WORCESTER, Mass. -- Senior quarterback Bryant Johnson (Hopedale/Milford HS) threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns,  both to senior wide-out Wade Critides (Wayland/Wayland HS), and ran for 70 yards and another score as Bentley University extended its winning streak to three, 35-21 over Assumption College in Northeast-10 Conference football Friday night at Assumption's Multi-Sport Stadium.

Johnson completed his first nine passes of the night, matching his uniform number, and finished 18 of 23 overall, the third straight game he's been on target for at least 75 percent of his passes. Included was an 89-yarder to Critides on the Falcons' first play from scrimmage, immediately following a red-zone fumble recovery by senior linebacker Greg O'Brien (Canton/Xaverian Bros. HS).

Bentley's third straight victory lifted the Falcons to 4-4 overall and 4-2 in the Northeast-10. Assumption dipped to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

Johnson and the Bentley offense were close to perfect in the first half with the Falcons scoring touchdowns on their first four possessions. At the halftime break, Bentley had 280 yards of offense on just 25 plays, and Johnson accounted for 223 of that. He completed 10 of 11 passes before intermission and also scrambled for 46.

The night started with Assumption driving downfield, moving the ball from its own 34 to the Falcon five before the drive came to an abrupt half with a fumble by standout rusher Herb Woodward (Salem, N.J.).

Bentley went deep on the ensuing play with Critides catching the ball at about midfield, and taking it the remaining 50 yards for the game's first score. The 89-yard completion matched the longest in Bentley varsity history. Critides finished the night with five catches for 130 yards, and became the third member of this year's team to eclipse 1,000 career receiving yards.

After a defensive stop, Bentley regained possession at the Hound 42. This time, it was an eight-yard scoring drive, capped by a one-yard run by junior Bobby Tarr (Byfield/Bishop Fenwick HS).

A special teams fumble by Bentley late in the opening quarter gave Assumption excellent field possession, and the Hounds took advantage. A six-yard pass from senior QB Andrew Kupec (Wyckoff, N.J.) to freshman Adam Gruschow (Hilton, N.Y.) finished a 33-yard drive and cut the Falcon lead to 14-7.

Following the kickoff, long runs by Tarr (32 yards) and Johnson (20 yards) moved Bentley into the red zone. After a penalty, Johnson teamed up with Critides on a 23-yard scoring strike, restoring the lead to 14, 21-7.

Bentley made it a 28-7 game on its next possession, Johnson taking it in from the five to cap an 11-play, 73-yard march.

Assumption closed to within 14 in the final minute of the first half when Kupec, on a 4th and 10 from the Bentley 18, teamed up with sophomore Paul Perez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a TD pass.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Assumption drove from its own 20 to the Falcon 36 on its first possession of the fourth. That drive was halted by Bentley junior safety Don Hopkins (Waltham/ Waltham HS), who had the first of his two interceptions in the game.

Bentley answered a lengthy drive, eating up more than seven minutes, and restored the lead to 21, 35-14, when senior Eric DiPietrantonio (Mansfield/Mansfield HS) scored on a two-yard run with 3:48 to play.  Kupec's third TD pass of the night completed the scoring with 1:43 remaining, and Hopkins put the finishing touches on the victory with an interception with 28 seconds left.

In addition to the strong offensive performances from Johnson and Critides, the Bentley offense included 84 rushing yards in 10 carries from Tarr and four receptions apiece from seniors John Malone (Walpole/Walpole HS) and  Mike Slattery (Natick/Natick HS).

Bentley totaled 479 yards in total offense, including 215 on the ground with a per-carry average of 5.8. The Falcons finished with 24 first downs and converted six of nine third downs.

Junior Steve Hopkins (Waltham/Waltham HS), Don's brother, and sophomore Steve Stewart (Wilmington/Wilmington HS) led the Falcon defense with nine tackles apiece, and O'Brien followed with eight.

Kupec completed 27 of 47 passes for 229 yards for the Greyhounds, and Woodward topped the century mark in rushing, finishing with 108 in 22 carries.

Bentley will have a bye this coming weekend before finishing the season at home against Stonehill College Nov. 13 (12 noon).

                             Box Score (Final)

            Assumption vs Bentley (10/29/10 at Worcester, Mass.)

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score

-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----

Assumption..........  0 14  0  7  - 21       Record: (6-3,3-3)

Bentley............. 14 14  0  7  - 35       Record: (4-4,4-2)

Scoring Summary:

1st 11:25 BEN - Wade Critides 89 yd pass from Bryant Johnson (Paul Branco kick), 1-89 0:15

    06:33 BEN - Bobby Tarr 1 yd run (Branco kick), 8-42 4:16

2nd 14:48 ASM - Adam Gruschow 6 yd pass from Andrew Kupec (Brian Nowak kick), 7-33 3:10

    13:04 BEN - Critides 23 yd pass from Johnson (Branco kick), 4-63 1:34

    04:08 BEN - Johnson 5 yd run (Branco kick), 11-73 6:01

    00:17 ASM - Paul Perez 18 yd pass from Kupec (Nowak kick), 12-70 3:44

4th 03:48 BEN - Eric DiPietrantonio 2 yd run (Branco kick), 13-88 7:16

    01:43 ASM - Gruschow 15 yd pass from Kupec (Nowak kick), 10-60 2:05

                                    ASM      BEN

FIRST DOWNS...................       23       24

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............   26-126   37-215

PASSING YDS (NET).............      229      264

Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  50-27-2  23-18-2

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   76-355   60-479

Fumble Returns-Yards..........      0-0      0-0

Punt Returns-Yards............      0-0      2-6

Kickoff Returns-Yards.........     5-91     3-52

Interception Returns-Yards....     2-12     2--4

Punts (Number-Avg)............   4-31.0   2-30.0

Fumbles-Lost..................      1-1      3-1

Penalties-Yards...............     7-70     4-31

Possession Time...............    29:11    30:49

Third-Down Conversions........  7 of 16   6 of 9

Fourth-Down Conversions.......   4 of 5   0 of 0

Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      3-4      4-6

Sacks By: Number-Yards........      0-0      1-7

RUSHING: Assumption-Herb Woodard 22-108; David Canney 1-23; Andrew Kupec 3-minus 5. Bentley-Bobby Tarr 10-82; Bryant Johnson 12-70; Lorenzo Warren 5-32; Jack Pizzotti 6-30; Eric DiPietrantonio 3-3; TEAM 1-minus 2.

PASSING: Assumption-Andrew Kupec 27-47-1-229; Nick Haag 0-1-1-0; Herb Woodard 0-1-0-0; TEAM 0-1-0-0. Bentley-Bryant Johnson 18-23-2-264.

RECEIVING: Assumption-Paul Perez 7-70; Mark Gately 5-39; Marcus Nichols 5-38; Adam Gruschow 4-39; Herb Woodard 3-25; Eric Schindler 2-12; David Canney 1-6. Bentley-Wade Critides 5-130; John Malone 4-62; Mike Slattery 4-38; Kyle Tuthill 3-26; Will Spring 1-10; Brett Schuering 1-minus 2.

INTERCEPTIONS: Assumption-Ethan Maxfield 1-12; Sonny Dillinger 1-0. Bentley-Don Hopkins 2-minus 4.

FUMBLES: Assumption-Herb Woodard 1-1. Bentley-Brett Schuering 1-1; Bobby Tarr 1-0; Lorenzo Warren 1-0.