Bridgewater State Rolls to Football Victory

By Jay Miler, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Caught in a first half that was the offensive equivalent of rock-em, sock’em robots, with the teams combining for 501 yards of total offense, Bridgewater State’s defense clamped down on William Paterson University in the second half to nail down a 41-24 victory on Saturday.

Facing the formidable passing attack of the Pioneers and their quarterback, Ryan Gresik (293 yards on 25-of-42 passing), the Bears got two exceptional performances from a couple of South Shore natives, as Stoughton’s Matt Green hauled in seven receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown, while former Cardinal Spellman star Blaise Branch got the bulk of the carries in the second half and finished with 89 yards on 23 rushes, with two TDs.

Bridgewater State’s senior QB, Martha’s Vineyard native Mike McCarthy, utilized his own running skills so well he ended up as the Bears’ leading rusher with 96 yards on 25 runs and two TDs, while also hitting on 10 of 14 passes, for 188 yards and a TD.

But it was not an easy stroll in the stadium for Bridgewater State by any means. The Pioneers scored on a 58-yard pass play before the game was a minute old. Then the Bears roared back with 27 unanswered points to lead 27-7 midway through the second period. But a couple of turnovers reignited the William Paterson offense, and they came charging back with two quick TDs. Stymied from the 1-yard line, the Pioneers had to settle for an 18-yard field goal as the first half expired, with the home team holding a precarious 27-24 advantage.

Two big changes in the second half were that Bridgewater State held onto the ball for long drives, and when the Pioneers did get the ball the Bears’ defense held them in check. One prime example was the way William Paterson couldn’t get its screens and step-back passes going – while running back Darius Kersey had 94 yards and a TD on such receptions in the first half, he was shut out in the second half. Gresik managed to connect of 10-of-15 second-half passes, but only gained 96 yards and was intercepted once and sacked twice.

“I think the biggest difference in the second half was on third-down conversions,” said Bridgewater State coach Charles Denune. (The Pioneers converted six of eight in the first half, and just one of five in the second.) “Our defense played with a lot of heart today. I know Coach V (defensive coordinator Joseph Verria) had them at the boards, and talked to them for a long time at the half. We had been hurt by their screen pass game, and we fixed that. That Paterson quarterback is really good, he can sling it and he had some drops today or his stats would be even better. Rob Ruggiero also had a monster second half at defensive end for us, keeping the pressure on him.”

Coming off last week’s opening loss, Denune liked a lot of what he saw Saturday afternoon.

“I was really disappointed in the way we handled ourselves last week,” said Denune. “But today we came out with a lot more passion and intensity. I told them before this game it would a four-quarter game, because that William Paterson team is too talented, and can put points up in a hurry, so we can’t take a minute off. It’s a lot better to go into our conference schedule next week playing with this kind of momentum.”

The coach was also not surprised to see some of the impressive stats his players put up yesterday.

“Matt Green is a slippery cat – I know I wouldn’t want to try and cover him,” said Denune. “Matt is not just physically skilled, but he understands the game so well, I’d take him against any defensive back, because nine out of 10 times he’s going to get loose. Blaise Branch has been a great running back for us, and his work ethic is what sets him apart. We have a real stable of running backs, so no one usually gets too many yards, and today we saw Mike Gentili (Leominster), Matt Lockwood (Seekonk), and Tobias Bouchard (Kingston) all run well, too.”

William Paterson struck first, on the game’s third play, when Gresik hit Kersey with a step-back pass, and the sophomore scatback cut across the field and went 58 yards for the TD. Bridgewater State had to punt on its first possession, but when the Pioneers returner bobbled and then kicked the loose ball backwards, it was a fire drill in the end zone, with the Bears Anthony Cogliano recovering the ball for the tying TD, before the game was four minutes old.

A 40-yard McCarthy-to-Green pass play was key to the next Bears drive, which ended with Branch going two yards off left tackle for the TD. The Bears missed the extra point, but led 13-7 as the first quarter ended.

Bridgewater State lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt early in the second period, but the play was thwarted by a bad snap. But holder Dillon Huber-Parker just ran around until he found tight end Nick Jablonski open for a desperation pass, which was complete for a 30-yard pickup, to the one-yard line. From there, McCarthy dove over for the TD that made it 20-7.

The Bears scored again a few minutes later, when McCarthy found Green open over the middle for a 49-yard scoring play, that made it 27-7. But the Pioneers came back with a five yard scoring strike from Gresik to split end Brian Winfield, and then a 12-yard scoring toss on another screen pass to Kersey, closing the gap to 27-21. But the Pioneers final, 11-play, march of the half ended with Robert Sinegra’s field goal, as the Bears still led 27-24.

Bridgewater State began the second half with a nine-play scoring drive that featured two more Green catches, totaling 40 yards, before Branch went six yards up the middle for the score. The Bears final, clock-killing 11-play march ended with a one-yard McCarthy plunge for the final TD. The Pioneers’ fourth period comeback hopes had been dashed by a David Console (Malden) interception, and big sacks from Ruggiero and Stewart Lamberton.