THE BASICS
Score: Dean College 25, Becker College 10
Records: Dean College (1-2), Becker College (0-4)
Location: Franklin, Mass. (Dale Lippert Field)
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2017
Time: 12:00 p.m.

THE LEAD:
Dean rushed for nearly 250 yards while holding visiting Becker to less than a yard a carry and the Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season, posting a 25-10 victory over the Hawks as part of the College's homecoming weekend on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The hosts used heavy doses of a trio of rushers – Matt Bethel (Miami, Fla.), Davel Carr (Clinton, Md.) and Richard Harris (Uniondale, N.Y.) – and got excellent special teams play to guide them to victory.

It looked as if the first quarter would be a scoreless period until a third and a 11 quarterback draw resulted in Bethel sprinting through the Becker defense for a 64-yard touchdown run.

Ahead 7-0, the Bulldogs' special teams put their imprint on the contest. Becker was facing a fourth and 11 after a Justice Taylor (Cromwell, Conn.) sack when Hawk punter Tyler Grant (Hudson, N.H.) mishandled the snap and tried to recover the ball but by the time it stopped rolling and he fell on it, he was in the endzone and Dean grabbed the two points from the safety.

Amazingly, the next score was a safety as well. Hunter Lechthaler (Nutley, N.J.) boomed a 46-yard punt that Mac Kimball (Bow, N.H.) fielded at his own three and immediately retreated into his own endzone where he was dragged down by the combination of Marquis Miller (Brookline, Mass.) and Amire Loftis (Walpole, Mass.).

Becker took advantage of a Dean turnover as the half was about to close and they worked the ball deep into Bulldog territory before settling for a half-ending Shane Padeni (Leicester, Mass.) 23-yard field goal.

The Bulldogs got a huge boost from Dequan Brown (Newark, N.J.), who took the opening kickoff of the second half 93 yards for a touchdown where he weaved through some traffic and then outraced a few would be tacklers up the right sideline.

As the Hawks offense continued to sputter, Dean put the game away with an impressive ten-play, 51-yard drive – all on the ground – capped by a Harris two-yard plunge late in the third quarter that made the score 25-3.

Becker did tack on a late touchdown in the fourth quarter on a Victor Penn (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) two-yard run of his own that ended a ten-play, 62-yard Hawk drive.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Dean ran the ball 49 times for 244 yards, highlighted by Bethel's career-high 119 yards, which earned him the Butchie Williams Homecoming Game MVP Award. Meanwhile, the stout Bulldog defensive front held the Hawks to just 25 yards on 28 carries.

In addition to Bethel, Carr ended with 63 yards on 11 carries, while Harris had 50 yards and the aforementioned touchdown run.

Becker's best performance came courtesy of wide receiver Michael Caban (Lawrence, Mass.), who hauled in six balls for 79 yards and had a 34-yard punt return.

The Bulldog defense picked off both of the Hawk quarterbacks with Marquez Walls (Saint Petersburg, Fla.) grabbing his second of the year off of Nas Sinkfield-Shelton (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Trent Waters (Knoxville, Tenn.) getting his off of Alpha Barry (Staten Island, N.Y.) on the last play of the game.

Both Padeni and Jared Zieman (Bethel, Conn.) had 11 stops for the Becker defense, with four of Zieman's tackles coming behind the line of scrimmage.

Taylor had a whale of a game for the Bulldogs, finishing with five tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss. Waters, meanwhile, ended with four tackles, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception.

UP NEXT:
Dean will hit the road for the first time this season when they head to Dudley, Mass. for a meeting with Nichols College on Saturday, while the Hawks host Rochester on Saturday as well.