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Game # 6 Preview - Bears Look to Bounce Back at Bridgewater State |
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 Freshman Ryan Webster, who ran for 125 yards in his first collegiate start on Saturday, will start again this week.
OCT. 18TH, BRIDGEWATER, MASS., 1 P.M.
ON THE AIR: There is a video broadcast at www.mascactv.com, the cost to view the game is $5.95. There is no Coast Guard audio broadcast this week, due to facility space at Bridgewater State.
THE SERIES: Coast Guard leads 2-1. Coast Guard has won both regular season matchups, 21-17 in 2006 and 24-21 last season. Bridgewater beat Coast Guard 41-22 in the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl in 2006.
LAST YEAR: Senior quarterback Christian George carried 26 times for a career-high 194 yards including the game winning touchdown, a three-yard run with 8:31 left as defending New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division champion Coast Guard beat Bridgewater State 24-21 in the battle of division unbeaten’s infront of a Parents' Weekend crowd.
The win was the 11th consecutive NEFC Bogan Division win for Coast Guard which won the division with a perfect 7-0 record last season, its first in the NEFC. Coast Guard won its fourth straight this season to improve to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the division. George also scored the game winner vs. Bridgewater State in 2006, a two-yard run with 50 seconds left as Coast Guard won 21-17. That was the only loss for Bridgewater State as they finished 6-1 in Bogan Division, runner-up to Coast Guard in the 2006 season
Bridgewater State, which drops to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in division play, dominated play in the first quarter outgaining Coast Guard 141 to 10 in total yards. Coast Guard turned the ball over twice in its first five plays from scrimmage. Bridgewater State outgained Coast Guard 221-103 in the first half.
Coast Guard had a game-changing drive in the third quarter in which it went 98 yards on 22 plays in a drive which lasted 8:39 and was capped by a one-yard run on 4th-and-goal by junior quarterback Niles Pierson, who came into the game after George was injured after a three-yard run on 4th-and-two from the Bridgewater 19-yard line.
Bridgewater State finished with 398 total yards, 195 rushing while Coast Guard finished with 324 yards, 271 on the ground.
LAST WEEK: Senior running back Bruce Burley rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns, including the game winner, a 9-yard run with 42 seconds left, as Bridgewater State rallied from a 28-7 deficit to beat Framingham State 42-35 and pull into a five-way tie for first place in the Bogan Division.
Senior quarterback Jim Miller threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns and Fitchburg State had 555 yards of total offense and handed Coast Guard its first ever New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division loss 44-29. The Bears, who turned the ball over five times in the loss, had won 16 straight in the division since joining the conference in 2006. Freshman running back Ryan Webster had 26 carries for 125 yards in his first career start while senior quarterback Niles Pierson added 123 rushing yards on 14 carries, his second straight week with over 100 rushing yards as he ran for 127 the previous week in a win over Mass. Maritime.
THE RACE FOR THE BOGAN CROWN: The New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division race currently has five teams tied for first with 2-1 records. Only one of those teams, Worcester State, controls its own destiny, with four games left. Maine Maritime, Bridgewater State, Coast Guard, Fitchburg State and Worcester State are all tied a 2-1 in the division.
If Bridgewater State wins out, they would need Maine Maritime to lose once. If Maine Maritime wins out, they would need Worcester State to lose once. If Coast Guard wins out, they would need Fitchburg State to lose once. If Fitchburg State wins out, they would need Bridgewater to lose once. If Worcester State wins out, they would win the Bogan Division because they still have to play three of the five teams and have already beaten Maine Maritime.
Two of those teams will lose this week as Coast Guard plays at Bridgewater State and Worcester State plays at Fitchburg State.
ENNIS CONTINUES TO MAKE THE HITS : Coast Guard sophomore linebacker Kyle Ennis leads the NEFC with 12.2 tackles per game which ranks him ninth nationally in Division III. Ennis has 61 tackles, 43 solo, four for loss and one sack. Ennis had a career-high 17 tackles in the loss on Saturday. He has one more tackle per game than anyone in the league as three players are tied with 11.2 tackles per game. Ennis leads the Bears last season with 77 tackles, 55 solo.
HISTORY SAYS ..... IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH: Coast Guard scored 29 or more points in a game for the 110th time in the history of the program on Saturday, but the loss in that situation was a rare occurrence. The Bears had won 101 of those games and are now 101-8-1 for a .923 winning percentage when scoring 29 or more points in a game in the 85 seasons of football at the Academy. The Bears had won 13 straight when scoring 29 or more points, the last Coast Guard loss when scoring 29 or more was a 34-33 loss to St. Lawrence in the 2004 season.
THEY WERE THE BEST IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS: Coast Guard was 16-2 the last two seasons during the regular season for an .888 winning percentage which is the best in the 84 year history of football at the Academy. The prior best two-year regular season record was posted in 1996 and 1997 when the Bears were 17-3 for an .850 winning percentage.
SCOUTING COAST GUARD: The Bears, who lost their first ever NEFC Bogan Division game last week, look to bounce back and remain in a tie for first place in the division with a win this week.
Junior running back Steve Arguelles, who did not play last week due to injury after recording the first 100-yard rushing game of his career two weeks ago, will not play again this week and is most likely out for the season. He leads the Bears ground attack with 60 carries and 329 yards with one touchdown while senior quarterback Niles Pierson is second on the team with 307 yards on 69 carries with six of the Bears’ 10 rushing touchdowns.
Freshman Ryan Webster, who filled in for Arguelles last week, carried 26 times for 125 yards and his first collegiate touchdown. He has 154 rushing yards on the season and will take over as the starter with the loss of Arguelles.
Arguelles also leads the NEFC in punt returns with a 12.9 yard average. Freshman Chris Izurieta, who has just one return for no yards, will take over the punt return duties for the Bears.
Pierson is 66 of 117 for 493 yards with six interceptions and one touchdown while freshman Jarrod Owens is 16 of 34 for 118 yards with two interceptions. Pierson threw a touchdown pass to junior Sam England last week, the Bears first touchdown pass this season.
England leads the team with 31 receptions for 268 yards and a touchdown while sophomore Matt Tolliver is second on the team with 16 receptions for 113 yards.
Coast Guard is averaging 315.2 yards per game, 193 rushing and 122.2 passing. The Bears are scoring 17.8 points per game which is ahead of only Mass. Maritime’s 10.2 points per game in the Bogan Division.
The Bears defense allowed a season-high 555 yards last week, 314 of those passing. Coast Guard is allowing 355.6 yards per game (165 rushing, 190.6 passing). Coast Guard is third in the division allowing 24.6 points per game. The Bears defense had allowed just 65 first downs in the first four games of the season before Fitchburg State had 31 first downs in the game on Saturday.
Sophomore linebacker Kyle Ennis, who leads the NEFC and is ninth in the nation with 12.2 tackles per game, leads the team with 61 tackles, 43 solo and four for loss while senior linebacker Brian Yurovich is second with 48 tackles, 32 solo, 4.5 for loss to go with his two interceptions. Junior cornerback Pat Bennett leads the team with three interceptions.
Freshman kicker Jacob Shackleford is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals this season to lead the NEFC. He has done a great job as the team’s punter as he has punted 27 times for a 32.9 yard average, but his hang time and the Bears punt coverage have been the key as only eight of his 27 punts have been returned for a total of 46 yards with nine of his punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
SCOUTING BRIDGEWATER STATE: The Bears, who have finished in second place in the NEFC Bogan Division behind Coast Guard in each of the last two seasons, look to stay in a first place tie in the division with a win on Homecoming Weekend.
Bridgewater, which has won back-to-back games, is averaging 32.3 points and 413.3 yards per game (286.8 rushing and 126.5 passing). They feature one of the top backs in the conference in senior Bruce Burley, who was the NEFC Co-Offensive Player of the Week as he rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns last week. Burley has 103 carries for 833 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Senior quarterback Tyler D’Ambra is 37 of 99 for 699 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. His favorite target is senior wide receiver David Wall, who leads the team with 20 receptions for 332 yards. Senior Jesse Teixeira is second on the team with 12 catches for 292 yards and leads the team with three touchdown receptions.
The Bridgewater State defense, which is allowing 27.3 points, has the top passing defense in the Bogan Division, allowing just 130.5 passing yards per game. The Bears are allowing a total of 340.3 yards per game, 209.8 rushing.
Junior defensive end Sean Larkin was named the NEFC Co-Defensive Player of the Week as he had eight tackles, five solo and 3.5 for loss. He also forced a recovered a fumble with 3:09 left and the game tied 35-35. The Bears scored on that possession to win the game.
Junior linebacker Casey Florence leads the team with 40 tackles, 25 solo while junior defensive end Chris Dijak is second with 37 tackles, 24 solo and leads the team with 7.5 for loss and four sacks.
NEXT WEEK: Coast Guard hosts Worcester State, next week, Oct. 25th with kickoff set for 1 p.m. |
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