Bryant falls to Brown, 35-30, Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I.  – The Bryant University football team fell to in-state rival Brown University on Saturday, 35-30, at Beirne Stadium.  

Saturday's meeting came down to the final play, with the Bears intercepting a pass at the one-yard line. The Bulldogs fall to 0-4 with the loss, while the Bears improve to 1-0.  

Junior quarterback Kory Curtis (Cape Coral, Fla.) had a record-setting day for the Black and Gold, completing 35-of-55 passes for a program-record 394 yards and two touchdowns. Curtis also rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Freshman Anthony Frederick (Hollywood, Fla.) and graduate student Hunter Hill (Memphis, Tenn.) both surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark, finishing with 119 and 107, respectively. Hill caught a pair of touchdown passes. Senior Vincent Nisivoccia (Nutley, N.J.) caught 12 passes for 96 yards.

Senior Jesse Nemerowicz (Hudson, Mass.) posted 10 tackles, classmate Tomas Wright (St. Augustine, Fla.) had two TFLs and junior Andre Brackett (East Windsor, Conn.) had five tackles and an interception.

GAME INFORMATION
Brown 35, Bryant 30
Records: Bryant (0-4), Brown (1-0)
Attendance: 2,242

Coach Merritt's Comments

"We found ourselves with a lead in the fourth quarter and right now its about finishing. We're putting ourselves in position to win football games, we just have to figure out how to finish football games. It's hard to look past all the negative that comes with 0-4, but you have to find the positives and the gains that we've made over the last four weeks."

Key Moment

• Brown's EJ Perry gave Brown an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter when he broke free for a 94-yard TD run.
• The Bulldogs then drove down to the Brown 15 but Jason Medeiros intercepted a pass on the final play of the game to end the game.  

How It Happened

• Bryant took an early lead as junior Luke Samperi (Beverly, Mass.) knocked down a 37-yard field goal to cap the game's opening drive.
• Brown took its first lead of the game with an 11-play, 60-yard drive late in the first quarter. Perry connected with Scott Boylan on 3rd-and-goal from the Bryant 4.
• The Bulldogs retook the lead with an 11-play, 63-yard drive at the start of the second quarter. Bryant converted three times on third down during the drive capped by a Curtis-to-Hill nine-yard pass on third-and-goal.
• Brown immediately responded, driving 67 yards in 15 plays to retake the lead. The Bears benefited from a penalty on 4th-and-5 that kept the drive alive and Perry scored on a 1-yard run to cap the drive.
• The Bears extended their lead to 21-10 with a 6:24 scoring drive to start the second half. Perry completed seven passes and rushed twice during the drive, connecting with Demitris Jackson for a four-yard score.
• Bryant, however, rallied with back-to-back scores to take the lead. Curtis and Hill connected on 3rd-and-10 to extend the drive, Matthew Caruso's (Brockton, Mass.) first-career catch put the ball inside the 10 and junior Isaac McCray (Middletown, R.I.) capped the drive with a six-yard TD run.
• The Bulldogs then forced Brown into a turnover on downs and proceeded to retake the lead. Curtis appeared to throw a TD pass to McCray but a holding call brought it back. Two plays later, Frederick made a beautiful catch for a 28-yard gain to put the ball at the Brown 3. Curtis then punched it home to make it 24-21.
• Brown had an answer, scoring on its next drive as Perry found Boylan in the back of the endzone.
• After the Bulldogs pinned the Bears at their own 6 with a good punt, Perry broke off a 94-yard run to make it 35-24 with 6:14 left.
• Bryant wasn't done yet, driving 75 yards in 10 plays to make it a one-score game. Curtis completed 7-of-10 passes during the drive, connecting with Hill for a 26-yard touchdown. The drive was extended by a roughing the passer call on fourth down.
• The Bulldogs then forced the Bears to punt and took over with 49 seconds to go. Curtis opened the drive with a 30-yard pass to Frederick and then found freshman Matthew Prochaska (Danville, Calif.) for 26 more to put the ball at the 15. A pass to Nisivoccia went off his fingertips in the endzone before the Bears ended the game with an interception.

Stats

• Bryant finished the game with 31 first downs and 486 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were also 12-of-18 on third down.
• Curtis finished 35-of-55 for 394 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 21 yards and a touchdown.
• McCray finished with 43 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
• Frederick posted seven catches for 119 yards.
• Hill had eight catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
• Nisivoccia posted 12 catches for 96 yards.
• Prochaska had five catches for 46 yards.
• Nemerowicz posted 10 tackles and two pass breakups.
• Senior Robert Brown (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) posted nine tackles.
• Classmate Gbatoh Browne (Providence, R.I.) had eight tackles.
• Wright finished with a sack and 2 TFLs.
• Brackett intercepted a pass.  

Notes and Notables

• Bryant falls to 1-4 all-time against Brown.
• Curtis broke the single-game passing record of 393 that was set by Price Wilson in 2017. 
• His 35 completions are the second-most in program history and his 55 attempts were the most in a single game. 
• Bryant had two players with 100+ receiving yards in the same game for the first time since Fordham last year.
• Frederick is the first true freshmen in program history to post a 100-yard receiving game.
• Nisivoccia's 12 catches are the second-most in a single game in program history.
• Nisivoccia now has 113 career receptions, third in program history.
• Hill posted his first-career 100-yard receiving game and the first two TDs of his career.
• Nemerowicz now has 259 career tackles, moving him into second place in program history. He surpassed Patrick Kenney and Marquise Watson on Saturday.
• Wright now has 24.0 career sacks and 32.0 career TFLs.
• Browne finished with a career-high eight tackles.   

Up Next

The Bulldogs wrap up their three-game homestand next Saturday when they welcome Saint Francis U for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend. Kick off is set for 1:00 p.m.