Football Names 2006 Captains; Bulldogs Open Season Hosting Southern Connecticut Saturday (3 pm)

BULLDOG FOOTBALL 2006

2006 Team Captains:  Front Row (L-R) Lorenzo Perry, Andrew McLarty, Charlie Granatell.  Back Row (L-R) Chris Wohlheter, Marcus Lindsey, Justin Benevides, Chris Peaks. www.dspics.com

SMITHFIELD, RI - Bryant University football coach Marty Fine has named the team's captains for the 2006 season as the Bulldogs prepare for the season opener this Saturday against Southern Connecticut at 3:00 p.m.  This year's team captains will be:  junior Chris Wohlheter (Newark, Ohio), junior Marcus Lindsey (Bridgeport, Conn.), junior Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ), senior Lorenzo Perry (Providence, RI), senior Justin Benevides (Portsmouth, RI), senior Chris Peaks (Silver Spring, Md.), and senior Andrew McLarty (College Park, Md.). 

BRYANT FOOTBALL GAME NOTES
Date:  Saturday, September 2, 2006
Time: 3:00 p.m. kickoff
Location: Smithfield, R.I.
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium (4,.400)
Radio: www.BryantBulldogs.com  (John McCarthy calls the action)
Series: Southern Connecticut leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Southern Conn. 77, Bryant 35  - Nov. 5, 2005 @ New Haven, Conn.
Coaches:  Bryant - Marty Fine, 3rd year (11-8)
 Southern Conn. - Rich Cavanaugh, 22nd  year,  (121-93-1)

AUDIO AVAILABLE (please test):  For the second-straight year, Bryant and Stretch Internet is proud to bring you live audio broadcasts of Bulldogs Sports in 2006-07.  The link to the broadcast center can be found on the front page.  Be sure to test your settings and make sure you have the latest version of Quicktime which is free to download.  

THE GAME:
The Bryant University football team kicks off its third season under coach Marty Fine on Saturday, September 2 against Southern Connecticut State ... Kickoff at Bulldog Stadium is at 3 p.m to accomodate move-in day at Bryant ... It has been a little over nine months since Bryant suffered its most lopsided  loss in school history when Southern Connecticut rolled up 77 points - the most ever given up by a Bryant team  -  enroute to a 77-35 rout in the regular-season finale in New Haven, Conn ... Bryant returns 58 letterwinners including 18 starters that played in that game last season ... The Bulldogs will be led offensively once again by senior tailback Lorenzo Perry (Providence, RI) who rushed for a school-record 1,335 yards last season plus a record 17 touchdowns - 16 rushing ... Charles Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ) is projected to get the start at quarterback and he'll be protected by a veteran offensive line that returns all but one starter from last season. 

FOR OPENERS
Bryant is 4-3 all-time in season-openers and 4-0 all-time when those season openers take place at Bulldog Stadium.  Last year, Bryant rolled to a 21-0 shutout win over American International at home  - a game that drew 4,310 fans to the staduim.  In 2001, Bryant opened its season wtih a 17-7 win over Southern Connecticut before 3,305 in Smithfield, RI.  The Bulldogs would finish that year 4-5.

NOTHING LIKE GOOD ‘OL HOME COOKING
Bryant is 22-14 all-time at Bulldog Stadium since 1999  ... Last season, Bryant was a perfect 5-0 at home with wins over AIC, Pace, Stonehill, Becker, and Bentley ... Bryant averaged 2,799 fans at Bulldog Stadium (capacity 4,400) ... Bryant had three games with more than 3,500 fans in attendence, including 4,820 in a win over Pace ... 4,310 fans showed up for the opener against AIC.
 
THE BRYANT - SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT MATCHUP
The Bulldogs look to snap a four-game losing skid to the Owls dating back to Bryant's only win over Southern Connecticut, 17-7 back in 2001.  This will be the sixth meeting between Bryant and Southern Connecticut when the two hit the field Sept. 2 at Bulldog Stadium.  The game will be the season-opener for both schools and the third trip to Smithfield, RI for the Owls.
In last season's meeting, the Owls rolled to a 77-35 romp over the Bulldogs in last year's meeting at Jess Dow Field in New Haven, CT.  Bryant trailed 28-7 after one quarter and 49-14 at the break.  Lorenzo Perry had 169 yards rushing on 33 carries for the Bulldogs while Southern's Jim Lukowiak returned a pair of first quarter punts for touchdowns. 
The Owls, under direction of Rich Cavanaugh (22nd season), are 33-10 over the last four seasons. The Owls posted an 8-3 record last year, earning a spot in the NCAA tournament where they fell to East Stroudsburg 55-33 in the first round. 

Series History
Year Result Bryant SCSU Location
2001 W 17 7 Smithfield, R.I.
2002 L 21 37 New Haven, Conn.
2003 L 21 28 New Haven, Conn.
2004 L 20 35 Smithfield, R.I.
2005 L 35 77 New Haven, Conn.

This Week's Games In The Northeast-10

 Thursday, Aug. 31
 Bentley at East Stroudsburg, 6 pm

 Friday, Sept. 1
 Merrimack at Stonehill, 7 pm

 Friday,Sept. 2
 Assumption at CW Post, 12 pm
 AIC at Saint Anselm, 1 pm
 Husson at Pace, 1 pm
 Southern Connecticut at Bryant, 3 pm

2006 Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches Poll
     Team  Points  Rec., NE-10
1.    LIU / C.W. Post (6) 96  10-3, 8-1
2.   Southern Conn. (2) 88  8-3, 7-2
3.    Bentley (1)   79  7-3, 7-2
4.    Bryant  71  7-3, 6-3
5.    American Int'l  58  5-4, 5-4
6.    Merrimack 43  4-6, 3-6
7.    Pace (1)                  37   3-7, 2-7
8.    Stonehill  35  4-6, 4-5
9.    Assumption 30  4-6, 3-6
10.  Saint Anselm 13  1-9, 0-9
First place votes are in parentheses.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN CONN.
The Owls had a record-breaking season in 2005, setting five team single-game and season record while earning their first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.  Southern set a single game record for passing yards with 436 against Bryant.  Coach Rich Cavanaugh, now in his 22nd year, is counting on sophomore quarterback Steve Armstrong to lead the way after an outstanding freshman season.  In addition to the record 436 yards passing vs. Bryant, Armstrong passed for a record 2,950 yards and 24 touchdown passes.  Defensively, Southern will have to replace last year's conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, Rashard Howard and first team linebacker Dexter Alexander.

NOTABLES
 *Bryant allowed the fewest sacks in the Northeast-10 Conference last season (8). That's good news seeing how just one offensive lineman has graduated from last year's team. The rest are back.
 * Bryant came away with points 33 times in 45 trips into the red zone last year (73.3 percent).  Conversely, Bryant's red-zone defense was third-best in the conference, holding opponents scoreless 11 times when in the red-zone (26 for 37). 
* Bryant set a total of 68 records last season, including:  20 team record, 9 team game record, 23 individual season records, and 16 individual game records.
  * Lorenzo Perry trails all-time school rushing leader Andre McLeod (3,521) by 2,186 yards.  Perry rushed for 1,335 yards in ‘05.  .... Perry needs five rushing touchdowns to pass McLeod's career rushing TD record of 20 ... Senior Justin Kix (7 career) needs seven touchdown receptions to pass Adam Ewing  for the alltime record.  Ewing had 13 from 1999-03. 
* Junior defensive end Mark Gunther (8 sacks in ‘05) needs 10.5 sacks to tie the career record of 19.5 held by Ben Wellington ‘03. 
 
BULLDOGS DRAW A CROWD:
Bryant has led the Northeast-10 Conference in attendance in five of the last six seasons including 2005. In five games last season (all wins), Bryant averaged 2,799 fans.  The Bulldogs drew 2,571 for the Bentley game, despite the cold weather.  The Bulldogs had 4,310 for the AIC game and 4,820 for the Pace game.

NE-10 rankings by average attendance:  
 1. BRYANT  2,799      
 2. Bentley 2,361
 3. CW Post 1,895
 4. Merrimack 1,885
 5. So. Conn. 1,794
 6. Stonehill 1,494
 7. Assumption 1,438
 8. Pace 1,202
 9. St. Anselm 1,028
10. AIC 772