COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus Football team treated a packed Patterson Field to a resounding 38-6 victory over Alvernia in their 2023 season opener on a beautiful Friday night in non-conference action.
 
The win is the Bears third-straight over Alvernia since the team began opening their season opener series back in 2021. Through a balanced offense and overpowering defense, the Bears won 10 of their last 11 season openers.
 
In his first collegiate start, junior quarterback Jalen Bradford showcased his dual threat abilities by throwing for 224 yards in the air behind going 13-of-24 for three touchdowns and one interception that came on a desperation pass to end the first half. Bradford added 14 yards on the ground on eight carries. Bradford had a night with sophomore wide receiver Cody House, who caught six passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns. House also added 100 yards on five punt returns and one kickoff return to finish the night with a dynamic 188 all-purpose yards. Junior wide receiver Cameron Dennis caught two passes for 72 yards behind a 61-yard reception in the second quarter.
 
 
Junior running back Tony Holden torched the Golden Wolves on the ground for the second-straight season by running for 113 yards on 17 carries while averaging 6.6 yards a run. However, it was senior Dawson Fresses who found the end zone on two separate occasions while rushing for 44 yards on nine carries.
 
 
The Golden Wolves opened the game with the ball and had success on the Bears defense early by advancing down to the Ursinus 25-yard line before junior corner back Anthony Esposito broke up a fourth and eight pass to stop the drive. Bradford went to work and guided the Bears down the field which ended with Fresses plowing his way from 10 yards out to put the Bears up 7-0 at the 9:15-mark of the first quarter.
 
After a trio of three-and-outs that took the game into the second quarter, the Bears moved the ball down into Alvernia territory again behind a 49-yard burst from Holden on an option pitch. Unfortunately for the Bears, the drive stalled at the Golden Wolves 28-yard line on a failed fourth down conversion. The Bears defense forced another three-and-out which allowed the offense to take advantage when Bradford hit House on a 34-yard catch-and-run on third and seven to make it 14-0 with 8:21 left in the first half. A pair of sacks plus a near punt return touchdown by House allowed Fresses to power through to extend the Bears lead to 21-0 with just over five minutes left in the second quarter. The Bears defense continued to dominate the Golden Wolves offensive line as they stood tall following a fumble on the next Ursinus drive. Bradford hit Dennis in stride for a 61-yard completion before the half which allowed sophomore kicker Jordan Carr to knock through a 22-yard field goal in the final minute of the half to make it a 24-0 game.
 
 
Ursinus opened the second half with the ball and marched 50 yards in 12 plays to extend their advantage to 31-0 after Bradford found House in the endzone from seven yards out for his second score of the game. The duo connected for one more score late in the third quarter to cap the Bears scoring for the night. The Ursinus defense held the Golden Wolves without an earned first down for two full quarters of action that spanned from the 10:38 mark of the first quarter to the 5:50-mark of the third quarter.
 
Senior defensive end Ryan Bodolus powered the Bears dominance on defense with a team-high seven tackles (two solo). Bodolus had 1.5 of the Bears eight sacks on the night, the most since having eight against Gettysburg in 2019. Esposito finished with five tackles (four solo) and two pass break-ups while senior Ryan DiVergilis and sophomore D.J. Clarke had interceptions. Senior Michael McCuen tallied six tackles (two solo) and one sack in his first collegiate start. 
 
 
Alvernia quarterback Colin Payne went 17-of-34 for 165 yards and two interceptions while Wade Young completed both pass attempts for 20 yards and the Golden Wolves lone touchdown in the final minute of the game. Treson Whitlow caught the touchdown pass and finished with 22 yards on three carries.
 
 
The Bears return to action on Saturday, September 9th as they will host Kean in non-conference action at 1:00 p.m.