WATERBURY, Conn. – Junior wide receiver Darius Washington hauled in his first touchdown grab of his collegiate career in the third quarter to give Post University Football their only lead of the afternoon against Franklin Pierce University at Municipal Stadium on Saturday afternoon. But a 14-point fourth quarter by the Ravens would prove to be the difference maker in what would be the fourth straight loss for the Eagles in conference play, this time 28-17 against the Ravens. 

THE BASICS

Post University 17, Franklin Pierce University 28

Post University (3-4, 1-4 NE10)

Franklin Pierce University (4-4, 3-2 NE10)

HOW IT HAPPENED
In total, there would be 33 possessions between the two teams on Saturday, with 20 of those coming in the first half alone, as neither team could get a rhythm going on offense. Before freshman running back Anthony Johnson scampered into the end zone with 10:17 left in the second quarter, neither team had even entered the red zone of their opponent up to that point, with the first 11 combined possessions ending in punts, including seven three-and-outs, with field position favoring Franklin Pierce a majority of the time and them being unable to cash in. 

That Johnson score would be set up by freshman linebacker Jeremiah Hayes as he blocked freshman punter Hayden Hall's punt attempt from just outside the Post end zone, which caromed to the 16-yard-line out of bounds, giving the Ravens prime field position. It would only take two plays and 13 seconds for Franklin Pierce to punch it in for the first time, their only score of the half, as the offense manufactured just 92 total yards, which was only slightly better than the Eagle offense. While freshman kicker Nathan Hawkins nailed a 31-yard field goal before halftime to make it a 7-3 game heading into the break, Post had only 51 yards of offense, and senior quarterback Malakai Taylor threw two picks, while going 0-for-8 in the air. 

After a six-play drive that only went 25 yards over 3:35 in the first quarter was the longest drive of the game, Franklin Pierce came out in the second half with a drive that lasted nearly five minutes, culminating in a three-yard touchdown from junior running back Reimello Hyde, extending the Raven lead to 11 points, 14-3, before Post went on to score 14 unanswered points, and take their first lead of the game. It started with a 10-play, 73-yard drive led by junior quarterback Tyler Phommachanh, who pushed his way across the goal line for a six-yard touchdown run, followed by Washington's 28-yard grab with 21 seconds left in the third to put the Eagles ahead by three, 17-14, heading into the final quarter of action.

After junior quarterback Kevin Leal threw an interception to sophomore cornerback Shakir Price at the Post 16-yard line, the ball would end up back inside the five-yard line due to two penalties by the Post defense on the return, and after needing to punt the ball, Price would gift the Ravens an extra 15 yards with a personal foul penalty, setting them up in prime position at the Post 33-yard line, with 8:12 left in regulation. Only nine seconds later, Leal hooked up with sophomore tight end Connor Marchi for the 33-yard score, giving the Ravens the lead back for good, 21-17. 

On the ensuing drive by the Eagles, they would get into Franklin Pierce territory following Phommachanh's big 17-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver DJ Lisbon before stalling out on four straight plays and turning the ball over on downs. The Ravens would proceed to bleed over five minutes off the clock, finishing their drive off on third-and-three with a 16-yard touchdown run by senior running back Alex Benitez with 1:05 remaining to put the game on ice. While sophomore running back Edward Bandy would rip off a big 46-yard return to the Franklin Pierce 29-yard line, Post would stall out near the goal line, setting up victory formation for the Ravens with six seconds left, as the Eagles dropped their fourth consecutive game, 28-17. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• When held to under 150 rushing yards this season, Post University is now 0-4 overall, while holding a 3-0 record when eclipsing the 150 rushing yard mark as a team
• As a team, Post University accumulated seven penalties for a total of 62 yards -- It was the second-most penalties and penalty yards in a single game this season, behind only their game against Bentley University earlier this month, when the Eagles had 83 penalty yards across 10 flags 
• Hayden Hall finished the game with eight punts, which ties for the second-most in a single game in program history for Post University – Hall had 318 total punt yards for an average of 39.8 yards per kick
• Givanni Flaccavento finished with a program record three pass breakups for Post University, surpassing seven different Eagles who have amassed two pass breakups over since 2022

WHO'S NEXT
On the road for the first time since October 11th, Post University will head to AIC next weekend to face the Yellow Jackets at 1:00 PM. The Eagles are 0-2 in the all-time series against AIC, losing on a fourth-quarter drive last season at home, 28-27, following a touchdown drive by Connor Dietz with 9:59 remaining in the game.