COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Behind a dominant defensive showing and timely scoring, the Ursinus football team defeated Dickinson College 21-10 on Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference action.
With the win, the Bears improved to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Red Devils dropped to 6-4 on the season and 3-3 in conference action.
The Bears celebrated 22 seniors on the afternoon as they were recognized prior to the game for their dedication and commitment to the Football program over their careers. The 2023 senior class has compiled a 27-14 record and
have competed in two Centennial-MAC Bowl series contests.
Junior quarterback
Jalen Bradford had an efficient day pacing the Bears offense going 12-of-19 for 191 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, junior
Tony Holden rushed for 55 yards on 14 attempts, while senior fullback
Dawson Fresses ran for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Junior receiver
Justin Collier led the Bears with four catches, 69 yards, and a touchdown reception. On defense, it was senior linebacker
Brett Gross (seven solo) finishing with a team-high eight tackles and a sack, while juniors
Marc Clayton (six solo) and
Pat McManus (seven solo) each finished with seven tackles a piece.
During the Bears opening possession it took just seven plays to reach the Dickinson redzone, but the drive stalled as an interception at the six-yard line gave the Red Devils possession at the 11:27-mark. The Bears defense responded with a three-and-out and regained possession at their own 45-yard line. On second down, Holden slashed through the right side and picked up a first-down with a gain of 10-yards. After back-to-back rushing plays, the Bears were forced to punt as an Intentional grounding penalty resulted in a loss of 20-yards. The Red Devils marched down the field on a 14-play drive, but a missed field goal attempt gave Ursinus the ball on their own 18-yard line with 48 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Bradford opened the ensuing Bears drive with a dart to first-year
Markel Roberts-Jackson for a gain of 33-yards into Dickinson terriority. Nine plays later, Fresses broke two tackles and found the endzone for a four-yard touchdown to give Ursinus a 7-0 lead. Dickinson bounced back with an 11-play 89-yard drive as a flea-flicker touchdown pass tied the game at seven apiece with 5:07-remaining in the half. Bradford and the Bears offense only need eight plays to regain a 14-7 lead as he connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Collier at the 1:13-mark. During the drive, Bradford found junior receiver
Cameron Dennis and sophomore wideout
Cody House for gains of 15 plus yards before the touchdown gave Ursinus a seven-point lead heading into halftime.
After halftime, the Bears defense forced a three-and-out, but a muffed punt return allowed the Red Devils to regain possession at the Ursinus 39-yard line. Dickinson would only reach the Bears 18-yard line before a fourth down pass was ruled short of the first down and the Bears regained possession with 10:35 remaining in the quarter. Each team was forced to punt twice over the remainder of the third quarter as Ursinus still led 14-7 heading into the fourth. The Red Devils marched down the field to open the final stanza but would face third down and six yards to go at the Ursinus six-yard line. During the third down play, McManus broke up a pass but Dickinson would convert on a 22-yard field goal attempt to make the score 14-10 with 10:35 remaining in the contest. During the ensuing kickoff, House broke through the Red Devils coverage and set up the Bears offense at the Dickinson 34-yard line after a 65-yard return. Ursinus converted on a third down and six as Bradford found Collier for a gain of 10-yards down to the Dickinson 20-yard line and five straight handoffs to Fresses resulted in a one-yard touchdown run to give Ursinus a 21-10 advantage. On the ensuing Dickinson drive, the Bears defense would force an incomplete pass on fourth down to ice the game and earn the 21-10 victory.
For the Red Devils, running back Diante Ball led the way with 116 yards on 20 rushing attempts, while also catching four passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. On defense, James Basilii finished with a game-high 13 tackles (Nine solo) while teammate Alex Sulin collected four tackles (two solo) and an interception.
The Bears now await their postseason fate tomorrow after the NCAA Division III Selection Show at 5 p.m. If Muhlenberg joins Johns Hopkins as an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament, the Bears will travel next Saturday, November 19
th due to being the second remaining Centennial Conference school not in the NCAA Tournament.
