COMPLETE GAME NOTES
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team will play host to Assumption College on Friday, Oct. 11 (7 p.m.) at Grappone Stadium. Links to live stats and live video are available on the football schedule page.
The Hawks will be donning orange accents for the game to raise awareness for Leukemia, in honor of their Team IMPACT teammate, 15-year-old Nathan Etchells. Nathan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in October 2009 at age 11. Donation buckets will be posted at each ticket booth, with all proceeds going directly to Team IMPACT.
This will be the 15th meeting between the two teams, with Assumption holding a 9-5 record, which includes eight straight wins in the series. The Greyhounds hold a 5-3 mark at home against the Hawks and have won four straight there, not losing since Sept. 11, 2004, which is also Saint Anselm's last win in the series. The Hawks' last home victory against Assumption came via a 28-26 win Sept. 29, 2001. In the most recent meeting Sept. 7 of last season, Keith Charles racked up 194 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, but the Hawks dropped a back-and-forth game with Assumption, 24-14, in both teams' Northeast-10 opener at Multi-Sport Stadium.
The Hawks dropped to 0-2 on the season, including 0-1 in the conference, while the Greyhounds evened their record at 1-1 and start 1-0 in the league.
Charles rushed 13 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns, made four catches for 37 yards and returned four kicks for 81 yards.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Assumption capped a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Tad Beuchert to take a 3-0 lead.
Saint Anselm responded just 1:24 later, driving 71 yards in just five plays before Charles ran right and into the end zone from three yards out to give the Hawks a 7-3 lead after the extra point by senior Shea Cerio. Charles set up the score with a 56-yard run that brought the Hawks down to the 5-yard line before the ball was moved half the distance to the goal when an Assumption defender grabbed his facemask.
The Greyhounds re-gained the lead with 11:19 to play in the third quarter when they moved the ball 50 yards in just three plays, with Bobby Jordan tossing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Adam Gruschow over the middle to make it 10-7 after Beuchert's point after.
The game stayed that way until the fourth quarter when Beuchert booted a 36-yard field goal with 9:17 remaining to make it 13-7.
The Hawks then put together an eight-play, 74-yard drive that lasted just 2:27 and was capped by a Charles 1-yard run. Cerio's extra point caromed in off the upright and the Hawks went up 14-13 with 6:50 to go.
Just 2:30 later, however, the Greyhounds moved the ball 75 yards in just six plays, including a 26-yard touchdown pass inside the left pylon from Jordan to Evan Butters that made it 19-14. Assumption went for two and completed it, but a penalty call erased the conversion. The Greyhounds went for it again anyway and Jordan completed a pass to the right corner of the end zone for Scott Simonson that pushed the score to 21-14.
After coming up with a pair of sacks on the ensuing drive, Assumption took over on downs at the Saint Anselm 23. Beuchert added a 34-yard field goal that sealed the game, pushing the lead to 10 with 1:04 on the clock.
Sophomore QB Stephen Cuipa went 16-for-20 for 119 yards, while junior QB Ray Doucette was 9 of 14 for 88 yards. Sophomore WR Eric Feehan, who caught nine passes for 106 yards against the Greyhounds last season, hauled in 10 catches for 91 yards.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior RB Keith Charles ran for two touchdowns and senior LB Matt Gordon returned a fumble for a go-ahead score with less than six minutes remaining, but the Hawks were downed by Bentley, 32-27, on Oct. 5 at Bentley Field.
The Hawks fell to 0-5 on the season, including 0-4 in Northeast-10 play, while the Falcons improved to 3-2, 2-2 NE-10.
Charles rushed 11 times for 42 yards, caught three passes for 29 yards and returned four kicks for 104 yards as he was narrowly held under 200 all-purpose yards for the second straight week. Sophomore QB Andrew Murphy completed 23 of 38 passes for 197 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception. Junior WR Justin Bernard reeled in seven passes for 55 yards and a score.
Trailing 26-14 with fewer than eight minutes on the clock, the Hawks marched 56 yards in six plays and used just 1:00 of clock in doing so. Charles finished off the drive with a 10-yard scamper that sliced the deficit to 26-21 after the extra point by sophomore K/P Shane Grayson with 6:44 to go.
On just the second play of the ensuing Bentley drive, junior DL Josh Cheever forced a fumble that was picked up by Gordon, who ran it back 22 yards to give the Hawks their first lead since late in the opening half at 27-26 with 5:52 left. The offense stayed out on the field to attempt the two-point conversion, but came up empty.
Bentley responded with a six-play, 66-yard drive that was capped by a Dan Guadagnoli 13-yard run that put the Falcons back on top, 32-27, with 2:42 on the clock. Bentley also went for the two points, but fell short.
The Hawks started out the ensuing drive from their own 29-yard line with 2:36 remaining and pushed ahead 20 yards after three straight completions and a pair of runs. Facing a third-and-6 from their own 49, however, the Hawks turned the ball over as Murphy was picked by Nick McCarthy at the Bentley 35-yard line with 1:26 left to seal the victory.
After falling behind early, 3-0, on a Michael Baron 24-yard field goal, Saint Anselm punted on its first possession, but Bernard was able to fall on the ball after it was fumbled at the Bentley 27-yard line. The Hawks took advantage of the short field as Charles eventually ran it in from four yards out to make it 7-3 with 7:20 left following Grayson's kick.
Baron's second field goal of the quarter – a 27 yarder – with 32 ticks on the clock brought the hosts within one, but Saint Anselm raced 58 yards in just four plays in under a minute, with Murphy finding Bernard from 19 yards out to put the hosts on top 14-6 after Grayson's PAT just 29 seconds into the second quarter.
The Falcons responded with a 10-play, 60-yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes of clock and cut the gap to 14-13 when Guadagnoli hooked up with Chris Malonis for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 8:45 to go before the break. Baron tacked on the extra point and then added his third field goal of the afternoon to send Bentley into the locker room with a 16-14 edge. The Falcons put together another nearly-six-minute series with a 14-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in the 31-yard field goal.
Saint Anselm started on offense in the second half, but was forced to punt, which lead to disastrous results. The snap sailed over the head of Grayson and was scooped up at the 8-yard line by Bryan Hardy, who ran it into the end zone for a touchdown that stretched the Bentley lead to 23-14 with 13:37 left after Baron's PAT.
After Baron missed a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter, he hit an 18-yard chip shot with 7:51 left in the fourth to put Bentley on top, 26-14, and set up the dramatics down the stretch.
Junior WR Brandon Gomes snagged three passes for 45 yards, while fellow junior WR Ahkeen Williams made five catches for 44 yards.
Junior LB Isaac Jorgensen made a game-high 12 tackles, to pace a defense that forced four turnovers, including three fumbles and an interception by sophomore DB Joel Jorgensen.
Bentley outgained Saint Anselm in total offense, 400-213.
PULLING RANK
Senior RB Keith Charles leads the conference and is eighth in the country with 200.0 all-purpose yards per game. Junior WR Justin Bernard leads the league and is fifth in the nation with 9.2 receptions per game. Bernard also ranks second in the league and 14th, nationally, with six touchdown catches. Senior DL Lou Licciardi's 1.9 tackles-for-loss per game lead the league and place him 12th, nationally. Finally, sophomore QB Andrew Murphy's 24.8 completions per game place him second in the league and 18th nationwide.
FORCING THE ISSUE
The Saint Anselm defense has forced the most turnovers (13) in the conference this season and ranks 18th in the country. It also places second in the league in both fumble recoveries (7) and interceptions (6).
LEADING LATE
When senior LB Matt Gordon recovered a Bentley fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown that put Saint Anselm on top, 27-26, with 5:52 remaining in the Oct. 5 contest, it was the latest in a game the Hawks had held a lead all season.
GRAYSON IS GOOD
Sophomore K/P Shane Grayson hit field goals of 35 and 20 yards against Southern Connecticut on Sept. 27 for the first multiple-field goal game of his career.
KICKING IT AROUND
In the Hawks' 52-24 loss at Stonehill on Sept. 14, sophomore K/P Shane Grayson booted a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter that registered as the sixth longest in program history.
TAKING IT AWAY
The Hawks forced four turnovers with two interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries in their 42-28 season-opening defeat against Bowie State on Sept. 7. It was the second straight game the defense racked up four takeaways as they intercepted three passes and forced a fumble in the 2012 season finale Nov. 10 at Merrimack on Northeast-10 Championship Weekend.
BALL HAWK
In the Hawks' 42-28 loss in their 2013 opener against Bowie State on Sept. 7, junior DB Mike Tatro made 10 tackles, in addition to a 39-yard fumble return and a 35-yard interception return. Tatro had eight total tackles in his entire career coming into the contest.
PREDICTING THE FUTURE
The Hawks were picked to finish ninth in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Aug. 29. AIC, which earned a berth into last season's Northeast-10 title game, topped the poll with 75 points and five first-place votes as it narrowly beat out defending Northeast-10 Champion New Haven, which amassed 73 points and a trio of first-place votes. Bentley grabbed the third spot with 61 points – just one ahead of LIU Post, which totaled 60 points and a pair of first-place votes after re-joining the league over the summer after a five-year stint in the PSAC. Merrimack nailed down the fifth spot with 44 points, while Southern Connecticut and Stonehill followed with 42 and 41 points, respectively. Assumption was picked eight with 24 points, while Pace rounded out the poll in 10th with nine points.
ESPN NEW HAMPSHIRE PARTNERSHIP RENEWED
The Saint Anselm College Department of Athletics has partnered with ESPN New Hampshire Radio for the second straight year in 2013-14. As part of the agreement, ESPN New Hampshire will feature the Saint Anselm Coaches' Show every Tuesday. The show will take place live from the dining hall on campus from noon-1 p.m. and will then be aired on ESPNNH.com, 1250 AM Manchester and 900 AM Nashua from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Nick Anastos, a Bedford, N.H., native, will again host the show. Anastos 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 hour-long segment.
LIVE VIDEO STREAMING
Saint Anselm Athletics and Pack Network will once again team up for the 2012-14 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.
