Quarterback Dalton Easton and Bryant knew they’d have to act quickly to pull out a victory on Saturday over Maine, the 20th-ranked team in the FCS coaches poll.
The Bulldogs trailed, 10-6, with 3:07 left in the game when they took possession at their 26-yard line.
Instead of lining up in a traditional formation, Bryant came out in the wildcat. Ricardo McCray took the snap before pitching the ball to Easton, who was lined up as a wide receiver.
Easton heaved a pass downfield to Chad Ward for a 41-yard connection. Three plays later, Easton found Ward again, this time for a 14-yard touchdown with 2:04 left that propelled the Bulldogs to a 13-10 victory in Smithfield, R.I.
Advertisement
The win is Bryant’s second over a ranked opponent in school history. The Bulldogs also improved to 3-0 for the third time in program history.
Easton finished with 301 yards passing and Ward had eight catches for 123 yards. The output helped offset Bryant’s ground game, which managed only 33 yards.
The Black Bears (1-1) had taken the lead five minutes into the second quarter after Daniel Collins threw a 5-yard TD pass to Carlton Charles.
New Hampshire 45, Lehigh 27 — Sean Goldrich passed for a career-high 422 yards and four TDs to lead the Wildcats past the Mountain Hawks.
Harold Spears had seven catches for 138 yards, both career highs, to help UNH (1-1) win their 10th straight home opener.
Fordham 54, Rhode Island 7 — Chase Edmonds set a school record for a freshman with 231 rushing yards, scoring four touchdowns in the process, as Fordham (2-1) roughed up visiting Rhode Island (0-2).
Tebucky Jones Jr. had six receptions for 124 yards and a score for Fordham.
Lyle McCombs had 98 yards rushing to lead URI.
Boise State 38, UConn 21 — Chandler Whitmer passed for 209 yards and two TDs but the host Huskies lost to the Broncos. Deshon Foxx had 107 yards receiving for UConn (1-2), which turned the ball over three times — including two that were returned for scores.
Advertisement
Quarterback Grant Hedrick passed for two TDs and caught another to lead Boise St.
Holy Cross 20, Central Conn. 7 — Peter Pujals threw two TD passes and a key defensive stand in the fourth quarter helped the Crusaders (2-1) beat the Blue Devils in Worcester.
Central Connecticut (1-2) had the ball on the Crusaders’ 6-yard line to start the fourth before getting pushed back and missing a 24-yard field goal try.
Sacred Heart 44, Assumption 14 — RJ Noel threw two touchdown passes and ran for 131 yards to lead the Pioneers (3-0) over the Greyhounds.
Chris Rogers’s three field goals gave him 38 for his career, tying the Sacred Heart record held by Tim Redican.
Trevor Vasey threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns to lead Assumption (0-2).
Stony Brook 20, AIC 3 — Stacey Bedell rushed for 130 yards, including a 72-yard TD, as the Seawolves (1-2) racked up 300 yards on the ground in a win over the visiting Yellow Jackets.
Jared Hulsey kicked a 23-yard field goal for AIC (1-1).
Plymouth State 30, Mount Ida 24 — Mark Hennessy’s 1-yard TD with 23 seconds left helped the Panthers hold off the visiting Mustangs. Hennessy’s score came after Plymouth State (1-1) forced a fumble on a Mustangs punt return with less than a minute left.
Advertisement
Mount Ida (0-2) trailed, 17-3, entering the fourth quarter before quarterback Jawad Yatim put the Mustangs on his back. The senior passed for two scores and rushed for another in the final frame to pull Mount Ida even at 24.
Kyle Wilson had eight tackles and two sacks to lead the Panthers defense.
Saint Anselm 23, Southern Conn. 20 — The Hawks were down to their last gasp. They trailed, 20-17, in the first overtime and were facing fourth and 15.
But Yianni Gavalas found Ahkeen Williams for 21 yards, and on the next play, Elad Covaliu scored on a 9-yard run to push Saint Anselm (2-0) past the host Owls.
Jeffrey Groth had made a 19-yard FG to give Southern Connecticut (0-2) a lead in overtime.
Williams finished with 161 yards receiving while Gavalas had 177 yards passing with a TD and three interceptions.
Quarterback Ray Catapano led the Owls with 192 yards passing, 55 yards rushing, and one TD.
Rowan 31, Framingam State 21 — The Rams (1-1) were done in by turnovers in their loss to the Profs, who picked off five passes and returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Despite allowing Rowan to jump out to a 17-0 lead at the half, Framingham State didn’t quit. Matt Silva had three TD passes in the second half, but the Rams couldn’t complete the comeback.
Safety Matt Mangano had seven tackles and two pass breakups for Framingham St.
Advertisement
MIT 38, Becker 14 — In Cambridge, Brad Goldsberry had 78 yards rushing, 40 receiving, and scored four touchdowns as the Engineers (2-0) cruised past the Hawks (0-2).
The four TDs tied a school record. Quarterback Peter Williams passed for 220 yards and two scores. His second strike set the MIT career record for TD passes (30).
Alexander Stewart was a bright spot for Becker, registering six tackles and 2½ sacks.
Merrimack 75, Pace 2 — Joe Capobianco passed for 416 yards and six TDs, Armond McRae rushed for 134 yards and two scores on eight carries, and the Warriors (1-1, 1-0 NE 10) demolished the Setters (0-2, 0-1) in Ossining, N.Y.
Frankie Dunn had 127 yards receiving and three TDs on four catches as Merrimack jumped out to a 54-2 lead at the half.
Pace got its only points on a blocked extra point returned for a 2-point conversion.
LIU Post 38, New Haven 33 — Trevor Officer rushed for 107 yards and a TD and Lemar Thomas added 89 rushing and a score, but it wasn’t enough as the Chargers (0-2, 0-1 NE-10) fell to the host Pioneers.
Steven Laurino rushed for three scores and passed for two more to lead LIU Post (1-1, 1-0).
Bridgewater State 29, William Paterson 20 — Matthew Green had 10 receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown as the visiting Bears (1-1) edged the Pioneers.
Quarterback Danny Higgins had 285 yards of offense (218 passing) and added a rushing TD for Bridgewater State.
Advertisement
Montclair State 7, Salve Regina 6 — The host Seahawks (1-1) held the Red Hawks to 142 yards of offense, 10 first downs, and 3 of 16 on third down but still came out on the losing end.
Salve Regina’s score came on Steve Wilken’s 17-yard strike to Matthew Traynor in the second quarter.
Western Conn. 58, Nichols 0 — Senior Tory Mack rushed for 252 yards and four TDs on 17 carries, pacing the Colonials’ rout of the Bison (0-2).
Will Arndt threw for 189 yards and two scores for Western Connecticut (1-1).
Raheem Williams led the defense with seven tackles and three sacks.
Hobart 28, Endicott 18 — Drew Frenette passed for a score and rushed for another, but the Gulls (0-2) were held to just 7 yards rushing in a loss to the Statesmen, the No. 12 team in the D3football.com poll.
Western N.E. 17, Westfield State 14 — Tyler Ward’s 38-yard TD pass to Alejandro Colon with 4:18 left lifted the Golden Bears over the host Owls in the President’s Cup.
Western New England (2-0) was led by Kevin Cook, who rushed for 90 yards and a score. The TD was the 39th of his career, tying the school record. Cook also surpassed the 3,000-yard mark. Mike Mercadante had 132 yards and two scores for Westfield State (1-1).
Norwich 10, St. Lawrence 7 — Tyler Bates forced and recovered a fumble on a punt return in the fourth quarter, leading to Keyen Foley’s 4-yard TD run, as the Cadets (1-1) edged the Saints in Canton, N.Y.
Coast Guard 42, Merchant Marine 31 — Derek Victory passed for 281 yards and three TDs — all in the second half — as the Bears (1-1) outscored the visiting Mariners, 21-3, in the second half en route to victory.
Mario Colangelo had 110 yards rushing and three TDs for Merchant Marine (1-1).
Maine Maritime 42, Anna Maria 12 — Michael Fahey piled up 241 yards and two TDs to help the Mariners (1-0) beat the host AMCATS. Kevin Card had 25 tackles and a fumble recovery for Anna Maria (0-2).
Maine Maritime rushed for 490 yards while holding Anna Maria to just 96 on the ground.
Michael Burgess had seven tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery for the Mariners.