DANBURY, Conn. – Senior cornerback Jaren Alves (East Providence, R.I.) and senior running back Adam Couch (Winchendon, Mass.) led the visiting Bridgewater State University football team to a 40-27 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Western Connecticut State University on Saturday evening at the Westside Athletic Complex.
The Bears improve to 1-3 with their first win of the season and 1-1 in the MASCAC, while the Wolves fall to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Bridgewater State now holds a 14-11 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1971.
Alves recorded a career-high three interceptions and added four tackles (one solo) to go along with a pass breakup. Couch rushed for a season-high 150 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and caught two passes for 51 yards and a score.
BSU senior quarterback James Cahoon (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) connected on 15 of 24 pass attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns.
Cahoon hooked up with Couch on a 40-yard touchdown pass on the opening possession of the game to give the Bears the early 7-0 lead. A 36-yard kickoff return by senior Kion Gilzene-Tucker (Boston, Mass.) helped set up the opening drive score.
On the ensuing drive, an interception by Alves at the BSU seven thwarted a potential Western scoring opportunity. The Bears quickly made it a 14-0 game as a 73-yard pass to sophomore tight end Jalen Kopecky (Warren, R.I.) on third down set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cahoon to sophomore wide receiver Jack McCarthy (Braintree, Mass.). The 73-yard pass marked the Bears' longest of the season.
The Wolves answered with an 11-play, 73-yard drive with senior running back Chad Blaszky (Selden, N.Y.) punching it in from two yards out to cut the deficit in half, 14-7.
A one-yard TD plunge by senior running back William Pointer (Milford, Mass.) capped off an eight-play, 70-yard drive to give the visitors a 21-7 lead with 12:34 remaining in the second quarter. The Bears then capitalized on an Anton Vazquez (Jr., DT, Nahant, Mass.) forced fumble and turned the WCSU miscue into a Shane Drake (Jr., Franklin, Mass.) 23-yard field goal.
Alves second interception of the contest gave the Bears good field position at the 48-yard line with 2:53 left to play before halftime. Bridgewater moved the ball 47 yards on 11 plays with Drake connecting from 21 yards out to make it a 27-7 game at the break.
The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. Couch put the finishing touches on a 14-play, 68-yard drive with a three-yard TD run to give the Bears their biggest lead of the game at 34-7. sophomore quarterback John Giller (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) connected with junior wide receiver Zack Soriano (Middle Island, N.Y.) on a 61-yard touchdown pass to pull the Wolves to within three scores at 34-13 (the PAT was missed).
After forcing a punt, Western opened the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Giller to senior wideout Eli Koukoulis (Bellmore, N.Y.) to close the gap to 34-20.
Couch then broke off a career-best 63-yard touchdown run to, once again, make it a three-score game, 40-20, with 13:57 remaining in the contest.
Alves produced his third interception of the day on the Wolves next possession, while junior safety Dilaver Ibrahimi (Woburn, Mass.) added his first collegiate interception with just 41 seconds left to play to help secure the victory.
A 13-yard touchdown pass from Giller to Blaszky late in the fourth quarter accounted for the final score of 40-27.
Giller completed 19 of 37 pass attempts for 272 yards and three touchdowns but was also intercepted four times. Blaszky carried the ball 25 times for 126 yards and a touchdown and hauled in three passes for 47 yards and a score.
The two teams combined for 911 yards of total offense. The Bears finished with 473 yards with 279 coming through the air and 194 on the ground. The Wolves recorded 438 yards of offense (272 passing, 166 rushing) and converted 9 of 15 (60%) third down attempts but turned the ball over five times.
Along with Alves impressive performance, senior linebacker Steven Silvia (Dighton, Mass.) also paced the BSU defensive effort with nine tackles (seven solo) with one tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Ibrahimi added eight tackles (four solo) to his interception, while senior linebacker Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.) notched a game-high ten tackles (five solo).
The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams next week. Bridgewater State will welcome Fitchburg State University to Swenson Field for the Bears' Homecoming Game on Saturday afternoon at four. The Wolves travel to UMass Dartmouth on Friday night to take on the Corsairs at seven.