FOOTBALL SPRING GAME THIS SATURDAY AT NOON

April 14, 2010

BULLDOGS TO CONCLUDE SPRING FOOTBALL
WITH ANNUAL BLACK & GOLD GAME SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Spring Game featured as part of Saturday’s home doubleheader with men’s lacrosse

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University will officially conclude 2010 spring football practice this Saturday, April 17 with the annual Black & Gold Spring Game. This year’s exhibition will kick off at noon at Bulldog Stadium and will lead up to a men’s lacrosse home showdown with Northeast Conference foe Sacred Heart (2 p.m.).

Raffle tickets will be sold at the Black & Gold Game for a variety of items, including a Foxwoods Casino vacation. Admission to the game is FREE and a postgame BBQ will be offered immediately following the conclusion of the contest at a cost of $6.50.

Seventh-year coach Marty Fine returns 13 starters – including seven offensive starters –this fall as the Bulldogs prepare for their third year of Division I competition (Football Championship Subdivision). The Bulldogs finished the 2009 season with a 5-6 overall mark and went 4-4 against the Northeast Conference.

Among those starters returning is junior quarterback Mike Croce (Waterbury, Conn.).  In his first season as the starting signal caller, Croce completed 151-of-297 passes for 1,695 yards and threw for 13 touchdowns. His primary target, tight end Matt Tracey (Bow Mar, Colo.), hauled in a team-best 35 passes for 476 yards and six touchdowns in 2009.

Bryant’s defense will welcome back six starters from a group that led the NEC in scoring defense with 17.3 points per game allowed and was second in the conference in total defense, giving up just 287.4 yards per game.

Season tickets for the 2010 season will be on sale at Saturday’s game for renewal or purchase. This year’s schedule features seven home games at Bulldog Stadium, where the Bulldogs went 3-2 last season. Since Fine took over the program in 2004, the Bulldogs own a 23-8 record at home, including seven wins since joining the Division I ranks.

The teams coming to Smithfield, R.I. this fall include: Fordham (Sept. 4), Saint Anselm (Sept. 11), Merrimack (Sept. 18), Sacred Heart (Oct. 9), Albany (Oct. 30), Robert Morris (Nov. 13) and Duquesne (Nov. 20).

Stick around after the Black & Gold Game and enjoy the BBQ while the Bryant men’s lacrosse team looks to stay perfect in the Northeast Conference, taking on league rival Sacred Heart at Bulldog Stadium starting at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs are 7-4 on the 2010 season with key wins over such top-tier opponents as Army, Robert Morris and Vermont.

Bryant football and lacrosse gear will be sold throughout both games, so come out and support your Bulldogs!