Bulldogs host AIC on Saturday to open 2015 season

FULL GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football team officially kicks off the 2015 season as it hosts American International on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Bulldog Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Listen: WOON 1240 (onworldwide.com)
Watch: NECFrontRow
Stats: Live Stats

Coming off their best season at the Division I level, the Bulldogs begin the quest for their first-ever Northeast Conference championship against their former rivals from the Northeast-10. The Black and Gold went 8-3 last season, matching the program record for victories in a season.

Picked as the preseason favorite in the NEC for the first time in program history, the Black and Gold welcome back nine starters on offense and five on defense. They will also face one of the most challenging schedules in program history with just four home games and seven road games. After Saturday's game, the Bulldogs don't return to Smithfield until Oct. 17.

Saturday's opener pits a pair of teams that are picked high in the preseason polls. In addition to the Bulldogs, the Yellow Jackets have been slated second in the NE-10 preseason poll. AIC has played in each of the last three NE-10 Championship games and is coming off an eight-win season in 2014.

Bryant and AIC will be meeting for the 11th time and the Yellow Jackets hold a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Bulldogs have won each of the last two meetings, including a 27-16 victory in their last meeting back in 2011. Bryant rallied from a 16-7 deficit in the third quarter to post a 27-16 victory at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs return the personnel to feature one of the best offenses in the league in 2015. Junior QB Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) returns for his second year as the starter and will be joined in the backfield by one of the best duos in the country in seniors Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) and Paul Canevari (Warwick, N.Y.). Easton threw for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, while McCray and Canevari combined to rush for 1,746 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Preseason All-NEC selection Chad Ward (Delray Beach, Fla.) is Bryant's top returning pass catcher and enters his seniors season with 1,432 career receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Also back are senior WR Jose Depadua (Frederick, Md.) (23-291-2) and senior TE John Lavin (Falmouth, Mass.) (15-198-5).

Up front, First Team All-NECers Abe M'Bodj (North Beach, Md.) and George Smith (Thomaston, Conn.) return to lead an experienced group.

Defensively, junior LBs Marquise Watson (Hillside, N.J.) and Patrick Kenney (Camarillo, Calif.) form one of the best tandems in Bryant's history. They finished 1-2 on the team in tackles a year ago and are both entering their third year as starters. Joining them will be senior Aaron Dixon (Danbury, Conn.) who will be starting at outside linebacker for the fourth-straight season.

Senior Brandon Dagnesses (Miami, Fla.) and junior Charles Wingate (Englewood, N.J.) are the key pieces to a defensive secondary that has the best chance to be one of the best in the league. Dagnesses has six career interceptions and Wingate returns after missing all of last year.

AIC will have to overcome a great deal in order to make it four-straight trips to the NE-10 title game. The Yellow Jackets lost a great deal to graduation last spring, including four-time all-league QB Kevin Arduino. They also lost their top running back, wide receiver and their top two tacklers from a year ago.

Head coach Art Wilkins enters his 22nd season at the helm of the AIC program and will undoubtedly have his team ready. Wilkins has won 136 games in his career at AIC and has led the program to 10 conference or division titles.