POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Before a record crowd of 6,154, the Marist football team dropped its home opener to Bryant, 34-17 at Tenney Stadium on Saturday night.
 
Dwayne Menders Jr. tied Marist's single-game record with 12 receptions. He had 144 yards receiving and a touchdown.
 

Summary

• Bryant took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and led 17-0 when Mekhai Johnson scored on an 11-yard reception from Brock Bagozzi with 21 seconds left until halftime.
• The Red Foxes then scored on their opening drive on the second half, which culminated in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Bagozzi tot Menders.
• Bryant answered with 12-yard touchdown pass from Zevi Eckhaus to Anthony Frederick. On the Red Foxes' ensuing drive, Luke Paladino kicked a 38-yard field goal, which cut Marist's deficit to 24-17 with nine seconds left in the third quarter.
• Bryant shut out Marist in the fourth quarter. Eckhaus connected with Frederick for another touchdown pass, and the Bulldogs closed out to the scoring with a 33-yard field goal by Luke Samperi with 5:27 remaining.

 

Stats

• Menders' 12 catches came on 13 targets.
• Scott Scherzer added six catches for 43 yards.
• Bagozzi finished 20-for-37 for 211 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.
• Hunter Cobb ran for 58 yards on 13 carries.
• Mike Arrington led Marist with 13 tackles. Teddy Wright had 11 stops, including one-and-a-half for a loss of yardage.
• Eckhaus finished 22-for-29 for 211 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Frederick finished with nine receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Notes

• The previous Tenney Stadium record crowd was 4,621, which came in the stadium's first game on Oct. 6, 2007 against Duquesne.
• Bagozzi became the first true freshman to start at quarterback in the 30-year tenure of head coach Jim Parady.
• The two prior Red Foxes who had 12 receptions in a game were Anthony Olivencia (against Valparaiso, 2018) and Guy Smith (at Iona, 2003).
• Arrington's 13 tackles are the most by a Red Fox in their two games. He has had back-to-back games with 10-plus tackles.
• Clayborne Fields III had his first career interception.

 

From Coach Parady

"I'd like to thank the community and school for coming out to the game tonight," Marist head coach Jim Parady. "It was an incredible environment for our first home game in two years.
 
"We made it a competitive game in the second half. I felt we left a lot of opportunities on the field."
 

Up Next

• Marist opens its Pioneer Football League schedule at Valparaiso on Saturday, Oct. 2.
• Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Eastern.