SMITHFIELD, R.I.

All afternoon, Bryant University kept the pressure on the University of Maine’s defense.

With the game on the line and time running out, the Bulldogs finally broke through.

A 41-yard bomb from Dalton Easton to Chad Ward set up his 14-yard scoring toss to Ward with 2:04 remaining on Saturday afternoon as Bryant rallied for a 13-10 football victory over the University of Maine.

Coach Jack Cosgrove’s 20thranked Black Bears (1-1) were susceptible to the pass on defense and sporadic on offense and had a key specialteams breakdown contribute to the loss.

It was an all or nothing type of day for the Black Bears. They afforded Bryant only 29 rushing yards, but surrendered 301 yards through the air.

Easton, a transfer from Akron, completed 26 of 43 passes, including one for a touchdown.

“Pass protection-wise, we didn’t really play to our potential,” said UMaine senior linebacker Randy Samuels. “There’s a lot of young guys on the field right now. We just need to grow.”

The UMaine offense again lacked productivity. Junior tailback Nigel Jones churned out 70 yards on 14 carries among 126 rushing yards, while sophomore quarterback Dan Collins was under constant pressure and completed 10 of 21 throws for 151 yards and a score.

Bryant (3-0) outgained UMaine 330-277.