November 25, 2008

FOOTBALL POSTS 7-4 RECORD IN FIRST YEAR OF DIVISION I

FINAL 2008 STATS / UPDATED CAREER STATISTICS

The 2008 Bryant University football season opened with little expectations.  After all, this was Bryant's first year competing at the Division I level and little did anyone know just how the Bulldogs would respond. 

Wrapping up a successful season with a 23-0 win at Saint Francis, one thing is definitely certain: the Bulldogs belong in Division I. 

Behind a prolific offense featuring two potent running backs and one of the nation's stingiest defenses, fifth-year coach Marty Fine led the Bulldogs to the program's fourth-straight winning season and showing promise for what the future holds for a program only 10 years old.

Following wins over Merrimack and Southern Connecticut, the Bulldogs made history on September 27 with a 24-14 win over Wagner College on Staten Island.  It was the program's first victory over a Division I opponent.

Junior Jerell Smith '10 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) rushed for 143 yards and the defense held Wagner to only 219 yards of total offense in the win.  Smith enjoyed a breakout year for since arriving on campus after transferring from Howard University.  Smith rushed for a team-best 1,254 yards and scored six touchdowns.  Teammate Lindsey Gamble '10 (Roxbury, Mass.) added 792 yards rushing on the season and scored seven touchdowns giving Fine's Bulldogs a talented one-two punch out of the backfield.

Wins soon followed against Robert Morris and Duquesne as the Bulldogs closed out the year with a three-game win streak capped by the shutout win over Saint Francis in Loretto, Pa.  The seven wins on the season marks the second-most wins by a school playing its first season of Division I-AA football. 

Forcing 30 turnovers, Bryant's defense held a top-five ranking for much of the season, including No. 1 at one point for turnovers gained.  The defense intercepted a school-record 17 passes and forced a school-record tying 13 fumbles.  Paul Polomski '10 (Franklin, Mass.) and Bryce Martins '09 (Uncasville, Ct.) each had three interceptions while freshman Samad Wagstaff '12 (New Rochelle, N.Y.) picked off five passes in the first two games alone.  

Don Smith '10 (Attleboro, Mass.) led a powerful defensive line that racked up 30 quarterback sacks on the season with Smith accounting for nine by himself.

With Jerell Smith and Gamble providing the rushing offense behind quarterback Jay Graber '08 (Clarksburg, N.J.), the Bulldogs closed out the year strong.  Smith rushed for more than 100 yards in seven games including a career-best 221 yards against Southern Connecticut.  Graber was steady in the pocket, completing a school record 57.9 percent of his pass attempts for 1,676 yards and 13 touchdowns.  Graber's primary target was senior Ross Giffune '09 (Foxboro, Mass.) who caught a team-best 29 passes for 340 yards.  He caught his first career touchdown pass in the season finale against Saint Francis.  

Following two consecutive NCAA playoff appearances and despite not being eligible for the postseason play until 2012 as part of the provision for school's reclassifying to Division I, Bryant's 2008 football season will certainly be remembered as one of its best ever.