RINDGE, N.H. (September 18, 2021) -- The Franklin Pierce University football team opened the second Northeast-10 Conference campaign in program history on Saturday night, as the Ravens welcomed American International to a bustling Sodexo Field. Junior Jayson Demild threw for 300 yards and four scores, as the Yellow Jackets used two touchdowns each in the second and third quarters to open up a gap and deal Franklin Pierce a 38-19 defeat. Sophomore Drew Campanale (Shrewsbury, Mass.) threw for 160 yards and a touchdown in defeat.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 0-3 (0-1 NE10), while AIC improves to 3-0 (1-0 NE10).

For the second straight week, the Ravens got off on the right foot. Franklin Pierce marched the ball down the field on its opening possession, putting together a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive which spanned 8:09. Campanale found sophomore Tyvarius Daniels (Springfield, Mass.) four times on the drive, for 32 yards in total, and then hooked up with sophomore Conner Baldasaro (South Yarmouth, Mass.) on an 18-yard touchdown strike.

For the second straight week, the defense then served up a long scoring play on the ensuing drive. After a trio of rushes, the Yellow Jackets faced third-and-2 at the Franklin Pierce 48, but then Demild found freshman Jaheim McGuire with some room to run for a 48-yard touchdown pass.

The two teams would then trade touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the second quarter as well. Demild and McGuire connected again, this time on a 23-yard pass to cap a nine-play, 73-yard scoring drive. Franklin Pierce answered with an 11-play, 73-yard drive of its own, which junior EJ Burgess (Pearland, Texas) capped off with a one-yard touchdown plunge.

AIC then turned on the afterburners from there. Junior Chase Speller capped a six-play, 65-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run to give the Yellow Jackets a 21-13 lead heading into halftime. On the other side of the break, a seven-play, 58-yard drive resulted in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Demild to Speller. Just over five minutes later, Demild chalked up another long touchdown pass, as he found sophomore Jahvon Adams for 55 yards and the score to make it 35-13.

Things were largely academic in the fourth quarter. AIC ran 9:26 off the clock with a 19-play, 47-yard drive, resulting in a 25-yard field goal from freshman Thomas Caracciolo. Franklin Pierce capped the scoring with 2:03 to play, when freshman quarterback Cole Alexander (Anderson, Ind.), on in relief of Campanale, got loose on a 14-yard touchdown scamper.

Demild stole the show for AIC, as he went 15-for-24 through the air, for 300 yards and four scores, including the pair of long touchdown strikes. Three different AIC players finished with at least 50 receiving yards, led by three catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns by McGuire. On the defensive side of the ball, senior Jaysen Thompson piled up 17 tackles (eight solo), including 3.5 for loss, to lead all players.

Campanale finished 20-for-24 for 160 yards and a touchdown for Franklin Pierce. His favorite target was Daniels, who caught seven passes for a team-high 55 yards. Burgess, who had two big games to start the season, was held to just 66 yards on 16 carries (4.1 yards per carry), though he did find the end zone. Defensively for the Ravens, freshman Trey Sejour (Everett, Mass.) tallied nine tackles (five solo).

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 25, when they travel to Granite State rival Saint Anselm for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Grappone Stadium in Manchester, N.H.