RINDGE, N.H. – It was a battle between the two best passing offenses in the Northeast-10, and the Bentley football team ultimately prevailed at Franklin Pierce, 34-26, Saturday afternoon.
The Bentley defense limited Ravens quarterback Adrian Parker to only 216 passing yards. He entered the contest ranked ninth in the nation for passing yards per game, with an average over 290 yards.
Matt Duchemin and
Rene Nunez both came away with interceptions, and Bentley totaled four sacks.
Henry Schouten had a team-high nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
Offensively, the
Brett Pullman to
Rashon Bradford connection was as good as ever. Pullman threw for 236 yards and four touchdown passes – half of which went to Bradford. The wide receiver totaled 117 receiving yards, marking his fourth 100-yard game of the season. It was also his fourth multi-touchdown effort.
Bradford has 65 receptions, 925 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns through nine games in 2024.
Pat Damon caught Pullman's other two touchdown passes against Franklin Pierce. Unlike his counterpart under center, Pullman did not throw an interception Saturday.
Bentley set the tone early when Pullman found Bradford for a 62-yard touchdown pass that gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead just six minutes into the game.
Franklin Pierce responded with 12 unanswered points, but the Bentley defense came up with a big turnover late in the second quarter. Nunez punched the ball loose on a Franklin Pierce rushing play, and the Falcons pounced on the ball on the Ravens' 26-yard line.
With the short field and 3:29 left in the first half, Bentley methodically used up the clock before Pullman hit Damon for a four-yard touchdown completion. Bentley entered halftime with a 14-12 lead.
The Falcons struck first in the second half when Bradford caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Pullman six minutes into the third quarter.
The 20-12 lead lasted only a few minutes, as the Ravens quickly found the end zone and converted their two-point play.
Just as quickly, however, Bentley regained the lead. The Falcons' ensuing drive started on their 36-yard line. Following a couple of carries by
Alex Berrouet, Jonathan Orakhi came up with an 18-yard reception to bring Bentley down to Franklin Pierce's 32-yard line.
Two plays later, the Ravens were flagged for pass interference, and it set up a 10-yard rushing touchdown by
Vinnie Holmes. He finished the game with 98 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Bentley still held that one-touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but Franklin Pierce reached the end zone with 5:33 on the clock. The Ravens were a kick away from tying the game once again, but Bentley blocked the point-after-touchdown to maintain the lead, 27-26.
The Falcons put the nail in the coffin when Pullman found Damon for a 10-yard touchdown with less than a minute left in the game.
Bentley returns home for the regular season finale, Nov. 16, against Saint Anselm. The Falcons will celebrate their senior class prior to kickoff.
