WORCESTER, Mass. -- Senior Matt Green (Stoughton, Mass.) racked up over 300 all-purpose yards with four touchdowns - including a pair of second half punt returns for scores – as he helped pace Bridgewater State to a 51-27 triumph over Worcester State in MASCAC football action on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Bears (2-1, 1-0 MASCAC) have now defeated the Lancers (2-1, 0-1 MASCAC) in ten straight matchups dating back to the 2004 season. WSU entered the contest ranked sixth in the Division III New England Football Poll.
Green hauled in a pair of touchdown passes and also set a BSU single-game and New England Division III record by returning two punts for touchdowns. He finished with nine catches for 128 yards and amassed 317 all-purpose yards.
Sophomore quarterback Danny Higgins (Manahawkin, N.J.) completed 22 of 31 passes for a career-high and school record 313 yards as well as three touchdowns. Higgins eclipsed Adam Camobreco's previous mark of 303 yards set in 2005 against UMass Dartmouth.
Bridgewater took advantage of a pair of Worcester turnovers to put the first nine points on the board. After a Lancer fumble on the game's opening possession, the Bears drove 41 yards on ten plays with senior kicker Colin Neri (Upton, Mass.) booting a 25-yard field goal. Higgins hooked up with freshman wide out Travis Bassett (Littleton, Mass.) on a 22-yard scoring stike early in the second quarter to make it a 9-0 game. The touchdowns was set up by another Lancer fumble.
Worcester responded with a pair of second quarter touchdown passes from senior quarterback Kevin Bumpus (Bridgewater, Mass.). Bumpus found senior wide receiver Dan Barry (Hudson, Mass.) for an 18-yard touchdown, and hooked up with senior wide out Jack Sprague (Maynard, Mass.) on a nine-yard scoring pass to give the Lancers a 14-9 lead.
Green's 15-yard touchdown catch with 1:44 remaining in the second quarter capped off an eight-play, 60-yard drive and gave the Bears the 16-14 advantage at the half. Bridgewater would not trail again.
The Bears would put up 35 points in the second half, including 28 in the third quarter alone, with Higgins and Green connecting on a 45-yard touchdown to open the second half.
Green would return a punt 66 yards for a touchdown to give the visitors a 30-14 lead with 11:05 remaining in the third quarter. It marked the Bears' first punt return for a touchdown since 2005 (Ben Bascon vs. Nichols College). Green would add a 61-yard punt return with just nine seconds left to play in the contest to close out the scoring.
Third quarter touchdown runs by senior running back Blaise Branch (Brockton, Mass.) from 21 yards out and freshman running back Alex McLaughlin (Littleton, Mass.) from five-yards out would account for the rest of the BSU scoring.
Branch finished with a season-high 113 yards on 19 carries.
Junior running back Kemani Jones (Milton, Mass.) had a five-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and added a one-yard scoring plunge in the final period to provide the second half scoring for the Lancers.
Bumpus would throw for 465 yards in the game as he completed 33 of 51 pass attempts, but was also sacked five times and threw an interception.
BSU sophomore defensive tackles Elvis Romero (Wayne, N.J.) recorded two of the Bears' five sacks. Romero finished with eight tackles (seven solo) including four for loss. He also recovered a fumble.
Junior linebacker Stephen Jacobs (Tyngsboro, Mass.) added seven tackles (six solo) with a sack, while freshman defensive back Kyle Dance (West Roxbury, Mass.) registered five tackles and an interception with mutliple pass breakups.
The Lancers had three receivers finish with over 100 yards apiece. Senior tight end Casey Hippert (Douglas, Mass.) had eight catches for 129 yards, while Barry finished with eight receptions for 124. Sprague hauled in eight passes for 109 yards.
Junior Michael Viola (Wrentham, Mass.) was the Bears' second leading receiver as he notched 84 yards on four catches.
Bridgewater amassed 494 yards of total offense with 308 coming throught the air and 186 on the ground. Worcester's unbalanced attack amounted to 499 yards of offense, but just 34 rushing.
Next week, the Bears host Fitchburg State University on Friday night at seven. The Lancers head to Buzzards Bay next Saturday afternoon for a 12:30 game with the Buccaneers.
Notes: With his four touchdowns, Green moved into 11th place on the Bears' all-time scoring list. He now has 174 points.... Branch became just the 12th player in BSU football history to reach the 1,500-yard rushing milestone. He has 1,566 yards in four seasons at Bridgewater State.