Brown's three scores propel Bryant, 27-16

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior running back Jordan Brown (Glastonbury, Conn.) caught two touchdown passes and ran for a third to help the Bryant University football team overcome a, 16-7, third quarter deficit, and defeat American International College, 27-16, Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs (1-1) scored the final 20 points, grabbing their only lead on senior tight end Matt Tracey's (Littleton, Colo.) 11-yard touchdown grab with 3:51 remaining, to win their seven consecutive home opener under head coach Marty Fine, and their second consecutive game over the Yellow Jackets (1-1).

Trailing by three, 16-13, with 7:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bryant put together its best drive of the season, a 10-play, 90-yard drive that gave them a 20-16 lead. Starting from their own 10, after Daniel Backx pinned them in with a gorgeous punt, Brown immediately improved the Bulldogs' field position with a 16-yard run.  Sophomore quarterback Mike Westerhaus (Farmingville, Md.) hit senior tight end Matthew Hunt (Greenbrook, N.J.) for a 10-yard gain, and Brown scampered for another 12 yards to get Bryant to midfield. 

Sophomore running back Michael Perry (Dunmore, Pa.) got the Bulldogs to the AIC 39 with a big run, and two plays later, after a Bryant timeout, Westerhaus connected with classmate Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) for a 30-yard gain to the AIC seven. After the Yellow Jackets stuffed Brown on first down, Westerhaus dropped back and rifled a pass to the back of the endzone that Tracey dove and caught for his 12^th career touchdown reception.

The Bulldogs' defense helped close out the game on the very next drive. Senior defensive lineman Joshua Janes's (Newport, R.I.) pass rush forced Yellow Jacket quarterback Kevin Arduino into an intentional grounding penalty, and two plays later, junior Jordan Kelly (Canton, Mass.) sacked Arduino, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Janes at the AIC five.  Westerhaus hit Brown with a screen pass a play later, and Brown took it in for his third touchdown of the game, and fifth of the season.

Before the Bryant comeback, however, it was all Yellow Jackets. AIC controlled the game from the opening kickoff. The Yellow Jackets attempted an onside kick to start the game, but could not recover.  Their defense answered the call, though, allowing the Bulldogs to gain just seven yards in the first series.  The AIC offense then took over. AIC drove 60 yards on 13 plays and took six minutes off the clock in taking  a, 7-0, lead. Arduino found Stephen Lampkin for 21 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and running back Bryant Fitzgerald rushed for 25 yards on six carries, including a one-yard touchdown plunge to cap the drive.

It was a sign of things to come for the AIC offense. The Yellow Jackets used their running game, and a near perfect third down conversion rate – 4-5 in the first quarter – to possess the ball for 9:37 in the first quarter. They controlled the ball for over 10 minutes in the third quarter, and 34:26 total on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs responded immediately after AIC's first score. Starting from their own 32, the Bulldogs marched down the field in seven plays. Six of the seven plays were Brown rushes, as the running back had a big gain of 22, and then found the endzone with a 10-yard run with 3:53 remaining in the first.

Backx's  34-yard field goal with 4:47 remaining in the second quarter gave AIC a, 10-7, lead at the half, and Arduino's 12-yard touchdown run just over three minutes into the third quarter gave the Yellow Jackets an 11-point lead. Arduino appeared to throw a touchdown pass to tight end Trevor Perryman on the play prior, but an illegal block negated the play, and set up Arduino's run.

In what could be seen as a possible turning point, the Bulldogs answered on the very next possession. After missing the entire first game, and sitting out the first half against AIC, senior quarterback Mike Croce (Waterbury, Conn.) started under center in the second half. Croce was sacked and fumbled during Bryant's first series of the half, but on first down, he hit Brown on a screen pass and just watched as Brown made two moves around defenders and then raced 54 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.  The subsequent PAT put the Bulldogs down, 16-13, and set up the late game-winning drive.

After giving up 180 yards of offense in the first half, the Bulldogs' defense settled down in the second half. Bryant allowed only 130 yards in the final two quarters, and forced three turnovers. On the first play of the third quarter, sophomore defensive back Michael Johnson's (New Market, Md.) hit forced Arduino to fumble, and senior linebacker Franck Tebou (Mattapoisett, Mass.) recovered for the Bulldogs. Trailing by three, 16-13, in the same quarter, and with the Yellow Jackets driving, freshman defensive back Sebastian Amedee (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) intercepted Arduino's pass at the Bryant 21 to stall the drive.

Brown finished with 121 yards on 29 carries, and has now scored five of the Bulldogs' six touchdowns on the year. Westerhaus was 10-for-13 for 106 yards, and threw his first two collegiate touchdown passes. Tracey caught three passes for 28 yards, Harris's lone catch was the 30-yard reception, and senior fullback Zack Wilson (Yarmouthport, Mass.) caught three passes out of the backfield for 22 yards. Senior linebacker Paul Hanley (Leicester, Mass.) led the defense with 10 tackles and Kelly picked up two sacks on the afternoon. Arduino rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, and threw for 140 yards. Perryman was his favorite target, catching eight passes for 74 yards. Wausa Onigbanjo led AIC with nine tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Bryant will have a short week as they head to Fairfield, Conn., for a Friday (Sept. 16) night Northeast Conference matchup with Sacred Heart University. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff, and will be broadcast nationally on MSG Plus and Cox Broadcasting.