Mack lead his team with a smash mouth style of play, rushing for a career high 218 yards and 1 touchdown, “Well all the credit goes to the guys around me. Those big men in the trenches don’t get the attention or publicity that other guys get, but they are the biggest factor when it comes to me running the ball,” said Mack, “The blocking was unbelievable. Everyone from the offensive line to the fullback to even the wide recievers. When I have a great game, it’s simply a reflection of the guys around me; total team effort.”
PSU would pull away from the Corsairs in the second half with a dominating rushing game and a tough defense to play against. Late in the 3rd quarter, PSU drove down the field with a 97-yard scoring drive, consisting of a strong rushing game and Demarco’s ability to run with the football. PSU closed out the drive with Demarco running across the goal line for the score to extend the lead to 13-3 after a blocked extra point.
PSU opened up the fourth quarter with a great offensive attack, running the ball with authority. After a great run by senior Brandon Clough, Demarco snuck into the end zone again to make the lead 20-3. “Our offensive line got great push all game. The offensive line was driving the UMass DL 5 yards down field every play which really just opened things up,” said Clough, “It helped me, Demarco and Mack run wild. Mack ran for a career high 218 yards which just shows how good our offensive line did on Saturday.”
With 11:58 remaining on the clock, UMD stormed back into the game with a 65-yard pass by senior Alex Garro down field to settle the home crowd. On the next possession, Garro capped off the drive with a six-yard pass to senior Aaron Russo to close the gap a 20-10.
PSU would end the fourth quarter with a great defensive display with senior Brian Keenan intercepting the ball and running for 24-yards down field. Demarco would take advantage of the mistake and put the game away with his third touchdown of the game.
PSU wins their conference opener and are currently 3-1 overall in the young season. The Panther’s will play another conference opponent next Sat, Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m. against Western New England College at Currier Field. UMass Dartmouth will play another conference game against MIT next Sat.