SMITH AND THE BULLDOGS RUN PAST SAINT FRANCIS 35-12

November 14, 2009

BRYANT FOOTBALL DEFEATS SAINT FRANCIS (PA) 35-12
Senior Jerell Smith Rushes for 239 Yards in Bulldogs' Win

box score   / Smith Highlight 1 / Smith Touchdown 2 / Smith Touchdown 3 / Post-Game Notes

SMITHFIELD, R.I -  Senior tailback Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, NY) rushed for a career-best 239 yards and three touchdowns as Bryant University snapped its five-game losing skid with a 35-12 win over visiting Saint Francis (PA) at a rain-soaked Bulldog Stadium Saturday.   

Andre Whyte's big hit on Saint Francis tailback Jude Yearwood on SFPA's first play of the game helped set up Bryant's second touchdown Saturday.  www.dspics.com

Bryant (4-6, 3-4 NEC) scored on its first three possessions, two coming on a pair of long touchdown runs by Smith, the first coming on a 23 yard run on the sixth play of the Bulldogs' opening drive.  Following a fumble by Red Flash running back Jude Yearwood after taking a hard hit by Bulldog safety Andre Whyte (Bennington, Vt.), Smith broke free for a 20-yard run to put the Bulldog sup 14-0 just 3:26 into the game.

Saint Francis (2-7, 1-5) would quickly answer as freshman running back Kyle Harbridge scored on a 62-yard run down the middle, but the point after failed and the Bulldogs led 14-6. From there, it was all Bryant.  Freshman standout Jordan Brown (Glastonbury, Conn.) did his part giving the Bulldogs good field position with a 49 yard kick return down to the Saint Francis 33 yard line.  On fourth-and-two, quarterback Mike Croce (Waterbury, Conn.) connected with wide-open tight Matt Tracey (Bow Mar, Colo.) for a 25 yard touchdown making it 21-6 with still more than six minutes remaining in the first.

Smith was already over 100 yards rushing as the first quarter came to a close and the senior wasn't through.  Midway through the second, Smith broke through the defense and out-raced the Red Flash secondary for a 77-yard touchdown run, his third of the game, to put the Bulldogs up 35-12.

With the rain making the conditions on the field difficult, neither team could find the end zone in the second half as both teams combined for a total of 12 fumbles in the game - mostly on quarterback snaps. 

Smith's previous career-best was a 221-yard performance against Southern Connecticut last year.  His 239 Saturday is the fifth-best single-game rushing performance in school history and gives him 2,975 career rushing yards in three seasons.  Former standout Lorenzo Perry holds the school record of 313 in a game back in 2005.

Croce was 8-of-11 passing for 88 yards and two touchdowns - both to his tight end Tracey.  Bryant's defense held Saint Francis to 2 yards passing and 131 yards rushing on the day as Harbridge had a fine day with 114 yards on 17 carries.  Teammate Jude Yearwood was limited to just 18 yards rushing.  Peter Gauthier (Woonsocket, R.I.) playing in his final game at Bulldog Stadium and one of 22 seniors honored prior to the start of Saturday's game, had six tackles including a big sack that forced a Saint Francis fumble in the third quarter.

Whyte had five tackles and one forced fumble while Jason Riffe (Newton, Mass.) had also had five stops including two for a loss.  Also honored during the Senior Day ceremony was defensive back Anthony Castelli (Cranston, RI / Cranston West) who made a tackle in Saturday's game.

The Bulldogs will wrap up the 2009 season, the school's second competing at the Division I level (FCS), next Saturday when they head to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne University at noon.