Bulldogs drop opener, 35-10

BULLDOG FOOTBALL DROPS HOME OPENER, 35-10

HIGHLIGHTS

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Marist broke open a close game with 28 consecutive points and defeated the Bryant University football team, 35-10, on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs (0-1) had won seven consecutive home-openers prior to Saturday but were beaten by the Red Foxes (1-0) for the second time in program history.

Known for its quick offensive starts last season, the Marist defense made sure the Black and Gold never got their engines started on Saturday. The main key in that engine, senior running back Jordan Brown (Glastonbury, Conn.), was effectively taken out of the game, gaining just 43 yards on 22 carries. In all, the Bulldogs were held to just 295 yards of total offense while the Red Foxes put up 419 yards.

Bryant had a chance to get on the board in its first drive of the game but came up empty-handed as the Red Foxes blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt. The Bulldogs had moved the ball inside the Marist 20 as junior Mike Westerhaus (Farmingville, N.Y.) connected with Shavoy Lawrence (Paterson, N.J.) and Jimmie Johnson (Washington, D.C.) twice each. Johnson had the prettiest catch of the drive as he hauled in a high Westerhaus pass and rumbled to the Marist 18. Three players later though, the Red Foxes were able to break through the line and knock down the field goal attempt.

Marist finally got on the board late in the first half with a 10-play, 83-yard drive. Chuckie Looney single-handedly kept the drive alive with a pair of excellent third-down runs. He scampered nine yards on a third-and-two and then put the ball in Bulldog territory with 26-yard rush on a third-and-three. Calvin McCoy carried it in from 11 yards out five players later to make it 7-0.

The Black and Gold put their first points of the game on the board midway through the second quarter. The drive started inside Marist territory thanks to a blocked punt but ended in a field goal. Michael Perry (Dunmore, Pa.) was responsible for the block and the Bulldogs then moved the ball inside the Marist 20 on a Kevin Gebon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) six-yard run and 14-yard reception by Lawrence. A pair of penalties and two plays that lost yards moved the Bulldogs out of the redzone but freshman kicker Dom Kozlowski (Westford, Mass.) was able to salvage the drive as he knocked home a program-record 48-yard field goal. It was the first of his career.

It was all Marist after that, as they score the next 28 points to put the game away. They immediately responded to the Bryant field goal by driving 85 yards in 11 plays, capping it with a Looney five-yard TD pass. After forcing a Bryant three-and-out, the Red Foxes offense went right back down the field and Looney tossed another five-yard pass to make it 21-3 at the half.

The Red Foxes then scored on two of the first three drives of the second half. Wale Onakoya capped a quick five-play drive with a nine-yard touchdown rush and Louis Cotrone capped a seven-play drive with a two-yard plunge.

Bryant scored its only touchdown of the afternoon at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Westerhaus completed three consecutive passes to start the drive, hitting Matt Roncaioli (Southington, Conn.) twice and Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) once. He then connected with Harris for 16 more yards and Lawrence for 14 yards to move the Bulldogs to the Marist five. Two plays later, Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) scampered home from four yards out for his second career touchdown.

On the afternoon, Westerhaus finished 19-of-39 for 212 yards and no interceptions. Harris caught a team-high eight passes for 82 yards, while Lawrence hauled in five passes for 53 yards. Defensively, Sam Sammons (Cypress, Texas) led the Bulldogs with eight tackles in his first career start at linebacker. Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) also registered eight tackles and a picked up his first sack of the season.

The Bulldogs will head to Loretto, Pa., next weekend to open Northeast Conference play against Saint Francis (PA). Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.