September 6, 2007

BULLDOG FOOTBALL OPENS 2007 SEASON SATURDAY VS. AIC
Kickoff at Bulldog Stadium is at 1 pm

UPDATED GAMES NOTES / DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY (pdf)
Listen to the Game /  Watch Game Live

Game 1 - Bryant University (0-0) vs. American International (0-0)
Saturday, September 8, 2007, Bulldog Stadium (3,400), Smithfield, RI
Radio: http://www.bryantbulldogs.com/ (John McCarthy, Pat Sullivan)
TV: http://www.ne10.tv/ (John McCarthy, Pat Sullivan)

Bryant opens the season Saturday against AIC at home. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.  The Yellow Jackets defeated the Bulldogs 21-7 last season in Springfield, Mass.

UPDATE:
The Bryant University football team, co-champions of the Northeast-10 Conference in 2006 and fresh off the program's first NCAA playoff appearance, kick off the new season this Saturday hosting Northeast-10 Conference foe American International. Kickoff at Bulldog Stadium is 1 p.m. 2007 marks the ninth varsity football season at Bryant (1998 club season, 1999 first year of varsity) and seventh season as a member of the Northeast-10 Conference in football (member of now defunct Eastern Football Conference in 1999, 2000).  This will also be the 80^th game since becoming a varsity program in '99.  Bryant owns a 40-39 all-time record covering eight seasons.

SERIES: 
This will be the ninth meeting all-time between Bryant and AIC with the Yellow Jackets from Springfield, Mass. holding a 7-1 series advantage.  Last year, AIC rolled to a 21-7 win over the visiting Bulldogs, holding Bryant to just 188 yards of total offense (88 rushing, 100 passing).  The Yellow Jackets, which managed just 62 yards passing but had 171 on the ground, returned a Bryant punt in the first quarter for the only scoring until early in the fourth.  The win by AIC avenged a 21-0 Bryant victory in 2005, the only win of the eight game series for Bryant. 

THE COACHES:
Bryant coach Marty Fine enters his fourth season coaching the Bulldogs.  Since his first year in Smithfield in 2004, Fine is 19-11. American International Coach Art Wilkins is in his 14^th season in Springfield and owns a 79-55 record while at AIC.

THE LIDLIFTER:
Since Bryant's first varsity season in 1999, the Bulldogs are 5-3 all-time in season openers.  The Bulldogs have won two-straight season openers and are 2-1 in openers under coach Marty Fine. The last loss was in Fine's first season in '04 when the Bulldogs fell to AIC, 15-7 in Springfield, Mass.  In 2005, Bryant avenged that loss with a 21-0 blanking in the opener at Bulldog Stadium while last year the Bulldogs rolled to a 49-20 win over Southern Connecticut in the 2006 season opener.   Bryant is 4-0 when opening the season at home.

WINNING WAYS:
Bryant has put together two consecutive winning seasons since a 4-5 slate in Fine's first year as coach in 2004.  In 2005, Bryant went 7-3 overall followed with an 8-3 campaign in 2006.  The only other winning season was in 1999 when the team went 5-4.

NEW ON THE STAFF:
Bryant returns all but one coach from last year's coaching staff.  Marc Klaiman, defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, left last spring for an assistant position at Merrimack College.  In his place steps first-year coach Ben Morie who will coach the team's quarterbacks and receivers. Morie, a 2000 graduate of Bemidji State in Minnesota, comes to Bryant from Upper Iowa University where he was recently the team's offensive coordinator.  Also joining the staff this year is first year coach Art Bell (Rhode Island '85).  Bell, who will coach the Bulldogs' defensive line, is a native of Newport and graduate of Rogers HS.  He played one year at Bridgewater State and played three years at URI where he was a member of the Rams' 1981 Yankee Conference Championship team.  Prior to coming to Bryant, Bell coached at Salve Regina and Middletown HS.

RHODE ISLAND ASSISTANCE
In addition to newcomer Art Bell to Fine's coaching staff, other assistant coaches with Rhode Island ties include outside linebackers coach Jay Monteiro (Rhode Island '89) who was an assistant for 16 years at East Providence HS before coming to Bryant three years ago. Also back is running backs coach Jay Jones (Rhode Island College '94) who previously was an assistant at Cranston West and is currently the wrestling coach at RIC.   

MILESTONE WATCH:
Senior WR Sean Bergin (New Windsor, NY/Newburgh Free) needs just 181 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for his career ...

RECORD BOOK UPDATES:

* Chris Peaks (1,216 yards) needs 57 rushing yards to move into fourth all-time

* Peaks (10 TDs) needs five touchdowns to move into third all-time for career TDs

* Sean Bergin (819 yards) needs 181 to reach 1,000.

* Bergin (third in receiving yards) needs 182 yards to move into second and 832 to move into first.

* Charlie Granatell (2^nd, 849) needs 7 plays to move into first for plays of total offense (856).

* Chris Wohlheter (2^nd, 7) needs five interceptions to become all-time career INT leader (11).

* Wohlheter is currently tied for 9^th with 127 career tackles.  He needs seven tackles to move into eighth and 13 to move into 7^th.

GRANATELL ON THE MARK:
Senior quarterback Charlie Granatell (Franklin Lakes, NJ / Ramapo) has started every game (30) since coming to campus as a freshman in 2004.  Granatell's junior year was his best yet, passing for a career-best 1,975 yards and 21 touchdowns. Granatell finished the season ranked second nationally with a 167.5 efficiency rating.  He enters the season with 5,027 yards and 43 touchdowns, plus the holder of 15 school records. 

GUNTHER SETS SEASON AND CARER SACK RECORD:
Senior defensive end Mark Gunther (Clarksburg, NJ / Notre Dame) set a school single season record with 11.5 sacks, giving him the school career sack record with 20.5.  Gunther had three sacks in two different games last year (vs. Saint Anselm and Assumption).

ROOKIE RHODE ISLANDERS:
Bryant has five local freshman on this season's roster heading into opening week:  Fullback Kyle Bell (Middletown, RI / Middletown); linebacker Joe Heiberger (Westerly, RI / Westerly); tight end Matthew Kelly (Lincoln, RI / Bishop Feehan); wide receiver Brendan Rice (Providence / La Salle); and kicker Karl Turner (Woodriver Junction, RI / Chariho).