UMass Dartmouth shuts out PSU Football
PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior quarterback Patrick Orlando (Manchester, Mass.) ran for one touchdown and threw for another Saturday afternoon to lead the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to a 16-0 victory over Plymouth State University in the New England Football Conference Boyd Division opener for both schools at Currier Field.
Orlando hit classmate Brendan McNeish (Springfield, Mass.) on a four-yard TD pass in the second quarter, and ran one in from three yards out in the third quarter. That was enough scoring and the UMD defense did the rest, holding the Panthers to just 116 yards of offense, its lowest total since 2003. BSU made seven tackles in the Panther backfield, led by two from junior Jake Walsh (Foxboro, Mass.)
The outcome stopped PSU's six-game winning streak over the Corsairs. UMD is now 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the NEFC Boyd Division, while PSU is 2-2 and 0-1.
UMass-Dartmouth outgained the Panthers 223-83 in total offense. PSU managed to get in to Corsair territory only once in the second half, moving to the UMD 41 before losing the ball on downs. UMass Dartmouth held the Panthers to 2-of-11 on third down conversions and 0-for-4 on fourth down.
Junior Edgar Osols (Summit, N.J.) rounded out the scoring when he drilled a 32-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.
Orlando led the Corsairs in rushing (59 yards) and in passing (10-22, 130 yards, 1 TD) while McNeish hauled in five passes for 62 yards. Kicking/punting specialist Osols was crucial in UMD's special teams' success, punting five times for 179 yards and pinning PSU inside the 20-yard line twice.
Sophomore Joseph Martin (Spencer, Mass.) let UMD's defense with five tackles, including one for a loss.
PSU's defense, which worked hard all day to keep the home team within striking distance, was led by Nicolas Keene (Auburn, Maine) with 10 tackles and freshman Matt Hanson (Chelmsford, Mass.) with seven.
Both teams return to action next Saturday with Plymouth State traveling to Dudley, Mass. for a game with Boyd Division rival Nichols College. UMass-Dartmouth hosts MIT.
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