Football Improves to 2-2 With 24-19 Win Saturday
September 25, 2004
BRYANT FOOTBALL DEFEATS PACE 24-19
Bulldogs Host C.W. Post Next Saturday at 1 p.m.
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – One week after rushing for a career high against Assumption, Bryant sophomore running back Chris Peaks rushed for a new career best with 118 yards and added two touchdowns to help lead the Bryant University football team to a 24-19 win over Pace University here at Finnerty Field Saturday.
The win is Bryant’s second in-a-row after opening the season with two losses. The Bulldogs never trailed in the game and got a strong outing from freshman quarterback Charles Granatell who completed 15 of 24 passes for 162 yards on the afternoon.
With summer-like temperatures soaring close to 80 degrees, the Bulldogs scored early and never looked back. After forcing Pace to punt after just four plays, Chris Wohlheter’s 22-yard punt return gave the Bryant offense excellent field position for its opening drive of the game.
That’s when Granatell and company went to work. Following a key 36-yard third down pass play to Nick Nappi down the middle, Peaks scampered into the endzone nearly untouched from 12 yards out to put Bryant up 7-0 following the point after by Pete DiMartino. The score marked the third time this season that Bryant has scored on its first possession of the game (AIC and Assumption the other two).
Pace would answer with a 10-play drive to pull to within one, but the point after was wide and the Bulldogs would stay in front 7-6. The Bulldogs would go up 10-6 following a 22-yard field goal early in the second.
Bryant avoided disaster midway through the second quarter as the Bulldogs fumbled an exchange between Peaks and Granatell, but Peaks was able to recover the ball on the Bryant 44 yard line. On the very next play from, Peaks would make up for the near miscue as he hooked up with Granatell with a short screen pass that would result in a 59-yard touchdown by Peaks to make it 17-6.
Pace (0-4) would answer just before the end of the half following a long, 12-play drive by the Setters to make it 17-13 at the break.
In the second half, there would be little scoring until early in the fourth when Peaks again came up big with a 70-yard run down to the Pace goal line on Bryant’s first play from scrimmage following a Pace punt. As a reward, Peaks would get the ball again and plunged in from a yard out to make it 24-13 and the Bulldog defense would hold.
The Setters, led by Rueben Sullins 106 yards rushing, had the ball on the Bryant 32 yard line with under a minute left, but Joe Kugler intercepted a Mike Timmerman pass in the end zone with 15 seconds left to seal the victory.
Bryant will return home next Saturday to host C.W. Post University at Bulldog Stadium (1 p.m.).
