Stephen Sturm
Stephen Sturm

Southern Connecticut Uses Aerial Attack to Top Bentley, 31-17

WALTHAM, Mass. – Freshman quarterback Jackson Ostrowsky (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns as Southern Connecticut State defeated Bentley University, 31-17, in Northeast-10 Conference football Saturday afternoon.      

Ostrowsky's primary weapons were six-foot-four, 230-pound graduate student Brandon Swain-Price (Stoughton), with 10 catches for 201 yards and two TDs, and sophomore wide receiver Julian Chung (Franklin Square, N.Y.), with 10 for 129 yards.

Bentley (1-4, 1-2 NE10) was fortunate to be down just 3-0 after the opening quarter. The Owls (2-4, 2-2 NE10) snapped the ball ten times in the red zone during the game's first ten minutes and on their opening possession, turned the ball over on downs at the Falcon two.

After being pinned back on its own six late in the first, Southern embarked on a 12-play drive that was capped by a nine-yard pass from Ostrowsky to Swain-Price. The drive featured four completions of 14 yards or more and it resulted in a 10-0 score with 10:07 left in the second quarter.

Bentley's only points of the first half came on the game's next possession with senior Grant Buchanan (Holliston/Holliston HS) driving a 25 yard field goal through the uprights. The Falcons had a chance to draw closer before the half but turned the ball over on downs at the Owl 22.

Southern opened the game up during the first seven minutes of the second half, scoring twice for a 24-3 lead. Ostrowsky threw a three-yard TD pass to classmate Ryan Soules (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) and teamed up with Swain-Price for a six-yarder.

Bentley's first touchdown of the afternoon came less than a minute later with junior QB Stephen Sturm (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley HS) lofting the ball to sophomore wide receiver. Noah Neville (Boston/Newton North HS) in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

 The Falcons had a chance to get closer on its next two possessions, but came up empty in the red zone twice. They turned it over on downs after having a first-and-goal at the six, and on the next possession, lost a fumble at the Southern 7.

A bad snap on a Southern punt attempt gave Bentley the ball at the Owl one, and this time, the Falcons were able to punch it in on a one-yard run by senior Jordan Artope (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./ Hendrick Hudson HS). His seventh TD of the season made it a seven-point game with 5:15 to play.

However, Southern answered right back after a 49-yard kickoff return gave the Owls the ball past midfield. Seven plays later, 270-pount junior Mike Howell (Milford, Conn.) caught Ostrowsky's fourth scoring pass of the afternoon, this one covering 18 yards. That made it a two-touchdown game with two ticks less than two minutes remaining.

Ostrowsky, who led his team to 460 yards total offense, finished 28 of 37 with no interceptions.

Sturm threw for 208 yards on 16-of-27 and also run for a team-best 55 yards on 15 carries. His primary targets were junior Austin Ryan (Foxborough/Foxborough HS), with six catches for 62 yards, and senior Drew Mahoney (West Suffield, Conn./Suffield Academy), with five for 87, including a 62-yarder.

Southern had a 21-15 advantage in first downs, ran 12 more plays (70-58) and controlled the ball for 34:59.

The Falcons' next two games are on the road, beginning next Saturday at Stonehill College (1 pm).