Stonehill vs Bryant

The game swung early in the fourth quarter. Stonehill, trailing 7-3, had the ball to open the period but went three-and-out after an incomplete pass and a short gain. Bryant took over, marched 80 yards in 11 plays and scored on Bennett's 1-yard plunge. The touchdown — the first of three Bryant scores in the quarter — flipped a one-possession game into a two-score lead and forced Stonehill to abandon its run-pass balance.

O'Shawn Ross, RB, Bryant — The Bulldogs' workhorse carried 18 times for 102 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and the game's opening touchdown. He accounted for more than half of Bryant's 191 rushing yards.

Jack O'Connell, QB, Stonehill — The Skyhawks' signal-caller completed 19 of 30 passes for 202 yards, a career milestone pushing him past 2,700 passing yards (2,757). He was efficient but had no touchdown throws and was sacked twice.

Domenic Scalese, K, Stonehill — Responsible for all of Stonehill's points, Scalese drilled field goals from 29 and 36 yards. He was a bright spot in a game where the offence could not reach the end zone.

Caden Henritzy, LB, Stonehill — Led all defenders with nine tackles (seven solo) including a tackle for loss. He had seven tackles in the first half alone, per the Stonehill athletic department.

Toby Brown Jr., DE, Bryant — Recorded five tackles, a sack for a nine-yard loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, anchoring a Bryant defence that held Stonehill scoreless on its two red-zone trips.

Stonehill outgained Bryant 304-299 in total yards and held a 202-108 edge in passing, yet lost by 18 points. The discrepancy tells the story: the Skyhawks ran only 32 rushing attempts for 102 yards (3.2 per carry) and lost a fumble, while Bryant ran 44 times for 191 yards (4.3 per carry) with three rushing touchdowns and zero turnovers.

Both teams were nearly identical on third down (Bryant 5/13, Stonehill 5/14). The decisive margins were red-zone efficiency — Bryant scored on 4 of 5 trips while Stonehill managed 2 of 3 but settled for field goals both times — and the turnover battle, where Stonehill's lone fumble lost killed a drive in a one-score game.

Bryant opens its 2026 campaign at 1-0 and will look to build on a rushing attack that produced three different touchdown runners.

Stonehill (0-1) begins NEC play next Saturday, September 5, travelling to New Haven for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff (NESN+/NEC Front Row). Head coach Eli Gardner, in his 94th game, is now tied with Robert Talley (2007-15) for the most games coached in program history, per Stonehill College.

Bryant's ground game and red-zone efficiency were the difference on a night when Stonehill's passing attack generated yards but not points. The Skyhawks will need more punch in the running game and better finish in the red zone to compete in NEC play.