September 11, 2007

BRYANT FOOTBALL GAME NOTES
September 10, 2007

BULLDOGS VISIT MERRIMACK FRIDAY NIGHT FOR 7 P.M. GAME
Game 2 - Bryant University (1-0, 1-0 NE-10) at Merrimack College (0-1, 0-0 NE-10)
Friday, September 14 2007, Warrior Field (2,000), North Andover, Mass.
Radio/TV: http://www.bryantbulldogs.com/ (Bryant Broadcast Crew of John McCarthy and Pat Sullivan call the action),  http://www.cstv.com/

UPDATE:
The Bryant football team, fresh off a 13-6 win over American International College last Saturday, hits the road for the first time this season as the Bulldogs pay a visit to Merrimack College this Friday night for a 7 pm game.  The Bulldogs defeated Merrimack 34-7 in 2006 but trail the overall series 6-2.  Last week, Bryant was held to just 181 yards of total offense but it was the defense that came through, forcing AIC into four turnovers (3INT, 1 fumble) in the game.  Charlie Granatell completed 11 of 17 passes for 104 yards but was picked off once by the AIC defense.  Bryant was 3-1 on the road last season.  The Bulldogs have never started a season 2-0.  Last year, the Bulldogs defeated Southern Connecticut in the opener only to fall at AIC in Week 2.  Two years ago in the 2005 season, Bryant opened with a home win over AIC (21-0) but fell on the road at Merrimack a week later, 41-40 in overtime.

MORE TIDBITS

* Friday's game will be the 81^st game for Bryant since becoming a varsity program in 1999. 

* Bryant owns a 41-39 all-time record covering eight seasons.

* This will be the ninth meeting all-time between Bryant and Merrimack. 

* The Bulldogs are 0-3 against Merrimack in North Andover and 2-3 at Bulldog Stadium.

* Saturday's win vs. AIC was Marty Fine's 20^th at Bryant. He needs one more win to equal Jim Miceli's coaching victories of 21.  Miceli coached Bryant from 1999 to 2003 (5 seasons).

* Former Defensive Coordinator under coach Fine for the past three seasons, Marc Klaiman, is in his first season at Merrimack as an assistant coach.

SERIES: 
This will be the ninth meeting all-time between Bryant and Merrimack. The Warriors own a 6-2 series lead and are 3-0 all-time against Bryant at Warrior Field.  The last time the Bulldogs headed North, Merrimack came away with a 41-40 overtime victory.  Bryant missed three PAT attempts in the game, including one in the final seconds that would have won the game in regulation.  Last year, Lorenzo Perry rushed for 233 yards in a 34-7 win.  Merrimack would drop a 24-21 decision the following week at Bentley but would win its next seven including a first-round NCAA win over Southern Connecticut.  

A GLANCE AT MERRIMACK COLLEGE:
The Warriors come into Friday's game 0-1 on the season after falling to Central Connecticut 45-7 last week.  Merrimack had just 38 yards of total offense while giving up 527.  Merrimack was picked to finish third in the Northeast-10 Conference by the coaches in the preseason poll back in August, and garnered three first-place votes (Bryant was fourth).   The Warriors, 8-4, (7-2 NE-10) were co-Champions of the NE-10 last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.  22 starters are back from last year's team including 62 letterwinners.  Junior cornerback Andrew Jackson is back after recording 4 interceptions last year.  He was named first team all-conference with a 25.2 kick return average. Tight end Ryan Salter was also a first team all-conference selection last year while WR Chris McNeil (682 yards) and RB Mike Young (810 yard) were both second team selections.  Quarterback Colin Temple threw for 2,166 yards and 16 TDs in 2006. 

THE COACHES:
Bryant coach Marty Fine enters his fourth season coaching the Bulldogs.  Since his first year in Smithfield in 2004, Fine owns a coaching record of 20-11. Merrimack Coach Jim Murphy is currently in his fifth season at Merrimack and owns a 26-16 coaching record. Fine is 1-2 all-time against Merrimack.

BRYANT IN SEASON OPENERS:
Since Bryant's first varsity season in 1999, the Bulldogs are now 6-3 all-time in season openers.  The Bulldogs have won three-straight season openers and are 3-1 in openers under coach Marty Fine. Bryant is now 5-0 when opening the season at home.

THE AIC GAME:
Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ) completed 11 of 17 passes for 104 yards and sophomore linebacker Paul Polomski (Franklin, Mass.) intercepted two passes (one returned 44 yards for a touchdown) and had a fumble recovery to help lead Bryant to a 13-6 win before 2,242 at Bulldog Stadium in the opener Sept. 8.  Bryant had just 181 yards of offense but the defense came through, forcing four Yellow Jacket turnovers in the game.  Sophomore transfer Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, NY / Howard University) rushed for 49 yards on 19 carries while Sean Bergin (New Windsor, NY) caught a team-best four passes for 75 yards.

HE HAS THE YELLOW JACKET'S NUMBER:
Sophomore LB Paul Polomski (Franklin, Mass.) was named the Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Week after recording six tackles, a fumble recovery, and intercepting two passes, one of which was returned 44 yards for a touchdown in the fourth in Saturday's win over AIC.  Polomski earned his first start at linebacker last year as a freshman in Week 2, playing against of all teams AIC.  Incidentally, Polomski had a goal-line interception in the first half of that game as well. 

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.

NEW ON THE STAFF:
Bryant returns all but one coach from last year's coaching staff.  Marc Klaiman, defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, left last spring for an assistant position at Merrimack College.  In his place steps first-year coach Ben Morie who will coach the team's quarterbacks and receivers. Morie, a 2000 graduate of Bemidji State in Minnesota, comes to Bryant from Upper Iowa University where he was recently the team's offensive coordinator.  Also joining the staff this year is first year coach Art Bell (Rhode Island '85).  Bell, who will coach the Bulldogs' defensive line, is a native of Newport and graduate of Rogers HS.  He played one year at Bridgewater State and played three years at URI where he was a member of the Rams' 1981 Yankee Conference Championship team.  Prior to coming to Bryant, Bell coached at Salve Regina and Middletown HS.

RHODE ISLAND ASSISTANCE
In addition to newcomer Art Bell to Fine's coaching staff, other assistant coaches with Rhode Island ties include outside linebackers coach Jay Monteiro (Rhode Island '89) who was an assistant for 16 years at East Providence HS before coming to Bryant three years ago. Also back is running backs coach Jay Jones (Rhode Island College '94) who previously was an assistant at Cranston West and is currently the wrestling coach at RIC.   

MILESTONE WATCH:
Senior WR Sean Bergin (New Windsor, NY/Newburgh Free) needs just 106 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career ...

RECORD BOOK UPDATES:

* Chris Peaks (1,216 yards) needs 57 rushing yards to move into fourth all-time

* Peaks (10 TDs) needs five touchdowns to move into third all-time for career TDs

* Bergin (third in receiving yards with 894) needs 107 yards to move into second.

* Charlie Granatell (2^nd, 849) needs 7 plays to move into first for plays of total offense (856).

* Chris Wohlheter (2^nd, 7) needs five interceptions to become all-time career INT leader (11).

* Wohlheter is currently tied for 8^th with 133 career tackles.  He needs seven tackles to move into 7^th.

GRANATELL ON THE MARK:
Senior quarterback Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ / Ramapo) has started every game (31) 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.  He enters this week's game with 5,131 yards and 44 touchdowns, plus the holder of 15 school records. 

GUNTHER SETS SEASON AND CARER SACK RECORD:
Senior defensive end Mark Gunther (Clarksburg, NJ / Notre Dame) set a school single season record with 11.5 sacks, giving him the school career sack record with 20.5.  Gunther had three sacks in two different games last year (vs. Saint Anselm and Assumption).

ROOKIE RHODE ISLANDERS:
Bryant has five local freshman on this season's roster heading into opening week:  Fullback Kyle Bell (Middletown, RI / Middletown); linebacker Joe Heiberger (Westerly, RI / Westerly); tight end Matthew Kelly (Lincoln, RI / Bishop Feehan); wide receiver Brendan Rice (Providence / La Salle); and kicker Karl Turner (Woodriver Junction, RI / Chariho).