Football Falls at Framingham, 35-24

WESTFIELD, Mass.  --   Framingham State QB Michael Marcucella completed 12-of-19 passes for 187 yards with three touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 35-24 win over Westfield State in the Rams' homecoming game at Bowditch Field in Framingham on Saturday afternoon.

Westfield was led by a pair of touchdown runs by Aidan Patterson.

Framingham improves to 5-1 overall and sits atop the MASCAC with a 5-0 record in league play.   Westfield is now 2-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

The Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of 18-yard TD passes, before Patterson got the Owls on the board with a 29-yard touchdown run, but the Owls try for the point after failed, trimming the lead to 14-6.

Framingham led 21-6 at the half, and extended that lead to 28-6 on a 64-yard TD pass from Marcucella to Stehen Gallant early in the third quarter.   Westfield answered with Patterson's second TD run of the day, a 3-yarder that capped an 11-play, 77 yard scoring drive with 7:21 left in the third quarter, cutting the Framingham lead to 28-12.

The Rams marched down the field on their next series, getting a 29-yard scoring strike from Marcucella to Alex Maia to push the lead to 35-12 with 3:35 left in the third.

A pair of odd sequences led to Westfield scoring on back-to-back safeties in the fourth quarter, pinning the rams in their own defensive end before a bad snap led to a safety on fourth down, then the Owls drove the ball all the way to the Framingham one-yard line before a fumble on fourth down cost Westfield a touchdown, but the Owls got two points back on the second safety of the sequence, cutting the lead to 35-16.

Westfield mustered one more drive, with Will Brewster scoring on a 19 yard run, and Patterson converting the 2-point run to trim the final score to 35-24.

Jaheim Daniels finished with 102 yards rushing and a TD for the Rams.  Manny Mengata led Westfield with 48 yards on 17 carries, with Curtis Dion adding 46 yards and Patterson 43 on the ground and 33 more on three receptions.  Owls QB Miles Foerster was 11-20 for 110 yards passing.

Andrew Lovell led the Owls defense with six tackles and a sack, with Dylan Zuerblis adding five stops with a sack.

The Owls come home next weekend to host Westfield State homecoming, with the Owls kicking off with Plymouth State at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25.