DUDLEY, Mass. – The Plymouth State University football team scored 27 second-quarter points en route to a 36-9 New England Football Conference Boyd Division victory over Nichols College at Vendetti Field Saturday afternoon. Nichols scored on the opening play of the game, but the Panthers took over from there, led by senior quarterback John DeMarco, who rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for another, completing three of four passes for 88 yards on the day. The Panthers improve to 6-1 overall and remain atop the Boyd Division standings with a 4-0 mark. Nichols drops to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Boyd Division.
Sophomore quarterback Charlie Samples (Deming, N.M.) opened the game with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Pillari (Lumberton, N.J.) on the Bison’s first play of the game. The two-point conversion attempt was incomplete, but the Bison had an early lead on the Division leaders, 6-0 just 18 seconds into the game.
On the next drive, the Panthers capped a 12 play, 5:56 minute drive with a 32-yard field goal from Chris Dopp to cut the Bison’s lead to three.
After forcing Nichols out on downs at the Panthers’ 24-yard line, Plymouth State gained 32 yards on a DeMarco scamper before senior running back Jeff Mack closed out the quarter with a pair of five-yard rushes to bring the Panthers to the Nichols 19 at second and five. Mack rushed for another seven before Jay Baird gained two to set up DeMarco for the score, capping an 11-play, 76-yard drive. Dopp’s kick was good to give the Panthers the lead for good, 10-6. Mack scored a pair of touchdowns on the day, and ran for 113 yards on 22 carries.
Pillari, who led the Bison with 184 all-purpose yards on the day, returned the ensuing kick 34 yards to the Nichols 37, but that’s where the Bison’s drive stalled, forcing Nichols to punt on fourth and 10. Josh Harris’s (Northbridge, Mass.) kick was blocked, however, and on the next play, DeMarco’s 45-yard pass to Luke Denio set up the quarterback for a one-yard rush for the score. Dopp’s kick was good, giving Plymouth State a 17-6 advantage.
Senior tailback Robert Morris (Melbourne, Fla.) started Nichols’ next drive with a 35-yard carry. A trio of pass interference calls brought the Bison as close as first and goal at the two yard line, but the Plymouth defense pushed the drive back out to the 13 yard line, where Jacob Najas (Seekonk, Mass.) nailed a 30-yard field goal at fourth and goal.
DeMarco capped the Panthers’ next drive with a 31-yard scoring pass to J.J. Brooks (PAT failed) to give the Panthers a 23-9 lead with 2:58 left in the half, before Kevin Whalen picked off Samples and returned it 19 yards to the Nichols 38 to set up Mack for an eight-yard scoring rush (Dopp kick good) to close out the half with a 30-9 lead.
The Panthers tacked on another score in the third quarter as Mack capped a 14-play, 65 yard drive with a five-yard carry. Nichols first-year defensive back Jason Vega (Methuen, Mass.) blocked the PAT attempt. Vega finished the day with five tackles (three solo), including two for a loss of six yards, and a sack.
Harris led the Nichols defense with 12 tackles (four solo) including a pair for a loss of nine yards. Junior defensive end Bill Hassett (Oxford, Mass.) added 10 (five solo).
Samples completed 13 of 36 passes for 189 yards with a pair of interceptions in his first start for the Bison. Pillari had three catches for 99 yards on the day.
Nichols returns home next Saturday at 1 p.m. to host UMass-Dartmouth for NCAA Take A Kid to the Game Day. Plymouth State hosts Curry in a Boyd Division showdown Saturday at 1 p.m.
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