The defense forced six turnovers, freshman running back Kobie Smith rushed for two touchdowns, and junior quarterback Jose Melo threw for two more on Friday night, as the Franklin Pierce University sprint football team closed out its season with a 24-17 win over Cornell at Schoellkopf Field. Senior linebacker Josh Castro had nine tackles (eight solo), intercepted one pass, broke up two others, and recovered a fumble to lead the defense in the Collegiate Sprint Football League contest.
With the win, Franklin Pierce finishes its 2016 season at 4-3, marking the second straight above-.500 finish for the Ravens.
Ahzir Turner was Franklin Pierce’s leading rusher, with 84 yards on 20 carries (4.2 yards per carry), while Smith added two touchdowns, as part of a 17-carry, 51-yard night (3.0 yards per carry). Melo threw for 73 yards and two scores in an 8-for-20 game, which also included one interception. Alex Revere and Smith had three receptions each, with the former going for 45 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Castro filled up his stat line on the night with nine tackles one fumble recovery, one interception and two pass break-ups. Senior defensive back Adam Ebodi had both an interception and a fumble recovery as well, while Andrew Jean had an interception and junior defensive lineman Demitri Moreno tallied both a fumble recovery and a sack.