Four Downs: No. 5 Bedford 27, No. 4 Bp. Guertin 13

NASHUA -- For all the drama that Bedford's comeback win last week at Keene produced, there was very little in the follow-up performance.

The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs dominated in Week 5. They overwhelmed No. 4 Bishop Guertin, the four-time defending Division II champion, 27-13, Saturday night at Stellos Stadium.

Pass-catching cousins Nick and Mike Vailas did their damage in the first half, helping the Bulldogs build a 14-7 lead at the break.

The pass set up the run as quarterback James Caparell, and running backs Dylan York, David Cannone and Aaron Palys carried the football with authority.

Bedford improved to 4-1 overall (3-1 in Div. II). Guertin dropped to 3-2 overall (3-1 Div. II).

Four downs -- in the form of news, notes and/or observations -- from this Week 5 matchup:

First down - Bedford is known for its passing attack. But how's this for balance?

The Bulldogs gained 346 yards of total offense -- 168 yards (two TDs) through the air and 178 yards (two TDs) on the ground.

By comparison, BG totaled 256 yards of offense (154 pass, TD; 102 rush, TD). Eighty of the offense's passing yards came on the third-to-last and final pass attempts of the game.

Second down - Guertin entered play allowing an average of 2.3 points per league game.

The Cardinals shut out Manchester West (27-0, Sept. 8) and Merrimack (34-0, Sept. 14) before defeating Dover, 27-7, last week.

Bedford's 27 points were the most BG surrendered in a single game this season. Division I Pinkerton Academy beat BG, 20-3, in Week 1.

Third down - Fatigue was a Week 5 factor for Guertin. The team is forced to use more two-way players than years past.

The Bulldogs made the Cardinals pay, particularly in the second half.

Relying heavily on the running game after halftime, Bedford totaled 34 second-half offensive snaps. Only three were pass attempts.

Forcing a defense to stop the run -- as York, Cannone, Caparell and Palys proved -- takes its toll.

Fourth down - For folks who missed it, here's my mid-week feature story on Bedford's fearsome five.

The story, which appeared Wednesday in the New Hampshire Union Leader, focused on Caparell and his quartet of receivers: Brian Collins, the Vailases and York.