Bentley University

RINDGE, N.H. – Despite holding a favorable lead at halftime, the Bentley football team lost at Franklin Pierce, 35-28, in a Northeast 10 game Saturday night. The Falcons (2-2, 0-1 NE10) held a 21-7 lead at the midway point, but the Ravens (2-1, 1-0 NE10) outscored Bentley, 28-7, in the game's final 30 minutes.

Bentley's second possession of the game resulted in a 7-0 lead when Luke Warnock connected with none other than Cooper Marcum for a 35-yard touchdown. It was Marcum's fifth touchdown grab in his last three games. The score was set up by a 14-yard catch by Nate Day, and a 15-yard run by Telly Edouard.

The Ravens needed just two plays to answer back with a 47-yard touchdown completion to tie the game.

Late in the first quarter, Bentley pounded the ball on the ground. This Falcon drive started on their own 41-yard line, but Isaiah Osgood sprinted for a 12-yard carry, and Edouard had 14-yard rush. Bentley faced 4^th-and-9 from the Ravens' 28-yard line, but Warnock completed a 15-yard pass to Marcum to keep the drive alive as the first quarter ended.

Opening the second quarter, Edouard took a handoff 11 yards down to the two-yard line. Osgood then punched in a rushing touchdown to reclaim the lead, 14-7.

The Ravens' ensuing possession was just as aggressive. They marched down to Bentley's 19-yard line, and the Ravens decided to go for it on 4^th-and-5. The Bentley defense stood up Franklin Pierce when the Ravens decided to run the ball, coming up two yards short of a first down.

On the turn of possession, Bentley wasted little time in piecing together another scoring drive. Warnock completed a 22-yard pass to Peter Bibby III that brought the Falcons to midfield. The drive appeared to stall when a pass fell incomplete to Bibby, but the Ravens were flagged for pass interference.

They very next play was another Franklin Pierce penalty – roughing the passer. It brought Bentley down to the Ravens' six-yard line. Warnock connected with Parker Woodring for a touchdown and a 21-7 Bentley lead.

That lead remained true heading into the locker rooms.

The Ravens opened the second half with possession, and they needed just three minutes to reach the end zone and cut the Falcons' lead to 21-14. Meanwhile, Bentley's first two possessions of the second half resulted in an interception and three-and-out. The Ravens tied the game with a 61-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the third quarter.

The score was 21-21 entering the fourth.

Bentley reclaimed the lead early in the final period. A drive that started on the Falcons' 43-yard line was highlighted by a 21-yard run from Edouard, and a big unnecessary roughness penalty committed by the Ravens. Isaiah Osgood found paydirt again, this time from seven yards out.

The Ravens picked up the pace on offense in their following possession. They needed three-and-a-half minutes and 16 plays to reach the end zone. However, Franklin Pierce's two-point conversion failed, which allowed Bentley to hold a 28-27 lead.

Bentley's next drive lost yards, and it was forced to punt with two minutes left in the game.

The first play of Franklin Pierce's drive was a sack by Cal McAuliffe, taking the Ravens back to their own 33-yard line. However, the very next play was a 67-yard touchdown pass that stood as the game-winner. The Ravens convered their two-point try this time. 

Edouard finished the game 87 rushing yards – nine yards shy of matching his career high. He is averaging 62.0 rushing yards per game this season.

Caleb Procaccini totaled 10 tackles for Bentley, marking his second game this season with double-digit tackles. Two of those take-downs went for a loss against Franklin Pierce.

Freshman Braeden Smith notched his first-career sack Saturday.

Bentley has another big conference game on the road next week. The Falcons kickoff at Assumption Oct. 3, at 12 p.m. It is a rematch of the 2025 NE10 championship game.