Bulldogs battle in-state rival Brown on Saturday in Providence

FULL GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – In a battle for bragging rights, the Bryant University football team will travel to Providence, R.I., on Saturday afternoon to battle in-state rival Brown. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at Brown Stadium.

GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 19
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Listen: WOON 1240 (onworldwide.com)
Watch: Ivy League Digital Sports Network
Stats: Live Stats

The Bulldogs (1-0) enter the game fresh off their lone bye week of the season, while the Bears (0-0) are just beginning their campaign.

Saturday afternoon's affair will be just the second meeting between the two Ocean State foes, with the Bears taking the first meeting, 41-14, back in 2013. The Black and Gold led early in the contest but Brown scored the final 27 points to earn the victory.

Bryant opened its season on Sept. 5 with a 27-3 victory over American International but had to wait an extra week to take on the Bears. The Bulldogs posted 295 yards of total offense and allowed the Yellow Jackets to gain just 206.

Senior Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) posted the eighth 100-yard game of his career in the opener, rushing for 112 yards on just 10 carries. In his career, McCray has averaged 6.0 yards per carry, rushing for 1,720 yards on just 288 carries.

A good chunk of Bryant's offense came from its tight end in the opener. Senior's John Lavin (Falmouth, Mass.) and Ryan Barrett (Holliston, Mass.) each hauled in a touchdown reception for the Bulldogs. Lavin caught a 33-yard score and Barrett's first touchdown in nearly two years went for 19 yards.

Senior Ryan Ferguson (Silver Spring, Md.) and classmate Aaron Dixon (Danbury, Conn.) led the Bryant defensive effort in the first game, posting 12 and five tackles respectively. Ferguson's career-high 12 stops came in his first career start, while Dixon put the game away with a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Picked to finish fifth in the Ivy League this year, Brown returns 14 starters to a team that went 5-5 last season. Senior QB Marcus Fuller leads an experienced Bears offense and is coming off a breakout junior season in which he finished 14th in the country with 261.8 passing yards per game. He added 15 touchdowns and threw just seven interceptions.

Fuller's biggest target also returns in senior Brian Strachan. A second-team All-Ivy Leaguer last fall, Strachan caught 56 passes for 668 yards and five touchdowns. The trio of Strachan, Alex Jette and Troy Doles combined for 108 receptions and all are back this fall.