By Greg Dudek, The Enterprise (Brockton)
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Cranberry Bowl Scoop trophy no longer belongs to the Bridgewater State University football team.
The Bears (4-6, 3-5 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference) could not overcome a 24-point first-half deficit to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the 36th annual Cranberry Bowl, falling to the Buccaneers, 31-21, at Swenson Field on Saturday afternoon.
For the Buccaneers (4-6, 3-5 in the MASCAC), it is their first Cranberry Bowl win since 2010.
“You can’t come out and play anybody 50 percent and expect to be able to just turn it on at the end and make something happen,” said BSU head coach Chuck Denune. “It came down to too little too late. You can’t come out and spot a team points like that.”
The loss marks the end of a sub-par season for the Bears, as they finished below the .500 mark for the first time since 2002. It also concludes a successful run of seasons for Denune’s senior class of players.
“My heart breaks for my seniors right now,” Denune said. “They have been so successful over their four-year career.
“Going 4-6 is not acceptable at Bridgewater. It never will be. It can’t happen again. We let it get broke, so we have to be the ones to fix it.”
Mass. Maritime got off to a quick start and never looked back, as Ryan Quinn hit a 23-yard field goal on the Buccaneers’ opening drive for a 3-0 lead.
After two BSU drives failed to turn into anything, the Buccaneers went 73 yards in six plays, capped off by a 4-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback John Trudel (22-of-32 passing, 315 yards, three touchdowns) to Kevin Healy for a 10-0 lead with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter.
A little over a minute and a half later, Mass. Maritime struck again. This time Trudel found E.J. Bennett (11 receptions, 239 yards, two touchdowns), the winner of the game’s Lee Harrington Most Valuable Player award, for a 93-yard touchdown pass to extend the Bucs’ lead to 17-0.
“We played pretty pathetic that first quarter,” Denune said. “It was very frustrating. They played a lot harder than we did that entire first quarter. The lack of effort was really disappointing and the lack of discipline on our side.”
After a three-and-out by BSU on its ensuing possession, Mass. Maritime executed a 13-play, 71-yard drive that lasted nearly seven minutes and ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Richie Phillips for a 24-0 lead with 6:35 left in the second quarter.
BSU answered the Buccaneers’ scoring spree with 21 unanswered points, as freshman running back Alex McLaughlin (10 carries, 112 yards) ran one in from 59 yards out to cut into the deficit to 24-7 before halftime.
The Bears started the second half with a score when sophomore quarterback Danny Higgins (16-of-27 passing, 177 yards, two touchdowns) hit senior tight end Nick Jablonksi for a 25-yard touchdown pass to trim the lead to 24-14 with 9:40 left in the third quarter.
“The effort became better,” said Denune of his team’s ability to get back into the game. “We held our blocks longer. We played with more intensity. Effort and heart can take you a long way.”
Higgins got the Bears within a field goal midway through the fourth quarter with a 6-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Travis Bassett, but that was as close as they would get.
Trudel’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Bennett on fourth-and-one with 1:36 remaining in the game sealed the win and the Scoop trophy.
The loss not only ends BSU’s season, but the career of many seniors as well, most notably Stoughton native Matt Green.
Green (seven catches, 88 yards) finished his career as BSU’s all-time leader in receiving yards and receptions and second in receiving touchdowns.
“I was just working hard since I knew I wanted to play college football ever since I was little and I made it happen,” Green said. “I have to hold my head high. We worked hard and left everything on the field.’’