Football finishes at CCSU on Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Looking to end its season on a positive note, the Bryant University football team travels to New Britain, Conn., to take on Central Connecticut on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Arute Field.

FULL GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT - Bryant 18, Monmouth 21

Trailing 21-3 at the half, Bryant made a furious second-half comeback but fell short last Saturday against Monmouth. Ryan Black's (Joppa, Md.) 14-yard touchdown run with 3:36 left in the third quarter made it 21-10, and Mike Westerhaus's (Farmingville, N.Y.) 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) and two-point conversion pass to Jose Depadua (Hagerstown, Md.) made it 21-18 with 12:31 to play. The Bulldogs would get the ball back again and drive to the MU one-yard line. On third-and-goal, Harris appeared to make the game-winning catch in the back of the endzone but he was whistled for offensive pass interference. Two plays later, Bryant attempted a game-tying, 35-yard field goal but it sailed wide left.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS

It has been another up-and-down year for the Blue Devils in 2013. Featuring one of the best offenses in the league, CCSU has scored points and put up yards, but it has also given up points and lots of yards. They have put up 35 or more points five times but have allowed 35 or more points on six occassions.

Preseason All-American Rob Hollomon leads the offense and is one of the top running backs in the league. The speedster has rushed for 1,343 yards and 18 scores on the year and is also a threat on special teams. Hollomon averages 29.9 yards per return and is currently second in the country with 192.3 all-purpose yards per game. Quarterback Nick Sangiacomo is also having a record-breaking year, throwing for 1,781 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Defensively, the Blue Devils have been quite porous, allowing over 400 yard of total offense per game. They have allowed 50 or more points three times this season. Senior defensive back Antwione Reese is their top tackler, collecting 76 this season. Elijah Yopp leads the team with four sacks and senior Chris Linares has a team-high three interceptions and seven pass breakups.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Central Connecticut has dominated the series that dates back to 2008, Bryant's first as a Division I member. The Bulldogs played the Blue Devils in their first-ever game at the DI level, falling 42-35 at Arute Field. Bryant took a 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 35-35 with five minutes left before CCSU scored on a 70-yard pass play to win it. Last season, the Bulldogs fell behind 17-7 before scoring three-straight touchdowns to take a 28-17 lead with 1:15 to play.

COVITZ SETS PROGRAM RECORD

Junior Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) began the season in pursuit of several defensive records. Last Saturday, he achieved two of them. With three tackles for a loss against the Hawks, Covitz tied the single-season program record with 19 tackles for a loss and became Bryant's all-time leader in the category with 41.5 in his three-year career. He tied Ben Wellington's 2002 output and surpassed Delano Dryden's total from 2001-04.