BRYANT FOOTBALL GAME NOTES
October 30, 2007

BRYANT FOOTBALL TRAVELS TO SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT FRIDAY NIGHT
Bulldogs Look to Stop High Powered Owl Offense In Quest For NE-10 Title

Game 9 - Bryant University (7-1, 7-0 NE-10) at Southern Connecticut State (6-3, 5-2 NE-10)
Date:  Friday, Nov. 2, 2007,  7:00 p.m.
Location:  Jess Dow Field (6,000), New Haven, Conn.
Radio/TV: www.bryantbulldogs.com (John McCarthy, Pat Sullivan),  www.ne10.tv

UPDATE
After falling for the first time this season, 30-0 at Division I Stony Brook Saturday, the first place Bulldogs travel to Southern Connecticut Friday night for a key showdown with the high-powered Owls.  Bryant has clinched at least a share of the 2007 Northeast-10 Conference title for the second consecutive year and needs only one more win in the final two games to win the program's first championship outright.  The Bulldogs host Bentley Nov. 10.  This will be the seventh meeting all-time between Bryant and Southern Connecticut with the Owls leading the series 4-2.  Bryant snapped a four-game losing skid to Southern Connecticut with a 49-20 win in Smithfield, RI last year. 

MORE TIDBITS
* Friday's game will be the 88th game for Bryant since becoming a varsity program in 1999. 
* Bryant owns a 47-40 all-time record covering eight seasons.
* Head Coach Marty Fine owns a record of 26-12 in his fourth year, the most wins for a coach at Bryant. 
* Bryant is 22-6 in its last 28 regular season games, not including last year's postseason loss.  The Bulldogs were 7-3 in 2005 and were 8-3 last year including a loss to West Chester in the NCAA's. 

SERIES: 
This will be the seventh meeting all-time between Bryant and Southern Connecticut with the Owls holding a 4-2 series lead.  The last two meetings between these two schools produced a combined total of 181 points as Bryant defeated Southern Connecticut 49-20 in the season opener last season, rebounding from a 77-35 shellacking in the season finale to the 2005 season.   Bryant is 0-3 all-time at Southern Connecticut.  

LOOKING AT THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs dropped their first game of the season last weekend, 30-0 at Division I Stony Brook on Long Island.  The loss snapped an 11 game regular season win streak dating back to a 24-21 loss to CW Post at home last season (not including a loss to West Chester in the first round of the 2006 NCAA playoffs).  Charlie Granatell completed 9 of 19 passes for 144 yards in the game and was intercepted just once.  The INT was costly as the Bulldogs marched down to the Stony Brook 10 yard line on their opening drive only to have the drive ended with the Seawolves picking off a Granatell pass in the end zone.  Granatell has completed 60 percent of his passing attempts this year (109 for 179) for 1,312 yards and has picked off just five times.  He has thrown 10 touchdown passes.  Lindsey Gamble has rushed for 741 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.  The sophomore tailback comes into Friday's game averaging 92.6 yards per game.  The Bulldogs have allowed 149 yards rushing and 166 yards passing. 

A GLANCE AT THE OWLS
Southern Connecticut, the Northeast-10's top offensive team with 494.2 yards per game average, comes into Friday's game winners of four straight including an 42-17 win at C.W. Post on October 20 and a 41-6 win over Stonehill at home last week.  The Owls lead the league with 37.4 points per game.  Quarterback Steve Armstrong sits atop the NE-10 with 251.2 passing yards per game average while running back Jerom Freeman boasts the league best rushing average with 135.2 yards per game.  Through nine games, Freeman has 1,2177 yards and 14 touchdowns.  During their four-game win streak, the Owls have outscored their opponents 165 to 40. 

TALE OF THE TAPE - BRYANT AND STONY BROOK 
   Bryant    Southern Conn.
Scoring Offense  37.4 (4th)  37.4 (1st)
Scoring Defense 20.1 (3rd)  22.4 (6th)
Rushing Offense 191.6 (2nd)  243.0 (1st)
Rushing Defense 149.5 (6th)  142.7 (5th)
Passing Offense 251.2 (2nd)  171.9 (7th)
Passing Defense 166.2 (1st)  209.4 (7th)
Total Offense  363.5 (3rd)  494.2 (1st)
Total Defense  315.8 (3rd)  352.1 (6th)

NE-10 STANDINGS
Team   Conf. All
Bryant    7-0 7-1
Bentley  6-2 6-2
Southern Conn.  5-2 6-3
AIC   5-2 5-3
Merrimack  4-3 4-4
Stonehill  4-3 4-4
CW Post  3-4 3-5
Assumption  1-6 2-7
Pace   1-7 1-8
Saint Anselm  0-7 0-8

THE COACHES:
Bryant coach Marty Fine is currently in his fourth season coaching the Bulldogs.  Since his first year in Smithfield in 2004, Fine owns a coaching record of 26-12. Southern Connecticut coach Rich Cavanaugh is in his 23rd season at Southern Connecticut.  

GAMBLE AND SMITH COMBO:
Bryant has been going with a three-back rotation in the backfield with Chris Peaks (three touchdowns vs. Saint Anselm), Howard University transfer Jerell Smith, and sophomore Lindsey Gamble.  Gamble ran for 177 yards on 26 rushes against Merrimack in Week 2 and followed with a career-best 182 yards and school record-tying 4 touchdowns in the win over Assumption. Recently, Smith has been red-hot, rushing for more than 100 yards in three of the last four games (125 yards vs. CW Post, 105 vs. Stonehill, and career-best 135 vs. Saint Anselm on just eight carries).

WINNING WAYS:
Bryant has put together two consecutive winning seasons since a 4-5 slate in Fine's first year as coach in 2004.  In 2005, Bryant went 7-3 overall followed with an 8-3 campaign in 2006.  The only other winning season was in 1999 when the team went 5-4.  Bryant is 22-5 in its last 27 regular season games, not including last year's NCAA playoff loss.

BULLDOGS AGAINST DIVISION I FOES
Last week's game at Stony Brook marked the third meeting for Bryant against a Division I school.  The Bulldogs are 0-3 now, falling to the University of Rhode Island, 28-0 in the 2002 season opener, and Sacred Heart 19-15 in the 2000 season-opener. 

BRYANT GOING DIVISION I
On October 17, Bryant University officially accepted an invitation to join the Division I Northeast Conference (NEC) beginning in the fall of 2012.  Bryant filed with the NCAA to begin an exploratory year to look at moving to Division I for all sports last April, just prior to the NCAA placed a moratorium on schools moving to Division I for four years.  With the acceptance into the NEC, Bryant will continue with the four year transition to Division I status.  The Bulldogs will begin a Division I schedule starting in the fall of 2008, but will not be eligible for NCAA championships in any sport until reaching full Division I membership.

BULLDOGS RANKED NO. 4 REGIONALLY
The Bulldogs enter the week ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA Regional Poll.  Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs were No. 1 in the poll for the first time in school history. After playing Saint Anselm on Oct. 20 (winning 49-21), the Bulldogs dropped to No. 3 . Six teams qualify for the NCAA Playoffs from the Northeast Region (4 total regions for field of 24) with the top two receiving a first round bye.  No. 3 will host No. 6 and No. 4 will host No. 5. 

NCAA Northeast Regional Poll as of Oct. 29, 2007
1. California (PA)
2. West Chester
3. Shepherd
4. BRYANT
5. Indiana (PA)
6. Charleston (WV)
7. Slippery Rock
8. Southern Connecticut
9. Bentley
10. American International
11. Edinboro
12. Bloomsburg

GRANATELL ON THE MARK:
Senior quarterback Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ / Ramapo) has started every game (36) since coming to campus as a freshman in 2004.  Granatell's junior year was his best yet, passing for a career-best 1,975 yards and 21 touchdowns. Granatell finished the season ranked second nationally with a 167.5 efficiency rating. 

GRANATELL ON THE SEASON
Granatell enters this week's game with 6,213 career passing yards and 52 career passing touchdowns.  He is the holder of 15 school records.  On the season, Granatell has completed 100 of 179 passes (60.9 percent) for 1,312 yards and 10 TDs.