PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Castleton University football team opened the season with a 20-7 loss on Saturday at Plymouth State, the first time the Spartans have played in Plymouth since 2017.
 
Castleton fell behind early and was unable to recover as Plymouth controlled the pace of the game with nearly 40 minutes of possession time to Castleton's almost 20. The Panthers outgained Castleton 185-53 on the ground and 324-210 overall. The Spartans had an edge in passing yardage, 157-139. Plymouth converted 5-of-12 on third down while Castleton managed just 3-of-10 conversions and went 0-for-2 on fourth down.
 
Evan Smith led Castleton with 157 yards passing on 12-of-20 completions with a touchdown. His lone score was to wide receiver Jackson Brand, a 53-yard strike down the seam in the third quarter. Smith netted 21 yards rushing on the ground to lead the way. On defense, Kevin McDonough's eight total tackles led all Spartans while Jacob Griggs added six.
 
Plymouth's Braden Lynn completed 13-of-16 for 139 yards, while Willie Lombard went for 98 yards on the ground and Manny Sanchez added 74 yards behind him. Lombard also had 49 receiving yards on three catches. Evan Wilson led Plymouth with seven tackles.
 
Plymouth got on the board first with a field goal on its first possession of the game after a Castleton punt, putting the hosts ahead 3-0. On the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans fumbled and the Panthers recovered on the 30-yard line, giving Plymouth a short field. The Panthers took advantage, needing just three plays before Lombard scampered 16 yards into the end zone for a 10-0 PSU lead. The home side tacked on three more points on a late-half field goal to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room.
 
Castleton came out of the locker room looking to find the end zone, and did so on its first possession of the second half. Castleton converted a third-and-long to keep the drive going, before a second down pass two plays later turned into a touchdown when Smith went over the top of the defense to find Brand for the score. Noah Crossman knocked home the extra point to make it a one-score game, 13-7.
 
That was all the offense Castleton could muster, as Plymouth answered two drives later with a touchdown of its own to make it 20-7, a score that held for the final eight-plus minutes of action.
 
Castleton opens its home slate next Saturday, September 10, when it hosts Fitchburg State. It is also Castleton's Homecoming and Family Weekend.