WALTHAM, Mass. – The final curtain on the 2011 Bentley University football season and the collegiate playing careers of up to 18 players will come down Saturday afternoon after the Falcons take on Assumption College in the annual Senior Day game. Kickoff for Bentley's sixth home contest of the season is set for 1 pm.

Prior to the contest, 14 Bentley seniors and four grad students will be recognized for their contributions to the program over the years.  The seniors are running back Bobby Tarr (Byfield/Bishop Fenwick HS), offensive linemen A.J. Riker (Haskell, N.J./Lakeland Reg. HS) and John Slein (Ashland/ Ashland HS), tight end Jonathan Wilkie (Groton/Lawrence Academy), defensive ends Matt Welch (Woburn/Woburn HS) and Sal Ruffino (Allentown, Pa./Central Catholic HS), punter Mike Brownett (Branchburg, N.J./Immaculate HS), kicker Dan Tobin (Woburn/Woburn HS), slot receiver Dan Alberico (Watertown/Watertown HS), defensive backs Don Hopkins (Waltham/Waltham HS), Steve Hopkins (Waltham/Waltham HS), Joshua Marsh (Brockton/Brockton HS), Aaron McFadden (Duxbury/Duxbury HS) and Brad Poirier (Marshfield/Marshfield HS). Among that group, Tarr, Wilkie and the Hopkins brothers are considering returning for a fifth year of eligibility in 2012.

In addition, Saturday's encounter with Assumption will mark the final collegiate football game for the following grad students: quarterback Bryant Johnson (Hopedale/Milford HS), wide receivers Wade Critides (Wayland/ Wayland HS) and Will Spring (Concord/Lawrence Academy) and tight end Bart Stires (Glendale, Ariz./Brophy Prep). 

Johnson and Critides, as they've done so many times during their careers, played significant roles in Saturday's 28-0 Snow Bowl win at Pace University. Johnson threw three TD passes on the snow-covered field, including two to Critides, and also ran in a two-point conversion before exiting the game for good after the opening possession of the second half.

In that game, which saw the Falcons improve to 5-4 and clinch at least a .500 season for the 21st time in 24 varsity seasons, the Bentley defense limited Pace to just 82 net yards and only five first downs, three of which came on one drive during the third quarter.

Assumption (4-4, 3-4) will present a much stiffer test for the Falcons as the Greyhounds will make the trip to Waltham riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 44-24 upset of Merrimack College. This past week, the Hounds evened their record at .500 with a come-from-behind 24-20 win over Saint Anselm.

Johnson and Critides are two Falcons who could achieve milestones in Saturday's game.  Johnson, the 2010 Northeast-10 MVP, enters his final collegiate game needing 166 yards of total offense to reach 8,000 for his career, a plateau only two other Bentley players have reached (Marc Eddy '05 and Ted Larkin '01). Critides is closing in on a couple career milestones, needing four points for 100 career and 118 yards for 2000 receiving yards.

Both are having outstanding final seasons. Johnson has completed 65.6 percent of his passes, just a shade below the school record he set last fall, and he is one of only five Division II quarterbacks who with a completion percentage of at least .650, more than 20 touchdown passes and less than ten interceptions.  He's thrown for 23 scores, boosting his career count to 63, and has only been picked off five times.

Critides only caught three passes in the snow Saturday, but he continues to lead the NE-10 in receptions with his per-game average of 7.11 ranking ninth in Division II.  Spring has caught four passes for 88 yards and one TD.

Tarr ran through the snow at Pace for 101 yards, the fourth time this season he's reached triple figures, and is currently fifth in the NE-10 in rushing. Riker has started every game during his four seasons as a Falcon and Slein will be making his 21st consecutive start on Saturday. Wilkie and Stires have shared the tight end responsibilities this season, and Brownett's 37.8 punting average is a career best.

Bentley leads the NE-10, and is ninth nationally, in rushing defense, with Ruffino and Welch having played a significant role in that achievement. Ruffino has 10 tackles for losses this season, including 5.5 for losses, and Welch's final season has included six QB hurries, an interception, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, a pass reception for a TD on a fake field goal, and 2.5 sacks.

Don Hopkins has half of the team's six interceptions, while his brother Steve has been sidelined by injury most of the fall.  McFadden and Poirier have 27 and 19 tackles, respectively, and Alberico has been a solid performer on special teams.

Defense has been a forte for Assumption this season with the Greyhounds leading the NE-10 in pass efficiency defense, sacks (3.75 per game) and tackles for losses (8.25 average). The Hounds have more interceptions (14) than TD passes allowed (12), with Mike Bates number one in the conference with six picks, including three that he has returned for touchdowns.

Offensively, Assumption features Matt Pedone and Paul Perez. Pedone has rushed for 704 yards and six scores, and Perez is the number one receiver, with 37 receptions for 469 yards and three TDs. Pedone, sixth in the NE-10 in all-purpose running, has also averaged over 20 yards on kickoff returns, and Perez is one of the conference leaders in punt returns, averaging 12.1.

Sophomore Gabe Homiski is expected to make the start at QB Saturday. He's been in five games and has completed 59 percent of his passes (36-61) for 425 yards and three TDs. Freshman Kevin Bumpus has been the starter most of the season with his numbers including 993 yards and a .510 completion percentage.

Since Bentley and Assumption both elevated their programs to varsity status prior to the 1988 season, the Falcons have had the upper hand in the all-time series, winning 22 of 23 times with the lone Greyhound victory coming in 2006. Last season in Worcester, Johnson and Critides teamed up on two TD passes and the Falcon offense amassed 479 yards of total offense in a 35-21 victory.

BENTLEY BRIEFS: All four Bentley touchdowns at Pace came in the first half with the Falcons scoring on their first four possessions. In the second quarter , the Falcons had both a 17-play scoring drive and one that encompassed 97 yards. It was the sixth time this season that Bentley has had a scoring drive of at least 90 yards … A trio of sophomore linebackers continue to lead Bentley in tackles, with Blaine Hopwood (New Bedford/New Bedford HS) topping the list with 71, including 8.5 for losses. Kyle Young (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial HS) and Anthony Carter (Marlboro/Marlboro HS) follow, each with 57 stops … Bentley has come up with only 11 takeaways this season, a conference-low total. The Falcons had 22 last year and 33 during the 2009 campaign … Three of Bentley's four losses have been to teams currently ranked in the top seven in the region, including number one New Haven and number two West Virginia Wesleyan … Saturday's shutout was the Falcons' first since blanking Saint Anselm in September 2009 … At halftime, former Bentley defensive line standout Ben Nassar will be recognized for his induction into the Northeast-10 Hall of Fame … Links for live stats and video will be available at www.bentleyfalcons.com.