The Saint Anselm football team hits the road after a pair of home games and takes on Bryant University in the first annual Granite Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium in Smithfield, R.I.

The Hawks are currently on a 16-game losing streak overall and are looking to get into the win column against the Bulldogs. The all-time series between the two teams sits at 4-3 in favor of Bryant. In their last meeting at Bulldog Stadium in 2004, Bryant pulled out a 28-21 overtime victory over the Hawks. The Hawks are coming off a 52-28 home loss to Merrimack on Homecoming at Grappone Stadium. The team found the endzone four times on the afternoon, including a pair of TD receptions from senior Pat Turner. His afternoon included an 88-yard TD catch from sophomore Geoff Stevens, the longest play in Saint Anselm history. In addition, Turner's two TD catches ties a single-game school record. Turner now holds five school records and has developed into one of the top receiving threats in the Northeast-10. On the defensive side of the ball, all-time sack leader Casey Larson had another sack to bring his career total to 31.5. Senior Tom Kelleher led all players with 10 tackles in the loss to Merrimack.

Bryant is coming off a 35-14 thumping of Stonehill on Saturday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium. Senior Lorenzo Perry lit up the Skyhawks for 247 yards and three touchdowns, including a 62-yard scamper in the first quarter of the lopsided win.

THE SERIES WITH BRYANT: The series with Bryant currently stands at 4-3 in favor of the Bulldogs, including two straight victories by Bryant. The Hawks are 1-2 against Bryant at Bulldog Stadium, with their victory coming in 2000 by way of a 28-20 final.

FIRST ANNUAL GRANITE BOWL: Today's game marks the first annual Granite Bowl, the last of three trophy games for Saint Anselm this season. The winning team will be presented with the Granite Bowl following the conclusion of this afternoon's contest and the trophy will continue to be awarded to the winning team each season. In addition to today's game, the Hawks faced off with Stonehill on October 7th in the first annual Hawk Classic, and last Saturday met Merrimack in the first annual Merrimack River Shootout at Grappone Stadium.

A LOOK AT THE HAWKS: The Hawks enter today's contest in search of their first victory of the season. Through seven games, the Hawks have gained 451 total yards on the ground, already besting last year's total of 324 rushing yards. Leading the way has been sophomore Ryan Drago, who posted a career-high 84 yards on 15 carries in the loss to Merrimack. Overall, Drago has 238 yards on 80 rushes in six games played. Starting quarterback Geoff Stevens has 720 yards and four passing touchdowns, along with three rushing TD's. The receiving corps has again put together a solid season, led by all-time leading receiver Pat Turner with 30 catches for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Seniors Mike Wojtas and Mike Garcarz are close behind with 148 and 131 yards each, respectively. Garcarz also has a touchdown reception that came last Saturday against Merrimack. Garcarz is the program's alltime leading point scorer with 193 points and needs just seven more to become the first 200-point scorer in Saint Anselm history. In addition to his work as a receiver, Garcarz is also a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including a season-long of 44 yards against Assumption earlier this season.

A LOOK AT BRYANT: Bryant comes into this week's game following a 35-14 thumping of Stonehill at W.B. Mason Stadium in Easton, Mass. Senior standout running back Lorenzo Perry piled up 247 yards and three touchdowns against an overmatched Skyhawk defense, including touchdown scampers of 62 and 26 yards. Quarterback Charlie Granatell finished the afternoon 13- for17 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Justin Kix was on the receiving end of both TD scores as he finished with a total of 87 yards. On the season, Perry has piled up 1279 total rushing yards with 14 touchdowns. Granatell has totaled 1245 yards in the air with 12 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 138 passing attempts. Kix is the team's leading receiver with 434 yards and four touchdown catches in six games played.

ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE CASEY LARSON: Senior All-America candidate Casey Larson has enjoyed another outstanding season thru seven games. The Saint Anselm all-time leader in career sacks, Larson posted four total tackles in the loss to Merrimack on Saturday. He also picked up one tackle for a loss for a total of two yards, one sack for a loss of two yards, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Larson is ranked among the national leaders in sacks per game and tackles for a loss per game and is making a strong case for Northeast-10 AllConference and All-America honors.

RECORD SETTER: Senior Pat Turner posted 10 receptions for 75 yards in the Hawks' loss to Stonehill and in the process, became the school's all-time leader in career receiving yards with 1,256 total yards. Already the school's all-time leader in career receptions and record holder for most consecutive games with a catch with 19, Turner has further cemented himself as one of the top receivers in Saint Anselm history.

BRING IN THE BAND: In the Hawks' final home game on October 28th against Bentley College, the Stevens High School Marching Band will visit Grappone Stadium to perform at halftime and during the game. This will be the third band to play at a Saint Anselm home game this year as the Bishop Guertin and Merrimack High School Bands also performed. The Merrimack Band performed the national anthem prior to the game and then put on a halftime show in front of the 2,088 fans at Grappone Stadium.