BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- The Buccaneers hosted the Framingham State Rams on Saturday for the Annual Kelley Cup. With the Rams coming in undefeated in conference play, and the Buccaneers looking to win their second straight game at home, the Bucs took it, 14-12, in what can only be described as an instant classic between the two teams. 

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 14, Rams 12

Records: Maritime 3-4 (3-3)

               Framingham 5-2 (5-1)

How It Happened

Maritime

• Quarterback Evan Pierce completed three of six passed for 30 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball six times for 25 yards.
• Dylan Taylor ran the ball six times for 56 yards and a 17-yard touchdown.
• Sam Cassidy carried the ball six times for 66 yards. 
• Wide Receiver Brennan Keefe caught two balls for 25 yards and a touchdown.
• Santiago Martinez caught two passes for 33 yards and ran for 27 yards on a fake punt.
• Defensively, Edward Barlage and Jackson Mahoney each made seven tackles, and Barlage forced a fumble.
• Jordan Harrison made five tackles and had a tackle for loss with two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
• Freshman Jorden Woods got his first-career interception to go along with four tackles.
• On special teams, Defensive back Stephen Jurbala blocked a would-be game-winning field goal by the Rams to preserve the Bucs victory.

Framingham

• Quarterback Michael Marcucella completed 26 of 41 passes for 293 yards and threw an interception.
• Running back Jaheim Daniels ran the ball 11 times for 41 yards and a touchdown.
• Ransford Adri ran the ball twice for a yard and a touchdown.
• Wide Receiver Mathias Fowler caught seven passes for 141 yards in the loss.
• Defensively, Blake Barron made 15 tackles, 11 solo, with a sack and a tackle for loss.
• On special teams, Adrian Sarrette punted six times for 233 yards, an average of 38.8 yards per punt, and pinned the Bucs inside their 20-yard line twice.

How It Happened

Framingham opened the game with the ball, and the Buccaneers forced a punt. On the Bucs' first offensive possession, they failed to make a 27-yard field goal, and the game remained scoreless midway through the first quarter. After another Framingham punt, the Buccaneers again missed a field goal attempt. The Rams got the ball back at their own 20 just before the end of the first quarter.

To start the second, Framingham proceeded to take the ball 80 yards in six plays, capping off the drive with a four-yard Daniels run up the middle for a touchdown. After a missed PAT, the Rams led the Bucs, 6-0. The Bucs got the ball with 14 minutes left in the half and were forced to punt. Maritime did the same to the Rams, forcing them to punt and taking the ball at their own 20 after a touchback. On the ensuing drive, the Bucs put together an 80-yard drive of their own and scored on a Pierce to Keefe 20-yard pass to tie the game at 6-6. Grayson Smith converted the PAT, and the Bucs took a one-point, 7-6 lead late in the first half. Framingham got the ball one more time before the half, and the Bucs stalled their drive, forcing another punt. Getting the ball back to start the third quarter, Maritime kneeled out the first half and took a 7-6 lead to the break. 

On their first drive of the second half, the Buccaneers got a big return from John Dickinson and started their drive at their own 48-yard line. Then, Pierce and the Bucs went 52 yards on six plays, and Taylor found the endzone on a 17-yard run to the right to extend the Bucs' lead to 14-6 after the PAT. After another punt by the Rams and another missed field goal by the Bucs, the Rams started driving down the field. That drive was interrupted by Woods, who picked off Marcucella inside Maritime territory to keep the score at an eight-point advantage for Maritime. 

In the fourth, things got interesting. Each team punted, and the Rams got the ball at their own 23-yard line. Framingham put together a great drive and went 77 yards on eight plays, ending it with an Adri one-yard score. Now 14-12, the Rams went for the two-point conversion. Jarvin Simon took a pitch in the backfield trying to get in from the right, and was shut down by the Buccaneers defense, keeping the score at 14-12. On the Bucs' next drive, with time winding down, the Rams did everything they could to keep time on the clock and forced the Buccaneers to punt. On what would prove to be the final drive of the game, the Rams ran 11 plays and went 82 yards. On the penultimate play of the game, Marcucella found Fowler for a 42-yard gain to the Buccaneers' two-yard line. After timeouts by both teams, the Rams sent out the field goal unit needing three points to win the game. Dillon Mangus lined up for the field goal, and around the right corner came Jurbala to block the kick. It was picked up by the Rams and ended up in the hands of Marcucella. He took off to the right, looking for the endzone in a last gasp effort. Barlage found a way to get to Marcucella, kept him out of the endzone, forced a fumble that went out of the back of the endzone, and the Buccaneers won a thriller, 14-12, over the Rams in the Kelley Cup.

What's Next

Maritime travels to Westfield State on Saturday, November 1st, to take on the Owls at 12pm.