COMPLETE GAME NOTES
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team will open up the 2013 season by playing host to Bowie State University on Saturday, Sept. 7 (1 p.m.) at Grappone Stadium. Links to live stats and live video are available on the football schedule page.
This will be the first ever meeting between Saint Anselm and Bowie State.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior WR Craig Dennis put together a career day in his final collegiate game, but the eighth-seeded Hawks ended their season with a 62-26 loss to fifth-seeded Merrimack College in a Northeast-10 Championship Weekend tilt at Martone-Mejail Field on Nov. 10, 2012.
The Hawks closed out their 2012 season at 2-9, while Merrimack wrapped up its season at 6-4.
Dennis set career highs in both catches (12) and receiving yards (140) to close his career. Junior RB Keith Charles composed his second career 100-yard rushing game as he carried 13 times for 113 yards. Freshman QB Andrew Murphy wound down his sensational rookie campaign by going 32 of 61 for 327 yards and four touchdowns, while also throwing a trio of interceptions. Murphy, who set the program's single-season touchdown passing record last week, finishes the year with 26 touchdowns, while coming up just 154 passing yards short of that single-season mark.
The Hawks drew first blood as they took the opening kickoff and marched down the field in just three plays. Charles set up the score with a 59-yard run that brought the Hawks down to the Merrimack 10-yard line. Charles then made it into the end zone just two plays later when he pulled in a swing pass toward the far sideline from Murphy and scampered in from six yards out. Senior K/P Shea Cerio had his extra point carom off the upright and the Hawks led 6-0 after the game's opening drive.
The Warriors answered by moving the ball quickly down the field. They were threatening on the doorstep when junior DB Joey Polverini put a hit on Merrimack WR Steve Serwon that forced the ball loose. Polverini recovered the loose ball and the Hawks took over at their own 5-yard line.
Facing a third-and-6 minutes later, Murphy aired one out down the left sideline for Dennis, who made a spectacular catch as he fell to the ground, but the officials ruled he came down out of bounds and the Hawks were forced to punt.
Merrimack took over at the Saint Anselm 34-yard line and finished the short drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Joe Clancy to Jere Brown. Nick Zwaan's extra point was no good and the game was tied at six with 9:43 to go in the opening quarter.
Merrimack then grabbed the lead with 6:19 left when Clancy hit Isaiah Voegeli for a 10-yard touchdown pass over the middle. Zwaan made the game's first extra point and the Warriors led it 13-6.
The Warriors added to their lead on the opening play of the second quarter. After getting the ball back on an interception by freshman DB Jack Hopkins, the Hawks were staring at third-and-12 from their own 14-yard line when Jesse Fowler intercepted Murphy's pass near the left sideline and returned it 30 yards, diving inside the pylon on the opposite side of the field after a circus-like return that lasted 19 seconds. Zwaan knocked the point-after through and Merrimack led 20-6 at the 14:41 mark of the second quarter.
On the ensuing Saint Anselm drive, Murphy was once again picked on a second-and-11 by linebacker Ryan McCarthy, who raced 45 yards down the left sideline for a score that made it 27-6 after Zwaan's kick with 12:38 remaining in the second quarter.
The Hawks got it right on their next drive as they went 58 yards in just five plays and 43 seconds to reach the end zone. Dennis highlighted things by pulling in a 32-yard pass down the right sideline from Murphy, who hit junior WR Eric Feehan for an eight-yard touchdown just two plays later. Cerio split the uprights and the Merrimack lead was sliced to 27-13 with 11:55 to play in the first half.
The Saint Anselm defense caused another turnover on the following Merrimack drive as Clancy tried to force it in on a second-and-15 at their own 38, but was picked by senior LB Matt Gordon, who went down at the Hawks' 44 after a one-yard return. It was the first interception of Gordon's career.
The Hawks then put together a nine-play, 47-yard drive that brought them down to the Merrimack 9-yard line. Murphy tried to go to Dennis in the left corner of the end zone, but was again intercepted by Fowler and Merrimack took over at its own 2-yard line.
The Warriors gave it right back two plays later, however, as Clancy overthrew Voegeli and freshman DB Tyler Lindsay went up to make the pick and the Hawks had it at the Merrimack 37-yard line.
After Saint Anselm went four-and-out, Merrimack scored on its fifth play of the drive as Clancy found Steven Browne for 53 yards and a score. Zwaan tacked on the extra point and the Warriors led 34-13 with 5:04 left in the second quarter.
On the ensuing Saint Anselm drive, the Hawks moved the ball 29 yards after Murphy connected with Dennis over the middle for 10 yards. Fowler then hit Dennis, forcing and recovering a fumble to give Merrimack the ball at its own 35-yard line. The Warriors would turn the ball over on downs at the Saint Anselm 20-yard line and Murphy took a knee to end the half.
The Warriors opened the second half with a 9-play, 65-yard drive that was capped with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Clancy to Serwon. Zwaan's extra point gave Merrimack a 41-13 lead with 12:14 left in the third quarter.
Following a three-and-out for the Hawks, Merrimack finished a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 43-yard touchdown run by Quinn McDonough. Zwaan converted the extra point and the Warriors grabbed a 48-13 advantage with 8:21 remaining in the third.
Merrimack forced another three-and-out before Voegeli returned Cerio's 45-yard punt 40 yards down the right sideline. On the first offensive play of the drive, Jimon Hill raced in on the left side from 18 yards out to make it 55-13 after Zwaan's point-after with 6:49 to go in the third.
After both teams traded punts, the Hawks completed a six-play, 54-yard drive with a spectacular play on fourth-and-seven. Murphy rolled out to the left, then stood in and took a hit as he aired it out down the left side of the field where sophomore Ahkeen Williams pulled it in as he ran into the end zone from 41 yards out. Cerio added the PAT and the Hawks cut it to 55-20 with 1:56 to go in the third.
Clancy expanded Merrimack's lead later in the fourth quarter when he hooked up with Brown on a 91-yard catch-and-run that brought the score to 62-20 following Zwaan's extra point with 10:40 to go.
Saint Anselm made it a little closer after a seven-play, 59-yard drive that was capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Murphy to junior WR Justin Bernard that trimmed the deficit to 62-26. Cerio's extra point was no good.
Bernard completed the day with 10 catches for 74 yards and the score. He also wrapped up the single greatest receiving season by a Hawk with 97 catches for 1,110 yards and 15 touchdowns – all single-season program marks. Bernard, who became the school's all-time leader in touchdown catches last week, adds to that mark and now has 20 heading into next season. Williams made five grabs for 76 yards and a score.
Senior LB Chris Bent finished with 12 tackles and ends his career as the all-time leading tackler in program history with 345 stops. Bent also closes the 2012-13 campaign with the second most tackles in a Saint Anselm single season as his 111 tackles are just three short of Dan Bohenek's 114 stops from the 2009 season.
This marked the final career game for seniors P.J. Senatore, LB Brendan Timmons, DL Tyler Williams, DB Tyler Crawford, Dennis, Cerio and Bent.
THE RUNDOWN
Balance is again the key word for the Saint Anselm College football team as it looks to get over the hump in 2013. Defensively, the Hawks had 20 takeaways a year ago, including 12 interceptions, and are looking to build on that in the upcoming season. With an improved, already-high-octane, offense sixth-year head coach Patrick Murphy thinks his squad will achieve his desired balance with a tweaked defensive scheme and a much-improved secondary.
The Hawks return 10 of 11 starters on the offensive side of the ball and will sprinkle in some impact freshmen from a recruiting class that Murphy says is the best during his time on the Hilltop. Despite losing a handful of starters on defense, the Hawks have plenty of experience and athletic bodies to pull off the balancing act they will need to make a run in the highly-competitive Northeast-10.
The Hawks have slightly altered their leadership structure and will be led by captains, senior RB Keith Charles and junior DL Andrew Lebowitz. Senior OL Dave Boardman, senior DB Trevor Jessie, junior LB Isaac Jorgensen and sophomore QB Andrew Murphy will serve as assistant captains.
QUARTERBACK
The Hawks will begin the season with a solid group at quarterback. 2012 starting QB Andrew Murphy is back and coming off a great spring, offseason and fall camp. Murphy, who started six games and earned Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year honors in 2012 after he completed 60.5 percent (222-367) of his passes, while throwing for 2,475 yards and a school-record 26 touchdowns. Murphy finished second in the conference in completions, attempts, passing yards, passing yards per game (275.6), passing touchdowns and longest completion (86). Coach Murphy is interested to see how his QB performs with a year of experience under his belt and a stronger grasp of the offense from a year ago. Murphy, the quarterback, will be backed up by senior Ray Doucette, who went 51-for-89 (57.3%) for 408 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Freshmen Yianni Gavalas and Matt Phelan both performed well in camp.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Hawks have all five starters back that finished last season on the offensive line, which should provide added continuity to an already-potent offense. Dave Boardman will anchor the group at center and will be flanked on his left by junior Zach Lombard and on his right by junior James Gibbons at the guard positions. Junior James Murphy will return at the right tackle spot with sophomore Mike Schiavi lining up at left tackle. Junior Brian DeAngelis and freshmen Nick DeCiantis and Daniel Yoon all put together impressive camps.
RUNNING BACK
The Hawks have an intriguing backfield that has plenty of experience with Keith Charles back after leading the team in rushing for the third straight season. He ran for 482 yards (4.4 ypr) and four touchdowns, while also snagging 32 balls for 375 yards and four scores out of the backfield. Coach Murphy is happy with the depth of the group as senior Mike Flanagan and junior Jason Busfield are both healthy. Speedy 5-foot-9-inch freshman Joe Hayman has been impressive in camp and will also see time in the backfield. Freshmen Trevor Patton and Michael Cheslock should also help the cause.
WIDE RECEIVER
Wide receiver should continue to be a position of strength for the Hawks as five of their top six pass catchers are back, starting with junior All-American Justin Bernard. The Northeast-10 All-Conference First Teamer played in all 11 games and set school records for catches (97), receiving yards (1,110) and receiving touchdowns (15). Bernard stacked up well, nationally, ranking fourth in both receptions per game (8.8) and overall receptions, sixth in touchdown catches, 10th in receiving yards and 12th in receiving yards per contest (100.9). In addition to shattering the program's single-season records, Bernard is now the school's all-time leader in touchdown catches (20) and is just 35 receptions and 155 receiving yards short of the career records in both of those categories, as he has amassed 176 catches and 1,994 receiving yards in just 24 games.
Junior Ahkeen Williams is back off his 59-catch, 685-yard and six-touchdown season. He also ran it 25 times for 148 yards and a pair of scores. Senior Eric Feehan and junior Brandon Gomes are both back in the mix, as is Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team member Mike Lombard. Freshmen Zach Bartak, Ryan Monette, Mike Barry, Correy King and Shane Jackson, whose speed adds a whole other dimension to the offense, all looked good in camp and could contribute.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The defensive line will be anchored at end by Andrew Lebowitz, with junior Cam Foster lining up at the opposite end spot. Lebowitz is the Hawks leading returning tackler with 48 stops last year, including 6.0 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Juniors Josh Cheever and Justin Waltzer provide big bodies in the middle at the D-tackle spots. Seniors Lou Licciardi and Sam Mullins will mix in at tackle, while freshmen Kyrell Jaundoo and Eric Wilson have had solid camps and will back up the ends.
LINEBACKER
Isaac Jorgensen will lead the way at mike linebacker, filling a hole vacated by the graduation of all-time leading tackler Chris Bent, while the buck spot will be filled by senior Matt Gordon. Gordon returns as the second leading returning tackler, notching 42 stops a year ago. The battle for the sam linebacker hole is a four-way race between senior Joey Polverini, junior Mike Tatro, sophomore Elijah Thomas and freshman Jeremy Betts. Freshmen Josh Garrett and Ryan Casale will contribute inside.
SAFETIES
Senior Trevor Jessie, whose six career interceptions are the sixth most in program history, will bolster the safety unit as he slides over from corner to play the free. Also sliding over with him will be sophomore Tyler Lindsay, whose four pass breakups led the team last year. Sophomore Chad O'Neill will line up as the whip, with sophomores Nick DiBenedetto and Joel Jorgensen, who moved from quarterback during camp, both expected to see time back there.
CORNERBACKS
Helping to improve the secondary play will be a crop of cornerbacks led by starters, sophomore Carroll Bailey and junior Tyrel McDonald. Bailey was a Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team selection a year ago after blanketing receivers while recording 29 tackles, forcing a fumble and recovering two more. Juniors Matt Yopp and Larry Harlow will see time as backups.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Sophomore Shane Grayson will handle both the kicking and punting duties, with senior Stan Pacuk in the mix for some field goal opportunities. Andrew Murphy will back Grayson up at punter. Senior Daniel Ruiz will once again handle the long snapping duties, while sophomore QB Cam McLevedge will hold for either Grayson or Pacuk. The running back tandem of Charles and Hayman will be back deep on kickoffs, while Hayman and Monette will both provide speed and shake returning punts.
COACHING STAFF
Associate head coach/defensive coordinator Rob Eggerling, defensive line coach John Trisciani and wide receivers coach Zach Dickson, who will also serve as the video coordinator this season, are all back in their familiar roles from last season. Yon Boone, the recruiting coordinator and director of football operations, will coach the linebackers and coordinate special teams after leading the defensive backs last season, while Allistair Sebastien now guides the defensive backs after spending his first two seasons on staff with the running backs. Bob Muckian comes over from Division I Valparaiso and will serve as the offensive line coach, as well as both the run game and academic coordinator. Jimmy Lauzon, former Manchester (N.H.) West High School head coach, joins the staff as running backs coach. Former Northeastern and North Carolina State DL David Akinniyi, who had professional playing stints with both the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm, will be the assistant defensive line coach, while Grantham Raymond, who will graduate from Springfield College in December, is filling the defensive quality control role. Rob Herrick, who spent last year at Dartmouth College, arrives as an assistant coach and head football strength and conditioning coordinator.
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.
