The Game: Saint Anselm returns to action on Saturday with the Hawks traveling to New Haven, Conn. for a Northeast-10 Conference game against the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 PM at Jess Dow Field.

Saint Anselm will look to avoid its first ever 0-5 start, although the Hawks will have their work cut out for them with the Owls always playing tough at home. Last week, the Hawks were defeated for the first time in school history by an opportunistic Stonehill team, 36-22. After coming into the season undefeated against both Assumption and Stonehill, the Hawks have been defeated in consecutive weeks by those two schools.

Southern Connecticut State will have to rebound following a devastating 49-14 setback at the hands of C.W. Post. The Owls, who entered the game undefeated with thoughts of a conference title, will now need to win out, including defeating Bentley, and get some help in order to win the league outright.

Series History: The all-time series is tied 2-2 with the home team winning all four games. The series has also been marked by some wild play, including a Northeast-10 Conference record for points in 199 with SCSC taking a 66-42 decision. The winning team has never scored fewer than 36 points with Saint Anselm grabbing that mark in a convincing 36-18 win in last year�s season finale in Manchester, N.H.

In a series that holds several team and individual marks in the NE-10, Saint Anselm running back Derek DiMartino did his part against the Owls last season. He broke records for most rushing attempts (28), yards (233), rushing touchdowns (three), and points (18) as the Hawks scored 21 fourth quarter points.

Inside The Numbers: Saturday�s game could be a clash of two talented units with the Southern Connecticut State offense squaring off against the Hawk defense.

SCSU is second in the NE-10 in scoring at 31.0 ppg. The Owls rank third in both passing and rushing offense and are totaling 415 yards of offense per game.

The Owls will be going against a Saint Anselm defense that has seen its numbers skewed by other team�s defenses scoring points against the Hawks. Saint Anselm is next to last in scoring defense at 34.0 ppg but 34 of those points have been scored on special teams or by opposing defenses. Take those numbers away, and the Hawks� defense is suddenly among the top four in the league in scoring defense. The Hawks do rank third in defensive yards allowed per game with just 312.

The usual question for the Hawks in 2003 has been where�s the offense? The Hawks continue to rank last in total offense at 204.5 ypg and the problem came to a head last week against Stonehill when three Hawk miscues on offense led to three Chieftain scores.

Northeast-Nine: Times have changed in the Northeast-10 Conference as they are with one less team at the start of the 2003 season after the University of Massachusetts-Lowell dropped its football program at the conclusion of last season.

As a result, Saint Anselm will play a non-conference game for the first time since the 2000 season in which the Hawks had a pair of non-league games. The Hawks will travel to Division I-AA member Siena College in November. The two last met in that same 2000 season, with the Hawks taking a 20-16 win.

Southern Connecticut State: Owls� head coach Rich Cavanaugh makes his second attempt at career win number 100 Saturday. Now in his 19th season, Cavanaugh has the longest tenure of any football coach in Southern history and has a won-lost-tied record of 99-87-1.

Junior quarterback Mike Abate threw a pair of touchdown passes, both to junior Artie Gallant for three and 17 yards. Abate completed 16 of 45 passing attempts for 243 yards, but was intercepted four times by the Pioneers. He was sacked just once but under severe pressure from the Post defense.

The Owls lost wide receiver Louis Datil indefinitely with a dislocated finger. Datil suffered the dislocation while diving for a reception. He is Southern�s top receiver with 14 catches for 238 yards and two scores.

The Owls, still without junior tailback Kofi Wilson, who was injured early in the win over Pace, was held under 100 rushing yards for the second straight week.
Saint Anselm: Against Stonehill, running back Derek DiMartino ran for 106 yards and three scores, becoming the first back to run for 100 yards this season. The three TDs matched a career-high, previously set in last season�s game against SCSU.

Leading Back: The 100-yard day was for DiMartino was the first for a Saint Anselm running back this season, but his five rushing touchdowns lead all NE-10 running backs and his 10 ppg ranks second in the league.

Defensive back Brian Sundell led the Hawks with 10 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. He is responsible for five of the team�s 13 takeaways this season.

Preseason All-American Michael DeMasi recorded his second interception of the season, returning it 42 yards to set up a Saint Anselm score. The pick gives him eight for his career, one off the school�s all-time mark.

High Flying: The Hawks intercepted four passes on the day, tying the record held since 2000 with four picks against Assumption.
Sacks: The defense is ranked fifth in the league in sacks with 10.

Flagged: The Hawks have been undone by penalties and continue to be among the most penalized teams in the league. They are averaging over eight whistles and 80 yards per game.

Cashing In: Although the red zone stats have not translated into wins, the Hawks have been solid on both sides of the ball there this season. On offense, the team remains the only perfect squad in the NE-10 with a 9-for-9 conversion rate (five TDs, four FGs). On defense, the Hawks have allowed only seven scores on 13 possessions with two takeaways and two four-down stops.

Show Me Some Leg: Freshman kicker Mike Garcarz leads the NE-10 with four field goals in six attempts. His two misses have come from distances of 47 and 52 yards.