FOOTBALL DEFEATS WAGNER 6-2 IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE ON HOMECOMING; BULLDOGS NOW 3-1

October 3, 2009

BRYANT DEFEATS WAGNER 6-2 IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE SATURDAY TO IMPROVE TO 3-1 ON THE SEASON
Smith rushes for 178 yards as Bulldogs are now 6-0 on Homecoming

BOX SCORE / WATCH SMITH'S GAME-WINNING TOUCHDOWN   

Senior Jerell Smith rushed for 178 yards and scored from 17 yards out in the fourth quarter to help lead the Bulldogs past Wagner 6-2 Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.  www.dspics.com

SMITHFIELD, R.I -  Senior tailback Jerell Smith rushed for 178 yards on 31 carries and added a fourth quarter touchdown to lead the Bryant University football team to a 6-2 win over visiting Wagner College before 3,262 at a rain-soaked Bulldog Stadium Saturday afternoon. 

With the win, Bryant improves to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in Northeast Conference play as the Bulldogs are now a perfect 6-0 on Homecoming & Reunion Weekend under coach Marty Fine.  Wagner, with the loss, drops to 2-3 on the year and 1-1 in league play.

A steady rain throughout the day turned the game into a defensive battle as neither team could find the end zone and went into the break scoreless as the two teams combined for just 283 yards.

Late in the third, Wagner would finally get on the board first after forcing the Bulldogs to punt deep in their own territory.  Bryant never managed to get the punt off as the centering pass sailed over punter Tim Miscovich and out of the back of the end zone giving Wagner a 2-0 lead.

It looked like Wagner (2-3, 1-1 NEC) had the momentum heading into the final quarter as the Seahawks recovered a Mike Canfora fumble after the junior caught a short pass near midfield just as the third quarter came to an end in what could have been a costly turnover for Bryant.

However, that's when the Bulldog defense took over.  Led by the strong play of linemen Patrick Gauthier (7 tackles) and Jason Riffe (8 tackles), Bryant forced Wagner to punt after going a quick three and out to start the fourth. 

With the field still slick and a light drizzle still coming down, this time Wagner was unable to get the punt off due to a high centering snap and the Bulldog took over on the Wagner 37 yard line. 

Perhaps the key play of the game came as the Bulldogs faced a fourth-and-three play on the Wagner 30 yard line. Quarterback Mike Croce picked up a good block by Smith in the backfield allowing the sophomore signal caller enough time to connect with tight end Matt Tracey down the sideline for a 13 yard pass play and a first down at the Wagner 17.  On the very next play, Smith broke free down the left side for a 17-yard touchdown giving the Bulldogs a 6-2 lead with 10:29 left, a lead they would not relinquish. For Smith, it was the ninth time in his career he has gone over the 100 yard mark. 

Wagner, led by Dominque Williams' 49 yards rushing and Nick Doscher's 46 yards passing, was held to just 105 total yards on the day as Bryant out-gained the Seahawks 340 to 105 including 220 to 59 in rushing yards.  The Seahawks converted only 3 of 13 third-downs. 

Croce completed 10 of 24 passes for 120 yards while Tracey caught 3 passes for 56 yards for the Bulldogs.

Bryant will travel to Fordham next Saturday (6 pm) for a non-conference game in the Bronx while Wagner will visit Monmouth next Saturday for a 1 pm kickoff at West Long Branch, NJ.