COMPLETE GAME NOTES
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team will look to keep American International College from earning a first-place tie atop the Northeast-10 standings when it travels to Springfield, Mass., to take on the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, Oct. 26 (1 p.m.) at Abdow Field. Links to live stats and live video are available on the football schedule page.
The Hawks and Yellow Jackets meet for the 17th time ever, with American International holding a 13-3 advantage. The Yellow Jackets have won the previous 12 meetings dating back to 2001, including seven straight on the Hilltop. Prior to that, Saint Anselm had won three of the first four meetings, which took place in the 1930's and 40's. In the most recent meeting Oct. 26 of last season, freshman QB Andrew Murphy threw for a then-school-record 430 yards as the Hawks nearly pulled the upset against first-place AIC, but fell, 37-34, under the lights at Grappone Stadium on Senior Night.
The Hawks dropped to 1-8 on the season, including 1-7 in Northeast-10 play, while the Yellow Jackets, who entered the night in a first-place tie atop the NE-10 standings, improved to 7-1 on the season and a perfect 7-0 in the league.
Murphy erased the previous school record of 408 yards that was set by Michael Pierce against Pace on Sept. 25, 2010. Murphy also toppled the program record for completions as he connected on 47 of his career-high 66 attempts, breaking the mark of 37 that was held by both Shane Dinagen (Oct. 16, 2004 at Bryant) and Pierce (Oct. 31, 2009 vs. New Haven). Murphy's 71.2 completion percentage is tops in program history of anyone with more than 45 attempts. The reigning Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week threw three touchdowns and was intercepted four times, while also rushing for 18 yards and another score.
Junior WR Justin Bernard recorded 12 receptions for 85 yards and three touchdowns, which matched his career high that he set last week at Merrimack. Junior WR Eric Feehan posted career bests in both catches (11) and receiving yards (117). Feehan had previously caught 10 passes earlier this year at Assumption on Sept. 7 and racked up 114 receiving yards at AIC on Oct. 8 of last season. Sophomore WR Ahkeen Williams reeled in a career-high 11 passes for 92 yards, while senior WR Craig Dennis totaled 84 yards and matched his career best with eight catches. It marks the first time ever that three Saint Anselm receivers have each recorded at least 10 catches in the same game and the first time ever that four receivers have each amassed 80-plus yards in the same contest.
AIC took the opening kickoff and drove 57 yards in just five plays, with a Kevin Arduino 24-yard pass to Cal Brownridge giving it a 7-0 lead after a Daniel Backx extra point just 2:16 into the contest.
Arduino made it 14-0 with 3:55 remaining in the opening quarter when he capped a 14-play, 95-yard drive by hooking up with Gary Farley for the 14-yard score. Backx added the point-after.
After the Hawks missed a field goal with one second to play in the first quarter, Arduino ran one in himself from nine yards out to put the finishing touches on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that made it 21-0 after a Backx PAT with 9:18 to go in the second quarter.
Junior DB Joey Polverini then stalled the Yellow Jackets' next drive as he intercepted Arduino at the Saint Anselm 24-yard line. Three plays later, however, Murphy was picked off by Will Garcia and AIC had the ball at the Saint Anselm 35. It took the Yellow Jackets just four plays to make up the distance as Arduino hit Farley again for a seven-yard score that was followed by a Backx extra point to make it 28-0 with 1:42 left in the first half.
The Hawks responded with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that lasted just 1:22 and ended when Murphy found Bernard in the end zone from nine yards out. Senior P/K Shea Cerio kicked the extra point and Saint Anselm went into the locker room trailing 28-7. Murphy went 7-for-9 for 75 yards on the drive, hitting Bernard three times for 33 yards.
Saint Anselm received the kickoff to open the second half and needed just 2:09 to move the ball 61 yards in seven plays. Murphy's 19-yard completion to Dennis moved the offense into AIC territory before Williams' seven-yard reception, with a 15-yard penalty tacked on to the end of it, put the Hawks inside the 20. Junior RB Keith Charles powered his way forward for a nine-yard run that moved the ball inside the 10 and after a pair of short completions, Charles ran in from a yard out for the score. Cerio booted the extra point and the Hawks cut it to 28-14 with 12:41 on the clock in the third quarter.
The Hawks went three-and-out on their next drive, but Markell Rice botched the punt return and freshman Carroll Bailey dove on the loose ball at the AIC 26-yard line. The offense moved all the way down to the 3-yard line, but Murphy was intercepted in the end zone by Mike Ford, who returned it 74 yards to the Saint Anselm 26. A negative rush, a holding penalty and a sack moved the Yellow Jackets out of field goal range and they were forced to punt.
Rice then made up for his fumble as he intercepted Murphy and brought the ball down to the Saint Anselm 19. The Hawks' defense held strong again and forced the field goal attempt. Backx knocked his 36-yard try through and AIC led 31-14 with 1:28 left in the third quarter.
The Hawks answered with a 12-play, 79-yard drive that was capped by Murphy's three-yard run and made it 31-21 after Cerio's kick just 2:04 into the final quarter.
After the teams traded punts, Bryant Fitzgerald ripped off a 63-yard run down the left sideline to give the Yellow Jackets a 37-21 lead with 8:38 to go in the game. Backx' extra point was blocked.
Saint Anselm quickly responded as Murphy hit on seven of his eight passes to highlight a 10-play, 72-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown catch by Bernard that made it 37-27 with 5:15 to go. The Hawks went for the two-point conversion to make it a one-score game, but Murphy's pass slipped through the hands of his receiver.
AIC recovered the ensuing onside kick at its own 44-yard line, but went three-and-out and was forced to punt. Freshman WR Caleb Bettis came up with a monster 44-yard return to 50-yard line and, following a 15-yard personal foul penalty, the Hawks took over at the AIC 35. Murphy went 4-for-6 over the next 35 seconds, including an eight-yard touchdown throw to Bernard that sliced the deficit to 37-34 following Cerio's extra point with 2:47 on the clock.
The Saint Anselm defense forced another three-and-out on the Yellow Jackets after another onside kick and the Hawks' offense got the ball back at its own five-yard line with 1:06 left. After an offsides penalty bumped the Hawks up to the 10, Murphy found Charles for a 24-yard catch-and-run that put the ball at the 34. Following an incomplete pass to Williams, however, Murphy was picked by Rice at the 50 to seal the win for the Yellow Jackets.
Defensively, senior LB Chris Bent and junior LB Ethan Sylvain each tallied a team-high 11 tackles, while Bailey was in on a career-high nine stops.
The Hawks outgained AIC, 464-437, including 430-191 through the air.
Seniors Dennis, Cerio, Bent, DB Tyler Crawford, LB Brendan Timmons, OL P.J. Senatore and DL Tyler Williams were all honored in a ceremony on the field prior to the game.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior WR Justin Bernard caught nine passes, including one for a touchdown, but the Hawks suffered a 51-9 Homecoming loss to Merrimack on Oct. 19 at Grappone Stadium.
The Hawks fell to 0-7 on the season, including 0-6 in Northeast-10 play, while the Warriors improved to 4-3, 3-3 NE-10.
Bernard turned the nine catches into 89 yards, while sophomore QB Andrew Murphy went 24-for-39 for 194 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Senior RB Keith Charles went over 200 all-purpose yards for the fourth time this season as he rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries, caught three passes for 32 yards and returned five kicks for 93 yards.
After Merrimack went up 7-0 3:36 into the contest on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Joe Clancy to Jere Brown and a Nick Zwaan extra point, Saint Anselm drove 77 yards on 13 plays and punched it into the end zone when Murphy found Bernard from seven yards out with 7:57 to play in the opening quarter. Sophomore K/P Shane Grayson had his extra point blocked to keep it 7-6.
The Warriors immediately responded 13 seconds later as Quinn McDonough picked up Grayson's line drive kickoff at his own 10-yard line and raced 90 yards up the right sideline to make it 14-6 after Zwaan's kick.
Following back-to-back four-and-outs, the Hawks put together an 11-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in a 29-yard field goal from Grayson that sliced it to 14-9 with 1:33 on the clock in the first.
Merrimack then drove down the field into Saint Anselm territory and looked to be adding another score to the board, but the defense came up with a huge fourth-and-five stop to take the ball away. The offense could not capitalize, but had another chance two drives later after junior DB Tyrel McDonald picked Clancy at the Merrimack 32. The Hawks pushed it down to the five-yard line, but a fumbled snap on fourth-and-one ended in a broken play that gave the Warriors the ball back.
They would move 95 yards in 12 plays with Clancy hitting Zach Ingalls for a 15-yard touchdown that opened it to 20-9 with just 28 seconds on the clock. Sophomore DB Joel Jorgensen blocked Zwaan's extra point to keep it an 11-point game.
Merrimack started out the second half with the ball, but on the third play of the drive Clancy was intercepted at his 32-yard line by junior LB Isaac Jorgensen, who returned the ball down to the Merrimack 7. Charles was standing in the end zone with the ball two plays later, but a holding penalty negated the touchdown and Saint Anselm would eventually have to settle for a Grayson field goal try from 34 yards that came up short with 12:41 to play in the third.
The Warriors quickly responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive that took just 1:40 and was capped by a two-yard pass from Clancy to Shane Ferguson that made it 27-9 after Zwaan's PAT with 11:01 on the clock.
Merrimack scored again 17 seconds later after it forced and recovered a fumble before Clancy found Brown from 21 yards out on the first play of the drive to open it up to 34-9 following the Zwaan kick.
After the Merrimack defense forced a three-and-out, Clancy went up top on the first play of the drive and hit Justin Mount for a 63-yard score down the left sideline that closed the third-quarter scoring and widened the gap to 41-9 after Zwaan's extra point.
Clancy tacked on a Steven Browne 20-yard touchdown pass 34 seconds into the fourth quarter before Zwaan added a 33-yard field goal with 9:21 on the clock to end the day's scoring.
Merrimack held a 489-411 advantage in total offense, but Saint Anselm held its first opponent of the season under 100 yards rushing.
Junior LB Zach Hayes paced the defense with eight tackles, while senior DB Trevor Jessie added seven stops.
PULLING RANK
Senior RB Keith Charles ranks second in the conference and is sixth in the country with 203.0 all-purpose yards per game. Junior WR Justin Bernard leads the league and is third in the nation with 10.3 receptions per game. Bernard also ranks second in the league and 14th, nationally, with eight touchdown catches. Sophomore QB Andrew Murphy's 26.4 completions per game place him second in the league and ninth nationwide.
DEFENSE STRINGS TOGETHER STOPS
Despite giving up 51 points in the Oct. 19 loss to Merrimack, the defense put together a span of 22:44 where it made stops on five of six drives, including four straight. With 6:47 remaining in the opening quarter to 57 seconds into the third quarter, the defense forced a three-and-out punt, came up with a big fourth-down stop, forced another three-and-out punt, came up with an interception, gave up a touchdown and recorded another pick.
RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOK
In the Hawks' 41-27 loss to Assumption on Oct. 11, junior WR Justin Bernard toppled the last major program mark that he had yet to solely take ownership of when he caught 17 passes to eclipse the mark of 16 that he matched last season at Seton Hill on Nov. 3. Bernard, who now owns Saint Anselm's single-game, single-season and career records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches, racked up 154 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
RUNNING BACK
Senior RB Keith Charles ran the ball 12 times for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Hawks' 41-27 defeat against Assumption on Oct. 11, but it was through the air where Charles made his largest impact. The co-captain caught a career-high 10 passes for 84 yards and another score as he went over 200 all-purpose yards for the third time this year.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Despite suffering a 41-27 loss to Assumption on Oct. 11, the Hawks outgained their opponent in total yards for the first time this season as they racked up 406 and held Assumption to 379 – the lowest mark of any opponent this year. Sophomore QB Andrew Murphy also put together his best game of the season, numbers-wise, going 37-for-57 for 315 yards and two TDs. It was the first time Murphy, who averaged 404.0 passing yards in six starts a year ago, topped the 300-yard mark this season.
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.
