Football Defeats Duquesne 24-10 As Smith Rushes For 129 Yards
November 1, 2008
BRYANT FOOTBALL DEFEATS DUQUESNE 24-10 SATURDAY
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| Mike Canfora ran in for a 15-yard second quarter score after catching a backwards swing pass quarterback Jay Graber, giving Bryant a 6-3 lead at the half. www.dspics.com |
SMITHFIELD, R.I. (11/1/08) - Bryant University running back Jerell Smith rushed for 129 yards on 14 carries while the defense used two fourth quarter interceptions to put the game away as the host Bulldogs pulled away for a 24-10 win over Duquesne here Saturday afternoon.
Duquesne quarterback Connor Dixon engineered a solid 10-play scoring drive to open the game as the Dukes jumped out in front first. A Dixon 20-yard pass to Brian Layhue on the Dukes' second-play moved the ball to midfield.
Dixon would later hook up with running back Cleo Williams for an 11-yard pass play to move the ball down to the Bryant 25 yard line. With the ball on the Bryant 7 yard line, the Bulldog defense would hold Duquesne to a 24 yard field goal from Mark Troyan.
Bryant's (5-4) offense would finally get on the board just before halftime. After a 21 yard punt by Duquesne's Josh Brisk gave the Bulldogs good field position at the Duquesne 44 yard line, quarterback Jay Graber (Clarksburg, NJ) hit Ross Giffune (Foxboro, MA) for a 20-yard gain down to the Duquesne 15-yard line.
Two plays later, Mike Canfora (Verona, NJ) took a lateral from Graber and rumbled into the end zone for a 15-yard score. The extra point attempt was wide and the Bulldogs took a 6-3 lead into the locker room at the half.
Duquesne (2-6) regained the lead once again late in the third as Dixon connected with Alex Roberson for a 54-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-9.
But in the fourth, Lindsey Gamble put the Bulldogs back in front for good, scoring on a 29-yard run down the middle to make it 15-10. On their next possession, the Dukes moved the ball down to the Bryant 40, but junior defensive end Don Smith (Attleboro, MA) blitzed Dixon forcing the sophomore to throw an ill-advised pass that was picked off by linebacker Paul Polomski (Franklin, MA).
The Bulldogs came into the game tied for first nationally with a 25 turnovers gained this season. The Duquesne miscue led to a Brian Donnelly (East Dennis, MA) 25-yard field goal to give Bryant an 18-10 lead with just over five minutes left.
Needing to go the length of the field to score and possibly force overtime, Duquesne would never get the opportunity as Bryant linebacker Cheyenne Ray (Bellport, NY) picked off Dixon's very first pass attempt at the 29 yard line and returned it the distance for the touchdown, sealing the victory for the Bulldogs.
Bryant finished with 445 yards of total offense in the game. The Bulldogs were 7 for 15 on third-down conversions. Gamble finished with 94 yards rushing while Graber completed 18 of 26 passes for 213 yards. Williams finished with 76 yards rushing for Duquesne while Dixon was 16 for 28 passing for 193 yards.
Bryant will be off next weekend with a bye and will next return to action Nov. 15 with a game at Iona. Duquesne will travel to Wagner College next Saturday for a 1 p.m. Northeast Conference game.
