College Football: Bridgewater State Bounced Back From 0-2 Start

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The meeting took place only two weeks into the Bridgewater State University football season last September.

The Bears had gotten off to a 0-2 start, losing by a total of five points to non-conference opponents Curry College and Kean University, and the Massachusetts State Collegiate Conference schedule was about to open.

Joe Verria, who had been named the interim head coach just weeks before the season began, decided to sit down with his four captains – seniors Danny Higgins, Elvis Romero and Stephen Jacobs, plus junior Alex McLaughlin.

Their leadership was important on a team that had gone through a late coaching move, and Verria wanted to make sure two close losses weren’t going to spoil a season.

“Coach (Pete) Mazzaferro used to sit down with his captains once a week,’’ said Verria of the former Bears coach. “We sat down and said, ‘Look, let’s talk about where this program is going. Let’s put these first two games behind us and try to learn from them. We lost by five points.’

“They knew we were close. We had two seasons and we now were looking at the second season, the MASCAC season.’’

Bridgewater State responded by going 8-0 in the conference after that and will take that eight-game winning streak – the longest since 1999 – into an NCAA Division 3 tournament matchup at 15th-ranked Alfred University Saturday afternoon in New York.

“He wanted to get an inside look at it and see what we were thinking, what we thought we should do,’’ said Jacobs, a linebacker, of the meeting.

Verria, an assistant coach at BSU for 28 years, relied a lot on his captains during the summer and fall and they delivered the leadership that was needed.

The program dealt with uncertainty after Chuck Denune, the head coach for 11 years, was placed on administrative leave. Denune stepped down as coach in August and Verria took over on an interim basis before becoming the permanent coach this month.

Through that coaching change and the 0-2 start, Higgins, Romero, Jacobs and McLaughlin helped keep things together.

“The captains have all had tremendous years,’’ said Verria. “They’re a tough group of captains. I’m very lucky to have the four captains that I have. They brought stability to the team, to the program.’’

Following the meeting, the Bears got rolling with a 34-14 win over Worcester State and haven’t stopped.

“As captains, we had to keep the morale up of the team, especially after that second loss,’’ said Higgins, who has thrown for 2,067 yards and 17 touchdowns. “We sat down and said we’ve got to work harder in practice. We needed to be more focused. We hadn’t put a complete game together.’’

Said Romero, a defensive lineman who has 46 tackles with 16 for a loss of yards: “We weren’t worried about (being 0-2). We knew we had the talent. The pieces weren’t in the right place. We just had to come together as a team. We eventually got it together and it was something special when we did.’’

The players were unsure who would be the head coach in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp Aug. 17.

The captains kept everyone together and focused on being prepared to go, no matter who was calling the shots.

“It was a little tough not really knowing what was going to happen,’’ said McLaughlin, a running back who has gained 1,068 yards. “But we knew we were in good hands. We knew what we had with Coach V. He’s been here a long time and we all trust him. We believe in Coach V. We have from day one.’’

Said Jacobs, who has a team-high 69 tackles with 11 for losses: “He’s unbelievable. I love the guy. He’d bled for this program.’’

Those two losses to open the season have faded into the background, and the Bears are in the NCAAs for the fourth time.

“It’s a great feeling,’’ said Higgins. “That was one of the reasons I came up here (from New Jersey) to play. I thought we had a great shot. To get it in my last year is a great opportunity. We’ve got a new task in front of us.