The Game: Saint Anselm opens its 2003 home schedule with a Northeast-10 Conference game against the Yellow Jackets of American International College in Manchester, N.H., with kickoff slated for 1:00 at Grappone Stadium.

Saint Anselm enters the game at 0-1, 0-1 NE-10 after a 38-3 setback at the hands of ninth-ranked Bentley College last week. AIC will be playing its first game of the season after sitting out week one action.

Series History: The all-time series is knotted at three wins apiece. AIC has won the last two meetings however. Last season, the AIC defensive unit and special teams came up with two scores to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 37-26 victory over the Hawks.

The defensive unit spent most of the afternoon on the field as the Hawks offense held the ball for just under 42 minutes. The AIC offense had the ball for 8:21 in the first quarter and would only see it for 10 more minutes the rest of the game.

AIC scored three times in a 3:30 minute span highlighted by a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the game, the Hawks ran 46 more plays than the Yellow Jackets and converted on 4-of-5 fourth downs.

Inside The Numbers: The Hawks allowed just 85 rushing yards to Bentley on Friday night and hope to have similar success against an AIC team that averaged 67.2 ground yards per game, last in the conference.

The Hawks will also look to its defense to come up with the big play. Last season, the Hawks finished third in the nation in turnover margin at +16.

The Hawk secondary expects to be busy against a Yellow Jackets' team that led the NE-10 in passing at 276 yards per game in 2002.

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.
American International: Having won just three times on opening day during the Art Wilkins' era at AIC, the Yellow Jackets hope to make it three in a row after defeating Stonehill last season, 20-15, in Easton, Mass.

The Jackets are coming off a 5-6 season that saw them lose five in a row during the middle of the season before reeling off three straight to end the year.

The 2003 season will be a battle back-and-forth for two of the top passing quarterbacks in the league between AIC's Tom Guy and Bentley's Marc Eddy. Guy is currently tied for the NE-10's all-time record for touchdown passes with 58, while Eddy currently sits at 57 after last week's victory against Saint Anselm.

In 2002, Tom Guy passed for a school record 3,003 yards earning Second-Team All-Conference accolades. He also established new season records for total offense (3,030), passing attempts (415), and completions (218), while setting career marks for yards passing (7,474), yards total offense (7,405), touchdown passes (58), passes attempted (907) and completions (503).

Guy, who was sacked an astounding 42 times last year, looks to shoulder the burden for AIC again this year until the Yellow Jackets can establish some form of a ground game.

Saint Anselm: The Hawks dropped the first NE-10 game of the season Friday, 38-3 at the hands of Bentley College, ranked ninth by Sports Illustrated.

The Hawk defense played much better than the final score might indicate however, as the Hawks intercepted a pass in the end zone and stopped a pair of fourth down conversions including one from their own ten yardline on the game's opening drive. The two teams combined for 21 penalties and 190 yards.

Brian Sundell paced the Hawks' defense with nine total tackles (four solo) and an interception in the end zone, preventing a Bentley touchdown. Mike Smolski also chipped in with eight total tackles and one sack.

Matt Santiago accounted for 44-percent of the Hawks' total offense against Bentley with 131 all-purpose yards. He caught three passes for 21 yards, returned three punts for 33 yards, and returned three kickoffs for 77 yards.

Bright spots for the Hawks were in the kicking game as a pair of freshmen stepped in with solid efforts. Punter Artie Kurshumi was called on for nine punts and responded with a 33.7 net average, while Michael Garcarz nailed his first collegiate field goal attempt from 31 yards out to make the score 7-3 at halftime.

The Hawks have now lost all three of their games to Bentley, all of which have come as season openers. The Hawks have also dropped their last four season openers, failing to win on opening day since an 46-18 victory in 1999 against UML in the program's first varsity game since 1941.

Looking Ahead: Saint Anselm hits the road next weekend for an NE-10 battle with Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. The Hawks have never lost to the Greyhounds, wracking up a 38-13 win last season and averaging 31.0 points per game in the previous four meetings.