BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Westfield State's Jordan Smith (Coventry, Conn.) ran for 164 yards on 40 carries, but the Owls ultimately fell to Bridgewater State by a 21-0 final on a rainy and blustery afternoon for the Bears homecoming game at Mazzaferro Field.
Bridgewater State won its fifth straight games and has defeated Westfield State 11 games in a row.
The Bears (5-2) own a 5-0 MASCAC record with three games remaining, putting them ahead of Western Connecticut State and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, who are both 5-1 in the conference.
The win over Westfield State (1-6, 1-4) came on a rainy day that limited both teams offensively. BSU was limited to 170 yards of total offense while the Owls had 208 yards.
BSU, which recorded its first shutout of the season, opened a 14-0 halftime lead and rode the defense to the win.
Westfield State, coming off an overtime loss to UMass Dartmouth, lost three of its six fumbles and was intercepted twice.
Adam Couch led the BSU offense by rushing for 117 yards on 16 carries and scoring a touchdown.
The passing game was limited to 62 yards due to the weather with senior quarterback James Cahoon (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) going just 6 for 24 and he was sacked twice.
Westfield State was led by junior running back Smith, who rushed for 164 yards on 40 carries, just three carries less than the school record, on a day where aerial yards were tough to come by for both programs.
Owls senior quarterback Gabriel Fernandez (Holyoke, Mass.) was 8 for 23 for 69 yards.
Bridgewater State took advantage of two first-half miscues early in each of the two opening quarters to grab the 14-0 halftime lead.
After Westfield State was pinned deep in its own end following the opening kickoff, the Owls fumbled the snap on a punt attempt, and recovered at the 2-yard line by senior Greg Demetri (North Reading, Mass.).
Two plays later, Cahoon opened the scoring with a 1-yard run with 12:55 to go in the first quarter. Sophomore Joey Naso (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) made it 7-0 with the point after kick.
The Bears extended the lead to 14-0 with 10:38 remaining in the half as junior running back Mack Driver (Mastic Beach, N.Y.) took a direct snap and scored on a 6-yard run. Naso converted the kick.
Bridgewater State was set up by an interception by senior linebacker Brendan Albert (Canton, Mass.), who picked off a Fernandez pass at the Owls' 17 and returned it to the 6-yard line.
The Owls' best scoring chance of the half came when they drove to the BSU 20, but a 37-yard field goal try by freshman Cooper Harvey (Niskayuna, N.Y.) hit the right upright with 4:27 left in the first quarter.
Bridgewater State went up, 21-0, with 8:59 to go in the third quarter when Couch scored on a 1-yard run to cap a nine-play, 45-yard drive.
The Bears kept that scoring march alive by twice converting on third down.
On third and 16, Cahoon connected with sophomore wide receiver Ryan Coonan (Worcester, Mass.) for 27 yards to the Westfield State 24. Then, facing a third and 10, Couch turned a reception from Cahoon into a 17-yard gain, moving the ball to the 7.
The Owls put together an 18-play drive that covered 9:03, starting at their own 25 in the third quarter. But after getting to the BSU 8, the drive stalled on a fourth-down incompletion in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
Westfield State threatened to ruin the shutout in the final minute of the game after driving from its own 22 yard line to the Bears 5.
But on third and 1, Quinton Browder forced a Smith fumble that went out of the end zone with 45 seconds remaining, and the Bears took over and ran out the clock.
After dropping two non-conference games to start the season, the Bears head to the final three games against UMass Dartmouth, Framingham State and Mass. Maritime Academy on top of the MASCAC.
Westfield's defense was led by nine tackles from Tyler Cooley (Randolph, Mass.). Zachary Allen (Chelmsford, Mass.) had an interception and a pair of pass breakups.
Westfield State will host Plymouth State next Saturday, Oct. 28 at noon at Alumni Field.
Bridgewater State hosts UMass Dartmouth on Saturday at noon in the Bears final home game of the season.