Bridgewater State Rallies for Victory

By Mark Blaudschun, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The pattern made no sense.

Win a game, lose a game. A 35-3 loss against Fitchburg State was lowlighted by turnovers. Added to the sense of uneasiness that Bridgewater State coach Chuck Denune was feeling going into Saturday's game against Western Connecticut State was a historic footnote. The Bears hadn't beaten the Colonials at home since 1982.

Final score: Bridgewater State 34, Western Connecticut State 27.

So much for history. And, not surprisingly, there were more smiles than frowns on the BSU sideline on Saturday as the Bears hung on for a back-and-forth win, which boosted their record to 3-2 and 2-1 in the MASCAC.

"We're a young team loaded with potential,'' said Denune after watching his squad, led by junior quarterback Danny Higgins and senior running back Carlton Williamson, overcome a 10-0 first-quarter deficit with a steady flow of offense (393 total yards) and timely defensive plays.

A week ago, there were nothing but untimely turnovers.

"We turned the ball over five times last week and that changed the game dramatically," said Denune, who watched Higgins turn Saturday's game in the Bears' favor with a series of offensive drives that produced enough points to give BSU a 23-13 lead that it never relinquished.

Higgins, who threw for a pair of TD passes for 187 yards and rushed for another 50, also eased back into the quarterback rotation that Denune uses, bringing in sophomore Alex McLaughlin anywhere, anytime.

"Alex and I are really good friends," said Higgins. "I know my spot. We both have each other's back on things. It doesn't matter if I drive all the way down the field and he comes in and we score a TD, it's a total team effort. It's all that matters."

Denune did bring in McLaughlin (eight carries for 56 yards) in the middle of scoring drives, without the hint of a second guess.

"I love doing it," Denune said. "I always have. They do a real good job. Each guy has a strength. We will sub them in a middle of a series. Both need to play. Both do good jobs."

Also doing his job was Williamson, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound veteran out of Oliver Ames High School. Williamson was the go-to guy at crunch time, picking up 97 yards on 23 carries, including a 32-yard scoring run. But his best effort of the day came in the second quarter when the Colonials had narrowed the Bears' lead to 16-13.

Williamson's response was quick and emphatic, a 77-yard TD on the ensuing kickoff return.

"I just saw the daylight that was opened by my guys," said Willamson, whose younger brother Cameron Williamson came up with a second-period interception that killed another Colonials drive.

Once they had the lead, the Bears were not about to let it slip away. The Colonials, led by the overall skills of QB Will Arndt (75 yards rushing for one TD, 285 yards passing for two TDs) crept to within 26-20 with 4:56 left in the third quarter and scored another TD with 2:27 left in the game to cut the margin to 7.

But a failed onside kick, gave BSU the ball – and the game.

"I knew once we got the ball back, the game was over," said Higgins.

And it was.