BRIDGEWATER, Va. (BC Athletics) – The Bridgewater College football team bounced back with a historic day in a 73-13 victory over Gallaudet on Saturday.

Gallaudet opened the game on the benefitting end of a pass interference penalty to give move the ball to their own 40 yard-line. The BC defense tightened up after that as it limited two-straight rushes to under two yards each and an incompletion forced a punt. The Bridgewater offense got the ball and wasted no time in finding the scoreboard as a 41-yard strike from Jaicere Bateman to Ian Browne put BC in the red zone. Two plays later, Bateman found Evan Welsh wide open in the endzone for the touchdown. Agustin Miguel’s kick was true to make it 7-0.

GU was set for a three-and-out on its next series, but a heads up play by the punter saw him ull the kick and keep it to gain the first down. Bridgewater forced another punt attempt and this time Andrae Green got the punt off and BC took over. The next BC series lasted one play as Tommy Nelson got the handoff and checked out on a 53-yard rush and found the endzone. Miguel’s PAT made it 14-0 seven minutes in.

Big plays from Ryan Mundie fueled the next series for the Bridgewater defense. GU got a first down on the first play, but a tackle for loss by Mundie on the next play put Gallaudet behind the sticks. On the next play, Baylor Jones punched the ball out of the ball carrier’s hands, and Mundie fell on it to give BC the ball back with a short field. The Eagles moved the ball well on the first two plays as a 14-yard completion to Browne moved the chains, and the next play saw Jalin Quintanilla take an end-around in for a score in his first collegiate start for a score.

Another three-and-out by Gallaudet gave the Eagles the ball back, and a big return by Xavier Edelen gave BC another good start for the series. BC was driving once again, but the drive stalled in the redzone, forcing a field goal attempt. BC lined up for the kick, but a bad snap resulted in the Eagles having to look to pass for the first down. Aiden Grefe completed the pass to his target, but it was short of the line to gain, resulting in a turnover on downs to end the first frame with a 21-0 BC lead.

Gallaudet was deep in its own end to start the second stanza and the sries lates three plays as Jonathan McCree picked off a pass at the GU six-yard line and took it to the house for a score. Miguel’s PAT was true to make it 28-0. Gallaudet got the offense together on its next series. The Bison completed a third won and another pass interference against BC put them in striking distance. On another third down, the Bison converted in a big way. This time, Dylan Officer found Kaden Adams from 22 yards out for a touchdown. The BC special teams came up with another big play in response as Jamri Lewis got through the line and blocked the PAT to make it 28-6.

A 20-yard return by Nelson gave BC good field position once again. The Eagles converted a third down early in the series and exploded a few plays later as Bateman connected with Welsh for a 30-yard strike to move the ball to first down and goal. BC faced some adversity as a holding penalty moved them back, but Brendan Robinson would not be denied as he broke a series of tackles and forced his way in for a five-yard rushing touchdown. Miguel nailed the point after to make it 35-6.

Gallaudet was forced to punt once again as the Bridgewater defense rolled. BC moved the ball quickly as the end of the half was approaching. A pair of long pass completions by Bateman moved the ball deep in GU territory before Nelson found paydirt for the second time on the day as he bullied his way in from seven yards for a touchdown. The PAT was good to make it 42-6 heading into the intermission.

A pair of early penalties to start the second half looked like they would stall out the next Eagles’ series, but a 19-yard pass from Samuel Dragovich to Quintanilla moved the chains. Dragovich connected with another big-time completion later in the series as a 23-yard connection to John Snider saw the wideout just cross the plane to make it 49-6 after Miguel’s kick was good.

Gallaudet wa forced to punt again as a stop at the line and a pair of incompletions stalled the series. The next BC possession was a well-oiled machine as Dragovich connected on a pair of passes early in the series for a combined 30 yards. Four straight runs rounded off the drive, capped off by an eight-yard rush from Bradyn Horacek around the right side for a score. Ben Bermudez nailed the point after to make it 56-6, not even halfway through the third frame.

The BC defense did its job once again, forcing another punt late in the third quarter. BC drained the clock and drove down the field methodically on its next series. The drive stalled out in the redzone, but the Eagles still managed points as the first play of the fourth quarter saw Bermudez nail a 26-yard field goal to make it 59-6. Gallaudet responded on the very next play as Green became Mr. do it all. The Bison punter, wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner field the kick at his own one and went the distance after a few big blocks for the touchdown. The point after was true to make it 59-13. fielded

Bridgewater replied shortly after, as a penalty on the ensuing kick return gave Bridgewater a short field. A pair of runs by Horacek saw him find paydirt once again as his 25-yard rush around the left side made it 66-13 after the successful PAT. A pair of fumbles by the Bison killed their next drive, forcing a punt. BC got the ball back and killed some clock and marched down the field. Dargovich connected with Jayden brown on a 28-yard post route to put the ball all the way down to the GU one, and Dragovich finished off the series with a one-yard rush of his own to make it 13-13 with seven minutes to play.

Gallaudet got the ball back, but did not put anything together as fumbles plagued them once again on the series. The Bison were able to hold on to the ball for the final seven minutes, but did not put points up as the game drew to a close.

Bridgewater’s 573 yards of total offense were a season best, fueled by a season-high 261 yards on the ground. The Eagles defense registered 10 total TFL for the second-most in a game this season, and the 121 total yards given up is the lowest by the unit in 2025.

Both Dragovich and Bateman completed over 10 passes and had 135+ yards through the air in the win. Nelson led the ground game with 87 yards and a pair of scores. BC had seven total rushing touchdowns on the day. Aaron Nice led the defense with six tackles. Nice, Mundie and Munashe Gwashavanhu all had multiple TFL in the win.

The 73 points are the highest for the program since its 80- shutout over SVU last season.

— BC Athletics —