COMPLETE GAME NOTES
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team will take on undefeated Bentley University at Grappone Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Links to live stats and live video are available on the football schedule page.
The game will be streamed live at SaintAnselmHawks.tv, with Ben Altsher handling play-by-play duties and Nick Anastos providing the color analysis.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for seniors, teens and non-Saint Anselm students with a valid ID, while admission is free for children 12-and-under, as well as Saint Anselm students, faculty and staff that have a valid ID. Saint Anselm faculty and staff with a valid ID can also admit ONE guest free of charge.
This will be the 12th meeting between the two teams, with Bentley having won all 11 previous meetings. The Falcons are a perfect 5-0 against the Hawks on the Hilltop and are 6-0 in the friendly confines of their own home. In the most recent meeting Sept. 23 of last season, sophomore WR Justin Bernard caught six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, but the Hawks came up short against Bentley, 43-16, on a rainy night at Bentley Field.
The Hawks dropped to 0-3, including 0-2 in the Northeast-10, while the Falcons improved to 3-1, 2-0.
After a scoreless opening quarter that saw Bentley's 17-quarter scoring streak halted by the Hawks, the Falcons grabbed a 7-0 lead 3:12 into the second frame when they went 66 yards in nine plays. The drive was capped by an 11-yard pass play from Bryant Johnson to Bill Kiley.
Saint Anselm answered 2:30 later when it marched 70 yards in 10 plays with junior QB Mike Pierce finding Bernard for a 23-yard touchdown strike that made it 7-6. When the point-after snap was errant, Aaron McFadden picked it up and returned it the other way to give Bentley the 9-6 advantage.
The Falcons then engineered a long drive of their own, going 81 yards in 10 plays with Johnson and Mike Sumrell hooking up on a 27-yard pass to make it 16-6 with 1:39 to play before the half. After forcing a three-and-out, Bentley crafted an eight-play, 65-yard drive that took 46 seconds and was capped with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Kiley with just 19 seconds on the clock.
Saint Anselm closed the gap with 10:11 to play in the third quarter when junior Shea Cerio connected on a 32-yard field goal through the raindrops that sliced the deficit to 14.
With 4:20 to play in the quarter, Jamel Marshall coughed up the football at Bentley's own 39-yard line when junior LB Brendan Timmons forced the ball loose. Senior LB Shane O'Donnell fell on the football and the Hawks had momentum.
Staring at a fourth-and-8 after three plays, Pierce made one of his biggest throws of the night, connecting over the middle with senior WR Marc Wilson for 36 yards, bringing the Hawks down to the 2-yard line. Sophomore RB Keith Charles finished off the five-play drive as he bounced outside and snuck into the end zone past the left pylon to make it 23-16.
From there, however, Bentley put up 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 43-16 victory.
Johnson finished 25-for-34 with 286 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. Wade Critides caught nine passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Kiley reeled in eight catches for 102 yards and a pair of scores.
Pierce threw for 184 yards and a touchdown, while Wilson caught three of those passes for 54 yards. Charles totaled 58 yards of total offense, including a pair of receptions for 22 yards.
Sophomore DB Trevor Jessie recorded his fourth interception of the season and made seven tackles. Senior LB Kyle Hayes was all over the field, making a team-high nine tackles, including two for a loss of six yards.
Bentley amassed 529 yards of total offense as it held the ball for just over 40 minutes.
LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore WR Justin Bernard set a school record for receiving yards, freshman QB Andrew Murphy posted a new rookie school record for passing yards and sophomore WR Ahkeen Williams amassed nearly 200 yards of all-purpose offense as he set five personal career highs, but the Hawks suffered a 45-34 defeat against Southern Connecticut State University on Sept. 29 at Jess Dow Field.
The Hawks dropped to 0-5 on the season, including 0-4 in the Northeast-10, while the Owls recorded their first victory to improve to 1-4, 1-2 NE-10.
Bernard caught 13 passes for 226 yards and a career-high two touchdowns. The 226 yards eclipses the school record of 187 set by Marc Wilson against Plymouth State University on Sept. 5, 2009.
Murphy, in his first collegiate start, completed 29 of 43 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing just one interception. The 405 yards are the most in program history for a freshman, surpassing Michael Pierce's 397 against the University of New Haven on Oct. 3, 2009, and just three yards short of matching Pierce's overall school record of 408 that he set against Pace University on Sept. 25, 2010. The four touchdowns match Pierce's four in the Plymouth State contest for most by a Saint Anselm freshman and are also the most in school history for a true freshman.
Williams, meanwhile, set personal career bests in receptions (9), receiving yards (96), receiving touchdowns (2), rushing attempts (8) and rushing yards (82).
After the Saint Anselm defense forced a three-and-out on Southern Connecticut's first drive of the game, the offense took over and used six plays to move the ball 63 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown pass from Murphy – the first of his career – to Williams that made it 7-0 after the extra point by senior K Shea Cerio just 3:28 in.
The Owls answered in just 2:06 as Vaughn Magee, who racked up 297 yards on 30 rushes for the day, sprinted in from 11 yards out. Devin Silverman's point-after knotted the game at seven with 9:21 on the clock.
Then, after three straight three-and-outs, Southern drove all the way to the Saint Anselm 17-yard line, but Silverman's 33-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left and the game remained tied with 2:08 left in the opening quarter.
Murphy was then intercepted on the second play of the ensuing drive, setting up the Owls at the Saint Anselm 17-yard line once again. The Saint Anselm defense held strong, however, stopping Magee for no gain on a fourth-and-1 try at the eight-yard line.
Southern would turn that into points, however, when with the Hawks facing a third-and-8 from their own 10, the snap sailed over Murphy's head and into the back of the end zone. The quarterback tracked the ball down and batted it out of the end zone to save the touchdown, but hand the Owls a safety that gave them a 9-7 lead just 34 seconds into the second quarter.
After forcing Southern to punt, the Hawks strung together an eight-play, 70-yard drive that was capped with a 20-yard touchdown catch by Bernard. Murphy dropped back and tossed the ball high into the air toward the back right corner of the end zone, where Bernard tracked it down, leapt and pulled it in for the score. Cerio's extra point gave the Hawks a 14-9 lead with 8:08 to go in the second.
The Owls would answer once again, though, when they took advantage of a short field and went 41 yards in six plays, with Jacob Jablonski finding Jayson Holt for a 25-yard touchdown that put Southern back on top, 16-14, after Silverman's PAT with 1:41 left before the break.
Saint Anselm quickly responded with an eight-play, 67-yard drive. A 20-yard Bernard reception with a 15-yard personal foul penalty tacked on to the end of it, followed by a Williams 18-yard catch, moved the Hawks into field goal range. Cerio came through as he split the uprights on a 25-yarder as time expired to send the Hawks into the locker room with a 17-16 edge.
The Hawks began the second half on offense and put together an eight-play, 65-yard drive that set up a 32-yard field goal try for Cerio that went wide left.
Southern Connecticut capitalized as it drove 80 yards in nine plays, with Jablonski hitting Willie Epps for a 27-yard touchdown that gave the Owls the lead back, 23-17 with 8:04 remaining in the third, after Silverman's extra point.
Saint Anselm needed just 1:07 to get the lead back, as on the third play of the ensuing drive, Murphy hit Bernard near the right sideline. Bernard and the Southern defender both went for the ball, but Bernard made the catch, separated from the defender and raced down the sideline to finish off the 86-yard catch and run. Cerio booted the PAT and the Hawks went in front, 24-23.
The Hawks scored again just 53 seconds later as sophomore LB Isaac Jorgensen nabbed his fourth career interception and first of 2012 to give the offense the ball back at the SCSU 27-yard line. It took the Hawks just three plays to find the end zone with Murphy targeting Williams, who made the catch and darted to the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. Cerio once again added the point-after and Saint Anselm went up 31-23 with 7:11 left in the third quarter.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, junior DB Joey Polverini intercepted Jablonski to hand the ball back to the offense at its own 40-yard line. The Hawks went three-and-out and after offsetting penalties on Cerio's first punt, he punted again. This time, John Moscatel muffed the catch and freshman DB Carroll Bailey fell on the ball at the Owls' 22-yard line. The Hawks went three-and-out again, however, with Murphy pooch punting to put Southern at its own 24.
The Owls picked up a first down on their next drive, but were once again forced to punt. Sophomore WR Brandon Gomes partially blocked the punt and the Hawks took over at their own 33. Saint Anselm went 67 yards in eight plays, as Cerio connected on a 25-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 34-23 with 14:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Southern responded by going 83 yards in 10 plays, as Magee capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. Jablonski hit Jerome Cunningham on a two-point conversion try and the Owls were within 34-31 with 11:47 to go.
Following a three-and-out and a punt by Saint Anselm, Southern moved the ball 81 yards in four plays, with 61 of those yards being eaten up by Magee, including 44 on a touchdown run that gave the Owls a 38-34 advantage after Silverman's kick with 8:10 on the clock.
On their next drive, the Hawks picked up a first down, but were again forced to punt. Despite Cerio's punt being downed inside the 1-yard line, the Owls went the length of the field to seal it. Magee was responsible for 78 of those 99 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left that made it 45-34 after Silverman's kick.
The Hawks gained a season-high 500 yards of total offense, with 405 coming through the air and 95 on the ground. The Owls put up 583 yards – 292 passing and 291 rushing. Magee ran for 187 yards in the fourth quarter, which set a Division II single-quarter record.
The Hawks recorded a season-high four sacks and held the Owls without a third-down conversion in the first half (0-7). Southern went 6-for-7 in that category in the second half, however. Senior LB Chris Bent tallied a game-high 14 tackles to add to his team lead.
OFFENSE BACK ON TRACK?
After putting up 351.1 yards per game over the previous three seasons, the Hawks' offense was averaging just 235.5 yards per contest this season before it erupted for 500 yards and four touchdowns at Southern Connecticut State on Sept. 29.
D-LIGHTFUL
The defense also got into the act at Southern Connecticut on Sept. 29, recording a season-high four sacks, as well as a pair of interceptions. The Hawks' D held the Owls without a third-down conversion in the first half (0-7) as it helped the squad take a 17-16 lead into the break.
MOVE OVER, MARC
Sophomore WR Justin Bernard caught 13 passes for 226 yards and a career-high two touchdowns at Southern Connecticut on Sept. 29. The 226 yards eclipses the school record of 187 set by Marc Wilson against Plymouth State on Sept. 5, 2009. Bernard earned Beyond Sports Network (BSN) Offensive Player of the Week honors as one of six Division II players on the squad, including one of two wide receivers. Bernard is 21st in the country and second in the Northeast-10 in receptions per game (7.0), as well as 26th in the nation and third in the conference in receiving yards per game (93.2).
HE'S A FRESHMAN?!
In his first collegiate start at Southern Connecticut on Sept. 29, freshman QB Andrew Murphy completed 29 of 43 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing just one interception. The 405 yards are the most in program history for a freshman, surpassing Michael Pierce's 397 against New Haven on Oct. 3, 2009, and just three yards short of matching Pierce's overall school record of 408 that he set against Pace on Sept. 25, 2010. The four touchdowns match Pierce's four against Plymouth State on Sept. 5, 2009 for most by a Saint Anselm freshman and are also the most in school history for a true freshman. Murphy was named the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week for his efforts.
CAREER HIGHS FOR 'KEEN
Sophomore WR Ahkeen Williams put together his best game in a Saint Anselm uniform at Southern Connecticut on Sept. 29 as he set personal career bests in receptions (9), receiving yards (96), receiving touchdowns (2), rushing attempts (8) and rushing yards (82).
BENT, BUT DON'T BREAK
Senior LB Chris Bent has been a bright spot, defensively, so far this season. Bent has registered a team-leading 55 tackles, including 33 solo stops, and ranks 16th in the nation, as well as second in the conference, in tackles per game (11.0).
YOU CAN'T BE CERIO!
With 41 punts through the first five games of the season, senior Shea Cerio is within reach of the program's single-season record for punts, which is held by Mike Garcarz, who booted away 83 balls during the 2006 season. Cerio, who matched Saint Anselm's single-game record of 13 punts in the season opener at Kutzown on Sept. 3, also needs just 22 more punts to become the school's career leader in that category. Jeff Dandurand tallied 181 punts from 1999-02.
DOING IT ALL
Sophomore WR Justin Bernard had a game to remember in the Hawks' home opener against Stonehill on Sept. 14. Bernard caught seven passes for 113 yards (the second highest total of his career) and a touchdown. In addition, Bernard tossed a 52-yard touchdown pass to fellow sophomore WR Brandon Gomes that gave Saint Anselm a 13-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Bernard is the first non-QB ever to throw a touchdown pass of that length for the Hawks and the first to complete a TD since K/WR Michael Garcarz connected on a 19-yard score against Assumption on Sept. 11, 2004.
BENT, BUT DON'T BREAK
While the Hawks are giving up just a shade under 40 points per game through the first three contests this year, senior LB Chris Bent has been a bright spot, defensively, so far this season. Bent has registered a team-leading 35 tackles, including 20 solo stops, and ranks 13th in the nation in tackles per game (11.7), as well as second in the conference.
PICKING AND CHOOSING
The Hawks' two interception leaders from a year ago, sophomore LB Ethan Sylvain (5) and junior DB Trevor Jessie (4), each picked off a pass against Stonehill. It marked the first two INTs of the year for Saint Anselm. Sylvain ran his interception back 45 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter that gave the Hawks a 20-14 advantage.
THREE FOR ME
The Hawks have found the end zone three times in their first two games, with junior running back Keith Charles scoring all three touchdowns – a receiving score at Kutztown and a pair of rushing TDs at Assumption.
CUIPA BREAKS RECORD
Sophomore QB Stephen Cuipa broke a nearly 12-year-old record when he completed 80 percent (16-20) of his passes at Assumption on Sept. 7. The previous record was held by Keith Comeau, who connected on 76.9 percent (20-26) of his throws at Stonehill on Nov. 4, 2000.
ALL-PURPOSE BACK
Junior running back Keith Charles amassed 194 all-purpose yards at Assumption on Sept. 7. Charles rushed 13 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns, made four catches for 37 yards and returned four kickoffs for 81 yards.
PERFECT 10
Junior wide WR Eric Feehan, who broke out a year ago as the team's second leading receiver, continued his solid play with a career-best 10 catches for 91 yards at Assumption on Sept. 7.
FIRST IN
For the second straight year, junior running back Keith Charles scored Saint Anselm's first touchdown of the season. Charles caught a 25-yard touchdown pass at Kutztown on Aug. 30, one year after scampering in from two yards out at home against Kutztown on Sept. 3, 2011.
PREDICTING THE FUTURE
The Hawks were picked to finish eighth in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Aug. 20. New Haven was chosen as the favorite to win the conference after collecting seven-first place votes and point total of 63 to beat out Southern Connecticut, which earned one first-place vote and 53 total points. AIC, which received the other first-place vote, came in third with 50 points. With 41 points apiece, Bentley and Merrimack tied for the fourth-place slot, as Assumption (29) edged out Stonehill (24) for sixth place. Saint Anselm (15) and Pace (8) rounded out the poll.
WGAM PARTNERSHIP
The Saint Anselm College Department of Athletics has partnered with WGAM 'The Game' Radio for the upcoming 2012-13 season. As part of the agreement, WGAM 'The Game' will feature the Saint Anselm Coaches' Show once per week. The Saint Anselm Coaches' Show will air every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. as part of "The Nick Anastos Show," which runs from noon-2 p.m. Anastos, a Bedford, N.H., native, has served as the color analyst for the Hawks' Pack Network broadcasts of football, men's and women's basketball and men's and women's ice hockey since 2010. The show will highlight what is happening in the world of Saint Anselm athletics, as Anastos will chat with both a head coach and student-athlete during the 30-minute segment.
LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
Saint Anselm Athletics and Pack Network will once again team up for the 2012-13 season to offer an industry-leading streaming video solution. The service will feature live event productions that include multiple cameras, an on-screen scoreboard and graphics so that fans can still be part of the action even when they can't make it to the game. And starting this season, fans can stream games live on their ipad or iphone. This season, all football, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's hockey games will be streamed live at SaintAnselmHawks.tv. The Hawks All-Access Pass, available for $69.95, gives fans the opportunity to watch not only all the live coverage of various Saint Anselm home athletic events, but also premium content not available to view without the All-Access Pass. The premium content includes an in-depth archive section of all video available. Single-event subscriptions for all live events will be available throughout the season for $6.95.
