Recap by Director of Athletic Communications Luke Tracy 

RINDGE, N.H. (11/11/2023) – Franklin Pierce University football closed out its 2023 season on a high note Saturday afternoon with a 21-10 victory over American International.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Before kickoff, 15 graduating senior members of the team were recognized for their hard work and dedication while in a Ravens uniform. Parents, friends and family joined the team at midfield as the graduating students geared up to play their final game on Sodexo. During the coin toss, Jon Frederick, a 20-year member of the U.S. Coastguard was honored, along with other veterans in attendance.
• Franklin Pierce was first to get on the board and did so in their very first drive. After a four-and-out from AIC, the Ravens took over at the AIC 45 yard-line. FPU marched down the field and found the endzone in seven plays which was capped off with a short pass from Adrian Parker (Manchester, Conn.) to Remeillo Hyde (Nashua, N.H.) for a 3-yard passing touchdown. With the extra-point, the Ravens went up 7-0.
• AIC responded with a field goal at the end of the first quarter and went on to score the only touchdown in the second. Going into halftime, AIC held a 10-7 lead.
• The Ravens had an explosive third quarter as the team grabbed two touchdowns including a 5-yard rushing TD from Andrew Meleski (Ashland, Mass.) and a 12 yard passing TD from Adrian Parker to Joziah Gonzalez (Meridan, Conn.).  
• The Franklin Pierce defense completed a shutout in the second half which helped hand the team the 21-10 victory.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS:

• Offense:
  • Andrew Meleski led the Raven's ground game with 19 carries, 114 yards and one touchdown.
  • Adrian Parker went 15-24 for 145 yards and two touchdowns and also recorded 53 rushing yards.
• Defense:
  •  Tyvarius Daniels (Springfield, Mass.) grabbed the lone interception for the Ravens
  • Chris Yeboah (Worcester, Mass.) pitched in a forced fumble for FPU
• Offensive output for the Ravens showed a serious line between AIC and FPU. Franklin Pierce racked up 342 yards of total offense; a wide margin from AIC's 169 yards of total offense. This statistic was most prominent in first downs which the Ravens picked recorded 22 compared to AIC's 8.
• FPU possessed the ball for 38 minutes of the game, nearly double AIC's offensive time which was just under 22 minutes.