Bulldogs fall to Duquesne on rainy Sunday in Smithfield

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Daniel Adeboboye rushed for a career-high 180 yards and a touchdown but the Bryant University football team fell to Duquesne, 20-10, on Sunday afternoon at Beirne Stadium.

Sunday's game was played in a steady rain and both teams relied on the running game, combining to rush for 460 yards. Adeboboye posted 180 on 25 carries, while four others chipped in 12 yards or more. The Bulldogs rushed for over 200 yards for the second time in four games this spring.

Ricardo Martinez led the Bryant defense with nine tackles, while Otis Jackson III added eight. Brandan Coward registered a career-high seven stops.

Game Information
Duquesne 20, Bryant 10
Records: Bryant (2-2, 2-2 NEC), Duquesne (4-0, 4-0 NEC)
Location: Smithfield, R.I. (Beirne Stadium)

Key Moment

• Trailing 13-7 in the third quarter, Bryant was unable to convert on 1st-and-Goal from the Duquesne 3. Bryant settled for a field goal but would get no closer.  

How it Happened

• Bryant threw the first punch on Sunday, driving 64 yards in just five plays to score on its first drive. Adeboboye carried the ball on all five plays, breaking down the Duquesne sideline for a 38-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0.
• The Dukes were able to tie the game two drives later as Garrett Owens did much of the heavy lifting. Duquesne went 80 yards in 11 plays and took five minutes off the clock. Owens capped the drive with a 13-yard TD run.
• Duquesne took the lead with a 15-yard, 76-yard drive that lasted over eight minutes. Billy Lucas helped get the Dukes near the endzone and Joe Mischler capped the drive with a two-yard TD pass to Cyrus Holder.
• Bryant missed on a 36-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half and went into the locker room down 13-7.
• The Black and Gold then opened the third quarter with a 15-play drive of their own. Jihad Edmond made a 24-yard catch to put Bryant at the Duquesne 19 and Adeboboye was knocked out of bounds at the three to set up 1st-and-Goal. A broken play on third down resulted in a four-yard loss and Luke Samperi came on to hit a 22-yard field goal.
• Duquesne extended its lead to 10 in the fourth quarter as Lucas scored from two yards out.

Stats

• Bryant outgained Duquesne, 307-295.
• Bryant had 235 rushing yards in the game.
• The Bulldogs were just 3-of-14 on third down.
• Adeboboye rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry.
• Ryan Clark rushed for 20 yards on eight carries and completed 8-of-17 passes.
• Aaron Clark added 15 yards on six carries and Tanner Rennie posted 12 yards on four carries in his first-career action.
• Edmond finished with two catches for 44 yards.
• Martinez led the defense with nine tackles.
• Jackson III finished with eight tackles and two pass breakups.
• Coward had seven tackles.

Game Notes

• Bryant has now held 11 of their last 12 opponents to 24 points or less.
• The Black and Gold rushed for 200+ yards for the second time in four games.
• Adeboboye's 180 yards are a career high and the most by a Bulldog since Ricardo McCray rushed for 182 on Nov. 14, 2015 against Sacred Heart.
• Adeboboye now has 1,309 career rushing yards, putting him in sixth place in DI program history.
• If the Bulldogs do not advance to the NEC title game, Adeboboye will finish the year averaging 111 yards per game, the first Bulldog to average 100 yards in a season since McCary in 2015.
• Bryant's 179 rushing yards per game is its highest since 2014 (179.9).
• The Bryant defense allowed just 225 yards per game in four contests.
• Bryant held all four opponents under 300 yards of total offense.

Up Next

Bryant will now wait to see if it will qualify for the NEC Championship game. The Bulldogs need a Wagner victory over Sacred Heart.