Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The American International College football team turned the ball over four times in a 30-20 loss at Bentley University Friday night in a Northeast-10 contest. The Falcons improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the NE-10, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 3-2 for the season and 1-2 in conference play.

The win was Bentley's sixth straight over AIC in Waltham, a streak that started with a 39-34 win September 21, 2001. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over four times in the game, three of which came in the first half, and the Falcons turned those miscues into 17 points.

Junior quarterback Bryant Johnson (Hopedale, Mass.) completed 27-of-48 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns and ran for an additional 72 yards for the Falcons. Junior quarterback #Rob Parent# (West Warwick, R.I.) was 19-of-42 for 250 yards and had two touchdowns throws for AIC. He was also picked off three times in the game.

The Yellow Jackets took the ball down to the Bentley three-yard line on its opening drive before freshman running back #Jermayne Capdeville# (Springfield, Mass.) was stripped by sophomore defensive back Brad Poirier (Marshfield, Mass.) on first and 10. Poirier recovered at his own six yard line and Bentley drove down to AIC's 14 before settling for a 31-yard field goal attempt that graduate Kelley Rowe (Toledo, Ohio) sailed wide left.

Senior kicker Tyler McNamara (Medway, Mass.) later opened the scoring when he split the uprights on a 47-yard field goal with 7:39 left in the second quarter after senior defensive back Chris Carroll (Lynn, Mass.) picked off Parent at his own 14-yard line.

The Yellow Jackets answered with a scoring drive of their own that was capped off by a 22-yard scoring catch for senior wide receiver #Kertis Hussey# (Paterson, N.J.), who finished the night with eight catches for 142 yards and two scores. The PAT failed, giving AIC a 6-3 lead 5:35 to go in the field half.

Parent was picked off for the second time with 1:38 left in the first half, this time by junior linebacker Liam Rega (Milton, Mass.), and the Falcons turned that into a 25-yard touchdown catch for Rowe with 33 seconds left in the period.

Bentley opened the scoring with a 36-yard field goal from McNamara and the Yellow Jackets answered with a 29-yard score for Hussey that tied the game at 13-13 with 4:41 to go in the third.

The two teams traded scores to open the fourth quarter. The Falcons got on the board with a two-yard touchdown run for junior tight end Bart Stires (Glendale, Ariz.) and the Yellow Jackets answered when Capdeville got into the endzone on a 38-yard carry with 3:02 into the final period. Capdeville finished the game with 140 yards on 22 carries.

Bentley regained the lead for good on a 33-yard McNamara field goal and put the game out of reach when Johnson found junior tight end Mike Slattery (Natick, Mass.) on a five-yard scoring play with 2:16 to go.

Senior linebacker Matt Zahoruiko (North Andover, Mass.) had a game-high 12 tackles (five solo, seven assists) for the Falcons, while Poirier had eight tackles, seven of which were solo efforts. Junior linebacker #Terrance Holley# (Bronx, N.Y.) led AIC with 10 tackles, nine of which were solo take downs.

The Yellow Jackets will look to get back in the win column October 3 when they host Saint Anselm at 1 p.m.