Bulldogs Take 1-0 Record To Merrimack Saturday

Bryant University Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0 NE-10)
at Merrimack Warriors (1-0, 0-0 NE-10) Date:

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2005
Time: 1:00 p.m. kickoff
Location: North Andover, Mass.
Stadium: Warrior Stadium (1,500 / turf)
Radio: www.bryantbulldogs.com
Series: Merrimack leads 5-1
Last Meeting: Merrimack 20-7, 2004
Coaches: Bryant - Marty Fine, 2nd year (5-5). Merrimack - Jim Murphy, 3rd year (15-5)

To Watch:
Bryant - QB Charles Granatell, 172 yards on 11 of 24 passing and one rushing TD vs. AIC in the opener. RB Lorenzo Perry rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown. LB David Boak had 10 tackles including six solo stops vs. AIC.

Merrimack: QB Colin Temple 191 yards, 1 TD vs. UMass Dartmouth, WR Elfren Quiles 107 yards receiving, NE-10 Freshman of the Year in Œ04

UPDATE: The Bryant University football team hits the road for the first time this season as the Bulldogs travel to North Andover, Mass. to take on the Warriors of Merrimack College (1-0, 0-0 NE-10). Bryant (1-0, 1-0 NE-10) is coming off an impressive 21-0 win over American International College last Saturday at Bulldog Stadium. The Warriors opened their 2005 season with a 35-0 non-league win over Division III UMass Dartmouth ... This will be the first of two-straight on the road for the Bulldogs as they¹ll head to Assumption next Saturday before returning home on Sept. 24th to host Pace for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.

LAST TIME OUT: Bryant opened the 2005 season in fine fashion with a 21-0 shutout win over American International College at home. The Bulldogs racked up 337 yards of offense with a strong passing (172 yards) and running game (165 yards) on the afternoon. Sophomore quarterback Charles Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ) completed 11 of 24 passes to five different receivers including a 57-yarder to Sean Bergin (New Windsor, NY) in the third to set up the team¹s second score. Bryant led 7-0 at the half but got a one-yard TD run by Granatell in the third and a five-yard scamper by Lorenzo Perry (Providence, RI) in the fourth to close out the scoring. The Bryant defense was the story of the game, sacking AIC¹s two quarterbacks four times and intercepting freshman replacement Shane Murphy three times in the game. Bryant held AIC to just 82 rushing on the day with all-conference tailback Marlon Beckles limited to just 63 yards on the ground.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS: Merrimack, picked to finish fourth in the NE-10 preseason coaches poll (behind CW Post, Bentley, and Southern Conn.) posted a 35-0 win over Division III foe UMass Dartmouth on Saturday. Freshman David Leach had two first half scores while Elfren Quiles had six catches for 107 yards. The Warriors, leading 28-0 with under two minutes left, added one more score coming on a touchdown pass with 1:34 left on the clock. Leach had 62 yards on the ground on 14 carries while quarterback Colin Temple had 191 yards passing on 18-for-35 passing. Head coach Jim Murphy played for the New England Patriots in 1998 and is in his third season at Merrimack. The Warriors were 8-2 last year. Prior to arriving at Merrimack, Murphy was the offensive coordinator at Bentley. Quiles was named the NE-10 freshman of the year in ¹04 after setting and NCAA Division II record with 1,406 yards receiving as a freshman.

SERIES HISTORY WITH MERRIMACK: Bryant will look to snap a four-game losing skid to Merrimack College, and the Bulldogs will have to do it at a place they¹ve never won before. Bryant is 0-2 all-time in games played at Warrior Field (1,500), falling 20-14 in 2002 and 34-19 in 2003. Last year, Merrimack defeated Bryant 20-7 at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs are 1-5 all-time in six meetings with the Warriors.

1999 10-20 L at Smithfield, RI
2000 17-14 W at Smithfield, RI
2001 3-17 L at Smithfield, RI
2002 14-20 at North Andover, MA
2003 19-34 at North Andover, MA
2004 7-20 at Smithfield, RI

QUITE THE CROWD: Bryant, which has led the Northeast-10 Conference in attendance in four of the last five years, had 4,310 fans on hand for the opener vs. AIC last weekend at Bulldog Stadium. It was the fifth-largest crowd to see at game at Bulldog Stadium. Opened in 1998 and completed in 1999 for Bryant¹s first varsity season, Bulldog Stadium seats 4,400. The most fans on hand to see a game was 5,561 in 1998 in a game vs. Assumption during Bryant¹s club season. The only crowds larger than last Saturday¹s turnout were homecoming games which coincidently is Bryant¹s next scheduled home game as the Bulldogs will host Pace on Sept. 24th for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.

PEAKS & PERRY COMBO TOUGH TO TACKLE: Bryant junior tailback combination of Chris Peaks (Silverspring, Md.) and Lorenzo Perry (Providence / LaSalle) accounted for 131 of Bryant¹s 142 yards rushing on Saturday vs. AIC. Bryant averaged only 85.2 yards rushing per game last season but with the addition of Perry, a former high school standout at La Salle and for two years at UMass Amherst, the Bulldogs have a strong combination to help out the running game. Peaks, a hardnosed runner who enters Saturday¹s game needing 28 yards to reach 1,000 for his career, had 44 yards on 11 carries vs. AIC while Perry, one of the quickest players on the team, had 87 yards on 13 carries in the ball game.

DONT FORGET THE SPECIAL GUYS: The Bulldogs got a big boost on the day from its special teams, including from the foot of junior punter Mike Lajterman (Ramsey, NJ). Lajterman, a two-time all-conference selection, averaged 42.4 yards on five punts, including two that were downed at the AIC one-yard line. The Yellow Jackets, pinned deep, managed to get across midfield only three times on the afternoon. Brett Duffy (Ridgefield, Conn.) had one punt return for 21 yards while Marcus Lindsey (Bridgeport, Conn.) had a kick return for 28 yards.

DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: The Bulldogs, with a much-faster defensive unit than the previous year, took advantage of its quickness against the Yellow Jackets. Bryant intercepted three passes on the day and rang up four sacks on the afternoon. David Boak led the charge with 10 tackles while Greg Daniel and Andrew McLarty each had nine. Chris Wolheter, Michael Morgan, and JP Scott had one interception apiece.

OCEAN STATE PLAYERS
The Bulldogs have 12 players that hail from the state of Rhode Island on this year¹s team: Lorenzo Perry (Providence / La Salle); Justin Benevides (Portsmouth); Luis Acevedo (Cranston); Kevin Manawonu (Providence / Country Day); Casey Factor (West Warwick); Damion Kindle (Warwick); Greg Daniel (Providence / La Salle); Chris Reels (West Warwick); Tshombe Lambert (East Providence); Gary Mallozzi (Smithfield), Rico Mallozzi (Smithfield); Joey Brito (Pawtucket);

BULLDOG BITES

€ Chris Peaks needs just 24 yards to reach 1,000 for his career. He has three 100-yard rushing games in his career.
€ Charles Granatell set records for most yards passing (1,316); attempts in a game (32 vs. Bentley); Attempts in a season (213); Completions in a game (15 vs. Bentley); Completions in a season (102).
€ Bryant is 4-3 all-time in season opening games, 3-0 when the season opener is at home
€ Bryant is 1-5 all-time vs. Merrimack; 6-0 all-time vs. Assumption
€ This is Bryant¹s seventh season of varsity football (26-33 all-time)
€ Bryant had five players named all-conference in 2004, three of whom are returning (Peaks, Lajterman, Daniel)