Bryant opens home slate with AIC Saturday

Game Notes

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football team hosts former Northeast-10 rival American International College in their 2011 home-opener Saturday, Sept. 10, at Bulldog Stadium

The Bulldogs (0-1) and Yellow Jackets (1-0) met nine times as members of the Eastern Football Conference (1999-2000) and the NE-10 (2001-'07), but have not met since 2007.  The Yellow Jackets won the first six meetings between the two programs, and hold a commanding 7-2 lead in the series.  Bryant won the last game, 13-6, in 2007, and the Bulldogs are 2-2 against AIC under head coach Marty Fine.

The Bulldogs are coming off an opening-weekend, 28-13, loss to the University of Maine.  Bryant trailed, 21-0, at the half but responded by out-gaining the Black Bears, 205-99, in the second half.  Junior running back Jordan Brown (Glastonbury, Conn.) found the endzone twice in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs could not get any closer.  Making his first career-start, sophomore quarterback Mike Westerhaus (Farmingville, Md.) was 15-for-32 for 194 yards.  He got better as the game went on, going 6-for-10 for 110 yards in the last four drives.  Brown capped two of those drives with touchdown runs, a 4-yard plunge with 9:45 left to play and an 11-yard score just over five minutes later.  He finished with 128 yards on 28 carries and also caught two passes for 43 yards.

AIC is coming off an exciting overtime victory in their season-opening game against C.W. Post.  With the game deadlocked, 7-7, in the extra session, junior Markell Rice returned an interception 95 yards for the game-winning score.  The Yellow Jackets trailed, 7-0, in the second half but they orchestrated a 9-play, 80-yard drive that ended with quarterback Kevin Arduino finding wide receiver Andre Samuels for a 26-yard touchdown.  AIC forced three turnovers, but also turned the ball over three times on a fumble and two interceptions. 

Short-handed in the lid-lifter, Bryant had 14 players make their collegiate debuts.  Even so, the Bulldogs were neck-and-neck with the Black Bears.  Bryant out-gained Maine, 322-290, finished with a better third-down efficiency, 40%-36%, and finished with 15 first downs, one shy of Maine's 16.

Bryant is 10-2 all time in home-openers and 6-1 under Fine.  The Bulldogs dropped Fine's home debut in 2004 but have won the last six, including last year's, 44-30, victory over Fordham.  Bryant was 6-1 at Bulldog Stadium last year, and is 13-5 at home since it began play as a Division I member in 2008.