WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (October 28, 2017) – It was Kobie Smith (Leominster, Mass.) early, it was Kobie Smith often and it was Kobie Smith all afternoon long on Saturday for the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team. Smith rushed for 269 yards and two scores at Bonnel Field, to lead a school-record 435-yard rushing attack for the Ravens, who posted a 45-7 win over Caldwell in cross-division Collegiate Sprint Football League play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 3-3, while Caldwell falls to 1-5. Smith's outing marked just the second 200-yard individual rushing performance in program history.

The game started innocently enough, with Franklin Pierce striking for the only touchdown of the first quarter after the teams combined for three empty drives to start the afternoon. The scoring "drive" consisted of just one play, as Smith ripped off his longest run of the season, a 58-yard touchdown scamper to open the scoring with 6:32 to play in the first quarter.

Starting in the middle of the second quarter, Franklin Pierce would effectively find the end zone on its next five drives, as the only series it did not score on in the stretch was the one which ended the first half. First, Smith ripped off another long run, this one for 45 yards, which ultimately set up a seven-yard touchdown rush for freshman running back Tionne Brown (Turners Falls, Mass.). Brown found the end zone again on the next Franklin Pierce drive, as he hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Jared Lubas (Salem, Mass.) to stretch the lead out to 21-0 before halftime.

The first three drives of the second half also each resulted in a touchdown for the Ravens. To open the third quarter, Franklin Pierce covered 64 yards in just three plays, as Smith rushed for 35 yards, Lubas scampered for 16, and Brown scored for the third time with a 13-yard touchdown rush.

The next series for the Ravens was another one-play scoring drive, as senior quarterback Jose Melo (Greenwich, Conn.) hit junior Andrew Hoenig (Rindge, N.H.) for 37 yards and a score.

Caldwell finally got on the board on the ensuing possession, with a seven-play, 36-yard scoring drive, which was set up by a 32-yard kick return from freshman back Nysir Smith. Freshman Jamaal Carr hit freshman Carl Watson for 23 yards at one point, to keep the drive moving on a fourth-and-13 play. Smith later threw for the score with a 12-yard touchdown pass to freshman Zion Rodriguez.

Franklin Pierce answered with a quick, three-play, 43-yard scoring drive to make it 42-7. Smith had his second long touchdown rush of the day, as he scored from 31 yards out this time. Sophomore kicker Owen King (Athol, Mass.) added a 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to create the 45-7 final.

Smith was the star of the show for Franklin Pierce, as he put together the second-most prolific rushing performance in program annals. He carried 24 times for 269 yards (11.2 yards/rush) and scored twice. Brown added two scores and 63 yards on the ground, as well as another touchdown as part of a three-catch, 49-yard receiving day. Lubas finished his afternoon 5-for-12 through the air for 73 yards and a touchdown, while being sacked once. As a team, Franklin Pierce rushed for 435 yards and threw for 110 more, to finish the day with 545 yards of total offense, which set a new program record.

Meanwhile, the Franklin Pierce defense held Caldwell to just 147 yards of total offense, including just 40 rushing yards. Senior linebacker Demitri Moreno (Alhambra, Calif.) led the way with 12 tackles (five solo), including three tackles for loss totaling eight yards. Sophomore defensive lineman Bobby Kierce (Foxborough, Mass.) finished in double figures as well, with 10 tackles (three solo), while freshman Tyreek Rodrigues (Pawtucket, R.I.) broke up four passes.

For Caldwell, freshman back Quazier Dailey finished as the team's leading rusher, with just 24 yards on five carries (4.8 yards/rush). Freshman quarterback Vincent Crisafi finished the day 9-for-21 for 67 yards and was sacked once. Smith had five catches for 40 yards, while Watson hauled in three receptions for 43 yards.

Defensively for the Cougars, freshman defensive end Colin Williams chalked up a team-best nine tackles (four solo) and blocked a kick along the way as well. Freshman linebacker Royce Francisco forced a fumble, while fellow freshman linebacker Sid Douglas recovered one.

The Ravens return to the field on Friday, Nov. 3, when they wrap up the season with a trip to cross-division foe Chestnut Hill. Opening kickoff is set for A.A. Garthwaite Stadium in Conshohocken, Pa. A win would give Franklin Pierce its third straight above-.500 season.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce football apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).