Football opens 2019 season Thursday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football team opens the 2019 season on Thursday night when it travels to Long Island to take on Stony Brook. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Particulars
Opponent: Stony Brook
Location: Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (Stony Brook, N.Y.)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m.
Watch Live: FloSports ($)
Live Stats: StonyBrookSeawolves.com
Game Notes: Bryant | Stony Brook

Series History

• Bryant and Stony Brook are meeting for the fifth time in program history on Thursday night.
• The Seawolves own a 3-1 lead in the all-time series after earning a 50-21 victory last September.
• Bryant led that game 21-20 in the third quarter before Stony Brook pulled away late.
• The Black and Gold posted their only victory in the series on Aug. 28, 2014.
• Chad Ward's 31-yard TD reception late in the third quarter was the deciding score in Bryant's 13-7 victory.

Bulldogs Notes and Notables

• Bryant opens its 21st season of football on Thursday night. The Bulldogs have won 113 games in that span.
• Thursday will also be the head coaching debut for Chris Merritt. Merritt was hired as the fourth head coach in program history on Dec. 20, 2018.
• The Bulldogs welcome back their leading receiver in 2019, senior Vincent Nisivocca (Nutley, N.J.). Nisivoccia finished fourth in the NEC in receptions per game (4.5) and receiving yards per game (62.8), and was fifth in all-purpose yards per game (123.0).
• Also back on offense is redshirt junior running back Alfred Dorbor (Pawtucket, R.I.). Dorbor rushed for 390 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns on 86 carries last fall.
• Redshirt sophomore Chris Hindle (Cranston, R.I.) is expected to make his second career start in the opener on Thursday after winning the QB battle during August camp.
• Bryant's defense will be led by seniors Tomas Wright (St. Augustine, Fla.), Robert Brown (Palmetto Bay, Fla.), Jesse Nemerowicz (Hudson, Mass.) and Eulogio Portugal (Rosedale, N.Y.).
• Wright was a First Team All-NEC selection after posting a program-record 12.5 sacks a season ago.
• Nemerowicz enters his senior season ranked third among active FCS players with 8.5 tackles per game. He is 75 tackles shy of becoming the first player in program history with 300 career stops.

A bit about the Seawolves

• Stony Brook was picked to finish sixth out of 12 teams in the CAA.
• The Seawolves went 7-5 overall and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament last fall.
• Stony Brook lost its starting QB and two of its top running backs to graduation.
• Sam Kamara leads the defense and is coming off a season in which he posted nine sacks and 11.5 TFLs.

Up Next

• Bryant faces another CAA opponent in week two when it travels to Albany, New York, to take on the Great Danes.
• It will be the first meeting between Bryant and Albany since the 2012 season when both were members of the Northeast Conference.
• The series between the two teams is tied 2-2.

Season and single-game tickets are also on sale now at www.bryantbulldogs.com/tickets.

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