September 20, 2009
BRYANT FOOTBALL TRAVELS TO ROBERT MORRIS SATURDAY
GAME
NOTES
Saturday, Sept. 26 / 12 noon kickoff / WOON 1240
AM
The Bryant University football team returns to action this weekend
when the Bulldogs hit the road for the first time this season when
the team heads to Pittsburgh, Pa. for a Northeast Conference game
with Robert Morris University. Kickoff at Joe Walton Stadium
(3,000) is set for noon. The game will be carried live on
WOON 1240-AM with John McCarthy calling the live action and Pat
Sullivan providing analysis. This will be Bryant's inaugural
Northeast Conference game as 2009 marks the first year Bryant is
included in the standings. This is the second year of the four-year
transition to Division I (FCS). Bryant will still be
ineligible for postseason play until fully reclassified to Division
in 2012. The Bulldogs are 1-0 all-time against RMU, winning 20-7
last year at home on a Parents & Family Weekend at
Bryant. The Bulldogs are coming off a 40-24 loss to Hofstra
University back on Sept. 12. In 2008, Bryant was 3-3
away from home and posted a 2-1 road record against NEC
schools. Robert Morris fell to Dayton 21-14 at home last
weekend to drop to 0-3 on the season.
BIG PLAYS HURT BULLDOGS AGAINST HOFSTRA
Despite trailing 31-10 at the half, the Bulldogs rallied
to pull to with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter as wide
receiver Khalel Pritchard caught a short pass from quarterback Mike
Croce and raced 57-yards down the right side to pull the Bulldogs
to within 31-24 with 12:13 left to play. But Hofstra would
answer with a quick score as Christian Dennis scored on a 45-yard
pass play four plays into the Pride's ensuing drive to make it
37-24 and the Bulldogs were never able to recover. Pritchard
had four catches for 84 yards as Croce, in his second career start
at QB, completed 14 of 38 passes for 209 yards and two
touchdowns. Bryant was held to 307 yards of total offense in
the game including 98 yards on the ground. Hofstra, just the
fourth team to win at Bulldog Stadium in the past four years,
amassed 467 yards of offense in the game as quarterback Cory
Christopher completed 22 of 36 passes for 321 yards and three
touchdowns.
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 GOES FOR 2,000
Senior runningback Jerell Smith, who is now in his third
season at Bryant after transferring from Howard, became the third
player in school history to go over the 2,000 yard mark in rushing
in a career. He is curently 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 and finished with 48
against Hofstra to give him 2,042 for his career. He reached
the 2,000 mark with an 11-yard run on the team's first drive in the
first quarter.
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).
BULLDOGS 3-0 AGAINST PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOLS IN
‘08
Bryant posted a 3-0 record against team's from Pennsylvania in
2008, the school's first competing at the Division I level.
The Bulldogs defeated Robert Morris (20-7) and Duquesne (24-10) at
home and Saint Francis (PA) 23-0 on the road in the final game of
the season.
LOOKING AT ROBERT MORRIS
After two losses on the road to open the season, Robert Morris
returned home last week to open NEC play hosting Dayton at Joe
Walton Field. The Colonials, led by 5-foot-8, 170 pound
junior tailback Myle Russ, opened the year with a 14-13 loss at
Virginia Military and a 26-23 loss at Bucknell. Russ enters this
week's game averaging 131 yards rushing per game on the ground
while receiver Sherrod Evers has been a big threat in three games
out of the gate. The 6-3 senior entered the Duquesne game
with 14 catches and 224 yards receiving (122.0 per game
average). Russ, the top rusher in the NEC heading into the
Dayton game last week, had 117 yards and a touchdown against
Bucknell. Evers had a brilliant day against Bucknell,
recording eight catches for 139 yards. Last in the loss to
Dayton, Evers had five catches for 46 yards and one touchdown. Russ
was held to 87 yards on 19 carries.
TALE OF THE TAPE Bryant RMU
Scoring Offense 21.5 16.7
Scoring Defense 25.0 20.3
Rushing Offense 138.5 93.7
Rushing Defense 127.0 131.0
Passing Offense 189.0 162.3
Passing Defense 240.0 139.3
Total Offense 327.5 256.0
Total Defense 367.0 270.3
THE COACHES
Bryant coach Marty Fine, now in his sixth season at Bryant
brings a 35-19 overall record into this week's game. Since
his first year in Smithfield in 2004, Fine led the Bulldogs to two
conference titles and Division II playoff appearances (2006, 2007)
and leads the team into its second season of Divison I competition
in 2009. Robert Morris coach Joe Walton, now in his 16th season, is
the only coach in RMU history, guiding the Colonials to five
NEC???titles and two mid-major national titles. The
only coach in RMU history, Walton comes into Saturday's game wtih a
91-64-1 overall record.
TALKING POINTS
* Bryant was 1-1 last year when coming off a bye week. The
Bulldogs fell on the road at Marist after a bye in early
October but regrouped following a bye a month later for a win at
Iona.
* Bryant was 0-for-3 in converting a first-down on third down in
the fourth quarter against Hofstra.
* Saturday's game with Robert Morris is the 104th game in the
program's history (56-47 overall) and 14th competing at the
Division I level.
*Bryant will return home next week to host Wagner College for
Homecoming & Reunion Weekend. Bryant defeated Wagner last
year for its first Division I win.
NO FIRST-TIME JITTERS FOR CROCE
Sophomore quarterback Mike Croce 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. Here's a look at Bryant quarterbacks in their first game.
Please note, Bryant ran the option in 2003 - the year before Marty
Fine's arrival. Andre McLeod ran for 203 yards on 26 carries
in the game list below.
Tony
Granieri Passing Yds TD Long Sack
Assumption - 1999 11-20-2 129 0 27 4
Andre McLeod
* Passing Yds TD Long Sack
Pace -2003 0-5-1 0 0 0 0
Charlie
Granatell Passing Yds TD Long Sack
AIC - 2004 12-29-3 218 1 51 2
Jay Graber Passing Yds TD Long Sack
Central Conn. - 2008 19-36-1 216 3 21 3
Mike Croce Passing Yds TD Long Sack
So. Conn - 2009 15-22-0 169 2 36 0
BRYANT AGAINST DIVISION I OPPONENTS
Bryant is currently 5-8 all-time vs. Division I-AA teams,
earning the school's first win over a Division I opponent on Sept.
27, 2008 at Wagner. This is Bryant's second year competing at the
Division I level. The Bulldogs are Independent during their
four-year transition year and will join the Northeast Conference
(NEC) once the transition is complete in the fall of 2012.
Date Opponent Score W/L Att.
9/9/00 at Sacred Heart 15-19 L 2,173
8/31/02 at Rhode Island
0-28??? L 3,346
10/27/07 at Stony Brook 0-30
L 2,238
8/30/08 at Central Conn. 35-42 L 3,218
9/20/08 MONMOUTH 17-30 L 2,107
9/27/08 at Wagner 24-14 W 1,467
10/11/08 at Marist 7-34 L 2,347
10/18/08 ROBERT MORRIS 20-7 W 5,630
10/25/08 at #17 UMass 7-42 L 12,521
11/1/08 DUQUESNE 24-10 W 2,104
11/15/08 at Iona 23-7 W 483
11/22/08 at Saint Francis (PA) 23-0 W 885
9/12/09 HOFSTRA 24-40 L 1,760
HOME SWEET HOME
The Bulldogs are 19-3 at home in regular season games in the past
four seasons and posted a 4-1 record at home in 2008. The
Bulldogs were 4-0 last season and 5-1 in 2006.
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)
CAREER UPDATES
Rushing Yards
1. Andre McLeod, 2000-03 3,521
2. Lorenzo Perry, 2005-06 3,259
3. Jerell Smith, 2007-present 2,042
4. Lindsey Gamble, 2006-pres. 1,824
Smith will need 1,528 yards this season to become Bryant's all-time
career rushing leader. He needs 1,218 yards to pass Lorenzo Perry
for No. 2 all-time.
