DUDLEY, Mass. - September 9, 2022 - The Dean College and Nichols College football teams combined for 126 points and 1,001 yards on Friday evening. Nichols came out on top by a 71-55 final. 

The 55 points is the most scored by the Bulldogs since the team put up 56 in a win against Gallaudet on Oct. 26, 2019. 

Dean quarterback Nathan Cisco (Franklin, Tenn.), the reigning Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) Offensive Player of the Week, posted 346 yards passing on 16-of-30 with six touchdowns and a couple of picks. The six passing TDs are the most since Terrell Watts had seven in a 50-46 win over Alfred State on Nov. 2, 2019. Junior Mozes Mooney (San Diego, Calif.) was on the receiving end of three of those touchdown passes and finished with six catches for 144 yards. Senior Quintus Reid (New Haven, Conn.) caught a pair of touchdowns and Kam Phuong (Covington, Ga.) also hauled in a score through the air. Senior Ki'sean Bullard (Miami Gardens, Fla.) accounted for a rushing touchdown, while Jordan Mason (Stockbridge, Ga.) added six catches and 120 receiving yards. 

Junior Dre Kidd (Manassas, Va.) led the Dean defense with seven total tackles and a pick-6 that went for 59 yards.

Xavier Powell had two touchdowns and two interceptions on 12-of-23 passing with 198 yards. He also had three rushing scores on nine attempts for 55 yards. Shayne Sutton rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns, while Zahir Booker also scored twice on nine rushes for 124 yards. Nichols rushed for 387 yards in the game. Keenan Esau had two interceptions for the Bison defense. 

 After Nichols scored the opening touchdown on a 44-yard connection between Powell and Jack Morvan, Dean responded the next time the Bison had the ball with a 59-yard pick-6 by Dre Kidd. 

Booker answered with a 71-yard rushing score for Nichols, before Phuong caught an 11-yard TD pass from Cisco to give Dean a 14-13 lead. 

Powell put Nichols back on top with a 14-yard scamper, but Mozes Mooney hauled in an acrobatic 30-yard catch to regain a one-point lead for the Bulldogs. 

The home team went on top 27-21 with a Booker two-yard run, which was answered once again by a Cisco and Mooney 32-yard hookup. Nichols battled back for a long touchdown pass to Brendan Jones to take a 34-28 lead into the half. 
 
The Bison took their first two-score lead with a Powell rushing touchdown to begin the third quarter. 

Dean responded with a 17-yard catch and run by Quintus Reid to pull within 41-35. 

Powell then recorded his third rushing score of the game to put Nichols back on top by 13. Mooney then notched his third score of the game with a 17-yard connection from Cisco. 

Nichols backed the Dean offense deep in their own end, which resulted in a safety to put Nichols in front 50-42. The Bison added another touchdown with a short run by Sutton to end the third with a 57-42 advantage. 

Dean began the fourth quarter on a mission and scored twice in the first three minutes. Quintus Reid had TD reception and was followed by a Ki'sean Bullard TD run. The Bulldogs went for a two-point conversion to tie the score, but the attempt failed to keep the deficit at 57-55. 

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they would be held off the scoreboard for the final 12+ minute of the contest. Nichols added a couple of insurance scores to make the final 71-55. 

Dean (0-2) will play its home opener next Saturday at noon against Curry.