Sports Shorts
Framingham State Rallies Past MIT Football, 20-16
With 27 seconds remaining in regulation, Brandon Holbrook hauled in a 27-yard pass to give visiting Framingham State College a 20-16 victory over MIT on Saturday. The decision marked the second year in a row in which the Rams have registered a come-from-behind win over the Engineers.
MIT got on the scoreboard midway through the opening quarter on a drive that was set up on a fumble which was forced and recovered by Alexander F. Rubino ’10 at Framingham State’s 22 yard line. The Engineers got as close as the five-yard mark but had to settle for a field goal from Peter W. Gilliland ’12. A defensive battle ensued as both sides combined for 83 yards over the next six drives.
The Rams nearly evened the game at the 8:03 mark of the second quarter, but a field goal attempt hit the right post. Following a punt by the Cardinal and Gray, David Leach grabbed a 14-yard pass and added a 14-yard run to move the ball to MIT’s 21 yard line. Then, James McCarthy was brought down just shy of the end zone. On his third try, Leach plunged in for the touchdown to give Framingham State a slim 7-3 lead which would hold for the rest of the half.
The Engineers quickly regained the lead 2:22 into the third quarter. On a third-down and eight, Kyle T. Johnson ’11 sprinted for 13 yards and later threw a 32-yard strike to Michael P. Fitzgerald ’10 for another third-and-long conversion. On the ensuing play, Johnson found Nathaniel C. Forbes ’12 for the go-ahead touchdown from 12 yards out. Both sides struggled to move the ball until Leach’s 18-yard run moved the chains to MIT’s 32 yard line at the end of the frame.
Coming out of the break, Franey’s pass was intercepted by Brian P. Doyle ’11 at the eight yard line and returned it for 28 yards. DeRon M. Brown ’10 recorded a 14-yard run, but after a pair of incomplete passes, the Rams’ Corey Steele intercepted Johnson’s toss and brought it up to his own 45 yard line. Facing a fourth and seven from MIT’s 39, Franey set up to receive the snap to punt but threw to Anthony Kewley for a 12-yard gain. Leach followed with a 26-yard scamper as Franey capped the drive with a quarterback sneak to give Framingham State a 14-10 advantage with 9:43 left to play
Back-to-back catches by Forbes of 13 and 25 yards moved the Engineers to Framingham State’s 20 yard line. A penalty resulted in a first-and-goal for the hosts, but the Rams denied the scoring opportunity. Following a Framingham three-and-out, the Engineers regained possession on their 37 with 5:23 on the clock. MIT went on to mount a 12-play, 63-yard drive which spanned 4:20 and resulted in a touchdown by Brown from three-yards out. The ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked and held the Engineers to a 16-14 edge with 54 seconds remaining.
On the first play of the Rams’ drive, Leach sprinted for a 20-yard gain that put the ball on MIT’s 48 yard line. A 16-yard reception by McCarthy helped set up Holbrook’s game-winning catch.
Johnson totaled 69 yards on 14 rushes, including 30 during the Engineers’ final touchdown drive, while converting 13-of-31 pass attempts for 167 yards. Forbes led the receiving corps with 66 yards on six catches while Brown compiled 91 yards on the day, including 61 in the air. Gilliland paced the defense with 17 tackles including two-and-a-half for loss. Patrick T. Jupe ’12 registered 11 tackles as Derek Z. Li ’11 contributed eight. Doyle notched seven tackles and a sack for six yards.
MIT will travel to Boyd Division-foe Nichols College next Saturday.
—Mindy Brauer, DAPER Staff
Engineers Win UMass-Dartmouth Invitational
The nationally-ranked No. 9 MIT women’s cross country team put on a dominant display en route to a first-place finish at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational Saturday. Tech had four harriers among the top 11 finishers in a meet that featured many of the top squads in New England, including a number of New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schools.
Jacqueline M. Wentz ’10, the Cardinal and Grey’s top runner a year ago, returned to form after sitting out last weekend’s Engineer’s Cup race. Wentz was the top overall finisher, a feat she accomplished twice as a junior, breaking the tape 19 seconds faster than her nearest competitor with a time of 17:40. Maria J. Monks ’10 was next across the line for the Engineers, completing the five-kilometer course in 18:08. Alina E. Gatowski ’11 (18:31) and Brooke C. Johnson ’13 (18:32) finished back-to-back in 11th and 12th place respectively. Only two teams, Rowan University and Keene State College, had a second runner ahead of MIT’s fourth best. Chandler L. Burfield ’13 added valuable points with a 33rd place showing to round out the scoring for Tech.
The Cardinal and Grey earned a total of 60 points to finish ahead of runner-up Brandeis University. This is the second consecutive year that MIT has captured the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational.
Tech will take part in the Cod Fish Bowl next Saturday, September 26 at Franklin Park. The race begins at 12:00 p.m.
—Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff