Bryant holds off Wagner, 30-28

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior quarterback Mike Croce (Waterbury, Conn.) threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns and junior running back Jordan Brown's (Glastonbury, Conn.) two-yard touchdown run two minutes into the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the Bryant University football team held on to defeat Wagner College, 30-28, in a Northeast Conference game at Bulldog Stadium on Homecoming and Reunion Weekend.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0 NEC) have won three-straight games and are now 8-0 under head coach Marty Fine on Homecoming. It is the second victory for the Bulldogs over the Seahawks (1-3, 1-2 NEC) on Homecoming and they now hold a 3-1 lead in the all-time series.

It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the game and Wagner currently had the upper hand when the Bulldogs took over on their own 40 yard line with 2:37 remaining in the third quarter. The Bulldogs proceeded to drive 60 yards in 12 plays to take their fifth lead of the game. Brown started the drive with three-straight rushes and with the Bulldogs facing a 4th-and-1, Croce called his own number, plunging forward for a first down. Croce followed by hitting Brown for a 22-yard gain on the first play of the fourth quarter and five plays later, Brown was in the end zone to put Bryant up 30-28.

Bryant's defense did the rest. The Bulldogs limited Wagner to 25 total yards in the fourth quarter, with Nick Sengotta (Wayne, N.J.) putting the finishing touches on with a sack to force a turnover-on-downs with 1:11 remaining in the game.

It was the plays that Bryant did not have a hand in that made the difference, however. Trailing by two, the Seahawks started their drive on the Bryant 37 but would end up punting -17 yards later. Dominique Williams ran for seven yards and a first down to the Bryant 27 but that's when a slew of penalties hurt the Seahawks. They were called for illegal motion on the next play, a face mask on the following play and a delay of game penalty two plays later to put themselves in a 3^rd-and-32 situation. They eventually punted and never got past midfield again.

Starting his second game of the year, Croce got a chance to let it loose with the Seahawks stuffing the Bulldogs' running game. He hit classmate Matt Tracey (Littleton, Colo.) for a big 12-yard gain on third down to keep the Bulldogs drive going and it eventually ended in a Tom Alberti (Marshfield, Mass.) field goal.

Wagner came right back on its next drive as Williams took it home from 25 yards out to cap a drive that ate 5:22 off the clock.

But as was the case all afternoon, the Bulldogs answered right back. Croce connected with Tracey for 36 yards to get Bryant to the Wagner 19 and found sophomore Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) for  eight yards to the Wagner 3. Brown scored on the next play and scooted home on the two point conversion to put the Bulldogs up, 11-7.

Trailing, 14-11, Bryant started on the Wagner 39 with 4:09 to play in the second quarter thanks to a 15-yard facemask penalty at the end of Brown's punt return. The Glastonbury, Conn., native took the Bulldogs to the 16 yard line with two consecutive big rushes, sophomore running back Michael Perry (Dunmore, Pa.) took them to the Wagner seven and senior fullback Zach Wilson (Yarmouthport, Mass.) turned a short dump off into a touchdown, diving and extending the ball across the goal line to put the Bulldogs up at the half.

The Seahawks wasted no time in the second half, needing only five plays to regain the lead, 21-17, on a Nick Doscher touchdown pass to Justin Matthews. The crucial play on the drive was a 40-yard connection with Wandy Saintilien.

It was the Croce-to-Harris connection that got Bryant right back in the lead with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter.  A pass interference against Wagner on third down kept the Bulldogs drive alive and Croce went deep to Harris three plays later. Harris used his speed to break free from the defender, pull in the perfectly placed pass from Croce and take it home for a 65-yard touchdown reception.

In a matchup of two of the NEC's best running backs, Brown out-rushed Williams 102-101. They were a hard-earned 102 yards for Brown, as he needed 32 carries to crack the century mark. Both ran for a pair of touchdowns, the fourth and fifth rushing touchdowns of Brown's season. Perry provided quality touches off the bench, rushing for 59 yards on ten carries. Croce finished with 245 yards and became the third Bryant quarterback to throw 30 touchdown passes in a career. 

Doscher, Wagner's duel-threat signal caller, rushed for 72 yards and threw for 86 more before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury. That injury came at the completion of a 32-yard scamper that set the Seahawks up for their third score.

Senior linebacker Franck Tebou (Mattapoisett, Mass.) led Bryant with 10 tackles and Paul Hanley (Leicester, Mass.) added eight on defense. Pat O'Connor led Wagner with 10 tackles.

Winner's of three-straight, and off to its second 2-0 start in NEC play in three years, Bryant travels to Pittsburgh, PA, on Saturday, Oct. 1, to take on Duquesne. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.