Worcester State Erases 27-Point Deficit to Beat Bridgewater State 35-34

Worcester State scored 28 unanswered fourth-quarter points to win 35-34 at Bridgewater State; Holy Cross, Assumption, Framingham State, Nichols and WPI also won Saturday.

Worcester State staged an enormous fourth-quarter turnaround Saturday, wiping out a 34-7 deficit with 28 unanswered points over the final 11:35 to beat Bridgewater State 35-34 on the road and sour the Bears' Homecoming. The win lifted the Lancers to 2-3 and dropped Bridgewater State to 3-1.

Sy'Air James got the comeback started with an 11-yard touchdown run that made it 34-14, and Brian Melendez's interception quickly put the ball back in Worcester State's hands. Jermaine Norfleet Jr. capitalized with a 4-yard touchdown that brought the deficit down to two scores.

A strong kick from Worcester State, combined with a penalty on the Bears, then pinned Bridgewater State at its own 2, and the Lancers forced a fumble that Griffin Metcalf recovered. Norfleet scored from 3 yards out soon after to make it 34-27, and the Bears' next possession ended with a blocked field goal.

M.J. Bakaysa kept the winning drive alive with a 35-yard completion to Lance Williams on fourth-and-10, then found James Azzinaro from 16 yards for a touchdown with 1:04 left. Tight end Aidan Breen caught Norfleet's pass on the two-point try for the deciding margin, and Miguerson Renelus recorded a sack as Bridgewater State's final possession stalled. Bakaysa finished with 243 passing yards, Williams caught eight passes for 118 yards and Cam Goodrich led the defense with 11 tackles.

Holy Cross won its second straight game, pulling away from William & Mary for a 41-14 road victory. Joseph Williams rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown, David Lynch passed for 186 yards with both scoring throws going to Ty Curran, and Datrell Jones ran for 77 yards and his first touchdown of the season. The Crusaders defense registered 10 tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles, with Cooper Ackerman adding 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and five tackles.

Assumption held off Bentley 29-27 when Owen Fitzgerald stopped a two-point attempt short of the goal line with 38 seconds to play. Dom Santiago carried 20 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns and completed 14 of 26 passes for 129 yards while overcoming three interceptions, and Kaiden Brochu added 87 yards and two scores on 12 carries as the pair combined for 207 rushing yards. John Walsh Karam caught four passes for 47 yards, and Fitzgerald made 10 tackles, two for loss, for the Greyhounds.

Framingham State stayed perfect at 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the MASCAC with a 24-12 home win over Fitchburg State, which fell to 1-3 and 1-2 in the conference. Dasha Domercant produced both of the Falcons' touchdowns, running for a 4-yard score and connecting with Jacey Ham on a 37-yard touchdown pass.

Nichols built an early lead and pulled away from Maine Maritime for a 38-20 home win, improving to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the CNE while the Mariners dropped to 0-4 and 0-2. Will Migliaccio completed 21 of 23 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns and added 35 rushing yards and a score on the ground, and J.T. Bresnahan led the Bison defense with four tackles and a sack.

WPI improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in the NEWMAC with a 45-19 home win over Norwich (1-3, 0-2), getting three touchdown passes from Dylan Gallo. Gallo completed 14 of 19 throws for 243 yards, hitting Dante Atwood three times for 114 yards and a touchdown, Dylan Dipietro twice for 55 yards and a score, and Ethan Frisch on two catches for 10 yards with a touchdown. Kellen LaChapelle added a 56-yard punt return for a score as the Engineers generated 448 yards of offense, 302 through the air. Pat Andrews and Jake Robertson recorded five tackles each and Michael Doherty added four stops.