FITCHBURG, Mass. – Junior receiver Matt Green caught nine passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns and senior quarterback Mike McCarthy registered 312 yards of total offense and threw for two touchdowns to lead the Bridgewater State University football team to a 30-20 MASCAC win over host Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon.
The visiting Bears improve to 3-1 (2-0 MASCAC) with their third straight win and remain unbeaten in conference play. The Falcons fall to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in the MASCAC.
Senior defender Rob Ruggiero recorded 3 ½ sacks including a fourth quarter safety which capped off the scoring and secured the win for the Bears. All of Ruggiero's sacks came in the final period.
Trailing 6-0 in the first quarter, senior running back Mike Gentili capped off a 14-play, 86-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
After the Falcons reclaimed the lead on a 27-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterbackGarrett Dellechiaie to junior receiver Phillip Saint-Juste, McCarthy hooked up with Green on a 56-yard scoring strike to give the Bears a 14-12 lead at the half.
Gentili's second touchdown run of the game, this time from two yards out, accounted for the only scoring in the third quarter as the Bears upped their lead to 21-12. The drive, which started at the BSU 17-yard line, lasted for 12 plays and consumed five minutes and 34 seconds.
A Jean Sylvain interception on the Falcons' ensuing possession led to another long BSU drive. McCarthy would connect with Green on an 11-yard touchdown pass to cap of a nine-play, 84-yard drive that would give the visitors a 28-12 advantage.
Later in the fourth quarter, Dellechiaie tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Jesse Lastra. A Kristopher Taylor interception of a McCarthy pass at the Bridgewater 26 set up the score.
The Falcons would get the ball back following a BSU three-an-out with 6:43 remaining in the game. Back-to-back sacks by Ruggiero, however, with the second one coming in the end zone for a safety, would secure the victory for the Bears.
McCarthy completed 17 of 33 passes for 250 yards while racking up 62 yards on the ground. Gentili rushed for a team-best 70 yards on 17 carries.
Dellechiaie passed for 166 yards as he was 16-for-25 with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Junior running back Steph'fon Teague led all players with 106 yard on the ground. His 48-yard touchdown run opened the scoring in the first quarter.
Sophomore linebacker Stephen Jacobs finished with a team-high 11 tackles (six solo) with one going for loss. Senior linebacker Andrew Anderson registered ten tackles (six solo) with two going for loss. Senior safety Dillon Huber-Parker recorded six tackles (two solo) as well as an interception and a pass breakup.
Junior linebacker Talib Barksdale led all players with 13 tackles (eight solo) and also broke up two passes. Senior linebacker Alex Alcala added 11 stops with two going for loss, while junior defensive back Elizear Torres notched ten tackles and forced and recovered a fumble.
Green now has 63 receptions in his career for 1,118 yards. He moved past Jesse Teixeira(2005-06, 2008-09) and Sean Tiernan (1987-90) into eighth place on the Bears' all-time receptions list and became the tenth player in BSU football history to reach the 1,000 receiving yards milestone.
McCarthy passed BSU Hall of Famer Ripp Charters (1988-90) for third place on the Bears' all-time passing touchdowns list as he now has 31 in his career. He also jumped over Adam Cambreco (2002-05) for second place on the Bear's pass completions list with 271.
Next week, the Bears host Western Connecticut State University on Saturday at one.