PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior wide receiver Chad Ward (Delray Beach, Fla.) caught eight passes for a career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns and the Bryant University football team forced five turnovers on their way to a 20-16 victory over in-state rival Brown on Saturday afternoon at Brown Stadium.

The Bulldogs (2-0) battled back from 10-0 down in the first quarter to take the lead in the second half and then held on to defeat the Bears (0-1) for the first time in program history. Bryant had lost to Brown, 41-14, the last time the two teams met in 2013.

Of Brown's five turnovers, four came in the redzone on Saturday. The Bears threw two interceptions in the endzone and fumbled the ball twice inside the 10 yard line.  

Saturday's game wasn't decided until the final minute of the game when the Bears turned the ball over for the fifth time. Brown took over at its own 20 yard line and QB Marcus Fuller completed three-straight passes to move the ball to the Bryant 48. Four more completions put the ball inside the Bryant 10 and a pass interference moved the ball to the 2 yard line. On the next play, however, a high snap resulted in a loss of 10 yards for the Bears. Fuller then threw two incomplete passes before senior Brandon Dagnesses (Miami, Fla.) made a leaping interception in the back of the endzone to secure the Bryant victory.

Early on it was all Brown as the Bears took a 10-0 lead after one quarter of play. Bryant responded, though, tying the game with a strong second quarter. The tide began to change as Brown fumbled the ball at the Bryant 9. The Bulldogs then proceeded to drive 88 yards in just nine plays to get on the board. Junior Dalton Easton (Miami, Fla.) connected with classmate Taylor Barthelette (East Longmeadow, Mass.) for 11 yards to open the drive and then found him for 19 yards on a third-and-15 to keep the drive alive. A 31-yard completion to Ward three plays later put the ball in Brown territory and Ward finished the drive with a 24-yard catch in the back of the endzone to make it 10-7 with 4:13 to go in the half.

Bryant forced another turnover on Brown's ensuing possession but missed a 38-yard field goal to tie the game. The defense, however, forced a quick three-and-out, allowing the Bulldogs to take over at midfield with 47 seconds left. Senior John Lavin (Falmouth, Mass.) made a 27-yard catch to move the ball to the Brown 20 and junior Ricky Perez (Miami, Fla.) booted a 37-yard field goal to tie the game with just two seconds left on the clock.

In the second half, a third-quarter turnover derailed another Brown drive. The Bears started at their own 45 and moved the ball to the Bryant 16. Fuller then completed a pass to RB Andrew Coke in the flat but he fumbled the ball at the Bryant eight.

Brown eventually retook the lead on its next drive as Grant Senne capped an eight-play drive with a 45-yard field goal with 3:59 left in the third quarter.

Bryant quickly responded, going 75 yards in just seven plays to take the lead before the third quarter was up. Sophomore Matt Sewall (Portsmouth, R.I.) hauled in a 25-yard pass to move the ball to midfield and senior TE Ryan Barrett (Holliston, Mass.) made a six-yard catch on fourth-and-three to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, sophomore Torrey Dixon (Dumfries, Va.) took the reverse handoff but stopped in the backfield and launched the ball down the field. Ward hauled in the pass at the Brown 10, made a defender miss and then reached the ball across the goal line to make it 17-13 with 24 seconds left in the third quarter.

Senne's 23-yard field goal finished an 11-play Brown drive and made it a one-point game but another huge catch by Ward helped the Bulldogs push their lead to four. Facing a third-and-19 from the Bryant 34, Easton heaved a long pass down the sideline that Ward laid out for and caught at the Brown 27. A pass interference put the ball inside the 20 and Perez knocked down a 24-yard field goal to make it a four-point game with 3:55 to go in the game.

Brown got on the board first Saturday as Troy Doles made a catch and exploded for an 83-yard touchdown four minutes into the game. The Bears threw an interception at the Bryant goal line on its next possession but Senne capped a seven-play drive with a 20-yard field goal to make it 10-0 with 1:49 left in the first quarter.

Bryant finished with 358 yards of total offense, while the Bears amassed 486 yards. Both teams had trouble running the ball, combining for just 95 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs were able to run for just 12 yards on the day.

Easton finished 24-of-40 for 309 yards and a touchdown and Fuller went 32-for-52 for 403 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Ward matched a career-high with eight catches and his 180 yards receiving yards were the fifth most in a single game in program history. Barthelette finished with five catches for 54 yards and Sewall caught three passes for 37 yards.

Senior Aaron Dixon (Danbury, Conn.) led the defense with eight tackles, Patrick Kenney (Camarillo, Calif.) had seven tackles and an interception and Dagnesses finished with four tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

The Bulldogs remain on the road this weekend when they travel to Conway, S.C., to take on No. 1 ranked Coastal Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.