Written by Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy

RINDGE, NH (10/7/2023)— In the second quarter, Franklin Pierce junior kicker Nolan Startzell hung his head after he missed a 16-yard field goal. Two quarters later, he was at the bottom of a pig pile following a redemption shot that made Franklin Pierce football history.

Saturday night, FPU faced off against Northeast-10 conference opponent Southern Connecticut State University. The battle of the birds boasted a back-and-forth game between the Ravens and the Owls after each team racked up more than 300 yards offensively. Trading drives both teams scored a pair of touchdowns, but the game was decided by a walk off field goal in favor of the Ravens. 

After a scoreless first quarter, the Ravens were quick to get on the board early in the second. Following a short offensive drive for the Owls, SCSU was forced to punt from their own 26 yard-line. During the punt, something went wrong for Andreas Picarelli and the kick only went 12 yards before the ball went out of bounds giving the Ravens solid field position at the Owl's 38 yard-line. The Raven's fast paced no-huddle offense marched down the field and in a handful of plays Franklin Pierce redshirt freshman quarterback Adrian Parker (Manchester, Conn.) threw a six-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Antonio Smikle Jr. (Farmingdale, N.Y). Nolan Startzell came in and finished the drive with the extra point giving the Ravens the 7-0 lead.

Later in the second quarter, the Owls worked to get the ball down field, but their campaign was cut short after the team's junior running back E'lijah Gray fumbled the ball which was recovered by Franklin Pierce junior Shamil Diaz (Lawrence, Mass.).  

Though the Ravens had solid field position following the fumble, the offense went three-and-out but were within distance of a field goal. After knocking down the extra point just several drives before, Startzell went back out onto the field for a 16-yard attempt. After a good snap and good hold, the lefty kicker went wide left. SCSU defenders screamed and ran to the away sideline as Startzell held his hands over his facemask in disappointment. Little did he know a greater opportunity was on the way.  

Three drives later, SCSU got on the board in the final minute of the first half. Starting at their own 18 yard-line, several ten-yard passes and a pass interference call on the Ravens brought the Owls to the FPU 30 yard-line. From there, SCSU quarterback Keith Ridley Jr. threw a short pass to E'lijah Gray, who made up for his previous fumble by running 30 yards into the endzone. With the extra point, the Owls evened the score 7-7 just before halftime. 

In the second half, coaches of the Ravens and the Owls got aggressive as both teams weren't afraid to go for it on fourth down. The move forced a turnover on downs for the Ravens during their second drive, and the Owls started from their own 29-yard line. During the first play of the drive, Pierce was again called for pass interference, giving SCSU some breathing room. After a few short runs and a pass, the Owls made it to the FPU 37-yard line. From there, Ridley Jr. connected with Tylon Papallo for a 37-yard touchdown through the air. With the extra point, the owls took their first lead of the game, up 14-7.

After receiving the kickoff following the SCSU touchdown, the Ravens went four and out. But when the Ravens offense hit a brief roadblock, the team's defense punched the gas.

The Owls started on their own 32 yard-line and on second down, Ridley Jr. once again found Tylon Papallo in a 44-yard pass ending at the FPU 25 yard line. On the very next play, a botched snap sent Ridley Jr. scrambling as Raven defenders chased the fumbled ball like hungry dogs. Falling on the ball, the Owls kept possession. Facing second and 37, Ridley Jr. snapped the ball, dropped back and sent a pass down field. To his surprise, FPU senior DB Tyvarius Daniels (Springfield, Mass.) intercepted the pass and hit the jets before he went out of bounds at the 40 yard-line.

Again with the fast paced no huddle offense the Ravens marched down the field until they reached the 14 yard-line when sophomore running back Alex Benitez (Belle Meade, N.J.) punched it in for the touchdown. Startzell cleaned up the extra point making it a 14-14 ball game. 

In SCSU's next possession, the Owls put together a long drive that started at their own 10 yard-line and ended at the FPU 15. The Owls had an opportunity to take the lead with a field goal but ultimately missed keeping the game locked at 14 a-piece.

For fans of both teams, the final two minutes of the game was an emotional roller coaster. After the SCSU missed field goal, Franklin Pierce went four and out and the Owls got the ball back around midfield with just 1:40 left on the clock.

During first down, the Ravens defense again stepped up in one of the most crucial plays of the game. Setup in shotgun formation, SCSU snapped the ball and Franklin Pierce junior defensive lineman Jaylen Bynes (Trenton, N.J.) bulldozed into the backfield first forcing a fumble and then recovering the ball. After a flag on SCSU at the end of the play, the Ravens took possession at the SCSU 33 yard line with just over a minute on the clock.

The final drive was just two plays long. The first was a 28-yard pass from quarterback Jordan McAfee (Everett, Mass.)  to Joziah Gonzalez (Meridan, Conn.), which brought the game clock down to 1.4 seconds. With one play left, Nolan Startzell was called back out to the field. Prior to the opportunity, Startzell had missed his first field goal, but hit both extra points. Lining up for his kick, he eyed down the field goal post and then the refs blew their whistles signaling a timeout from SCSU. Any attempt to ice Startzell didn't appear to work, as the only ice around was in the coolers on the sideline, and apparently in Startzell's veins.

Just moments later, the ball was snapped, the clock began, the kick was up and it was good.

The entire Ravens team flooded the field as fans cheered and music blared. Piling up at midfield, Startzell was at the bottom as the Ravens celebrated their last second victory.

HISTORIC NOTE:
For the Ravens, Saturday's win marks the programs first Division II home victory and Northeast-10 conference home victory.

 NEXT FOR THE RAVENS: The Ravens continue their three game home streak next weekend when they'll take on Assumption at 1:00PM