Bulldogs see 21-0 lead disappear in 35-27 loss to Brown

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University football team jumped out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter but Brown University went on to score the next 28 points and held on to defeat the Bulldogs, 35-27, Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.

With a steady wind blowing towards Conaty Park, all but six points were scored in the right endzone on Saturday. The Bears (1-0) converted 8-of-18 on third down and out-gained the Bulldogs (1-2) 355-286 on the afternoon. Brown now leads the all-time series, 2-1.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over three times in the game and finished a combined 5-for-18 on third and fourth down in the game. Senior QB Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) completed 21-of-44 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Junior Matt Sewall (Portsmouth, R.I.) posted his first-career 100-yard receiving game with eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jesse Nemerowicz (Hudson, Mass.) led the defense with eight tackles and sophomore Kevin Lazo (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) had five tackles and blocked two field goals.  

Brown senior QB Kyle Moreno had a hand in all five Brown scores in the game, completing 16-of-29 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns while adding two rushing touchdowns. Will Twyman led the Brown defense with six tackles and the Bears combined to break up nine passes in the game.

Despite struggling through the middle quarters, the Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter down eight and with a chance to tie the game. Bryant, however, stalled at the Brown 45, the Brown 7 and the Brown 16 on its final three drives.

Bryant started the ball at its own 30 to begin the fourth quarter and quickly drove into Brown territory on back-to-back completions. Three-straight incompletions, however, led to a Bulldogs punt. Brown roughed the punter on the play and Bryant decided to go for it on 4th-and-5 but the Bears picked up a big sack to stall the drive.

Following a missed field goal, the Black and Gold looked like they were poised to tie the game. Easton completed back-to-back passes of 24 and 20 to Sewall and senior Taylor Barthelette (East Longmeadow, Mass.) to kick-start the drive, and then hit Sewall over the middle for another 19 to put the ball at the Brown 13. Bryant faced a 4th-and-4 three plays later and Easton fired a pass over the middle to redshirt freshman Jean Constant (Delray Beach, Fla.) but Connor Coughlin ripped it from his arms for the interception at the Brown 1.

The Bulldogs got one more chance as the defense forced a three-and-out and a short punt to put the ball at the Brown 39 with 3:28 to play. A 15-yard targeting foul pushed the ball to the Brown 24 and a seven-yard completion to Sewall made it 3rd-and-2 from the 16. An incompletion followed, and after two timeouts, Easton took a shot at the endzone on fourth down, throwing a jump ball for senior Keenan Thompson (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) but it was broken up by Sebastian Dovi. The breakup sealed the Brown victory.

Bryant opened the game like a ball of fire, scoring 21 points in the first 14 minutes of the game. It started on special teams as Lazo ran right up the middle and swatted down a 40-yard field goal attempt from the Bears. The ball bounded to the Bryant 40 and senior Charles Wingate (Englewood, N.J.) picked it up and raced down the far sideline for 60-yard touchdown to make it 7-0. It is the longest blocked field goal return in program history.

The Bulldogs then took advantage short fields to score their next two touchdowns. Senior Rahhim Shillingford (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) forced a fumble on Brown's first play following the touchdown and sophomore Anthony DiMatteo (Holbrook, N.Y.) recovered it at the Brown 28. Bryant needed just six plays for Easton to fire a perfect pass to Sewall in the back of the endzone with 3:47 left.

Sophomore Thomas Costigan (Stamford, Conn.) picked up a sack to force a Brown punt on the next drive and the punt traveled just eight yards as senior Mitchell Baxter (Cumberland, R.I.) got a piece of it. With the ball on the Brown 33, the Bulldogs took a shot and Easton went deep to Barthelette who made a gorgeous over the shoulder catch for his fifth touchdown of the year. The 33-yard strike made it 21-0 Bryant with 1:17 left in the first quarter.

Everything changed in the second and third quarters as Brown took advantage of having the wind at its back. The Bears answered Bryant's third score with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to finally get on the board. Brown converted twice on third down, including a 13-yard reception by tight end Anton Casey on a 3rd-and-12. On the next play, Moreno hit Troy Doles in the back corner of the endzone for an 18-yard touchdown.

The Bears then took advantage of a turnover as Dovi picked off an underthrown pass at the Bryant 37. Alex Jette made a 15-yard grab on 4th-and-8 to keep the drive alive and Moreno capped the quick six-play drive with a 10-yard TD run to make it 21-14 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Bulldogs attempted a fake punt on 4th-and-1 from their own 19 and the Bears were able to make the stop and takeover on downs. Working with a short field, the Bears needed just five plays for Moreno to hit Casey in the endzone and tie the game at 21-21.

With all the momentum, the Bears forced a quick three-and-out and immediately took their first lead. Starting at the Bryant 37, a roughing the passer kick-started the drive before Moreno connected with Garrett Swanky for an 11-yard TD on third down to make it 28-21 Brown with 7:21 left in the third quarter.

Bryant did its best to bounce back, driving 84 yards in just eight plays to score on its next drive. Easton threw for 82 yards on the drive, the big completion being a 30-yard strike to Baxter, his first-career catch, to put the ball at the Brown 2. Junior Hunter Taute (Norfolk, Mass.) then dove into the endzone for the TD but the ensuing PAT hit the left upright, leaving the Bulldogs down, 28-27.

Brown distanced itself on the next drive, driving 77 yards in just eight plays to make it 35-27. Jette made an incredible catch for a 36-yard gain on third down to keep the drive alive and things got worse for Bryant as a roughing the pass added 15 extra yards to the play. A pass interference in the endzone put the ball at the Bryant 1 and Moreno's second TD run of the game put the Bears up by eight.

The Bulldogs are back at home next weekend when they open Northeast Conference play against Central Connecticut. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.