BRYANT FOOTBALL IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
BULLDOGS HOST WEST CHESTER SATURDAY 

2006 Division II Bracket

Records: #25 Bryant 8-2 (7-2 NE-10 - Co-Champions of the Northeast-10) 
 #24 West Chester 8-3 (5-1 PSAC)
Date:  Saturday, November 18, 2006
Time: 12:00 p.m. kickoff
Location: Smithfield, RI
Tickets:  $7 Adults /  $3 Non-Bryant Students/ BRYANT STUDENTS FREE
Stadium: Bulldog Stadium (4,400)
Radio: www.BryantBulldogs.com (John McCarthy play by play, Patrick Sullivan color)
Series: First Meeting
Coaches:  Bryant - Marty Fine, 3rd year (19-10)
 West Chester - Bill Zwaan, 4th year (35-14) 

THIS WEEK
Bryant, the 2006 co-Champions of the Northeast-10 Conference will host West Chester (Pa.) this Saturday in an NCAA first round game at Bulldog Stadium.  Kickoff is at noon.  Bryant will be making its first appearance in the NCAA playoffs while West Chester is making its seventh - including third in-a-row.  The game will be broadcast live online at www.bryantbulldogs.com. The winner of Saturday's game will travel to face No. 2 seed Bloomsburg (Pa.) on Nov. 25.   For the first time in the program's history, Bryant is ranked nationally, coming in at No. 25 by D2Football.com.

NATIONAL RANKINGS - PERRY NO. 3
    He may wear No. 5 on game days, but Bryant senior running back Lorenzo Perry (Providence, RI) is currently ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing with 179.2 yards per game average.  Perry is also ranked No. 4 nationally in scoring with 12.0 ppg and fourth with 193.5 all-purpose yards per game average.
    Other Bulldogs in the rankings including junior quarterback Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ) at No. 2 nationally in passing efficiency at 169.5.  Chris Wohlheter (Newark, OH) is ranked 28th in punt return average at 11.7 while Mark Gunther (Clarksburg, NJ) is 2nd nationally with 1.3 sacks per game average.   Defensive back Bryce Martins (Uncasville, CT) is ranked in the top-20 in passes defended at No. 15 with 1.4 breakups per game.   As a team, Bryant is ranked No. 10 with 230.2 yards rushing per game.

LAST WEEK:Bryant 42, Becker 0
    The Bryant University football team wrapped up its regular season with a convincing 42-0 win over visiting Becker College Saturday at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs scored 35 points on 12 plays in the first quarter alone and were never threatened.  The win, Bryant's eighth of the year, sets a new school record for wins in a season as the Bulldogs end the regular season 8-2.  
Lorenzo Perry (Providence, RI) rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries while junior quarterback Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ) completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown before Bryant sent in the reserves after the first quarter of play.   Granatell connected with Justin Kix (Shoreham, NY) in the back of end zone on Bryant's first possession to cap a six-play drive.  For Kix, the touchdown was the 14th of his career, setting a new school record for career touchdown receptions. 

SEASON NOTABLES
* Bryant's previous record for wins in a season was seven last season (7-3). 
* The shutout victory over Becker was the second this season.  Bryant blanked Saint Anselm 41-0 on Oct. 21 at home. 
*Bryant has won four straight since a last second loss to C.W. Post 24-21.
* Lorenzo Perry ends the regular season with a school record 1,792 rushing yards this season.  Other single season records set by Perry this year include:  252 rushing attempts; 19 rushing touchdown touchdowns, rushing yards per game 179.2
* As for his career, Perry is second all-time at Bryant in just two season with 3,217 yards, trailing Andre McLeod's 3,521.  NCAA playoff statistics do count.  With Perry's two touchdowns vs. Becker, he extends his career touchdown record of 35.
* Justin Kix set the school record Saturday with his 14th career touchdown reception.  He is the school's all-time receptions leader with 107 and career receiving yards leader with 1,561. 
* Quarterback Charlie Granatell extended his career school records with 659 passing attempts; 364 career completions; 4,762 career passing yards; and 40 career passing TDs.

LOOKING AT WEST CHESTER:
    West Chester comes into Saturday's game seeded as the No. 6 team in the Northeast Region at 8-3 overall on the season and winners of five-straight.  The Golden Rams, ranked No. 24 by D2Football.com this week, are 2-2 against teams with winning records this season with losses coming to Edinboro (28-14), Delaware (30-7) and Bloomsburg (30-27).  The team is 4-2 on the road this season. 
    Junior tailback Osagie Osunde (5-10, 210) leads WC with 74.8 yards rushing per game while quarterback Bill Zwaan, Jr. (6-2, 210) is averaging 157.5 yards passing per game.  The junior (son of head coach Bill Zwaan) has completed 116 of 186 passes and thrown for 1,732 yards.  He has 20 touchdown passes and only thrown nine interceptions. 
    The Golden Rams are ranked No. 16 nationally with 195.7 yards rushing per game and eighth nationally in scoring offense with 35.5 points scored per game.  Individually, Zwaan is ranked fourth in passing efficiency at 166.4  Michael Washington is eighth nationally with 94.2 yards receiving per game. 
 
Statistical Comparison
Category Bryant  WC     
Scoring 34.1 35.5
Scoring Defense 13.8  22.1
Rushing Offense 230.2  195.0
Rushing Defense 111.0  125.0
Passing Offense 181.3  209.0
Passing Defense 134.7 200.0
Total Offense 411.5 405.0
Total Defense 245.7  326.0

Third Down 43.0 % 40.0%
Sacks 27 21
Interceptions 15 12  

NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS out of 143 DII schools
(as of Nov. 11)
TEAM
Rushing  10th 230.2
Scoring  13th 34.1

INDIVIDUAL
Rushing Lorenzo Perry 3rd 179.2
Pass Effic.  Charlie Granatell 2nd 169.25
Scoring Lorenzo Perry 4th 12.0
All Purpose Lorenzo Perry 4th 193.5
Punt Returns Chris Wohlheter 28th 11.7 yards per return

2006 Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches Poll
     Team  Points  Record This year
1.    C.W. Post (6) 96  10-3, 8-1  21-24 L
2.   Southern Conn. (2) 88  8-3, 7-2  49-7 W
3.    Bentley (1)   79  7-3, 7-2  36-15 W
4.    Bryant  71  7-3, 6-3  ----
5.    American Int'l  58  5-4, 5-4  7-20 L
6.    Merrimack 43  4-6, 3-6  34-7 W
7.    Pace (1)         37   3-7, 2-7    31-17 W
8.    Stonehill 35  4-6, 4-5  35-14 W
9.    Assumption 30  4-6, 3-6 45-21 W
10.  Saint Anselm 13  1-9, 0-9  41-0 W
   (first place vote)

BULLDOGS GETTING DEFENSIVE
Bryant's defense is currently ranked 11th nationally, allowing just 245.7 yards of total offense per game.  The team's pass defense efficiency is ranked No. 6 nationally at 86.4 while scoring defense is ranked No. 12 at 13.8 points per game allowed.  Junior rush end Mark Gunther (Clarksburg, NJ) is ranked No. 3 nationally with an average of 1.3 sacks per game.

NOW THAT'S EFFICIENT
Quarterback Charlie Granatell, second nationally with a 169.25 passing efficiency, has not throw an interception since the last play of the C.W. Post game.  Since then, Granatell completed 13 of 17 passes vs. Stonehill; 9 of 19 vs. Saint Anselm in the wind; and 15 of 21 vs. Bentley; and was 3 for 4 vs. Becker, without an interception.  During those four games, Granatell also passed for eight touchdowns. 

PERRY RACKING UP THE YARDS ... AND POINTS
Senior tailback Lorenzo Perry, a two-time NE-10 Conference Player of the Week and Boston Globe Gold Helmet Award winner as the New England Player of the back in September, leads the NE-10 this season with a school record 1,792 yards rushing and is first with 179.2 yards per game.  The school's all-time record holder with 35 career rushing touchdowns,  Perry has 19 TDs this season for a conference best 120 points. 

NOTABLES / RECORDS CHECK...
*   Lorenzo Perry (Providence) went over the 100 yard mark for the 15th time in his career vs. Bentley and now has 3,127 career rushing yards - second all-time in Bryant history. Perry had 94 yards vs. Becker in the first quarter, the first time he did not rush for 100 yards in a game. 
 
* Perry has now rushed for 100 yards 15 times in 19 career games and has gone over 200 yards rushing in six games career games - including four times this season. 

*  Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ) set the all-time career passing touchdown record of 35 held by Tony Granieri with two vs. Saint Anselm on Oct. 21. Granatell now has 40 career passing TDs and is first all-time with 4,762 career passing yards and 364 career completions. Granatell has not thrown an interception in the last four games (41 attempts) and has thrown for eight touchdowns during that stretch.  He is currently No. 3 nationally with a 169.25 passing effiiciency rating. 

* Andrew McLarty (College Park, Md.) has posted at least 10 tackles in three of the last four games giving him 193 for his career.  His 193 ranks McLarty third all-time behind Greg Wolniec's 227 and Greg Daniel's 206.

* Justin Kix (Shoreham, NY) has 14 career touchdown receptions, passing Adam Ewing's school record of 13 with a touchdown vs. Becker Saturday.  Kix is also Bryant's all-time career receiving leader with 107 career catches for 1,561 yards.  

* Chris Wohlheter (Newark, Ohio) holds the school record with 396 punt return yards and 37 punt returns.

* Wohlheter (7 INTs) needs five interceptions to pass Jesse Lewis' career record of 11 picks.

* With two sacks vs. Bentley, Mark Gunther (Clarksburg, NJ) passed Ben Wellington's career record for sacks of 19.5 with his 20th of his career. He is ranked third nationally with 1.3 sacks per game.