MANCHESTER, NH (Nov. 10) --- As hard as it may have been to believe after the first three weeks of the season, the Saint Anselm football team can clinch a winning season Saturday afternoon. The task at hand is a tall one, however as the high flying Owls of Southern Connecticut State come to Grappone Stadium for a high noon kickoff.

Saint Anselm has clearly turned what threatened to become a lost season into an amazing success. The Hawks started the year staring up from the bottom of an 0-3 hole. Since then, the Hawks have dug themselves out and have brought themselves to the edge of a winning season - what could become the first for Saint Anselm College since 1940.

Winners of four straight, the Hawks are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Football Conference having gone 5-1 since their 0-3 start and now stand 5-4 overall and 4-3 in EFC play. The Hawks have clinched at least a .500 record in conference play for the second straight year and can actually finish secodn in their division with a win.

Hawks Head Coach Geoff Harlan reports that he is pleased with the way his team has responded. Harlan had made it a goal for his team to post a winning record through the second half of the season. The Hawks are 4-0 over that span.

"The progress we've made as a team has made the second half of the season a real tribute to the maturity and determination of our players," said Hawks Head Coach Geoff Harlan. "I've been pleased overall with how our second half has gone this year. We focused on the establishment of a running game and that has been a key to our success."

Harlan also mentioned that his young squad has shown poise in coming together as a team where the first three games the team struggled to play as a unit.
"Each of those first three games one different aspect did not play well - offense against UMass-Lowell, defense against Hartwick, special teams against C.W. Post," said Harlan. "Since then, all three have done their jobs and the results are clear from that."

The Hawks have won four straight after another strong outing last week. The Hawks jumped ahead early and withstood a late Stonehill College charge to win 32-22. In that game the Hawks offense piled up a season high 496 yards - the second time this year the Hawks finished with over 450 total yards.

Fans can expect to see some fireworks in the air, but it will be hard to match the amazing feats of last year's season finale when the Owls won one of the wildest football games in recent memory, 66-42.

The "game within the game" will be just how each team's defense will handle the others strong passing games. Southern Connecticut is the top passing offense in the league, while Saint Anselm is fourth.

Ranked second in the league for total offense (385 yards per game), Southern Connecticut will be a different challenge to the Hawks defense than what they've seen of late.

The Hawks have faced strong rushing teams over the last few weeks and have performed well.

The Owls offense is averaging an impressive 232.8 yards per game in the air, an offense that rides on the arm of the top quarterback in the league, Kevin Dickinson.

Dickinson is hitting on 163 of 301 attempts for an eye catching 2,080 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Dickinson has become the Owls all time leading quarterback with career totals of 570 of 1030 for 7,365 yards and 51 touchdowns.

Dickinson's top targets include the EFC's top receiver in Errol Maurice, who has pulled in 40 catches for 580 yards and three touchdowns.

Tom Dyer is fourth in the league in receptions with 40 overall for 480 yards and a score, and Jim White, with 28 catches for four scores and 361 yards, is tenth.
"He (Dickinson) is an extraordinary talent," said Harlan. "He is by far the best quarterback in the league and has been so for a few years. We have to be at our absolute best to put pressure on him and we must be very tight in zone coverage to contain him."

The Owls are among the middle of the pack rushing standing seventh overall at 152 yard per game.

Rob Eggerling is seventh in the league at 80.0 yards per game (146 carries for 720 yards) while Darrin Davis is eighth at 142 carries for 599 yards.
Defensively, the Owls are seventh in the league, giving up 363 yards per outing.

Kevin Miceli leads the Owls with 66 tackles (40 solo) and three sacks. Eddie Taylor has added 59 tackles (38 solo), while Varum Om has added 59 (39 solo).
Saint Anselm's offense will need to be equal to the task, but if the last few weeks are any indication, the Hawks should be able to match the Owls.

Keith Comeau, who enjoyed another career day at Stonehill, is averaging 187 yards per game - third best in the EFC - and is hitting on 157 of 295 for 1,598 yards including 16 touchdown passes. Comeau has been spreading the offense very evenly, and has connected with an average of 10 different receivers over each of the last five games, allowing the team to spread out the opposing defense.

Comeau's top targets have been Jeff Farragher with 25 catches (ninth in the EFC) for 245 yards and three scores, while Travis Pelletier has added 21 grabs for 249 yards and four touchdowns.

In the back field, Jon Turner (see Honor Roll), who again enjoyed a stellar outing at Stonehill, has carried for 765 yards on 165 attempts and is the Hawks leading all purpose yardage (seventh in the EFC) performer at 99.2 yards per game having added 12 catches for 128 yards. He has scored seven touchdowns on the ground and two from Comeau.

The Hawks own the fourth best total defense in the league, giving up 319 yards per game including the fourth best rushing defense.

Zak Lord leads the Hawks in tackles with 65 (12 for loss), while Lance Flagg has added 61 tackles (15 for loss) with six sacks.

Geoff Raby has added 60 tackles (32 solo) with five sacks. Matt Savino has notched 54 take downs (14 for loss) and a team high nine sacks.

On special teams, Erol Senel is a league best 18-18 on PAT's, while Justin Peledge and Farragher stand one-two in kick and punt return yardage.

Harlan's overall view is that the Hawks have a number of reasons to put forth their best effort. A winning season is one, taking second place in the division another, and last year's loss is a third.

The Hawks can finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 5-3 record, as they would have beaten the Owls, who come in 5-2 in the EFC, head to head.

"We've got to earn their respect," said Harlan. "Last year we were able to put up points against them, but they still dominated us. We weren't up to par.

"If we've made the progress we think we've made, we'll need to prove we can play our most complete game of the season," Harlan continued. "Plus, we can get to second place in the division with a win in just our second year in the league. We're hungry for that."