DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth football team scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter but could not hold on as Bridgewater State University pulled out a 28-26 win in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action. The Bears move to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play, while the Corsairs are now 2-4 overall and 2-3 in the MASCAC.
 
The Bears jumped out to an early lead, going up by a 14-7 margin in the second quarter. The Corsairs responded at 7:41 of the second frame as senior quarterback JC Petrongolo ran it in from three-yards out to cut the deficit (14-7).
 
Into the third quarter, the Bears struck once again, this time on a 41-yard pass as Oscar Weah, Jr., caught it from Jayden Barber to put the visitors up by a 21-7 margin. In the fourth quarter, the Corsairs battled back beginning with a six-yard pass into the endzone to graduate student wide receiver Peter Popowich at 11:57.
 
Back-to-back runs of one yards from rookie rusher Jayson Dyer saw the Corsairs take their first lead of the game, going up by a 26-21 margin. In the final drive, Bridgewater State charged down the field, using eight plays and 60 yards to culminate in a two-yard score by Barber to push the Bears ahead and the visitors converted on the two-point conversion to take the 29-26 lead.
 
The Corsairs got the ball back, getting good field advantage to the BSU 48-yard line following a penalty on the visitors, but despite the momentum the Corsairs saw a 50-yard field goal attempt with seconds remaining fall just short off the foot of junior Connor McManus to end the game.
 
Individually, Petrongolo went 15-of-24 for 272 yards, while sophomore Jackson Hart was 1-for-1 with six yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Dyer carried the ball 19 times for 82 yards and two scores, while senior Mekhi Wilson rushed it 18 times for 74 total yards. In the air, sophomore Markus Andrews led all receivers in the game with five catches for 175 yards, including a long of 97, while classmate Jayden Francois had four catches for 31 yards.
 
Defensively, the Corsairs were paced by sophomore defensive back Dwayne Julius, who recorded five solo tackles and two assisted for seven total on the night. He also intercepted the ball for three yards. Senior defensive edge Owen Dunker had six total tackles including 2.5 for a loss of 12 yards and a sack, while junior linebacker Sam Joseph had two tackles for a loss of 13 yards and a sack.
 
UMass Dartmouth returns to the field on October 13 when they will celebrate Senior Day against Dean College at 2:30pm on Cressy Field.