Bulldogs, Pioneers meet Saturday at Bulldog Stadium; Watch live on ESPN3

FULL GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football continues its quest for a Northeast Conference championship this weekend as it welcomes Sacred Heart to Bulldog Stadium for a noon kickoff that can be seen nationally on ESPN3.

GAME INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Time: 12:04 p.m.
Listen: WOON 1240 (onworldwide.com)
Watch: ESPN3
Stats: Live Stats

Picked as the #NECFB on ESPN3 Game of the Week, the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-1 NEC) and Pioneers (4-5, 1-3) will take their budding rivalry to the national stage. In order to win its first league title in school history, the Black and Gold must win its final two games of the season. They faced the same situation last year but dropped their final two contests against Sacred Heart and Wagner.

Sacred Heart owns the lead in the all-time series 4-3 after winning each of the last two meetings. A year ago, the Pioneers scored with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter to earn a 14-7 victory and claim their second-straight NEC championship.

Bryant will enter the weekend coming off a strong effort against Wagner last weekend on Staten Island. The Bulldogs put up a season-high 40 points in the contest led by superb efforts from Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.), Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) and Jose Depadua (Frederick, Md.). Easton threw for 236 yards and three scores and has now thrown for over 2,000 yards for a second-straight season. McCray posted his sixth 100-yard game of the year and enters Saturday just two yards shy of the first 1,000-yard rushing season for a Bryant player since Jordan Brown in 2011.

While the Bulldogs' offense will need to prove itself against one of the league's best defenses, its own defense will have to play some of its best football on Saturday. Junior LBs Patrick Kenney (Camarillo, Calif.) and Marquise Watson (Hillside, N.J.) spearhead the unit but CBs Brandon Dagnesses (Miami, Fla.) and Charles Wingate (Englewood, N.J.) will be tested this weekend. Kenney leads the team with 70 tackles, while Dagnesses and Wingate have combined for four interceptions.

Sacred Heart enters Saturday with three-straight league losses but remain one of the most dangerous teams in the NEC. QB RJ Noel is one of the league's elite signal-callers and enters the game with 2,143 passing yards and 15 TDs. His main target, Tyler Dube, is one of the best wide receivers in the country. The fifth-year senior has caught 61 passes for 989 yards and eight touchdowns. Dube leads the league in every receiving category and has been a thorn in Bryant's side each of the last two years. Last year, he caught seven passes for 109 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Two years ago, Dube caught six passes for 74 yards and three scores as the Pioneers put up 56 points.

Defensively, the Pioneers are allowing 23.8 points per game but lead the NEC in rush defense at 103.2. Defensive end James Rentz is putting together a dominant season, leading the league in sacks with seven. He also has 10.5 tackles for a loss and 39 total tackles. Kellen Sperduto leads the defense with 67 tackles and defensive lineman Connor Caveney has posted 35 tackles, five tackles for a loss, two sacks and two interceptions.

Prior to Saturday's kickoff, the Bulldogs will honor their senior class.