The Game: Saint Anselm travels to Smithfield, R.I. for a game against the Bryant Bulldogs on Saturday for a 1:00 PM Northeast-10 Conference game at Bulldog Stadium.

The teams enter Saturday in the middle of the pack among NE-10 teams. Saint Anselm sports a 4-2 overall record, 3-2 in NE-10 play while Bryant enters the contest at 3-3 both overall and in the NE-10.

Saint Anselm is coming off a tough 21-7 loss to Merrimack College last Saturday after giving up a pair of big plays late in the game. Bryant has won three of its last five including a 31-6 win on the road last weekend st Stonehill College.

Series History: Saint Anselm holds a slim 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with the home winning each of the last three contests.

The Hawks are coming off a 10-3 win last season. Derek DiMartino (Amherst, N.H./ UMass Amherst) was a workhorse for Saint Anselm, rushing 37 times for 119 yards and the game's only touchdown.

In the last game played in Rhode Island, Bryant came away with a 25-13 win back in 2002. In that game, Bryant ran the ball 56 times for 303 yards, scored a defensive touchdown, and put 19 points on the board in the second half to win going away

Inside The Numbers: Saturday's game will be a test of defensive prowess with each team's defenses having spent a lot of time on the field this season. Last weekend's 31-point outing was a season-best for a Bryant club that has averaged just 15.5 points per game. Saint Anselm's offense has not fared much better, scoring just under 20 points per game (19.7).

On defense however is where each team hangs their hats with the Bulldogs allowing an NE-10 best 15.0 points per game and the Hawks (18.3 pg) wracking up big numbers as the team continues to find its way into opposing schools' backfields.

Bryant's defense is allowing just 117.8 yards per game through the air and is the second-ranked defense in terms of yardage. The Bulldogs do allow over 136 yards on the ground, something Saint Anselm hopes to capitalize on.

The Saint Anselm defense has faced a league-high 465 plays with the offense maintaining possession of the ball for a league-worst 24:41 per game. The unit has not been phased, allowing just 72.7 yards per game on the ground (1.6 ypc), and having recorded league-highs of 14 interceptions, 30 sacks, and 73 tackles for a loss.

Saint Anselm: Saint Anselm could only muster a second quarter touchdown last Saturday in a 21-7 home loss to Merrimack. The Hawks' defense was solid again but turnovers followed by two big plays cost the Hawks in the defeat. Merrimack threw the ball 54 times in the game, 37 in the first half alone but were held at bay with the exception of a pair of passes resulting in 101 yards. The Hawks attempted a season-high 52 passes themselves as both squads abandoned the run game against formidable defenses.

The Hawks are led by an exceptionally fast and versatile defense. Their new 4-4 look up front has resulted in some dominating play despite being on the field more than any other NE-10 defense.

A deep Hawks' defense has seen 21 different players record at least one tackle for a loss, 12 different players record at least one sack, and 13 different players involved in either a turnover or blocked kick.

Run Stoppers: Saint Anselm allowed 76 yards rushing last weekend to Merrimack. That number represents the second highest total of the season against the Hawks who have held teams to fewer than 70 yards in four of the first six games. The team is ranked seventh nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (72.7).

Nothing Could Be Finer: With 4.0 sacks Saturday against Merrimack, senior DE David Heiner (Farmington, Conn./ Farmington) set the school's single game record and also set the school's single season record with 11.0 total (10 solo, 2 assisted). The previous record had been 9.5 by All-New England DE Lance Flagg, '02. Heiner's 11.0 sacks lead all NE-10 defenders, and his 18.5 tackles for a loss (16-5) also rank first in the league.

He also leads all of Division II in total sacks (11.0), solo sacks (10.0), tackles for a loss (18.5), solo tackles for a loss (16), sack yards (92), and his 110 TFL yards are 30 more than the next highest number.

Heiner is 2.0 sacks shy of Flagg's career record of 21.5. He needs 5.5 more TFL to tie Flagg's single season record, set in 2002. Heiner has 49 total tackles (28-21) on the season which ranks him seventh among all NE-10 players.

Safety Net: Junior S Brian Sundell continues to lead the NE-10 in tackles with 67 (28 solo). That number is also 18th best in Division II. He also has three interceptions and has forced two fumbles.

Another Record: Sophomore WR/K Michael Garcarz (New Britain, Conn./ New Britain) set a single game record for receptions with nine for 80 yards and a touchdown against Merrimack on Saturday. He did not play at all in the fourth quarter however... Garcarz ranks third in the NE-10 Conference in both points per game (8.7) and receptions per game (7.0).

Punting Perfection: Sophomore P Artie Kurshumi (revere, Mass./ Revere) had another good game last weekend with 10 punts for an average of 41.0 (long of 53). He placed four kicks inside the Merrimack 20-yardline, giving him 10 such kicks on 29 attempts so far this season. Kurshumi ranks second in punting average among NE-10 kickers at 40.6, just 0.10 behind the leader.

Bombs Away: Junior LB Mike Bombardier (Kingston, Mass./ Silver Lake Reg.) ranks fourth in the NE-10 in passes defended with seven breakups and one interception. He is also 23rd in the league in total tackles (15 solo) with 4.0 sacks, 6.5 tackles for a loss, one blocked kick and a forced fumble.

Road Warriors: Last weekend, road teams won all five games in the Northeast-10 Conference marking the first time that has happened this season.

Bryant: Bryant has been held to seven or fewer points in three of its six games but is coming off its best offensive outing of the year. The Bulldogs are second worst in the NE-10 in terms of time of possession. The Bulldogs, under first year coach Marty Fine, have abandoned the run-only approach of years past to a 64-36 breakdown of run to pass plays. The switch has already resulted in eight passing touchdowns for the club with freshman Charlie Granatel throwing all of them (10 INT).

The Bryant defense is led by Andrew McLarty (40 tackles, 19 solo), All-NE-10 Delano Dryden (35 tackles, 8 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 FF), and Ian Johnson (38 tackles, 19 solo).