Football Holds Off Springfield to Win Pynchon SAW Trophy

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 4, 2021) – The Golden Bears competed against Springfield College in the annual Pynchon SAW game for the Pynchon SAW Trophy earlier today where the Golden Bears won the trophy for the second time in a row with a 24-13 victory over the Pride.

Records:

• Springfield: 0-1
• Western New England: 1-0

How It Happened:

The Golden Bears started the game on defense and only allowed one first down in Springfield's opening drive before the offense took the field. Under quarterback Bryce Karstetter, the Golden Bears got the ball to the Springfield four, but came up just shy in the red zone and turned the ball over on downs. Western New England defense then took the field and on third down, Joshua Salem forced a fumble that Tucker Hartmann recovered at the Springfield 13-yard line to swing the momentum to the Golden Bears.

The Golden Bears then took the field and scored on third down from the four-yard line. Ryan Carlson ran the ball in for Western New England while Matt Gilbert took the field and made the extra point to give the Golden Bears a 7-0 lead with 5:20 left in the first quarter. Springfield answered with a 10-play drive of all rushes to reach the Western New England endzone and tie the game 7-7 after a made extra point by Christian Hutra. The first quarter then ended at the Western New England 28-yard line after a three-yard rush by Dillon Kohl.

The Golden Bears struggled to keep the offense moving at the start of the second quarter and had to punt the ball away in their first drive of the period. Springfield offense then took the field and began to march the ball down the field. On third down and 14-yards to go, Tony Figueroa sacked the quarterback and caused a fumble only to have it recovered by the Pride. Hutra then took the field for Springfield and made the 23-yard field goal to gain a 10-7 lead with 9:45 left in the half.

Karstetter started the drive for the Golden Bears with a pass to Matt Eylander for 11-yards to gain a first down. Western New England then struggled to move the ball before Karstetter and Steven Fedorchak connected on third and five with an eight-yard completion to earn the first down. Karstetter converted again on third down with a completion to Adam Razza for 48-yards and a touchdown for the Golden Bears. Gilbert made the extra point for Western New England to take a 14-10 lead halfway through the second quarter.

The Golden Bears forced another fumble on Springfield's next drive to take over at the Western New England 19 only to have to punt it away after three plays. Springfield started the final drive of the half with 1:52 on the clock. The Pride earned one first down and made their way to the Western New England 23 before Hutra took the field to attempt a field goal. The field goal was good, and the half ended with Western New England leading 14-13.

The Golden Bears started with the ball in the second half at the Western New England 28. Western New England forced their way down the field with Karstetter completing five passes before connecting with Fedorchak for the third time on this drive for a touchdown from six yards out. Another made extra point by Gilbert and the Golden Bears led 21-13. Neither team was able to convert the remainder of the third quarter leaving the Golden Bears ahead 21-13 with just 15 minutes left to play for the Pynchon SAW Trophy.

In the Golden Bears second drive of the fourth quarter, they went 46 yards with eight rushes between Karstetter, Kohl and EJ Dudley to get to the Springfield 22. Gilbert then went out to attempt the 32-yard field goal and it was good to put three more points on the board for the Golden Bears to lead 24-13. Springfield was struggling to move the ball in their next drive and was at the Springfield 30 when Aaron Lamar intercepted a deep pass and brought it to the Western New England 36 before taking a knee. The Golden Bears were unable to score again but held Springfield scoreless in the fourth quarter to earn the 24-13 win over the Pride.

With the win, the Golden Bears earned the Pynchon SAW Trophy for the second straight year.

Inside the Numbers:

• The Golden Bears had 17 first downs, nine passing and eight rushing, while Springfield had 16 first downs, three passing, 11 rushing and two on penalties.
• Western New England had a 59% conversion rate on third down with 317 total yards of offense, 182 passing and 135 rushing.
• Springfield had a 29% conversion rate on third down with 272 yards of offense, 61 passing and 211 rushing.
• Karstetter was 15-for-28 with 182 yards and two touchdowns while recording 31 rushing yards on seven carries.
• Kohl had 43 yards rushing on seven carries with his longest run being 20 yards and Dudley recorded 29 rushing yards on 11 carries.
• Razza led the receiving corps with 75 yards on three catches while Fedorchak tallied 46 yards on five catches and Matt Eylander earned 35 yards on three catches.
• Gilbert was 1-for-1 on field goals and 3-for-3 in extra points to total six points in the game.
• Erich Keutmann led the defensive corps with 11 total tackles and one sack for eight yards. Hartmann, Bailey Devine-Scott, Ricky Montalvo and Salem all recorded eight tackles apiece.
• Brine Wotherspoon had a sack for 15 yards and two tackles for losses of a total 16 yards. Figueroa forced a fumble and recorded a sack for a loss of one yard while Lamar recorded the only interception of the game for six yards.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears head to Westfield State on Friday, September 10^th for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.