After a successful trip to Columbus, Ohio, where it rallied for a 14-13 season-opening win over Ohio Dominican, the Bentley University football team will face one more test before opening its Northeast-10 Conference schedule on Sept. 11.
That will come tonight when the Falcons open their home schedule against Curry College at 7 p.m.
Bentley will be looking to get off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2004, the year the Falcons made their last NCAA Division II playoff, and Curry will be kicking off its season after finishing at 10-2 last fall.
The two institutions have played five times previously, all coming in the first half of the 1990s before the Colonels became a regional Division III power. Bentley won all five, including a 44-7 decision in 1995, the most recent encounter between the two.
The Thom Boerman era at Bentley got off to a successful start last Saturday night with the Falcons scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns to overcome a 13-0 deficit. Bentley dominated much of the second half in possession time (controlling the ball for 19 of the first 22-and-a-half minutes) and put together drives of 13, 14 and 11 plays.
Ohio Dominican had a couple of chances to regain the lead in the final minutes, but came up empty. One drive ended when a 28-yard field goal attempt was off the mark, and the second, following the lone Bentley turnover of the night, saw the Panthers taken out of field goal range with a first-down sack by senior defensive tackle Darryl Laforest.
Junior quarterback Bryant Johnson, recipient of the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Gold Helmet Award for his performance, was extremely efficient in running the Falcon offense. He completed over 70 percent of his passes, finishing 24 of 34 for 182 yards and two TD passes, both of four yards.
Curry, the preseason favorite in the New England Football Conference, has an amazing 62-10 overall record since 2003 when it began a six-year run of NCAA Division III tournament appearances. The Colonels are 33-4 in Skip Bandini's first three years at the helm, and have won 58 of their last 62 regular season games.
The Colonels also boast a Waltham connection at defensive back where Jaime Santiago is in his fourth varsity season.
Only four offensive starters return, with the departed including standout quarterback Ryan Van De Giesen, who threw for 2,577 yards and 24 touchdowns last fall, and leading receiver Brian Taylor (61 for 877). Expected to start behind center is senior Ryan Cavanaugh, a Central Connecticut transfer who completed 8 of 15 passes in 2007 for 159 yards.
Senior Jamaal Woods returns after leading the club in rushing the last two years, with 498 yards last fall and 945 in 2007. Jon Rodriguez, also a senior, is the top returning receiver (26 for 324 yards, 5 TD).
Defensively, Curry returns nine of 11 starters, including the top five tacklers off last year's club. Linebacker Dan Dawson led the club with 78 stops, including an amazing 20 for losses, and Scott Driscoll, also a linebacker, followed with 64. He also led Curry in interceptions, picking off six errant passes.
