Bryant | Bulldog Stadium | 1 p.m. | NEC Front Row
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team travels to Smithfield, R.I. this weekend for an NEC matchup with Bryant.  Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium, with a live stream on NEC Front Row.  Get to know the Bulldogs in this week's scouting report.
 
Marty Fine is in his 12th year leading the Bulldogs with a mark of 73-52 at Bryant.  The Bulldogs, selected as preseason favorites in the NEC by the conference coaches, are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in NEC play this season.
 
Last Saturday, Bryant defeated Duquesne 38-17.  The Bulldogs gained 485 total yards, including 330 through the air.  Quarterback Dalton Easton completed 25-of-37 passes for 330 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.  Running back Ricardo McCray added 118 yards and a score on 21 carries.  Receiver Taylor Barthelette caught five passes for 75 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown.  Chad Ward added six receptions for 64 yards and a three-yard score.
 
The Bulldog defense allowed 284 total yards, with 198 yards coming through the air, and did not force a turnover.  Linebacker Marquise Watson led the squad with 10 tackles, including 1.5 sacks.    Fellow linebacker Patrick Kenney contributed eight tackles, while defensive lineman Abri Tate added five tackles, three solo, including 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.  Defensive tackles Charles Keenan and Charles Wingate each had six tackles, while Wingate had a pass breakup.
 
The Bryant offense averages 26.5 points per game, ranking fourth in the NEC, and 403.2 total yards, ranking second.  They lead the league in passing offense, gaining 262 yards per game, and rank fifth in rushing offense, with 141.2 yards per game.
 
Easton, a six-foot junior, has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,536 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.  He leads the NEC in passing yards per game with 256. 
 
Joining Easton in the backfield is the NEC rushing leader, McCray, a five-foot-nine, 200-pound senior.  McCray has gained 616 yards on 85 carries, for an average of 7.2 yards per carry and 102.7 yards per game.  McCray has five rushing touchdowns and has also caught 14 passes for 102 yards.  Senior Paul Canevari, 5-foot-11, 210-pounds, has 95 yards and a touchdown on 42 carries. 
 
Senior Chad Ward, six-foot-three, leads the receiver unit with 27 catches, 464 yards and four touchdowns, including 17.2 yards per catch.  Junior Taylor Barthelette, six-foot-one, has hauled in 25 receptions for 325 yards and a touchdown, while senior tight end Josh Lavin, six-foot-five, has 16 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns.  Senior receiver Jose Depadua has 13 catches for 127 yards and two scores.
 
The Bryant offensive line includes two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore.  Tackle Abe M'Bodj and center George Smith were Preseason All-NEC selections.
 
Bryant uses a 3-4 scheme on defense.  The Bulldogs allow 22.2 points per game, ranking third in the NEC, and 393.2 yards per game, ranking fifth.  Bryant gives up 241.3 passing yards per game, ranking fifth in the league, and 151.8 rushing yards per game, ranking fourth.  The Bulldogs have forced six turnovers and recorded 10 sacks.
 
Tate, a defensive end, leads the unit with 24 tackles, including 11 solo, 6.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.  On the other side of the line, end Marko Piedmont has 15 tackles, with 10 solo, three for loss and 2.5 sacks.  William Morlock lines up at nose tackle.  He has three tackles in two games this year.
 
At the linebacker position, inside linebacker Kenney, a junior, leads the team with 46 tackles, including 21 solo, four for loss and 1.5 sacks as well as an interception.  Joining Kenney on the inside is Marquise Watson, a junior, has 28 tackles this year, with 10 solo, 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks.  On the outside, senior Aaron Dixon is second on the team with 37 tackles, including 17 solo and .5 for loss.  Dixon also has an interception, which he returned 47 yards for a touchdown in the season opener vs. American International.  Ryan Ferguson also lines up on the outside and has 33 tackles this year, with 6.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. 
 
Junior safety Charles Keenan leads the secondary with 33 tackles, including 21 solo and a pass breakup.  Senior Karl Sery is the other safety, with 23 tackles, including 13 solo, .5 for loss and two pass breakups.  Cornerback Brandon Dagnesses has two interceptions and five pass breakups as well as 23 tackles.  Junior Aaron Gilmer has 27 tackles, with 22 solo and one for loss.  He also has an interception and two pass breakups.
 
Kicker Ricky Perez has converted six-of-eight field goals with a long of 46 yards.  He has made 17-of-18 extra point attempts.  Punter Dom Kozlowski averages 35.1 yards per kick, with a long of 44.  McCray and Depadua handle the kick return duties.  McCray averages 19.7 yards per return, while Depadua averages 19.6.  Sophomore Torrey Dixon handles punt returns. 
 
The Red Flash trail the all-time series, 5-2, and last won in 2013.  Last year, Bryant won 42-27.  Khairi Dickson (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) ran for 187 yards and touchdown in that game, while Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) threw for 154 yards and a score.