FOOTBALL TRAVELS TO ALBANY THIS SATURDAY FOR 1 PM KICKOFF
October 12, 2009
BRYANT FOOTBALL TRAVELS TO ALBANY SATURDAY FOR 1 PM
KICKOFF
Bulldogs (3-2, 2-0 NEC) vs. Great Danes (4-2, 3-0
NEC)
WOON 1240 AM live from Albany, NY
BULLDOGS VISIT ALBANY SATURDAY AT 1 PM
The Bryant University football team returns to NEC play
this Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Albany, NY to face the
Great Danes of the University at Albany. Kickoff is set for 1
p.m. John McCarthy will call the action live on WOON 1240 AM.
Bryant is coming off a 35-7 non-conference loss at Fordham last
Saturday night while Albany, winners of 16-straight Northeast
Conference games, rolled over Duquesne at home, 55-10. Albany
senior Justin Gannon returned two punts for 88 yards including a
78-yarder for a touchdown in the win. Bryant, led by running
back Jerell Smith's 108.8 yards rushing per game, will return
home to host Central Connecticut on Oct. 24 for Parents and Family
Weekend.
BRYANT Stat Leaders:
Rushing
Jerell Smith (Sr., 5-9,
185)
108-544 yards, 2 TD (108.8 ave/game)
Lindsey Gamble (Sr., 5-9, 200) 48-183 yards, 0 TD (36.6
ave./game)
Passing
Mike Croce (So., 5-11,
200) 63-137,
765 yards, 7 TD, 1 INT (153.0 ave/game)
Receiving
Matt Tracey (Jr., 6-5,
250)
15-213 yards, 2 TD (42.6 ypg)
Mike Canfora (Jr., 5-10,
180) 15-179 yards, 1 TD
(35.8 ypg)
Khalel Pritchard (Sr., 5-9, 170) 10-161 yards, 3 TD
(32.2 ypg)
NOT A FUN NIGHT IN THE BRONX
The Bulldogs saw their two-game win streak come to an end with a
37-7 loss at Fordham Saturday night. Jerell Smith, who was named
the NEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week, was limited to just 86
yards rushing in the game. Bryant fell behind 21-0 and failed
to capitalize on a Samad Wagstaff interception at the Fordham 20 as
Mike Croce's pass in the endzone for Khalel Pritchard fell
incomplete on fourth down. Fordham would march downfield and
score just before the half to take a 28-0 lead into the locker room
at the break. Bryant's only score came on a 28-yard touchdown pass
from Croce to Iona transfer Tim Mastrino in the third.
SMITH GARNERS NEC HONORS
Senior running back Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, NY) rushed for a
season-high 178 yards in the win over Wagner on Oct. 3 earning him
co-Player of the Week honors in the NEC. For the Bulldogs, it
was the first individual honor in school history as Bryant, though
not officially in the league until the four-year reclassification
end in 2012, is included in the conference standings and eligible
for player honors for the first time this season. Smith is
currently third on Bryant's all-time career rushing list and has
gone over the 100 yard mark in three of Bryant's five games this
season.
BULLDOGS DOWN WAGNER 6-2
It may look more like a baseball score, but the Bulldogs picked up
a 6-2 win over visiting Wagner before a rain-soaked Homecoming
crowd of 3,262 on October 3. Jerell Smith rushed for 179 yards and
scored the only touchdown of the game, a 17-yard run early in the
fourth that proved to be the game-winner (extra-point attempt
failed). Wagner scored first thanks to a Bryant miscue in the third
when a high-snap on a punt attempt sailed through the back of the
end zone for a safety. The Bryant defense, led by the play of
linebacker Jason Riffe (8 tackles) and defensive lineman Patrick
Gauthier (7 tackles, 1 sack), held Wagner to just 59 yards rushing
and 46 yards passing on the day.
BIG WIN AT ROBERT MORRIS
Trailing 10-0 after one quarter, the Bulldogs scored 20
unanswered points en route to a 20-13 road win over Robert Morris
in Moon Township, Pa. back on September 26. For Bryant, it
was the school's first victory in NEC competition. Senior running
back Jerell Smith rushed for 111 yards on 24 carries, marking the
eighth time in Smith's career with 100 yards rushing in a game.
Quarterback Mike Croce completed 14 of 25 passes for 182 yards and
a pair of touchdown passes. Croce hooked up with senior wide
receiver Khalel Pritchard with a nine-yard touchdown strike midway
through the second quarter to pull the Bulldogs to within
10-7. A 28-yard field goal by Chris Bird early in the third
tied the game at 10-10 but a 21-yard field goal by Bird at the
start of the fourth quarter finally put the Bulldogs in front,
13-10. Later in the fourth, Croce and the Bulldogs took
advantage of another RMU turnover, this time connecting with Mike
Canfora for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-10. Canfora
finished the game with a career-high six receptions for 75
yards. Bryant had 344 yards of total offense while the
defense held RMU to just 167 yards all together. Jason Riffe
led the defensive effort for Bryant, finishing with a career-best
nine tackles including a pair for a loss and one sack .
LOOKING AT UALBANY
The preseason favorite in the NEC and conference powerhouse Albany
comes into Saturday's game 4-2 on the season (3-0 in league) and
winners of 16-straight Northeast Conference games. The streak is
the nation's longest active FCS conference streak for wins against
league opponents. The Great Danes routed Duquesne 55-10 at
home last weekend, racking up 471 yards and getting 145 yards
rushing from senior tailback David McCarty. McCarty, who is
on the 2009 Walton Award, rushed for a pair of
touchdowns including a 23-yard run in the third. His backup
Justin Gannon returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown in the first
quarter to put the Great Danes up 13-0. UAlbany is 3-0 at
home including a 20-16 win over nationally-ranked Maine on Sept.
19.
(Record 4-2 overall, 2-0 NEC)
Sept. 5 at Georgia Southern, 26-29 L
Sept.
12
at #17 UMass, 7-44 L
Sept.
19
#20 MAINE, 20-16 W
Sept.
26
SACRED HEART*, 22-9 W
Oct. 3 at Saint Francis (PA)*, 27-6 W
Oct. 10 DUQUESNE *, 55-10 W
Oct. 17 BRYANT*, 1 pm
Oct. 24 at Monmouth*, 1 pm
Oct. 31 at Central Conn.*, 12 pm
Nov. 7 ROBERT MORRIS*, 1 pm
Nov. 21 at Wagner, 1 pm
*NEC
Albany Stat Leaders:
Rushing
David McCarty (Sr., 6-0, 215) 135-634 yards, 8 TD, 105.7 ave
Passing
Vinny Esposito (Sr., 6-1, 210) 72-141-8, 869 yards, 5 TD, 144.8 ave.
Receiving
Tim Bush (Sr., 5-9, 185) 27-400, 2 TD, 66.7 ave.
Ryan Kirchner (Fr., 6-1, 180) 10-101, 0 TD, 16.8 ave.
TALE OF THE TAPE Bryant Albany
Scoring Offense 15.2 26.2
Scoring Defense 20.0 19.0
Rushing Offense 158.6 184.8
Rushing Defense 127.2 109.5
Passing Offense 153.0 148.2
Passing Defense 159.4 205.3
Total Offense 311.6 333.0
Total Defense 286.6 314.8
THE COACHES
Bryant coach Marty Fine, now in his sixth season, comes into Saturday's game with a 37-20 record since arriving at Bryant in 2004. He has led the Bulldogs to four consecutive winning seasons including an impressive 7-4 campaign in 2008, Bryant's first at the Division I level. Fine led the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference championships and NCAA playoff appearances in 2006 and 2007. Albany coach Bob Ford is in his 37th season at Albany where his is 229-145. He is 238-167-1 in 41 seasons overall. He currently ranks sixth among FCS all-time leaders in career coaching victories and is first among all active FCS coaches.
QUICK HITS
* Saturday's game with Albany is the 107th game in the Bryant football history (58-48 overall) and 17th competing at the Division I level. Bryant is now 7-9 all-time against Division I schools following last week's game against Fordham.
* With the win over Robert Morris on Sept. 26, Bryant is now 4-0 against NEC schools from the state of Pennsylvania.
* Bryant is also 2-0 against Wagner. Last year, the Bulldogs defeated the Seahawks 24-14 for the program's first victory against a Division I opponent.
* Mike Canfora caught a career-best six passes against Robert Morris. He had two catches for 16 yards against Wagner and is currently tied with tight end Matt Tracey with 15 this season.
* Freshman Jordan Brown is averaging 20.5 yards per kickoff return. He had a season-best 44 yard return in the first quarter against Fordham last week.
* Defensive end Don Smith has three sacks this season. He needs two sacks to move past Jay Stahl for fourth all-time in school history. Smith has 13.5 entering today's game.
* Bryant has just two rushing touchdowns this season with Smith accounting for both.
* Chris Bird moved past Pete DiMartino Saturday at Robert Morris for first-place all-time with 59 career PATs. He has 60 heading into the Albany game.
GREAT DEFENSIVE EFFORT AGAINST SOUTHERN
Led by sophomore linebacker Franck Tebou, the Bryant defense held a potent Southern Connecticut offense to just 267 yards of offense including 108 yards rushing. SCSU senior tailback Jarom Freeman, who ran for 400 yards in a game against Bryant two years ago, managed just 75 yards on 17 carries in the game. Tebou led the Bulldogs with a career-best 10 tackles including six solo stops. Andrew Regan added seven tackles while senior Paul Polomski and junior Addison Lynch each had five.
SMITH TOPS 2,000 CAREER RUSHING YARDS
Senior runningback Jerell Smith, who is now in his third season at Bryant after transferring from Howard University in 2007, became the third player in school history to go over the 2,000 yard mark in rushing in a career. He is currently third on Bryant's all-time career rushing list (program is only in its 11th year) behind Andre McLeod (3,521) and Lorenzo Perry (3,259). Smith had 121 yards against Southern Connecticut in the opener. He reached the 2,000 mark with an 11-yard run on the team's first drive in the first quarter against Hofstra. He has gone over 100 yards in three of Bryant's five games this year including a season-best 178 vs. Wagner in the rain.
MORE ABOUT THE RECLASSIFICATION
Bryant, located in Smithfield, Rhode Island (7 miles NW of Providence), is currently in year number two of reclassifying from Division II to full-time Division I???(Football???Championship Subdivision in football) for all of its 22 intercollegiate sports. Upon completion of the four-year transition (2012-13), Bryant will become a full-time member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). This year, Bryant will be included in the NEC standings for all sports and eligible for weekly honors, however, Bryant will not be eligible for postseason play in all sports except field hockey and men's lacrosse which will be eligible for postseason play in 2010-11. Bryant enjoyed tremendous success at the Division II level, winning two Northeast-10 Conference Championships in football and earning back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances (2006, 2007).
CROCE SETTLING IN AT QB
Sophomore quarterback Mike Croce (pronounced CROW-ce like Gross), who transferred from Merrimack College last year, looked strong in his first career start for the Bulldogs, completing 68.2 of his passes for 169 yards in the win over Southern Connecticut back on Sept. So far this season, the signal-caller has completed 65 of 137 passes with just one interception thrown.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Bulldogs are 21-7 at home over the past five seasons and
21-6 in regular season games since 2004. The Bulldogs fell to West
Chester in the 2006 NCAA playoffs at Bulldog Stadium. Bryant
was 3-1 at home in 2008.
2004 - 2-3
2005 - 5-0
2006 - 5-2 (including NCAA playoff loss to West
Chester)
2007- 4-0
2008 - 3-1
2009 - 2-1
Total 21-7
NEW LOCKER ROOMS FOR THE BULLDOGS
During this past summer, Bulldog Stadium underwent a locker room
expansion project that included a new expansive football locker
room. The locker room includes new wood lockers, common area,
coaches locker room, and LCD televisions. In addition, a new
men's lacrosse locker room was built. The previous locker
rooms were remodeled during the project, providing new locker rooms
for Bryant's field hockey, women's lacrosse and women's soccer. The
field hockey locker room will serve as lockers for visiting
teams.
NEC PRESEASON POLL 2009
Eligible for the first time in the Northeast Conference standings,
the Bryant University football team has been tabbed to finish
seventh in 2009 following the announcement of the preseason
coaches' poll. Defending champion Albany is the preseason
favorite for the fourth year in a row. The Danes, an
associate member of the league in football, won their fourth
conference championship going a perfect 7-0 (9-3 overall) in NEC
play. Bryant will travel to Albany on Oct. 17.
Monmouth, last year's runners up, were picked to finish second
followed by Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart.
1. Albany
2. Monmouth
3. Central Connecticut
4. Sacred Heart
5. Robert Morris
6. Duquesne
7. BRYANT
8. Wagner
9. Saint Francis (PA)
