Becker Upends Fitchburg State In Season Opener, 13-3

Titus posts 97 yards on the grounds in Falcons debut

LEICESTER, Mass. (August 31, 2012) – The Fitchburg State football team opened the 2012 season on the road this evening, falling to the Hawks of Becker College, 13-3 in non-conference action at Alumni Field.

The Falcons fell victim to 13 points off turnovers, while yielding only 126 yards of offense to the Hawks throughout the contest. Fitchburg State posted 168 yards on the ground and 130 yards in the air, but six total fumbles (three lost) and one interception kept the Falcons offense at bay for the game.

Becker got on the board first late in the first quarter as freshman Danielle Reyes (Laxahatchee, Fla./Seminole Ridge) intercepted Fitchburg State quarterback Christian Lopez (Bronx, N.Y./Adelia Stephenson) at the Hawks 45 yard line and ran it back to the Falcon red-zone. Two plays later, sophomore Kyle Gregg (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) found the end-zone with just 0:54 remaining in the frame for an early 7-0 lead.

Play stalled for much of the second quarter with both teams battling between the 20's. Down the stretch, the Becker defense provided a pair of big sparks (blocked punt, fumble recovery) to set up the Hawks offense in the red-zone. On the first possession, the Falcon defense held off the Hawks charge following a blocked bunt by CJ Bostic (Jacksonville, Fla./Wolfson), but on the second attempt, quarterback Bobby Baker (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) found Bostic on a 15 yard TD reception for a 13-0 advantage at the break.

In the second half, Fitchburg State broke its scoring silence midway through the period, cutting the Becker lead to 13-3 with a 29-yard field goal from freshman Eric Anastasio (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet), but that's as close as the Falcons would come as a pair of fourth quarter scoring opportunities were squandered with a crucial fourth down stop from the Hawks and a missed field goal from Fitchburg State.

For the contest, freshman Cody Titus (Peterborough, N.H./Saint Bernards) led Fitchburg State on the ground, totaling 97 yards on 22 carries, while sophomore Ty Spencer (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) brought in four receptions for a team-best 57 yards. Greg led the Hawks on the ground with 20 yards and a touchdown, while Bostic notched four receptions for 28 yards and score.

On the defensive side, junior Melvin Brooker (Roxbury, Mass./Boston English) was solid for Becker, totaling 12 stops with nine solo tackles, three assists, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Sophomore Elizear Torres (Bronx, N.Y./South Bronx) collected a team-high six tackles for the Falcons, while senior Bob Booth (Cranston, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) and freshman Tevin Bienaime (Swansea, Mass./Joseph Case) chipped in with a fumble recovery and interception respectively.

Fitchburg State (0-1, 0-0 NEFC) will be back in action next Saturday as it opens its 2012 home slate vs. Curry College at 1:30 p.m. Becker (1-0, 0-0 ECFC) will travel to MIT next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.