November 4, 2023
FB: Baker, Normandeau shine in Senior Day win over Mass. Maritime
PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior Kyle Baker (Pelham, N.H.) registered career highs of eight catches and 80 receiving yards and classmate Luc Normandeau (Dover, N.H.) matched a personal best with 12 tackles as Plymouth State University toppled Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 31-21, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) football game at Panther Field on Saturday.
Junior Braden Lynn (Littleton, Mass.) completed 22-of-30 pass attempts for 259 yards and three touchdowns and Plymouth State held the ball for over 40 minutes to pick up the win.
Normandeau forced a fumble on the Buccaneers' first possession and junior Seth DiSalvo (North Andover, Mass.) booted a 21-yard field goal as PSU took a quick 3-0 lead.
Mass. Maritime answered back with a 74-yard touchdown drive to go ahead late in the first quarter, but Plymouth State responded immediately with a long scoring drive capped off by Baker's 20-yard TD reception early in the second quarter.
The Panthers increased the margin when Lynn extended a play with his feet before lofting a pass to freshman Reece Davis (Livermore, Maine) in the left corner of the end zone for a 17-7 lead just before halftime.
PSU received the second half kick and marched downfield, with graduate student Jake Donahue (Hudson, N.H.) hauling in a 31-yard touchdown pass as the lead ballooned to 24-7 late in the third.
The Buccaneers found the end zone on a one-yard plunge just before the quarter expired, but PSU responded in kind as senior Tyler Gleifert (Bristol, Conn.) burst through the line for a one-yard score of his own. Mass. Maritime got into the end zone to make it a ten-point game, 31-21, with seven minutes remaining, but the Panthers picked up four first downs on the ensuing possession to run out the clock.
Prior to the game, Plymouth State recognized its senior class; Baker, Normandeau, Gleifert, Matteo Spadea (Weymouth, Mass.), Nikos Bouzakis (Farmington, Conn.), Alex Flynn (Walpole, N.H.), Tyler Kayo (Londonderry, N.H.), Jyaire Hatcher (Uniondale, N.Y.), Luke MacNeil (Northbridge, Mass.), Dylan Szostak (Exeter, N.H.), Kyle Almeida (Woburn, Mass.), Ruchan Karagoz (Brattleboro, Vt.), Charlie Palmer (New Providence, N.J.), Patrick Rush (Farmingdale, Maine), Michael Smolan (Wakefield, R.I.), Jon Proia (Chelmsford, Mass.), Bryan Warren (Pine Bush, N.Y.), Cooper Bartlett (Londonderry, N.H.), Mike Terrazzano (Pelham, N.H.), Collin Crowe (Simsbury, Conn.) and Jack Marsden (Broadalbin, N.Y.).
Plymouth State wins its fourth straight game to move to 4-5 (4-3 MASCAC), while Mass. Maritime slides to 2-7 (2-5 MASCAC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 31, Mass. Maritime 21
- Plymouth State (4-5, 4-3 MASCAC)
- Mass. Maritime (2-7, 2-5 MASCAC)
How it Happened:
- Mass. Maritime won the coin toss and elected to receive, but Normandeau stripped the ball on the Buccaneers' second play from scrimmage and Flynn recovered to give PSU great field position.
- Junior Willie Lombard (Bridgewater, Mass.) carried the ball six times to the MMA 4-yard line, but the offense stalled from there, setting up DiSalvo's short field goal.
- The Buccaneers answered with a lengthy scoring drive, covering 74 yards in 11 plays, and a three-yard TD run put the visitors in front, 7-3, with just under three minutes left in the quarter.
- Lombard ripped off a ten-yard gain and Lynn connected with Baker on back-to-back plays to move into MMA territory as the first quarter expired. Baker made a key grab on fourth-and-two at the MMA 31-yard line, then hauled in a short pass on the right sideline for another fourth-down conversion before sprinting up the sideline and into the end zone to put PSU back in front.
- PSU's defense forced a three-and-out and the Panthers followed with another long drive. Lynn hit Bouzakis for a big third down conversion as Plymouth State moved into the red zone. Lynn avoided the rush, then fired a pass to Davis in the left side of the end zone to grow the lead to 17-7 with just over a minute before halftime.
- Mass. Maritime picked up a chunk of yardage in an attempt to get some points back before the half ended, but freshman Beau Fellows (Topsfield, Mass.) made a diving interception to end the threat and PSU took the 17-7 lead into the break.
- Plymouth State seemed poised to add to the margin on the opening possession of the third quarter, but a Buccaneers' defensive back snagged a Lynn pass for PSU's lone turnover of the afternoon. PSU's defense held, though, as Normandeau broke up a third-down pass while Spadea and Crowe applied pressure on the following MMA drive.
- The Panthers took over near midfield and Bouzakis made an athletic grab to convert a third-and-long to get into MMA territory. Three plays later, Lynn threw a perfect ball to Donahue, who made a sliding catch in the end zone, to make it 24-7.
- Mass. Maritime answered right back with a touchdown drive to pull within ten, 24-14, with less than a minute remaining in the third.
- Lynn hit Bouzakis for 24 yards through the air on the ensuing drive. Later, Baker added a 22-yard catch-and-run to get into the red zone and junior Matthew Griffing (West Brookfield, Mass.) busted through would-be tacklers to get the ball down to the 1-yard line, before Gleifert pounded it in to extend the lead to 31-14.
- Mass. Maritime countered once again, using a 32-yard pass to jumpstart a 70 yard drive to pull within 31-21 with seven minutes to go.
- Plymouth State's offense put the game to bed, converting three third-down plays to help run out the clock. Lynn relied on his feet to pick up two first downs and Griffing's 19-yard gain closed out the win.
By the Numbers:
- Baker had eight catches for 80 yards and a score, while Bouzakis had six catches for 76 yards.
- Donahue finished with 81 receiving yards and a TD.
- Davis' touchdown was the first of his career.
- Lynn finished 22-of-30 for 259 yards and three touchdowns.
- Lombard carried the ball 17 times for 63 yards in the first half.
- Normandeau tallied 12 tackles (11 solo) and added a forced fumble and pass breakup.
- Plymouth State had 25 first downs and over 400 yards of total offense.
- PSU ran 71 offensive plays while holding MMA to 39. Plymouth State dominated the time of possession, 40:26 to 18:28.
- The Panthers were 10-of-15 on third down and converted all three of their fourth-down attempts.
- PSU improves to 9-3 in the head-to-head matchup, winning each of the last seven games.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads to UMass Dartmouth next Saturday (Nov. 11) for the season finale. Kickoff at Cressy Field is set for noon.
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