College Football: Bridgewater State Seeks Second Straight Win

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University football team opens the second half of the season with a trip to New Hampshire.

The Bears will bid for a second straight win when they face Plymouth State University on Saturday at 1 p.m.

BSU (1-4, 1-2 in the MASCAC) ended a four-game losing streak last weekend with a 28-9 victory over Westfield State University and is hoping to get some momentum going.

“It was definitely nice to get a win,” said Bears coach Joe Verria, whose team dropped its first four games by a total of 10 points. “Practice was good this week. The kids picked it up a little bit more.”

Three of the remaining five games are on the road starting with Plymouth State (4-1, 2-1 in the MASCAC).

BSU plays next Friday night at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, hosts Western Connecticut State and Worcester State, then finishes at Mass. Maritime Academy.

“We’ve got five tough games right in a row,” said Verria. “The parity in the league is there. There’s all good teams in this league. There’s no easy week.

“I want to win the second half. The second half is hitting us in the face now and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully the kids will rally.”

Senior running back Alex McLaughlin has led BSU, gaining 581 yards with seven rushing touchdowns.

McLaughlin has run for 2,987 yards in his career and is about to join Seto Berry and Brenden Kavey as the other players in program history to eclipse 3,000 yards.

“The more you give him the ball, the harder he runs,” said Verria. “Alex has been one of the toughest backs we’ve had around here. He’s reliable, he’s tough and he’s fast. He’s a good leader, too.”

Plymouth State leads the series with BSU, 17-13-1, but lost in double overtime at Swenson Field last October, 29-23.

Sophomore wide receiver Jacob Szulc has caught 11 touchdown passes for the Panthers, who are ranked ninth in the Grinold Chapter New England Division 3 poll.

Stonehill has week off: After winning two straight games, Stonehill College (3-2, 2-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference) has a bye this week.

The Skyhawks resume the schedule next Saturday afternoon in Connecticut against New Haven and return home Oct. 21 for a night game against rival Bentley University.

Senior running back Malachi Baugh of Stoughton had the best game of his Stonehill career Saturday night, helping the Skyhawks defeat Merrimack College.

Baugh rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and caught six passes for 35 yards. Entering the game, Baugh had 34 carries and 127 yards in his college career. He was named to the NE-10 weekly honor roll along with teammates Matt Foltz and Matthew Haite.

The Predictions:

• Virginia Tech 34, Boston College 17: Another ACC loss for the Eagles.
• Florida State 28, Miami 24: The Seminoles slip by for a win.
• Michigan 34, Michigan State 20: Five in a row for the Wolverines.
• Harvard 31, Cornell 14: The Crimson improve to 2-0 in the Ivy League.
• Plymouth State 24, Bridgewater State 21: The Bears are edged on the road.

LAST WEEK: 5-0 | SEASON TOTAL: 16-9