Bulldogs stun NEC leader Albany, 31-17

ALBANY, N.Y. – Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) set a program record with 224 receiving yards and added two touchdown catches, senior quarterback Mike Croce (Waterbury, Conn.) set a program record with 328 passing yards and the Bryant University football team scored 21 unanswered second-half points on its way to a, 31-17, upset victory over conference leader the University at Albany Saturday at University Field.

Trailing, 17-10, at the half, the Bulldogs (5-3, 3-2) came out and played one of its most inspired halves of football all season long. Led by a dominating defense and the combination of Croce and Harris, the Bulldogs outgained the Great Danes (6-3, 5-1), 344-to-82, in the second half.

They wasted no time tying the game, as Harris' first touchdown grab capped a seven-play, 61-yard drive. Croce lofted the pass towards the corner of the end zone and Harris made an excellent grab in double coverage, making it six-straight weeks that he has recorded a touchdown reception.

Bryant took the lead for good on its next drive. The Bulldogs defense forced a three-and-out, but began their drive on the 14 thanks to a 54-yard punt from Paul Layton. A pair of catches by Harris pushed Bryant to the 38, and after junior running back Jordan Brown (Glastonbury, Conn.) was stopped in the backfield, the Bulldogs went back to Harris. Croce rifled the ball towards the sideline and Harris made the grab near the Great Danes 45-yard line and exploded down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown. The 66 yards pushed Harris past Justin Kix's previous record of 127 yards against Merrimack in 2005. In the third quarter alone, Harris caught five passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.  

With the defense dominating the Great Danes, the Bulldogs put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 7:03. The Black and Gold defense got the ball back as senior linebacker Franck Tebou (Mattapoisett, Mass.) recovered a fumble on his own 20. A holding penalty pushed the Bulldogs back on first down, but Croce threaded the needle to Harris for a 29-yard gain on third down to put the ball at midfield, and he then found Harris for 24 more yards to the Albany six. Bryant went with play-action on the next play and Croce found classmate Zach Wilson (Yarmouthport, Mass.) out of the backfield and Wilson dove to the pylon for his second touchdown reception of the season.

The Bulldogs defense did the rest, holding Albany to just 82 yards of total offense in the second half. Bryant only allowed the Great Danes four first downs in the second half and forced three turnovers in the game, including sophomore cornerback Max Machado's (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) interception with 1:38 remaining to seal the victory. The Black and Gold also picked up four sacks on the afternoon.

Bryant turned two of those turnovers into points. Albany won the toss and chose to receive the opening kick, and the Bulldogs defense immediately went to work. On the third play from scrimmage the Bulldogs' defensive line forced Albany quarterback Dan Di Lella out of the pocket and sophomore Michael Johnson (New Market, Md.) picked off the hurried pass. The Bulldogs eventually drove to the Albany 23-yard line before freshman Tom Alberti (Marshfield, Mass.) knocked down a career-long 40-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs the early lead.

Albany immediately countered, driving to the Bryant 18 in nine plays but the Bryant defense held. On third and nine, Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) and Nick Sengotta (Wayne, N.J.) both broke into the backfield and took down Di Lella for a loss of 11 yards, forcing the Great Danes to attempt a field goal. Herb Glass' 47-yard field goal attempt fell short, however, and the Bulldogs went right back to work.

Held to just four yards on three rushes during the first drive, Brown broke out on the second drive with a 33-yard scamper on the first play to get the Bulldogs to the Albany 38. Croce then went to his reliable tight end, Matt Tracey (Littleton, Colo.), connecting for a 24-yard gain to the two-yard line. Brown plunged in on the next play to make it 10-0 Bryant.

The Great Danes awoke on their next drive, going 67 yards in nine plays to cut the deficit to three. Di Lella hit Kevin Chillis for a 17-yard gain to get Albany into Bryant territory, and then rifled a pass to the back of the end zone that Cole King dove and caught for the touchdown.

Bryant's next drive stalled at the Albany 34, and the Great Danes followed with an 80-yard drive that was capped with a 34-yard field goal from Glass, tying the game at 10-10. It didn't take the Great Danes long to grab the lead as Brown fumbled the handoff on the next drive and Albany recovered on the Bryant 29. Seven plays later Di Lella linked up with Ryan Kirchner for a five-yard touchdown to give the Great Danes their first lead, 17-10.

It was a historic afternoon for Harris and Croce. In addition to setting the single game receiving record, Harris also broke the program record for receiving yards in a season. He has now caught 34 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns this year. The previous mark was set by Sean Bergin in 2007 when he caught 46 passes for 705 yards. Croce finished the afternoon 22-of-30 for 328 yards and three touchdowns, breaking a 12-year old program record for passing yards in a game. He surpassed Tony Granieri's 317 against Bentley in 1999. Brown had a relatively quiet afternoon, rushing for 155 yards and on 34 carries, including his 16^th touchdown of the season.

Defensively, Machado led the way with 11 tackles and his third interception of the season. Tebou finished with nine stops, becoming the seventh player in Bulldog history to surpass 200 career tackles.

Di Lella finished the afternoon with 244 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-31 passing, and Drew Smith rushed for 66 yards on 13 carries.

With the win, Bryant finishes the season with a 3-2 record on the road, and will return to Bulldog Stadium for its final two games of year starting next Saturday, Nov. 12, against Saint Francis (PA). Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.