No. 21/23 Bulldogs hold on, defeat Duquesne 20-17

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Duquesne's Austin Crimmins missed a potential game-tying 28-yard field goal with 58 seconds remaining as the No. 21/23 Bryant University football team escaped Rooney Field with a 20-17 victory over the Dukes on Saturday afternoon.

The victory runs the Bulldogs' (8-1, 4-0 NEC) win streak to a Division I-record five games, while the 8-1 record marks the best start in program history. It is the first time since 2007 that the Black and Gold have won eight games. The Dukes (5-5, 1-3) dropped their third-straight league contest.

"There are some things we felt we could have done better but at the end of the day a win is a win," head coach Marty Fine said. "We did the things we needed to do to get a victory and have put ourselves in a very good position. The next game is now the most important game."

In a second half dominated by defense and missed opportunities, Crimmins's potential tying kick stood out. Duquesne took over at its own 20 after the Bulldogs missed a field goal attempt. Backup QB Mike LoPresti hit Dave Thomas for 22 yards on third down and a holding call moved the Dukes into Bryant territory. After a loss of seven and facing third down, LoPresti hit a diving Thomas over the middle for a 26-yard pickup and another first down. LoPresti then scampered for 12 yards to put the Dukes at the Bryant 12. Three plays later, Crimmins pushed his 28-yard attempt wide left to seal the Bulldog victory.

Bryant took its first lead of the game on the first drive of the afternoon. Sophomore Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) connected with redshirt junior Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) for 23 yards on third down and then hit a wide open Keenan Thompson (Broward County, Fla.) for a 36-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.

The Dukes would answer with a six-play, 68-yard drive on their first possession. Ryan Egolf hit Devin Rahming for 36 yards on the first play of the drive and Wayne Capers took a direct snap and ran 15 yards for a touchdown five plays later to tie the game.

It would take the Bulldogs eight plays to retake the lead. Junior Paul Canevari (Warwick, N.Y.) rushed for 20 yards to open the drive before Thompson picked up 14 yards on a sweep to put the ball into Duquesne territory. McCray exploded for 33 yards two plays later to put the ball inside the 10 and Easton was able to hit junior tight end John Lavin (Falmouth, Mass.) for a three-yard score.

Duquesne would tie the game at the beginning of the second quarter as Chris King hauled in his nations-best 14th touchdown reception. He hauled in a nine-yard pass on third down to keep the drive alive and then jumped up to grab a six-yard pass in the corner of the end zone to tie the game.

Bryant immediately responded with a seven-play, 68-yard drive to retake the lead for good. Canevari produced a 30-yard run on third down to put the ball in Duquesne territory but the Black and Gold would eventually face a 4th-and-3 from the Dukes 23. Bryant went for it and off a play-action, Easton hit McCray in the endzone for a 23-yard touchdown.

The Dukes scored their final points of the game two drives later. A botched punt gave them the ball at the Bryant 37 but seven plays yielded just three points. A 25-yard completion to Thomas put the ball to the Bryant 12 but Duquesne was forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Crimmins.

The remainder of the game was filled with missed opportunities for both teams. The Bulldogs were able to get the ball back with just over a minute left in the first half and drove the ball to the Dukes 17 before an interception thwarted their scoring chance.

In the second half, the Bulldogs drove to the Duquesne 24 before turning it over on downs. Trying to use the momentum, the Dukes used a 23-yard completion to King and a 15-yard penalty to move the ball to the Bryant 32. Rafiq Douglas broke off a 20-yard run to put the ball at the 12 before Capers took another direct snap and appeared destined for the goal line. Senior Bobby Rutland (Bethesda, Md.) stepped up, however, and jarred the ball loose. It rolled into the endzone and classmate Michael Johnson (New Market, Md.) recovered it.

On the ensuing drive, the Black and Gold used a fake punt to pick up a first down as senior Michael Perry (Dunmore, Pa.) rushed for 20 yards on 4th-and-3. Three plays later, however, the Dukes stripped the ball from Thompson and recovered at their own 23.

Neither team would move the ball much until the Bulldogs took over with 12:36 left in the fourth quarter. Starting at their own 27, the Black and Gold preceded to run 15 plays and take 9:22 off the clock. McCray ran the ball six-straight times at the beginning of the drive and then hauled in a huge 18-yard pass on 4th-and-4 to keep the drive alive. The drive ultimately ended in a missed field goal but enough time was taken off to do the job.

The Bulldogs finished the day with 449 yards of offense, while the Dukes put up 331. Easton finished 15-of-25 for 204 yards and three touchdowns, while McCray picked up his third-straight 100-yard game with 117 yards on 27 carries. He also added five catches for 75 yards to finish with 192 all-purpose yards. Canevari finished with 78 yards on nine carries, while Thompson ran the ball five times for 26 yards and caught three passes for 49 yards.

Rutland led the defense with a season-high nine tackles and Marquise Watson (Hillside, N.J.) had seven tackles and two tackles for a loss. Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) registered three tackles for a loss and Sam Sammons (Cypress, Texas) added a pair of sacks.

The Bulldogs return to the gridiron next Saturday as they travel to Fairfield, Conn., to take on Sacred Heart in the biggest game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and will be broadcasted live on ESPN3.