Seniors lead Bulldogs to 20-16 win over Duquesne

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Robert Brown (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) tied the single-game record with 17 tackles to lead an stout defense as the Bryant University football team defeated Duquesne, 20-16, on Senior Day at Beirne Stadium.

Four different Bulldogs finished with double-digit tackles and David Onyemem (Dracut, Mass.) sealed the victory with an interception in the final seconds. Brown is the third player to post 17 tackles in a game, while Andre Brackett (East Windsor, Conn.) had 15 tackles and an interception, Ricardo Martinez (Saugus, Mass.) posted 14 stops and Jesse Nemerowicz (Hudson, Mass.) finished with 13 tackles.

Hunter Hill (Memphis, Tenn.) posted two catches for 35 yards and added a 39-yard touchdown run. Daniel Adeboboye (Toronto, Ont.) added a rushing touchdown and Luke Samperi (Beverly, Mass.) kicked a pair of field goals.

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant 20, Duquesne 16
Records: Bryant (3-8, 2-4 NEC), Duquesne (6-4, 4-2 NEC)
Attendance: 1,372

Key Moment

• After a Samperi field goal, Brackett recovered a Samperi onside kick to setup the Hill 39-yard touchdown.
• Brackett then opened the second half with an INT, setting up an Adeboboye score.
• Onyemem clinched the win with an interception in the closing seconds.         

How It Happened

• Bryant grabbed the early lead on Saturday as Samperi knocked down a 45-yard field goal to cap an eight-play drive.
• Duquesne was able to tie the game late in the first quarter on a 19-yard field goal from Mitch MacZura. The Dukes had it 1st-and-goal from the Bryant 5 but the Black and Gold defense held them to a field goal.
• Bryant retook the lead with an 11-play, 43-yard drive. The drive was extended by a personal foul and Samperi hammered home a 50-yard field goal to make it 6-3.
• Samperi then pooched the ensuing kickoff and Brackett recovered it at the Duquesne 44. Two plays later, Hill took a reverse handoff and raced 39 yards for a touchdown to make it 12-3.
• The score remained 12-3 at the half as the Black and Gold stopped the Dukes on 4th-and-short from the Bryant 17 with 47 seconds to go in the half.    
• Brackett then posted his third interception of the season on Duquesne's first drive of the second half and returned it to the three. Adeboboye punched it in two plays later. A two-point conversion made it 20-3.
• The Dukes then used three-straight long drives to make it a four-point game. A MacZura field goal capped a 16-play drive, A.J. Hines capped a 13-play drive with a 1-yard run and MacZura's 20-yard field goal capped a 13-play drive with 5:36 left.
• The last field goal came after the Dukes had 1st-and-goal at the Bryant 2.
• Duquesne then got the ball back with 2:10 left and drove to the Bryant 25 before a personal foul pushed the ball back to the 40. Two plays later, Onyemem intercepted the pass to seal the win.

Stats

• Duquesne outgained Bryant, 370-216.
• The Dukes held the ball for 38:05.
• Curtis finished 11-of-19 for 105 yards.
• Hill rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
• Easton rushed for 34 yards on nine carries.
• Brown led the way with 17 tackles.
• Brackett finished with 15 tackles, a forced fumble and an onside kick recovery.
• Martinez posted 14 tackles and a TFL.
• Nemerowicz had 13 tackles.
• Samperi kicked a pair of field goals, including a 50-yarder, for the third time this year.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant is now 8-4 against Duquesne. The Bulldogs have won six of the last seven.
• Nemerowicz extended his program record for tackles to 314.
• Brown became the 13th player in program history to record 200 career tackles. He now has 214 in his career.
• Brown's 17 tackles tie the single game record for tackles that was previously set by Richard Ukele and Jason Riffe.
• Brown now has 95 tackles this season, the fifth-most in a single season in program history.
• Martinez's set a career high for tackles for the second-straight week. He posted 14 today after making eight against Sacred Heart.
• Samperi is now 11-for-13 in field goals this year. His 11 field goals are tied for the single-season program record.
• The 50-yard field goal from Samperi was a career high and just the third 50-yard field goal in school history.
• Brackett intercepted his third pass of the season in addition to setting a career high with 15 tackles.
• His 15 tackles are the most by a defensive back in school history.
• Adeboboye now has four rushing touchdowns on the year.

Up Next

Bryant wraps up the 2019 season next Saturday with a road trip to Staten Island to face Wagner. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m.