Freshman Jayden Barber runs for 193 yards as Bridgewater State football wins the Cranberry Bowl, the MASCAC title and an NCAA bid

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. College football: Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, the 47th Cranberry Bowl

Bridgewater State University's football team won the 47th Cranberry Bowl on Saturday afternoon, beating rival Massachusetts Maritime Academy 21-14 at Mazzaferro Field to clinch the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Division III tournament.

Freshman quarterback Jayden Barber of Harwich carried the Bears, running 14 times for 193 yards and a 65-yard touchdown and throwing two touchdown passes. He was named the game's Lee Harrington Most Valuable Player, according to Bridgewater State Athletics.

The win leaves Bridgewater State at 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference on a five-game winning streak, and it is the Bears' first outright MASCAC title since 2016. The Bears open the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 21, in the program's fifth NCAA trip after 1999, 2000, 2012 and 2016. Mass. Maritime fell to 6-3 and 5-3 in the league; a Buccaneers win would have left three teams tied for the title, with Framingham State taking the NCAA berth, the university reported.

"This means everything," Barber said after the game, according to the university. "I knew we were going to do it. I knew we were a good squad."

How the Bears built the lead

After a scoreless first quarter with three turnovers, Barber broke a 44-yard keeper down the left sideline to the Mass. Maritime 4, then threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior Giancarlo Nuzzo with 11:18 left in the half. Sophomore Cooper Harvey kicked all three extra points.

Barber made it 14-0 with 7:04 left in the half, outrunning the defense 65 yards down the right sideline. Mass. Maritime answered with 57 seconds left before halftime on a 1-yard run by senior John Dickinson of Kingston.

Early in the third quarter, Barber found senior Matthew O'Donnell for a 21-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead. Barber finished 7 of 15 passing for 87 yards, and Nuzzo led the Bears with three catches for 32 yards. Oscar Weah added 49 rushing yards.

A defense built for the triple option

Mass. Maritime came in leading Division III in rushing at 338 yards a game, and the Bears held the Buccaneers to 227, with seven tackles for a loss. Senior Ajani Murray led the defense with 11 tackles, sophomore Garrett Giorgio had 10 and senior Jorge Aquino added nine.

The defense kept points off the board twice in the first quarter. On fourth-and-2 at the Bears' 9, junior Mario Franciosa-Johnson of Braintree forced a fumble that Giorgio recovered in the end zone, and sophomore Gavin Gilyard later intercepted a pass at the 12.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers drove to the 7, where a field goal try hit the crossbar. An offside penalty gave them another chance, and they reached first-and-goal before the Bears stopped them on downs with 11:51 to play.

Sophomore Ray Gramlich's 5-yard run cut the lead to 21-14 with 2:53 left, and Mass. Maritime got the ball back at its own 38 with 1:47 to go. Senior Benjamin Wing ended it, intercepting Joseph Schwartz at the 44 with 52 seconds remaining. Brooks Moss led Mass. Maritime with 72 rushing yards.

"Jayden's a tremendous football player," coach Joe Verria said, according to the university. "He's a special athlete and talent. When you need the big play, he makes the big play."

Senior Day and a long rivalry

Before kickoff, the Bears honored 19 seniors, among them Andrew Cloutman of Hanson and Nathan Anderson and Jonathan Hogrell of West Bridgewater. A crowd of 1,300 watched on a cloudy, 46-degree afternoon.

Bridgewater State now leads the Cranberry Bowl series, which began in 1979, 35-11-1 and holds a 38-13-1 edge over the Buccaneers overall. The Bears also reclaimed the Cranberry Scoop, the rivalry trophy, and put two straight 5-5 seasons behind them.

The Bears will learn their first-round opponent and site when the NCAA reveals its 40-team Division III bracket in a selection show at 5 p.m. Sunday on NCAA.com.

Label: Reported by us.