Harris breaks NEC receiving record; Bulldogs dominate DU, 42-14

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football forced four turnovers and scored 35-straight points in the second half to break a 7-7 halftime deadlock on its way a 42-14 victory over Duquesne on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs (4-4, 2-1 NEC) snapped their three-game losing streak on the season and also ended a three-game skid against the Dukes (4-3, 2-1). Bryant and Duquesne are now tied for first in the NEC standings.

After both teams scored on their first possessions, the defenses took over. Deadlocked at 7-7 entering the third quarter, it was the Bryant defense that finally came through with the big play. On Duquesne's first drive of the half, Dillon Buechel hit his tight end Kyle Shuman over the middle and the Bulldogs quickly converged. Senior Robert Wallace (Succasunna, N.J.) stripped the ball free and junior Sam Sammons (Cypress, Texas) collected it and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 Bryant lead.

The Dukes then drove to the Bryant 23 but couldn't convert on a third-and-one. The ensuing 40-yard field goal was blocked by senior Ryan Schermerhorn (Bedford, N.Y.) and the Bulldogs took over on their own 27. After a 15-yard pass interference call put the Bulldogs on their own 45, senior Mike Westerhaus (Farmingville, N.Y.) hit classmate Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) for a 24-yard gain down the near sideline. The catch was a historic one for Harris as it pushed him past Saint Francis' Michael Caputo and into first place on the all-time receiving list in Northeast Conference history. The Bulldogs then appeared to score on a 33-yard pass to Jose Depadua (Hagerstown, Md.) but it was called back due to a penalty. Sophomore Ryan Black (Joppa, Md.) was able to come up big with a 19-yard run on third down to put the ball to the Duquesne 14. Three plays later, Westerhaus hit a wide-open Chad Ward (Delray Beach, Fla.) in the back of the endzone for a seven-yard touchdown to push Bryant's lead to 21-7.

Bryant's defense followed with a three-and-out and the Bulldogs were able to take over at the Dukes 45. On the second play of the drive, Depadua took the handoff on an end-around and exploded through the Duquesne defense for a 45-yard touchdown to make it 28-7.

The Bulldogs' final two touchdowns came thanks to big interceptions. Junior Sebastian Amedee (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) made a diving interception of a Buechel pass to give Bryant the ball on the Duquesne 31. Four plays later, Black plowed his way in from three yards out for his second touchdown of the year. Three plays into Duquesne's next drive, senior Jeremy Woodson (Houston, Texas) intercepted a Buechel pass and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-7.

The reigning NEC Special Teams Player of the Week, Depadua helped set up the first Bryant touchdown as he returned the opening kickoff 51 yards. Westerhaus and Harris then connected three times to put the ball inside the Duquesne 10 before Tyler McIntyre (Chico, Calif.) corralled a dump off and found his way into the endzone from six yards for his second touchdown of the year.

Duquesne quickly responded as Ryan Ho returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Bryant 38. Ho's 12-yard run put the ball inside the Bryant 10 and Chavas Rawlins called his own number and scored from a yard out to tie the game at 7-7.

Harris finished the afternoon with 91 yards on six catches and now is the NEC's all-time leader in career receiving yards with 3,494. Westerhaus completed 14-of-24 passes for 160 yards and two scores and Black rushed for 64 yards on 22 carries. Defensively, sophomore Aaron Dixon (Danbury, Conn.) finished with a game-high seven tackles and junior Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) collected six tackles and two sacks to move into fourth place all-time in Bryant history with 18.5. Amedee finished the afternoon with two interceptions, the first since he intercepted a pass against American International in his second career game in 2011.

The Bulldogs continue NEC play next weekend when they travel to Moon Township, Pa., to take on Robert Morris on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN3.