Worcester, MA --- Senior Matt Green (Stoughton, MA) racked up 317 all-purpose yards with four touchdowns - including a pair of second half punt returns for scores – as he helped pace Bridgewater State to a 51-27 triumph in MASCAC football action this afternoon.
With the win the Bears (2-1, 1-0 MASCAC) have now defeated the Lancers (2-1, 0-1 MASCAC) in ten straight matchups dating back to the 2004 season. WSU entered the contest ranked sixth in the first Division III New England Football SID/Coaches Poll, with one first place vote.
Green ended his sensational afternoon with nine catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns to go with 129 yards on four punt returns. His two touchdowns on punt returns set a new Division III New England mark.
BSU sophomore Danny Higgins (Manahawkin, NJ) went 22-for-33 through the air with 308 yards passing and a trio of touchdowns while junior Blaise Branch (Brockton, MA) gained 124 yards on 19 rushes and he found the end-zone once.
Despite the setback, senior Kevin Bumpus (Bridgewater, MA) passed for a school-record 455 yards, going 33-for-51 with a pair of touchdowns and one interception. He had set the previous mark in a season-opening win over Anna Maria in 2013 with 428 yards.
Senior teammates Casey Hippert (Douglas, MA), Jack Sprague (Maynard, MA) and Dana Barry (Hudson, MA) all had the lions share with eight receptions each for over the century mark. Hippert and Barry finished with 129 and 124 yards receiving, respectively.
Junior Kemani Jones (Milton, MA) was the leading rusher for the Lancers with 48 yards and two scores.
Nursing the 16-14 advantage at the intermission, the Bridgewater State offense exploded by outscoring the hosts 28-6 in the third quarter and took over the commanding 44-20 margin.
Taking their first possession of the second half, Higgins hooked up with Green for a 45 yard reception with 13:09 remaining in the third. Green then took a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown to the house after the Lancers went three and out on the next series.
Worcester State finally answered and made it a 30-20 contest on a five-yard plunge by Jones. The ensuing point after try was unsuccessful as freshman Kyle Dance (W. Roxbury, MA) had a key pass break-up on a perfect pass from Bumpus to Hippert in the right corner of the end-zone.
The Bears though opened up the game on a 21-yard scamper by Branch with 7:23 on the clock in the third and when freshman Alex McLaughlin (Littleton, MA) hit pay-dirt on a five-yard rush to cap off the scoring in the stanza.
The Blue and Gold responded on their first drive of the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Jones with 13:21 remaining in regulation to trail 44-27. Jones and Bumpus combined for six rushes for 42 yards in the series.
Worcester State had their opportunities to get back into the contest, but the offense failed to put any points on the board.
Midway through the stanza, senior Mike Goulden (Rehoboth, MA) came up with a clutch fumble recovery in the end-zone and an interception in Bridgewater State territory. However, the Bears defense rose to the occasion while holding the Lancers to a three and out and turnover on downs to end the threats.
Green capped off the contests scoring with nine ticks left on a 61 yard return for a touchdown to etch his name into the record book.
Bridgewater State originally staked the early 3-0 edge on a 25-yard field goal by senior Colin Neri (Upton, MA).
BSU extended their lead on a 22-yard scoring strike from Bassett to Higgins on their first play from scrimmage following a fumble recovery by junior Nicholas Salois (Warwick, RI) on a Lancer punt return for the 9-0 margin.
Worcester State found success on their next two drives when Bumpus helped give the hosts the 14-9 advantage. Bumpus flicked a 18-yard touchdown pass to Barry with 12:58 remaining in the second before he gave WSU the lead as Sprague hauled in a nine-yard reception midway through the period.
Bridgewater State answered just before the horn sounded fot intermission. Higgins helped the Bears run an effective two-minute drill as he found Green on a 15-yard streak for a touchdown.
WSU had a chance to respond outside of the goal line after Bumpus completed four passes for 47 yards, however, he was picked off by Dance on the three-yard line to end the threat and set the stage for the Bears outburst in the third quarter.
Defensively, sophomore Elvis Romero (Wayne, NJ) led the way with eight tackles (seven solo), four tackles for a loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery while junior David Console (Malden, MA) had 10 solo stops.
The Bears collected five sacks as a team and limited the Lancers to 34 yards rushing on 31 attempts. Hippert, who had a remarkable first two quarters for the hosts, was also held without a catch in the entire second half.
Senior Sean Hanley (Wilmington, MA) and classmate Bryan Narcisse (Medway, MA) shared squad-high honors with nine each as Narcisse had one sack and 1.5 TFL. Teammate Zack Skerry (Milford, MA) and freshman Gaston Pastorino (Fitchburg, MA) also had one sack each.
The contest was nearly an even one on the team statistics including total offense (488-488) and third downs (5-5) while the Lancers held margins in possession time (31:08-28:52) and first downs (25-23).
Both squads return to MASCAC play next week. Worcester State travels to Mass Maritime for a 12:30 contest on Saturday while Bridgewater State entertains Fitchburg State on Friday night under the lights at Swenson Field in a 7 PM matchup.
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