Bulldogs open NEC play at Saint Francis (Sat. 12p)

FULL GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the non-conference portion of its schedule in the rearview mirror, the Bryant University football begins its quest for a league title as it begins Northeast Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Saint Francis U. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at DeGol Field in Loretto, Pa.

GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 18
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Listen: WOON 1240 (onworldwide.com)
Watch: NECFrontRow
Stats: Live Stats 

LAST TIME OUT: BULLDOGS RACE PAST BUCKNELL
Bryant used a pair of fakes on special teams and two big plays to race out to a 27-0 lead in the first half and never looked back on its way to a 34-15 victory over Bucknell. Chad Ward caught a 73-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring and Sam Sammons took a fake punt 55 yards to make it 14-0. Ricardo McCray then scored the next three touchdowns. He scored on runs of 1 and 16 in the first half and then put the game away with a program-record 96-yard scamper in the third quarter. McCray finished with a career-high 142 yards and three scores and the defense forced four interceptions. Brandon Dagnesses had two picks and Patrick Kenney finished with a career-high 11 tackles.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis enters this afternoon's contest with a 2-4 overall record and an 0-1 record in the NEC. The Red Flash opened league play last weekend against Wagner, falling in a double OT thriller, 46-39. SFU faced a tough non-conference schedule that featured nationally-ranked Fordham and Youngstown St.

Offense has not been a problem this year for the Red Flash as they enter today's game with an average of 35.6 points per game and nearly 400 yards of offense per game. It begins and ends with the nations leading rusher Khairi Dickson. A junior, Dickson surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau last weekend against Wagner and enters the day with 1,041 yards and nine touchdowns. QB Zack Drayer has thrown for eight scores and had a career-high 286 passing yards last weekend.

Defensively, the Red Flash are allowing 33 points per game and 369 yards of total offense per game. Solomon Leaeno and Lorenzo Jerome are the top two tacklers for SFU, registering 49 and 44 through the first six games. LB Bishop Neal is a perennial defender of the year candidate and has 41 tackles. SFU has sacked the quarterback just six times but have six interceptions.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Bryant and Saint Francis are meeting for the seventh time this afternoon. The Bulldogs hold a 4-2 lead in the all-time series but the Red Flash have won each of the last two meetings. Last season, SFU jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held off a late Bulldog rally to post a 23-20 victory. The Red Flash held the Black and Gold to just 283 yards of offense and only 35 rushing yards. Bryant has scored 20 or more points in each of the six previous meetings with SFU.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Bryant wrapped its non-conference schedule with a bang, defeating Bucknell 34-15. The victory put the finishing touches on the best non-conference showing for the Black and Gold in program history. At 4-1, the Bulldogs posted their best non-conference record and the most non-conference wins in school history.

BEST START FOR BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs' are off to their best start at the Division I level with a 4-1 record. The start is the best for the Black and Gold since the 2007 team started with a perfect 7-0 record.

MCCRAY SURPASSES 1,000-YARD PLATEAU
Thanks to his career-high 142 rushing yards, Ricardo McCray became the ninth player in program history to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau. McCray becomes the first Bulldog to accomplish the feat since Jordan Brown during the 2011 season. He has carried the ball 175 times for 1,036 yards and 10 touchdowns.