The Husson University Eagles had soundly thumped Framingham State (MA) in their last two mutual season-opening football games by cumulative score of 96-27.
But Michael Marcucella didn’t play in either of those games for the Rams
The sophomore quarterback from Foxboro, Mass. did play on Saturday afternoon and threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more as the Rams won the opener, 33-21, at the John Winkin Sports Complex in Bangor.
Two of the state’s other five Division III football teams also opened their seasons on the wrong side of the scoreline Saturday afternoon as Massachusetts Maritime Academy dealt Castine’s Maine Maritime Academy a 49-0 drubbing to retain the Admiral’s Cup and the United States Coast Guard Academy (CT) outlasted the University of New England from Biddeford, 49-35.
In Bangor, Marcucella scored on a pair of one-yard plunges and threw touchdown passes of 26 yards to Ayden Ramirez and 38 yards to Mathias Fowler to guide the Rams to the win.
His TD toss to Fowler sewed up the win with 2:04 remaining in the game.
Framingham State was an NCAA Division III playoff team last season.
Husson had taken a 7-0 lead on a 31-yard pass from Brody Gibson to Brett Davis in the first quarter before Ransford Adri tied it on a one-yard run later in the quarter.
Marcucella gave Framingham State a 13-7 lead with his throw to Ramirez but Husson answered with a three-yard run by Anthony Santacroce with 4:18 left in the half and Alexandra Henry’s extra point kick enabled the Eagles to take a 14-13 lead into the intermission.
Marcucella gave the visitors the lead for good with his first one-yard TD run in the third quarter and his second one made it 27-14 with 9:37 left in the contest.
The Eagles climbed back into it on a 16-yard TD pass from Gibson to Jacob Lenz with 5:19 remaining before Marcucella hooked up with Fowler on the clinching score.
Marcucella completed 18 of 33 passes for 380 yards and the two TDs. He was intercepted once. Fowler caught six passes for 193 yards. Makoto Uchikawa was Framingham State’s leading rusher with 37 yards on 11 carries and the top tackler was Amari Williams with seven.
Gibson completed 14 of 26 passes for 131 yards for the Eagles. He was intercepted twice to go with his two TD passes. Lenz caught six passes for 68 yards. Santacroce was the game’s leading rusher with 46 yards on 14 carries. Daniel Ruiz Cantu had 40 yards on 10 carries.
Husson’s Brayden Trombly and Erik Menger each had a game-high 10 tackles.
At Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Maritime Academy outgained Maine Maritime Academy 500-111 in dealing the Mariners their 33rd straight loss.
Drew Kelley scored on runs of 60 and 8 yards, Joseph Schwartz scored on a three-yard run and tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Santiago Martinez and the Buccaneers also received touchdown runs from Colin Pecue (13 yards), Owen Lane (4 yards) and Evan Pierce (2).
Grayson Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal.
John Dickinson had 14 carries for a game-high 112 rushing yards for Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Dylan Taylor had seven for 97.
Auston Harris paced Maine Maritime Academy with 84 yards on 18 carries and Lucas Houghton had a game-high 10 tackles with teammates Matt Gagin and Liam Sullivan having nine apiece.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy extended its advantage over Maine Maritime Academy in the Admiral’s Cup series to 29-19.