College Football: Bridgewater State Bids for First Place in MASCAC Saturday Night

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University football team has a chance to take over first place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference this weekend.

Thanks to a four-game winning streak, the Bears (5-2 overall) have moved into second place with a 4-1 record, one-half game behind Western Connecticut State University (4-0).

BSU travels to Danbury, Connecticut, for a showdown game at 6 p.m. on Saturday against the Colonials as part of homecoming weekend.

The Bears have not lost since dropping the MASCAC opener at Framingham State, 34-13, on Sept. 15. The Rams, who entered the season as the conference favorites, are right behind BSU at 3-1 after being edged by Plymouth State last weekend.

Coach Joe Verria likes the resiliency of his team, which dropped back-to-back games in September while getting off to a 1-2 start.

“Last year’s group, when we lost to Framingham early, were decimated.” said Verria. “This year’s group, it didn’t matter. They turned around and said, ‘All right, we’re moving on to next week.’ That’s what we talk about all the time, one week at a time.

“We started something in the offseason called ‘Trust the Process’ and ‘Embrace the Grind’ and that’s what they’ve been doing week after week after week. They’ve put the previous week behind them and moved on.

“We’ve gotten better every week. Everybody has come together. When you come off a 2-8 season, a lot of changes have to be made. They bought in to everything we’ve done.”

BSU’s offense has been a key reason for the winning streak with the Bears ranking third in the MASCAC in points (26.0) and total offense (389.7 yards per game).

Quarterbacks Stefano D’Emilia and Brad Thiltgen have plenty of weapons to work with, including Jack Lavanchy (62 catches, 765 yards), Travis Bassett (33 catches, 384 yards) and T.J. Hairston (26 catches, 307 yards). The running game of Nick Santavicca and Aidan Silva has been effective behind an offensive line, which is healthy after dealing with injuries a year ago.

“The offense is clicking now,” said Verria. “We’re spreading the football around. We’ve got four or five receivers, we’re able to run the football. It’s truly a team effort right now.”

BSU sophomore linebacker Michael Rosa was named the conference rookie of the week after making 10 tackles and breaking up a pass against UMass-Dartmouth.

Western Connecticut has the top offense in the MASCAC, averaging 398.7 yards and 35.3 points.

“We’ve got a tough one, but we’re ready,” said Verria. “We’ve got our hands full. They have running backs who run over people. It’s homecoming and the place will be packed.

“But the kids are excited. It’s a nice stadium and it’ll be a good atmosphere. We’re excited to be where we are.”

Stonehill faces rival: Stonehill College travels to Waltham to face rival Bentley University on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a matchup of teams on four-game losing streaks.

Both the Skyhawks and Falcons are 1-5, including 1-4 in the Northeast-10 Conference, with four games remaining.

Stonehill has struggled defensively during the losing streak, allowing 131 points the past three weeks.

Bentley owns a 22-10-1 series lead over the Skyhawks, who have won five of the last six meetings. Stonehill prevailed in overtime, 41-35, last season in Easton.

Sophomore linebacker Josh Martin of Abington has made 21 tackles for the Falcons.

THE PREDICTIONS:

• UMass 24, Coastal Carolina 21: The Minutemen return from a bye week and win.
• Auburn 28, Mississippi 24: The Tigers bounce back from a loss to Tennessee.
• Michigan 27, Michigan State 21: The Wolverines improve to 7-1.
• Western Connecticut State 31, Bridgewater State 27: The Bears are edged by the Colonials.
• Bentley 28, Stonehill 21: The Skyhawks lose on the road.

LAST WEEK: 3-2 | SEASON TOTAL: 25-10