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28
Winner So. Connecticut SCS 3-5 , 3-4
14
Saint Anselm STA 2-6 , 2-5
Winner
So. Connecticut SCS
3-5 , 3-4
28
Final
14
Saint Anselm STA
2-6 , 2-5
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
SCS So. Connecticut 0 14 0 14 28
STA Saint Anselm 0 7 0 7 14

Game Recap: Football |

Football Falls a Few Big Plays Short in 28-14 Loss to So. Connecticut

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman QB Eric Fairweather (Londonderry, N.H.) completed 25 of 36 passes for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the Saint Anselm College football team dropped Saturday afternoon's 28-14 decision to Southern Connecticut State University at Grappone Stadium.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

  • Fairweather, who set career highs in completions, attempts, completion percentage (69.4%), passing yards and touchdowns, also ran five times for 27 yards.
  • Junior WR Ryan Monette (Hampton, N.H.) hauled in eight passes for 65 yards and a touchdown and added 90 return yards for 155 all-purpose yards on the day.
  • Senior DB Carroll Bailey (Clinton, Mass.) registered a game-high 12 tackles, while senior LB Joel Jorgensen (Eldersburg, Md.) rang up 10 stops and forced a fumble.

For the foes…

  • RB Robert Thomas rushed 26 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
  • WR Devante Jenkins caught nine passes for 116 yards and a pair of scores.
  • QB Rob Nittolo was 14 of 24 for 158 and two touchdowns.
  • LB Brandon Pelzer tallied a team-high 10 tackles, including 2.0 for a loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Follow a scoreless quarter-and-a-half of football, Southern Connecticut broke through first at the 5:13 mark of the second stanza as Thomas' 1-yard stroll capped a six-play, 58-yard drive to make it 7-0.
  • Saint Anselm answered back just 1:05 later, using just four plays to knot the game at 7-all via Fairweather's 19-yard touchdown pass to junior WR Zach Bartak (Greenfield, Mass.).
  • The Owls responded back with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that was polished off with a Nittolo-to-Jenkins 33-yard strike that made it 14-7 with 1:18 on the clock in the second quarter.
  • On the ensuing Saint Anselm drive, Fairweather used a 20-yard completion to Bartak and a 19-yard hookup with senior RB Elad Covaliu (Rockville, Md.) to move the Hawks into the red zone, but a Covaliu fumble on the next play would thwart the scoring opportunity and send Southern Connecticut into the locker room with a 14-7 advantage.
  • In a duplicate image of the first half, neither team scored in the third quarter as Southern Connecticut kicked off the second-half scoring with Nittolo finding Jenkins from 25 yards out to run the score to 21-7 with 6:47 remaining in the contest. Saint Anselm crafted a 16-play, 53-yard drive midway through the third quarter, but turned the ball over on downs at the Southern Connecticut 34-yard line.
  • After the Hawks went three-and-out following the Owls' score, Southern Connecticut again found the end zone on an eight-yard Thomas run that stretched the lead to 28-7 with 3:38 to go.
  • Saint Anselm turned around and put together its most impressive drive of the game, moving 73 yards in eight plays, with Fairweather connecting on a four-yard touchdown pass to Monette to pull the Hawks within 28-14 with 1:46 left.
  • Southern Connecticut recovered Saint Anselm's onside kick attempt and ran the clock down, punting it back to the Hawks as time expired.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Southern Connecticut outgained Saint Anselm in total offense yardage, 416-323, including 258-110 on the ground. The Hawks put up 213 yards through the air, while the Owls produced 158 passing yards.
  • Bartak caught four passes for 46 yards and the touchdown, while Covaliu rushed 20 times for 48 yards and reeled in five passes for 45 yards.
  • Saint Anselm had the game's only turnover, while Southern Connecticut did fumble it three times, but recovered each one.
  • The Hawks' defense sacked Nittolo three times, while the offensive line kept Fairweather clean all afternoon.
  • Both teams were identical in the red zone (2-3) and were nearly identical on conversion attempts. Southern Connecticut was 4-for-13 on third down, while Saint Anselm was 4-for-14. Both teams were 1-for-2 on fourth down.
  • Southern Connecticut held the ball for about 58 percent of the contest, but possessed it for a whopping 11:29 during the fourth quarter – or 77 percent of the period.

UP NEXT

  • The Hawks are back in action Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. when they travel to Stonehill College for the "Battle of the Ol' Bronze Hawk."
  • Saint Anselm is back home for its regular-season finale Saturday, Nov. 7 at noon when it plays host to the University of New Haven at Grappone.

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