SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior Paul Canevari (Warwick, N.Y.) rushed for a career-high 177 yards and redshirt junior Ricardo McCray (Middletown, R.I.) added 130 yards to lead the 25th-ranked Bryant University football team to a convincing 42-9 victory over Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium.

In front 4,890 fans on Parents and Family Weekend, the Bulldogs (6-1, 2-0 NEC) put up 310 rushing yards, forced four turnovers and held the Colonials (1-7, 1-2) to just 151 yards of total offense. The Black and Gold also dominated the possession, holding the ball for 37:35.

Bryant's defense was the difference on Saturday and it was evident from the first drive of the game. The Colonials had the first possession of the game and were forced into a fourth-and-1 from their own 44. They decided to go for it and sophomore Patrick Kenney (Camarillo, Calif.) made a huge stop to deny Ryan Thermil the first down and give the Bulldogs the ball with great field position.

The Black and Gold too advantage, driving the 44 yards in six plays to put the first points of the afternoon on the board. Sophomore quarterback Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) connected with junior Chad Ward (Delray Beach, Fla.) three times on the opening drive, capping it with a four-yard strike to make it 7-0.

The score remained the same for the rest of the first quarter but the Bulldogs were able to open up a three-touchdown lead with two scores in the second quarter. Starting at their own 46, the Black and Gold drove 54 yards in eight plays to make it 14-0. Easton connected with Ward for a 28-yard gain on the second play of the drive and then hit him again for 14 yards on a fourth-and-8 to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Canevari hurdled in from six yards out.

After the defense forced another punt on the ensuing drive, the Bulldogs drove 80 yards in nine plays to make it 21-0. McCray posted a 22-yard gain to kick-start the drive but the key play in the drive was a roughing the passer call that turned a fourth-and-18 into a first down. Easton found Ward for 27 yards along the near sideline two plays later and McCray followed with a 15-yard touchdown run in which he broke two separate tackles.

Bryant went on to make it 28-0 on its second drive of the third quarter. The Bulldogs failed on a fake punt during their first drive but senior Sam Sammons (Cypress, Texas) intercepted a Derik Abbott pass at midfield. Canevari followed with runs of 5, 19 and 17, McCray took the ball inside the five with consecutive runs and Easton capped the drive with a one-yard plunge.

Robert Morris was finally able to get on the board midway through the third quarter thanks to a miscue from the Bulldogs. Punting from their own 27, the snap went high and into the endzone, resulting in a safety. The Colonials then took the free kick and drove 67 yards in seven plays to make it 28-9. Corey Garry highlighted the drive with a 30-yard run on a fake punt and a pass interference put the ball inside the Bulldogs' 20. Abbott then connected with Duane Mitchell for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

The Bulldogs then went into clock management mode but were able to tack on two late scores. Kenney intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the RMU three yard line to set up the first one. Easton was able to find junior John Lavin (Falmouth, Mass.) in the back of the endzone to make the turnover costly.

Bryant's defense was fortuitous in scoring its final touchdown of the day. RMU fumbled the snap on its next drive and Dillon Guthro (Newburyport, Mass.) was able to recover it at the RMU 14. Ryan Black (Joppa, Md.) wasted little time capitalizing as he took the first-down handoff 14 yards to pay dirt to make it 42-9.

On the afternoon, the Bulldogs ran 83 plays and put up a season-high 470 yards of total offense. Bryant has now scored 42 points in each of the last two games and at least 35 in each of its last three. Canevari rushed for 177 yards on 21 carries, while McCray added 130 on 21 carries. Easton finished 14-of-28 for 160 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Ward had eight catches for 111 yards to lead the receivers.

Defensively, Kenney, Sebastian Amedee (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Sammons all registered interceptions to give the Black and Gold 12 in seven games this season. Kenney finished with a team-high seven tackles. It was a historic day as well for Bryant as senior Jeff Covitz (Reading, Mass.) became the NEC's all-time leader in career sacks with 27.5.

The Bulldogs return to the field next Saturday, Nov. 1 when they host Central Connecticut at Bulldog Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:04 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3.com.