No. 21 Bulldogs fall to Sacred Heart, 14-7

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Tyler Dube's 24-yard touchdown catch with 2:30 remaining was the difference as Sacred Heart slipped by the No. 21 Bryant University football team, 14-7, on Saturday afternoon at Campus Field.

With the victory, the Pioneers (9-2, 5-1 NEC) claim their second-straight Northeast Conference Regular-Season title and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs (8-2, 4-1) will play for a share of the regular season title and a possible at large bid next Saturday against Wagner.

Saturday's epic NEC clash was a defensive battle throughout, with both units showing why they are two of the best in the country. The Pioneers were finally able to break the deadlock with a 10-play, 91-yard drive. Jackson King opened the drive with a 20-yard reception and RJ Noel converted on third down with a five yard run to move the chains. Sean Bell churned out 16 yards to move the ball into Bryant territory and Noel found Dube for a 13-yard gain on third down to put the ball at the 24. Noel went right back to Dube on the very next play, hitting his senior wideout in the endzone for the game-deciding score.

Given the ball back with 2:30 remaining and three timeouts, the Bulldogs used an 11-yard reception from Taylor Barthelette (East Longmeadow, Mass.) to open the ensuing drive. Two plays later, however, the Bulldogs were whistled for offensive pass interference. They picked up 10 yards on second down, a third down pass was broken up and Dalton Easton's (Miami, Fla.) completion to Chad Ward (Delray Beach, Fla.) on fourth down was a half-yard short of the first down.

Bryant had several opportunities to take control of the game but were stymied on each one. They opened the game with an outstanding drive 10-play drive but had a 21-yard field goal attempt blocked. Easton opened the game with a 16-yard completion to Jose Depadua (Frederick, Md.) and a pass interference call in the endzone gave Bryant a first-and-goal from the SHU 2. A loss of two yards and two incompletions later, the Pioneers were able to block the field goal.

The Black and Gold seemed poised to take a lead into halftime but once again a blocked field goal thwarted the effort. The Bulldogs started at the SHU 47 and moved the ball downfield thanks to a pass interference call and a 12-yard run from Paul Canevari (Warwick, N.Y.). A false start penalty threw them off schedule and Canevari's ensuing 13-yard run was not enough for a first down. Stopped on third-and-2, the Bulldogs attempted a 25-yard field goal but it was once again blocked.

Saturday's second half opened with turnovers from both sides. Bobby Rutland (Bethesda, Md.) picked off Noel on the first drive of the half but the Pioneers responded with an interception of their own. Two possessions later, Noel fumbled at his own 12 and the Bulldogs took over. Two plays later, Preston Sanford intercepted a pass in the endzone to end the Bryant scoring hopes.

Bryant finally appeared to take the lead with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter. After SHU punted, Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) took the first play 89 yards for a touchdown but a flag was thrown at the line of scrimmage for illegal formation, negating the score.

The Black and Gold finished with 275 yards of total offense and had the ball for over 33 minutes of the game. Bryant finished just 3-for-17 on third down and held the Pioneers to 5-of-16. SHU put up 309 yards of offense.

Easton completed 15-of-34 for 192 yards and Barthelette had a career day with three catches for 49 yards. Ward finished with six catches for 66 yards.

Bryant returns to action next Saturday as they welcome Wagner to Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs will honor their senior class prior to the noon kickoff.