FOOTBALL CLOSES OUT SEASON IN RECORD STYLE
November 21, 2009
BRYANT FOOTBALL DEFEATS DUQUESNE 20-0 SATURDAY
Bulldogs Complete Second Season of Division I with 5-6
Record
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| Junior kicker Chris Bird had two field goals in Bryant's 20-0 win over Duquesne Saturday, giving him a school record 11 for the season. www.dspics.com |
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Sophomore quarterback Mike Croce (Waterbury, Conn.) completed 18 of 35 passes for 208 yards while senior running back Jerell Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y.) rushed for 96 yards as the Bryant University football team closed out its second year competing at the Division I level with a 20-0 win at Duquesne University Saturday.
Bryant (5-6, 4-4 NEC) once again used a strong defensive effort to earn its first shutout win of the season and the first since last year's season finale at Saint Francis (PA). The Bulldogs held Duquesne (3-8, 2-6) to 102 yards passing in the game and picked off a school record tying five passes by DU quarterback Kevin Rombach. Five different Bulldogs each had an interception including one by sophomore defensive back Michael McGowan (Franklin, Mass./ Bishop Feehan) on Duquesne's first possession of the game. McGowan would return the ball 26 yards to the DU 45 yard line but the Bulldogs would come away empty after turning it over on downs.
Rombach was intercepted three times in the first quarter alone, but neither team could find the end zone in the first half as the game was scoreless at halftime.
The Bulldogs would strike first in the third as junior Chris Bird (Monument Beach, Mass.) connected on a 43-yard field goal, his longest this season, to put Bryant up 3-0 with 7:41 left in the quarter.
Bird would strike again after Duquesne would go three and out on its ensuing possession. This time, Bird connected on a 36-yarder to make it 6-0.
In the fourth, Rombach was picked off yet again, this time by senior Michael Morgan (New London, Conn.). The Dukes were driving deep into Bryant territory looking to take the lead, but Morgan was there to come up with the big play in his final game in a Bulldog uniform, returning the ball 56 yards to the Duquesne 16. Bryant would waste little time putting the game out of reach as Croce connected with tight end Matt Tracy (Bow Mar, Colo.) for a 16 yard score to make it 13-0.
The defense would once again set up Bryant's final score of the afternoon as Nick Candito (West Boylston, Mass.), playing in his final game, picked off Rombach near midfield and nearly returned it all the way for a touchdown but was stopped at the Duquesne 5 yard line where one play later, senior Lindsey Gamble (Roxbury, Mass.) rumbled into the end zone to make it 20-0.
Gamble concludes his career fourth all-time in school history with 2,044 career yards rushing while his fourth quarter touchdown was the 22nd of his career, good enough for second all-time.
The win improves Bryant's record to 6-0 against Northeast Conference schools from the state of Pennsylvania as the Bulldogs have recorded wins over Robert Morris, Duquesne and Saint Francis in each of the past two seasons.
Morgan recorded two pass breakups in the game to set the all-time school record with 28 for his career. Senior Paul Polomski (Franklin, Mass.) had seven tackles to move into third all-time with 224 career tackles. Classmate and fellow linebacker Aaron Bryant (New London, Conn.), a University of Connecticut transfer, recorded two sacks to give him a team-best eight for the season. Bird's two field goals gives him 11 for the season, a new school record and extends his school record to 26 over two seasons.
The win was Bryant's 60th all-time in the program's 11-year history (60-52) and the ninth against Division I opponents (9-13).