Stoughton’s Matt Green Quite a Catch for Bridgewater State

By John Johnson, The Boston Globe

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State football coach Chuck Denune remembers his first impression of wide receiver Matt Green.

Anthony Ferzoco, a former linebacker for the Bears, brought Green along to a spring workout at Bridgewater and introduced him to Denune.

The pair had played football together for two seasons at Stoughton High, and Ferzoco thought Green could be a contributor to the BSU offense.

“We had actually recruited Ferzoco, and he brought his buddy down,” said Denune. “I looked at him and didn’t think all that much. He was not a real big or imposing young man, but when he came out for camp in the fall, I realized he might just make the team.”

Four years later, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Green is the career receptions leader at Bridgewater State. On Saturday, he hauled in 10 more in a 29-20 win over William Paterson University, raising his total to 125 catches. That surpassed the mark of 120 set by BSU hall of famer Andy Macaoine, a 2000 graduate.

“It was definitely nice to get the win, since we had a tough loss,’’ a 33-27 defeat to Salve Regina, “the week before and needed to get back on track,” said Green, a 2010 graduate of Stoughton High, where he caught seven touchdown passes and racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards as a senior.

“It’s an honor being compared to BSU hall of famers. I’m kind of still taking it in, but there’s a lot more of the season to look forward to.”

His 35-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Danny Higgins gave the Bears a 7-3 lead and was the trigger for a 172-yard receiving day, along with 66 yards in kickoff returns.

With 20 catches and 245 yards so far this season, Green is among the NCAA Division 3 leaders in receptions and receiving yards per game. A year ago, he led all D3 players in receiving yards (1,315), and his career total (2,110) is second only to Macaione (2,642).

“As good as he was last year, I think he is significantly better this season,” said Denune, in his 10th season at Bridgewater. “His speed and his ability to put his foot on the ground and change direction is phenomenal.”

Green, a physical education and exercise science major, has done most of his damage in only three seasons. He saw limited action as a freshman (four receptions, 68 yards).

An injury to wide receiver Chris Constantine (Hingham) allowed Green to move to the slot position as a sophomore, and he responded with a team-high 32 receptions and six touchdowns.

“We moved him to the slot and he just blew up,” said Denune. “He had a breakout game at slot receiver against UMass Dartmouth (five receptions, 112 yards) with two touchdowns and he hasn’t slowed down since. He’s breaking records now with just about every catch.”

Last year, Green put together the greatest single-season receiving performance in program history (69 receptions, 16 touchdowns along with the 1,315 yards, all single-season records).

He was a second-team selection to the 2013 Beyond Sports Network Division 3 All-America team, and a D3football.com All-East Region second team pick.

Green, according to his coach, has the ability to get open because he knows all four wide receiver positions. And he is comfortable playing the slot or working on the edge.

“The offensive scheme is working for me and it’s working for the team,” said Green. “The biggest part is my mental game. I understand all of the positions, and the opposition never really knows where I’m going to be. Everything moves much slower when you understand the game better.”

Senior running back Blaise Branch of Brockton led the Bears with 99 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win over William Paterson. The Cardinal Spellman graduate rushed for 575 yards and three scores while sharing the running back duties last season.

“It’s more of his position this year,” said Denune. “He’s not splitting carries as much. He’s getting in there more often and he’s earned his carries.”