WALTHAM, Mass. – In a game that saw both teams score six touchdowns, it was a 36-yard field goal late in the first half that proved the difference as Southern Connecticut edged Bentley University, 45-42, in Northeast-10 Conference football Saturday afternoon at Bentley.

The loss spoiled a brilliant performance by a pair of Bentley freshmen, wide receiver Austin Ryan (Foxborough/Foxborough HS) and quarterback Stephen Sturm (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley HS). Ryan, the leading receiver in the NE10, had the fifth best receiving day in program history, catching six passes for 209 yards and three TDs (45, 35, 69 yards). Sturm, making just his second career start, threw for two TDs, ran for two more and finished 19 of 24 for 308 yards and no interceptions.

However, Bentley had no answer for the Southern running game, which produced 454 yards on 73 carries behind a starting offensive line that averaged 6-4, 301. The Owls, who finished with a 48-15 advantage in second-half plays, saw four players rush for at least 72 yards, including juniors Vochan Fowler (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Eli Parks (Bristol, Conn.). Both scored two TDs with Fowler finishing 23 for 152 and Parks 21 for 149.

 The opening quarter ended even at 14-14 with Parks (8-yard run) and Fowler (1-yard run) scoring for Southern and Sturm (33-yard run) and senior tailback Martin Bannerman (Pawtucket, R.I./La Salle Academy) (7-yard run) countering for the Falcons.

Southern opened a 10-point lead, 24-14, late in the second quarter following a 22-yard pass from senior Raymond Catapano (Franklin Square, N.Y.) with 8:44 left and a career-long 36-yard field goal by freshman Jose Conde (West Haven, Conn.) with 1:15 to play.  For the Owls, it was only their third field goal attempt and make of the season.

Just 51 seconds later, Sturm had the Falcons in the end zone and back within three points. He completed three passes for first downs on the four-play, 77-yard drive, including a 45-yarder to Ryan for the TD. Ryan, with his three TDs, now has 11 on the season.

Both teams had the ball twice in the third quarter and each scored two touchdowns as the lead alternated between three and ten points. The Owls took double-digit leads on TD runs by Parks (13 yards) and Catapano (14 yards) and the Falcons got back within three on TD catches by Ryan (35, 69 yards). The first was on a receiver option thrown by senior Brandon Burke (Norristown, Pa./Haverford School) and the second was the longest play from scrimmage for Bentley this season, the majority of the 69 coming on yards after catch.

After Ryan's third TD catch of the day brought the Falcons within three at 38-35, Southern took possession on their own 15 with 27 seconds left in the third. A five-yard run by Fowler began an incredible 21-play drive that ate up more than 13 minutes on the clock and culminated with a two-yard scoring run by Fowler with only 2:16 left in the fourth. The lengthy drive, nearly all on the ground, included two conversions on fourth-and-one plays.

Sturm wasted no time getting Bentley back to within three, engineering a six-play, 66-yard drive aided by a pass interference penalty on the Owls. He ran for 21 yards, completed passes of 22 and 12 yards, and after the penalty, ran it in from four yards to bring Bentley within three, 48-45.

The Falcons attempted an onside kick but Southern receiver Zhyaire Fernandes recovered with 57 seconds left, denying the home team a chance for final-minute heroics.

The two teams combined for 50 first downs and 959 yards, including 31 and 537 by the visitors. Southern (3-5, 3-4 NE10) controlled the ball for 41:42, including over 35 minutes in the final three stanzas, and converted 10 of 16 third downs, including 8 of 11 in the final two quarters. Bentley scored 21 second-half points despite having the ball for only 15 plays and 4:24.

Bentley's leading tacklers were junior safety Nick Athy (Holliston/Holliston HS) and senior linebacker Vinny Banek (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson HS), with 13 and 10, respectively.

Bentley (4-4, 4-3 NE10) will complete its home schedule next Saturday with a 1 pm game against New Haven.