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2022 Fitchburg State Falcons football
2022 Fitchburg State Falcons football
Conference	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	1–9 (0–8 MASCAC)
Head coach	Scott Sperone (2nd season; first five games); Mark Sullivan (interim; remainder of season);
Offensive coordinator	Odell Jones
Defensive coordinator	Mark Sullivan (3rd season)
Home stadium	Elliot Field
	Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

2022 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
UMass Dartmouth $^	8	–	0	9	–	2
Plymouth State	6	–	2	9	–	2
Western Connecticut	6	–	2	7	–	3
Bridgewater State	6	–	2	7	–	4
Framingham State	4	–	4	5	–	5
Massachusetts Maritime	3	–	5	3	–	7
Westfield State	2	–	6	2	–	8
Worcester State	1	–	7	1	–	9
Fitchburg State	0	–	8	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant

The 2022 Fitchburg State Falcons football team represented Fitchburg State University as a member of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division III football season. The Falcons, were originally led by 2nd-year head coach Scott Sperone before he was fired and replaced by Mark Sullivan, played their home games at Elliot Field in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	Dean*	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	W 33–28	750
September 10	2:00 p.m.	at Castleton*	Dave Wolk Stadium Castleton, VT	L 0–48	4,112
September 17	12:00 p.m.	Worcester State	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 10–56	1,675
September 24	12:00 p.m.	Massachusetts Maritime	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 13–38	1,244
October 1	4:00 p.m.	at Bridgewater State	Swenson Field Bridgewater, MA	L 0–82	2,500
October 8	12:00 p.m.	at Framingham State	Bowditch Field Framingham, MA	L 0–47	0
October 15	12:00 p.m.	Plymouth State	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 7–42	120
October 22	12:00 p.m.	UMass Dartmouth	Elliot Field Fitchburg, MA	L 0–49	0
November 5	12:00 p.m.	at Western Connecticut	The WAC Danbury, CT	L 21–41	600
November 12	12:00 p.m.	at Westfield State	Alumni Field Westfield, MA	L 0–50	1,000
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Game summaries

Dean

Game One – Fitchburg State Falcons (0–0) vs Dean Bulldogs (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dean	0	7	14	7	28
Fitchburg State	7	7	7	12	33

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Date: Friday, September 2, 2022
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Mostly clear
Game attendance: 750
Referee: Rick Puente

Game information

First quarter

(0:00) FIT – Elijah Zaire McKnight 16 Yd Run, Linnea D'Acchille Kick (Fitchburg State 7–0)

Second quarter

(4:55) DEAN – Will Stafford 4 Yd Run, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Tied 7–7)
(4:40) FIT – Elijah Zaire McKnight 73 Yd Pass, Linnea D'Acchille Kick (Fitchburg State 14–7)

Third quarter

(11:15) DEAN – Will Stafford 3 Yd Run, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Tied 14–14)
(2:43) FIT – Frank Sims IV 1 Yd Run, Linnea D'Acchille Kick (Fitchburg State 21–14)
(0:49) DEAN – Quintus Reid 23 Yd Pass, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Tied 21–21)

Fourth quarter

(9:31) FIT – Frank Sims IV 3 Yd Run, PAT Failed (Fitchburg State 27–21)
(6:23) DEAN – Mozes Mooney 16 Yd Pass, Nikolai Luksch Kick (Dean 27–28)
(2:33) FIT – Tyzohn Poole 14 Yd Fumble Recovery, 2-PT Pass Failed (Fitchburg State 33–28)

Statistics	DEAN	FIT
First downs	20	18
Plays–yards	61	61
Rushes–yards	100	82
Passing yards	206	179
Passing: comp–att–int	13–19–1	15–23–1
Time of possession	27:25	44:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Dean	Passing	Nathan Cisco	12/14, 208 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Will Stafford	19 carries, 59 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jordan Mason	4 receptions, 70 yards
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	14/19, 155 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Frank Sims IV	19 carries, 38 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Elijah Zaire McKnight	5 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD

At Castleton

Game Two – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–0) vs Castleton Spartans (0–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Castleton	7	21	20	0	48

at Dave Wolk Stadium • Castleton, Vermont

Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 4,112

Game information

First quarter

(9:14) CAS – Chance Fee 6 Yd Pass, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–7)

Second quarter

(13:57) CAS – Saijon McIntosh 37 Yd Pass, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–14)
(6:43) CAS – Simon Davis Jr. 2 Yd Run, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–21)
(1:19) CAS – Saijon McIntosh 10 Yd Run, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–28)

Third quarter

(10:14) CAS – Caezar Williams 62 Yd Punt Return, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–35)
(7:56) CAS – Saijon McIntosh 34 Yd Pass, Noah Crossman Kick (Castleton 0–42)
(3:07) CAS – Jackson Brand 17 Yd Run, PAT Blocked (Castleton 0–48)

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Statistics	FIT	CAS
First downs	12	23
Plays–yards	63	52
Rushes–yards	67	204
Passing yards	103	248
Passing: comp–att–int	14–25–1	15–20–0
Time of possession	37:16	22:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	14/23, 203 yards
	Rushing	Frank Sims Jr.	7 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	Sahir Gomez	4 receptions, 37 yards
Castleton	Passing	Evan Smith	14/19, 235 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Colin Ellsworth	5 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Saijon McIntosh	3 receptions, 81 yards, 3 TD

Worcester State

Game Three – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–1) vs Worcester State Lancers (0–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Worcester State	14	7	14	21	56
Fitchburg State	0	3	0	10	13

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Mostly sunny / mild
Game attendance: 1,675
Referee: Austin Brough

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WSU	FIT
First downs	29	10
Plays–yards	64	50
Rushes–yards	221	100
Passing yards	199	101
Passing: comp–att–int	15–23–0	9–13–0
Time of possession	28:20	31:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Worcester State	Passing	Aaron-Moses Williams	12/18, 192 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Amir Mells	18 carries, 108 yards
	Receiving	Ke'Vaughn Davis	4 receptions, 49 yards, 3 TD
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	9/12, 101 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	10 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Sahir Gomez	3 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD

Massachusetts Maritime

Game Four – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–2) vs Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers (0–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Massachusetts Maritime	28	10	0	0	38
Fitchburg State	0	13	0	0	13

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, September 24, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Mostly clear
Game attendance: 1,244
Referee: Greg Camara

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MMA	FIT
First downs	20	9
Plays–yards	62	47
Rushes–yards	122	60
Passing yards	325	92
Passing: comp–att–int	21–26–1	11–17–2
Time of possession	32:25	27:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Massachusetts Maritime	Passing	Marc Murphy	20/25, 322 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ja'iel Johnson	14 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Andrew Brightman	9 receptions, 210 yards, 3 TD
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	10/14, 89 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	16 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kwasi Boakye	2 receptions, 50 yards

At Bridgewater State

Game Five – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–3) vs Bridgewater State Bears (1–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Bridgewater State	28	20	7	27	82

at Swenson Field • Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Rain
Game attendance: 2,500
Referee: Gregg Camara

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FSU	BSU
First downs	8	24
Plays–yards	60	61
Rushes–yards	43	369
Passing yards	65	210
Passing: comp–att–int	6–19–1	12–15–0
Time of possession	33:06	26:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	3/11, 47 yards
	Rushing	Frank Sims IV	15 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Elijah Zaire McKnight	3 receptions, 40 yards
Bridgewater State	Passing	James Cahoon	9/12, 199 yards, 6 TD
	Rushing	Adam Couch	12 carries, 119 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Akinsheye	2 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD

At Framingham State

Game Six – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–4) vs Framingham State Rams (2–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Framingham State	14	26	7	0	47

at Bowditch Field • Framingham, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, October 8, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FIT	FSU
First downs	7	21
Plays–yards	38	52
Rushes–yards	-22	203
Passing yards	3	384
Passing: comp–att–int	2–12–2	10–19–0
Time of possession	31:33	27:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Thomas Farr	1/2, 2 yards
	Rushing	Frank Sims IV	7 carries, 8 yards
	Receiving	Kwasi Boakye	2 receptions, 3 yards
Framingham State	Passing	Terry Smith	10/18, 181 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Devaun Ford	15 carries, 141 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Devaun Ford	3 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD

Plymouth State

Game Seven – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–5) vs Plymouth State Panthers (4–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Plymouth State Panthers	7	28	0	7	42
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	7	7

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Mostly sunny
Game attendance: 120
Referee: Dennis Donovan

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	PSU	FIT
First downs	25	9
Plays–yards	56	42
Rushes–yards	385	128
Passing yards	10	80
Passing: comp–att–int	2–3–0	10–16–0
Time of possession	34:25	25:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Plymouth State	Passing	Braden Lynn	2/3, 10 yards
	Rushing	Willie Lombard	11 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kyle Baker	1 reception, 9 yards
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	10/16, 80 yards
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	14 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kwasi Boakye	3 receptions, 30 yards

UMass Dartmouth

Game Eight – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–6) vs UMass Dartmouth Corsairs (6–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
UMass Dartmouth	21	14	14	0	49
Fitchburg State'	0	0	0	0	0

at Elliot Field • Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, October 22, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Weather: Mostly sunny
Referee: Gregg Camara

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UMD	FIT
First downs	25	5
Plays–yards	68	38
Rushes–yards	362	-19
Passing yards	170	42
Passing: comp–att–int	10–18–0	7–19–2
Time of possession	30:27	29:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UMass Dartmouth	Passing	Dante Aviles-Santos	7/14, 141 yards
	Rushing	Jalyn Aponte	6 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Angel Sanchez	7 receptions, 155 yards, 1 TD
Fitchburg State	Passing	Dylan Cosner	3/5, 11 yards
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	6 carries, 8 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Cohen	3 receptions, 19 yards

At Western Connecticut

Game Nine – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–7) vs Western Connecticut Wolves (6–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	7	14	0	21
Western Connecticut	14	13	7	7	41

at The WAC • Danbury, Connecticut

Date: Saturday, November 5, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Nice
Game attendance: 600
Referee: C. Hadden

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FSU	WCSU
First downs	16	27
Plays–yards	60	57
Rushes–yards	94	219
Passing yards	186	199
Passing: comp–att–int	13–25–1	14–25–2
Time of possession	33:56	26:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Logan Wilson	9/14, 137 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	13 carries, 90 yards
	Receiving	Keyshawn McCurdy	5 receptions, 107 yards, 3 TD
Western Connecticut	Passing	Dennis Riordan	13/23, 185 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Chad Blaszky	27 carries, 166 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Riley DeMeo	1 reception, 55 yards

At Westfield State

Game Ten – Fitchburg State Falcons (1–8) vs Westfield State Owls (1–8)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Fitchburg State	0	0	0	0	0
Westfield State	16	13	14	7	50

at Alumni Field • Westfield, Massachusetts

Date: Saturday, November 12, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Clear with gusty winds
Game attendance: 1,000

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FIT	WSU
First downs	6	15
Plays–yards	49	62
Rushes–yards	9	159
Passing yards	28	125
Passing: comp–att–int	3–20–2	8–13–0
Time of possession	24:12	35:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fitchburg State	Passing	Dylan Cosner	2/14, 18 yards
	Rushing	Elijah Zaire McKnight	15 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Keyshawn McCurdy	2 receptions, 15 yards
Westfield State	Passing	Colby Pires	8/13, 125 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Shane Clark	14 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Michael Foley	1 reception, 40 yards

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position
Mark Sullivan	Interim head coach
Adam Sherman	Defensive coordinator/linebackers
Odell Jones	Offensive coordinator/running backs
Mac Kimball	Special teams/defensive backs
Brandon Barnard	Wide receivers
David Romero	Defensive line
Todd Souliere	Athletic trainer
Rebecca Shersnow	Athletic trainer