PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Sophomore quarterback
John Giller completed 25 of 42 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns as the Western Connecticut State University football team came from behind to ruin Plymouth State University's Homecoming on Saturday afternoon.
Giller connected on TD throws of five yards to
Shakespeare Rodriguez and back-to-back scoring tosses to
Julian Ferguson of 58 and 11 yards to cap off 21 straight points from the visitors. The righty signal caller also amassed 77 yards on 10 carries and scored on a 14-yard run with 3:50 remaining in the first half to give the Wolves their first lead of the ballgame.
Ferguson finished with 11 catches for 185 yards and the two touchdowns.
Senior
Chad Blaszky was a workhorse in the Wolves offensive backfield carrying 21 times for 121 yards, for an average of 5.8 yards per rush. He also hauled in four receptions for another eight yards via the airways.
Anthony Weidtman contributed 10 of the winner's 34 points with a pair of bookend 21 and 19 yard field goals in the first and fourth quarters. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts on Saturday.
WestConn, now 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the mighty Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, finished with a convincing 518-354 total-offensive yards advantage over the Panthers.
PSU drops to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the league after suffering its first loss of the season.
Willie Lombard and Manny Sanchez did the brunt of the rushing for the Panthers. Lombard carried the ball 11 times for 79 yards and scored on a pair of one-yard runs in the second quarter. His 87-yard kick-off return to the house gave Plymouth State and early 6-3 lead after the midway point of the first stanza.
Sanchez registered a team-high 13 carries for 58 yards.
Braden Lynn completed 16 of 19 passes for 209 yards and hooked up with Jake Donahue from 16 yards out to pull the Panthers withing four points, 31-27 with 2:29 remaining in the third quarter.
WestConn's defense was able to stifle the hosts over the final 17:29.
Nosa Usamere led all players with 10 tackles, nine of those solo take downs, and recorded one interception with a 33-yard return.
Raquell Davis added seven tackles and one quarterback sack for 10 yards for the winners.
Evan Wilson led the hosts with eight tackles while Bryce Wronski and Qunn Girard each had a half dozen wrap ups.
The Wolves return home next Saturday to face arch rival Framingham State University. Kick-off time is set for 3 pm at the Westside Athletic Complex.
The Panthers are scheduled for a noon tilt at Fitchburg State University a week from today.
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