By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University football team will be in a showdown for first place the next time it takes the field.

The Bears headed into their bye week with an impressive 48-20 victory over Westfield State on Saturday before a homecoming weekend crowd of 1,940 at Swenson Field.

The fourth straight win by BSU (6-2, 5-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference) leaves it a half-game behind defending champion Framingham State University (6-1, 5-0) – and the Bears will host the Rams on Nov. 7 in their next-to-last game.

Sophomore Alex McLaughlin scored four touchdowns and rushed for 162 yards on 19 carries as the Bears opened a 35-0 lead early in the third quarter and were never in trouble against the Owls.

“The guys are just doing a good job,’’ said coach Chuck Denune, whose team had 499 yards of total offense, a season-high 372 coming on the ground. “They’ve earned a really important game coming up.

“We’re still in control of our own destiny and we’ve got a week to rest up, heal up a little bit and come out and throw the kitchen sink at them and see if we can end this streak Framingham’s been on in the MASCAC.’’

Since being held without a touchdown in a 35-3 loss to Fitchburg State on Sept. 26, BSU is averaging 40.3 points per game in the winning streak.

The offense kept rolling against Westfield State (2-5, 1-4) as McLaughlin led the way. Carlton Williamson of Easton gained 96 yards on 15 carries and Malik Garrett gained 53 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Danny Higgins was 12-for-26 for 143 yards.

The defense allowed only 172 yards, including just 35 on the ground. Westfield State scored three second-half TDs after the game was out of reach.

The improvement continues as the Bears get better with each passing week, putting them in an important game in two weeks.

“It’s why you play football,’’ said Denune, whose defense had four sacks and nine tackles for a loss of 47 yards. “You should be getting better every week. The only thing that can slow it down is injuries and we have a lot of them.

“But guys keep coming in and filling the gap for the guy who got injured. They’re doing a great job stepping up.’’

Higgins got BSU the early lead at 7-0 when he scored on a 2-yard run just 5:35 into the game, ending an eight-play, 59-yard drive. Following an interception by Kyle Dance, the Bears went 27 yards in five plays, scoring on a 3-yard run by Travis Bassett for a 14-0 lead with 7:05 to go in the first quarter.

McLaughlin then scored on runs of 22 and 48 yards just 5:14 apart in the second quarter for the 28-0 halftime lead. He added a 13-yard TD run with 4:38 gone in the second half to make it 35-0.

“He’s a talented guy,” said Denune. “He’s a nice guy to have on your team, there’s no doubt about it. He’s got that extra gear.”

Westfield State cut the deficit to 35-13, scoring twice in two minutes as Colin Smith caught a 55-yard TD pass and Bryan Waruhiu added a score on a one-yard run after the Bears fumbled the kickoff.

But McLaughlin (2:25 left in the third quarter) and Garrett (8:55 to go in the game) scored on 1-yard runs for a 48-13 bulge before Smith caught a 27-yard TD pass for the Owls with 1:37 left.

“We definitely saw the potential in this team,” said Denune. “We told them in camp we know we have a lot of young guys on this team, but we know the talent level is outstanding.

“If they came together quickly, we could arrive early.”