Rivalry week: Bulldogs, Bears meet Saturday at Bulldog Stadium

FULL GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football team returns home this weekend for a huge matchup with in-state rival Brown on Saturday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.

The Particulars

Opponent: Brown

Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.

Watch Live: NECFrontRow.com

Listen Live: WOON 1240 AM or onworldwide.com

Live Stats: BryantBulldogs.com

Series History

Bryant and Brown will be meeting on the gridiron for the third time this Saturday. The series is currently tied 1-1 following a 20-16 Bulldog victory last year in Providence. Brown defeated Bryant 41-14 in the first-ever meeting in 2013 but the Black and Gold capitalized on five Bears turnovers last September to earn the four-point win.

Notes and Notables for Week 3

Senior Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in several passing categories. He is fifth in passing TDs (6), fifth in yards per completion (15.15), eighth in yards (591) and ninth in yards per game (295.5).

Easton enters the Brown game needing just 127 yards to surpass Mike Croce for second place on Bryant's all-time passing list. Croce threw for 5,325 yards in three seasons with the Bulldogs.

Senior Taylor Barthelette (East Longmeadow, Mass.) currently ranks top 10 nationally in several receiving categories. He ranks third in receiving yards (270), fourth in receiving yards per game (135.0), fourth in receiving TDs (4) and seventh in receptions per game (7.5).

Barthelette needs just 64 receiving yards to become only the seventh player in school history to post 1,000 career receiving yards.

Redshirt freshman Jean Constant (Delray Beach, Fla.) tied the Bryant receiving record for a freshman last weekend at Montana State. His 99 receiving yards tied the mark set by Brandon Dillingham in the Bulldogs' first season as a program in 1999.

Senior offensive linemen George Smith (Thomaston, Conn.) and Connor O'Neill (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) carry hefty streaks into Saturday's game. Smith has started 24-straight games, while O'Neill has 20-straight starts under his belt.

A bit about the Bears

Brown open its 139th season of football on Saturday against the Bulldogs. It marks the second-straight year that the Bears have opened the year with Bryant. The Bears went 5-5 overall last year and will welcome back their top two receivers in Troy Doles (66 rec., 963 yds., 7 TD) and Alex Jette (68 rec., 928 yds., 4 TD). Brown will have to replace five of its top six tacklers, however. Phil Estes begins his 19th season as the head coach of the Bears and is the most successful coach in program history, posting a 108-71 career record.