Knight records four picks

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (October 9, 2015) – The secondary of the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team was marked as a "no passing" zone early and often on Friday night, though the defensive display did not seem to deter Navy from trying to gain yards through the air. Navy quarterbacks did combine to throw for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the Collegiate Sprint Football League contest, but seven interceptions prevented those yards from leading to more points at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Instead, a 24-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Michael Holdridge (Peru, N.Y.) and a 46-yard field by sophomore kicker Kyle Salucco (Exeter, N.H.) in the second half led Franklin Pierce to an 18-16 victory.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-2 (2-2 CSFL), while Navy falls to 3-1 (2-1 CSFL). For the Ravens, it is the first win in program history against the Midshipmen, who are perennially among the upper echelon of the CSFL.

Meanwhile, for Navy, it was the first loss since a 17-7 defeat at Army on Oct. 26, 2013, snapping an 11-game winning streak. It was also the first home loss since a 21-18 defeat by Army on Nov. 2, 2012, snapping a 10-game home winning streak. It was Navy's first loss to a team other than Army since a 24-14 loss against Penn on Oct. 2, 2010. The last time a team other than Army had won in Annapolis was on Oct. 21, 2000, when Penn pulled out a 28-27 victory in overtime.

It was a defensive a special teams showcase all night long for Franklin Pierce, after a weather delay pushed the opening kickoff back 95 minutes. In addition to the seven interceptions, the Ravens blocked one punt, blocked one field goal and hit the aforementioned 46-yard field goal of their own.

The tone was set early, as Navy freshman quarterback Jimmy Wynne went deep on just the second play from scrimmage, but was picked off by junior defensive back Brandon Knight (Bronx, N.Y.). The Ravens were unable to capitalize on the night's first turnover though, as the offense went three-and-out on the ensuing possession.

The two teams would trade punts -- with one Navy fumble mixed in -- through the middle of the first quarter, before senior quarterback Derek Reddy (Natick, Mass.) threw an interception to senior defensive back Ian Anderson, which allowed Navy to open its possession at the Franklin Pierce 17-yard line with 6:05 to play in the opening stanza. The Midshipmen quickly crossed the 17 yards in three plays and 64 seconds to open the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Wynne to senior wideout Matthew Hite. Junior linebacker Josh Castro (Nashua, N.H.) blocked the point after to leave Navy with a 6-0 lead.

In fact, Franklin Pierce would not get on the board on its historic night until just before halftime, thanks to a special teams play. Navy began a drive with 1:39 left before halftime from its own 25-yard line. It was three-and-out for Navy, with Franklin Pierce burning timeouts to stop the clock along the way: junior running back James Lieto lost two yards on the ground, Wynne completed a pass to Lieto for a loss of four more yards, and Wynne got two yards back on a rush. Facing fourth-and-14 from its own 21, Navy brought on the punt unit, but junior punter Jules Murphy's kick was stuffed by sophomore defensive back William Hart (Amherst, N.H.).

In the aftermath of the block, freshman wideout Isaiah Martinez (Frederick, Md.) was able to recover for the Ravens on the Navy 1-yard line. After Reddy was dropped for no-gain on a keeper on first-and-goal, senior running back D.J. MacDonald (Mattapoisett, Mass.) came through with a one-yard touchdown plunge and Salucco added the point after to give Franklin Pierce a 7-6 lead heading into the break.

Franklin Pierce opened the second half with the ball and immediately put together a 13-play, 39-yard drive lasting 5:19, which stalled out at the Navy 31-yard line. The Ravens elected to turn to Salucco for the long field goal attempt, but the 48-yard kick went wide left. It was Salucco's first miss of the season. Navy responded with an eight-play, 53-yard drive of 2:51, which was capped by a 33-yard field goal from senior kicker Brett Deters to give the Midshipmen a 9-7 lead.

The Ravens answered immediately with the game's signature drive, an 11-play, 70-yard march over the next 5:07. Franklin Pierce converted three lengthy third downs on the drive, beginning with a 15-yard pass from Reddy to Holdridge to convert on third-and-five on just the third play of the drive. Three plays later, Reddy scampered for six yards and a first down on third-and-six from the Navy 46. The final conversion of the drive came on third-and-17 at the Navy 24, when Reddy and Holdridge hooked up for a 24-yard score which put the Ravens ahead for good. Reddy found freshman running back Jack Mahoney (Hudson, N.H.) on the two-point conversion to open up a 15-9 lead.

Trying to put points on the board on the ensuing drive to answer, Navy needed just 65 seconds to go five plays and 64 yards, setting up a 28-yard field goal attempt for Deters. Again, the Franklin Pierce special teams unit came up big, as sophomore defensive lineman Demitri Moreno (Alhambra, Calif.) blocked the kick and kept the score at 15-9.

After the two teams traded interceptions, Franklin Pierce wound up with the ball starting a drive from the Navy 32-yard line with a six-point lead and 12:36 to play. The drive went nowhere, but also everywhere, as the only gain came via a three-yard rush from MacDonald. However, those three yards moved the ball that much closer for Salucco, who hit on a season-long 46-yard field goal attempt to tack on three points and push the lead to 18-9 with 11:36 to play.

When Navy threw interceptions on each of its next two possessions, it briefly appeared Franklin Pierce might be able to coast to the win, if it could put together any significant drive of its own to burn the clock. Ultimately though, the Salucco field goal would loom large, after Navy took over at its own 27-yard line with 3:30 to play. Following back-to-back incompletions, junior quarterback Nick Deterding connected with Hite for a 73-yard touchdown strike to get the Midshipmen back within striking distance. After Deters put the point after through, Franklin Pierce was left holding just an 18-16 lead with 2:39 to play.

With Navy having already used all of its timeouts though, Franklin Pierce was able to bleed much of the clock after preventing Navy from recovering the onside kick. There was just barely too much time left for the Ravens to end the game, and a punt left the Midshipmen with one last opportunity, on first-and-10 from its own 22-yard line with five seconds remaining. In a fitting end to the game, a deep heave by Deterding was intercepted by Knight for the seventh and final pick of the game.

For Franklin Pierce, Reddy finished as the leading rusher, though he collected just 33 yards on 12 rushes (2.8 yards/carry). Through the air, he finished 11-for-34 with a touchdown and two interceptions to go with 85 yards. MacDonald made four catches for 19 yards, while Holdridge tallied 44 yards and a score on three catches.

Defensively, Knight collected four of the seven interceptions, while Moreno, Hart and sophomore defensive back Karon Hair (Long Branch, N.J.) added one each. In addition to the four picks, Knight broke up two other passes as well. Senior defensive lineman Shawn Wright (Hartford, Conn.) notched two tackles for loss totaling six yards.

For Navy, sophomore running back Mac Lavis led the way on the ground with seven carries for 51 yards (7.3 yards/carry). Through the air, Deterding finished 9-for-22 with a touchdown and four interceptions on the way to a 240-yard night. Earlier, Wynne had gone 5-for-15 for 16 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Hite hauled in five catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns to lead the receiving corps.

Defensively, senior defensive lineman Hardy Davis factored in on 14 tackles (five solo) to lead all players. Senior defensive back Dan Gilmore notched three tackles for loss totaling 16 yards.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they return home to host Army. Opening kickoff is set for noon at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

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 sprint football apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).