THE BASICS:

- Score: No. 17 Assumption 51, Bowie State 29

- Records: Assumption (11-1, 8-1 NE-10); Bowie State (9-3, 7-0 CIAA)

- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Multi-Sport Stadium)

- The Lead: Led by a four-touchdown performance from sophomore Marc Monks (Annandale, N.J./Hunterdon Academy), the Assumption College football team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament with a convincing 51-29 home win over Bowie State on Saturday afternoon. The Hounds are the No. 3 seed in Super Region I, while the Bulldogs were the No. 6 seed in the region.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Big plays were key for the Hounds as five touchdown came on scoring plays of 20 yards or more.

- Freshman Deonte Harris (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) got things started with a spectacular touchdown catch up and over a defender with 7:16 left in the opening quarter.

- In a 14-second stretch early in the second quarter, the Hounds pushed the lead out to 21-0 as senior James Ward (New Haven, Conn./Williston Northampton) scampered up the far sideline to cap off a 94-yard drive. On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore Dylan Oxsen (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South) forced a fumble that was recovered by freshman Bryce Jacob (Paramus, N.J./Paramus). With 14:26 on the clock, sophomore Ashton Grant (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) made a spectacular touchdown catch of his own as he dragged his back foot down for the first of three touchdown catches on the day.

- Bowie State got on the board with 10 unanswered points in the second, including a three-yard run up the middle by Stephen Willis for a touchdown that capped a 13-play, 65-yard drive. The Bulldogs also added a 26-yard field goal to close within 21-10.

- A safety and a 26-yard touchdown catch by Grant closed out the first half scoring though as the hosts took the 30-10 lead into the break. The Bulldogs were driving in the final seconds of the first half, but junior Jarrod Casey (Milford, Mass./Bridgton Academy) picked off BSU in the end zone to end that threat.

- The teams traded touchdowns throughout the second half as the Hounds led by as many as 28 before coming away with the 22-point final.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Grant led the Hounds with 137 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Harris has a team-high 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Nyme Manns was outstanding for Bowie as he ended up with 14 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown.

- Monks completed 21-of-31 passing attempts for 257 yards and four touchdowns while also scrambling for 37 yards on the ground. Trevon Bennett completed 30-of-49 passes for the Bulldogs for 309 yards and one touchdown while also being sacked five times.

- Assumption held a convincing 193-35 advantage on the ground, led by an 82-yard, two-touchdown afternoon from Ward.

- Junior Bakari Blunt (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Burke) was outstanding on defense today for the Hounds with 12 tackles that included 11 solo stops. He also added one fumble recovery for 24 yards and a game-high four pass breakups. Casey also filled the stat sheet with nine tackles, one sack, one interception and two pass breakups. Ricardo Smith was the leader for Bowie with eight tackles to go along with an interception for 35 yards.

- The all-time series now stands at 2-1 in favor of Bowie State as the Hounds lost a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs in 2011 and 2012.

- Assumption is ranked No. 17 in the D2Football.com National Poll and No. 19 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II National Poll. Both rankings are the highest in program history.

UP NEXT:

- Assumption advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will face Slippery Rock University on Saturday, November 28th at a time to be announced. The Rock is the No. 2 seed in the region and this will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

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