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Football takes the field at Merrimack

PREVIEW: Football opens Grappone Stadium schedule against Franklin Pierce

9/24/2021 12:00:00 PM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team will play in its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 25, hosting Franklin Pierce University. Saturday's game is part of the College's Homecoming Weekend - the opening kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Grappone Stadium.

SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (0-2, 0-1 NE10)
Roster | 2021 Schedule | 2021 Statistics | 2019 Statistics | News | Game Notes (PDF)

FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY RAVENS (0-3, 0-1 NE10)
Roster | 2021 Schedule | 2021 Statistics | 2019 Statistics | News

The Ravens are New Hampshire's newest intercollegiate football team, debuting as an NCAA Division II program during the 2019 season. Saint Anselm came away with a victory over Franklin Pierce in 2019, winning by a 50-10 margin, and welcome the Ravens to campus for the first time in their brief program history.

Live Statistics and Live Video are available for those unable to make it to Homecoming Weekend on the Hilltop. Long-time Hawks broadcaster Ben Altsher will have the call on the NE10 Now Network alongside color commentator Chris Shuker starting at 12:45 p.m.

For those coming to the game at Grappone Stadium, a newly-revised ticketing policy was recently announced by the Saint Anselm Department of Athletics.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • After an opening game loss to NCAA Division I Merrimack, the Hawks fell to Southern Connecticut State University last Friday evening under the lights in New Haven. Rallying to tie the score at 31 in the final two minutes, Southern Connecticut State kicked a "walk-off" field goal with time expired to pick up a three-point win.
  • Saint Anselm is playing in its home opener on Saturday, the latest first game at home in team annals. The game also coincides with the College's Homecoming Weekend festivities. The Hawks volleyball team also takes on Franklin Pierce in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
  • Franklin Pierce had sponsored sprint football dating back to the 2012 season, but moved into NCAA Division II competition prior to the 2019 season. In the first meeting between Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce, the Hawks picked up a 50-10 victory over the Ravens in Rindge.
  • The Ravens posted a 1-10 record in its first full season of play, downing Curry by a 29-27 margin in the season's second week. So far in 2021, Franklin Pierce has lost to New Haven (L 30-14), Lake Erie (L 31-20) and American International (L 38-19).
GRANITE STATE SHOWDOWN
  • Since the Saint Anselm football team returned as a varsity sports offering on the Hilltop in 1999, the Hawks have racked up a 4-1 record against teams from the Granite State. Saint Anselm is 3-1 in the modern-day series against Plymouth State University and is 1-0 against Franklin Pierce, downing the Ravens in 2019 by forty points.
  • Including the team's intercollegiate schedules prior to World War II (1934-1942), the Hawks own a 9-3 record all-time in varsity intercollegiate competition against Franklin Pierce, Plymouth State and the University of New Hampshire (5-2 all-time).
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT HOME
  • Saint Anselm will look to snap a five-season losing streak in its home openers. The Hawks last claimed victory in a home opener on Sept. 20, 2014 against Bentley, winning by a 38-34 margin as part of a five-game winning streak to open the year.
  • In the Hawks last home opener against an NE10 opponent, Saint Anselm came out on the losing end of a 57-54 slugfest against Stonehill that went three overtimes under the lights on Sept. 8, 2018.
  • The Hawks posted a 3-2 record at Grappone Stadium in 2019, its first season above .500 at home since the 2002 season (3-2 home, 2-3 away; 5-5 overall).
NE10 PRESEASON POLL
  • Saint Anselm was projected to finish sixth in the Northeast-10 Conference, according to the league's preseason coaches' poll released prior to the season. The Hawks have not placed sixth or higher in a season since the 2015 campaign (T-5th/10).
  • In 2019, Saint Anselm knocked off three of the league's top five programs in that season's preseason coaches' poll, downing New Haven, Assumption and Southern Connecticut State late in the year.
  • Franklin Pierce was voted ninth out of nine teams in the NE10 preseason coaches' poll. Only in its second full season of varsity competition, the Ravens have rebounded from getting shut out in each of their final three games of 2019 to lose by no more than 19 points so far in 2021.
OWLS DELIVER THE OUCH
  • Last week, Saint Anselm rallied to tie the score at 31 in the final two minutes of Friday's contest at Southern Connecticut State University, but the host Owls walked-off with a 34-31 victory thanks to a game-winning field goal on an untimed down with zeroes on the clock.
  • Down by a 31-17 margin with 12:23 to go in regulation time, Saint Anselm engineered two scoring drives on offense that sandwiched a key defensive stop with just under five minutes to go. The game-tying play for Saint Anselm came with 1:49 to go in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 51-yard touchdown caught and carried by sophomore Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas) across the goal line.
  • Immediately following Brown's dramatic touchdown, the Owls started off with great field position after a 28-yard kick-off return by Shawn Martin. Starting the game's final drive at 1:41, Southern Connecticut State was able to move the ball down the field with the clock ticking down, picking up a total of three first downs that included a pivotal 11-yard gain on fourth-and-10.
  • The Saint Anselm defense stood just tall enough to force Southern Connecticut State into attempting a 38-yard, game-winning field goal from the Hawks' 24-yard line. With one second left, the center for Southern Connecticut State delivered a bad snap to the holder – the ball was covered up and it appeared that the game was destined for overtime, deadlocked at 31.
  • With a flag on the play, it was ruled that a Saint Anselm defender on the line of scrimmage leaped over the team's center to try and block the field goal. With the game clock at zero, the penalty gave Southern Connecticut State an untimed final down to attempt another field goal. This time, the snap was delivered with precision and Szymon Gawlick converted from 27 yards away to send the hosts to victory. He finished the day with two field goals of at least 26 yards and made each of his extra point chances.
  • Hawks quarterback Drew Willoughby (Austin, Texas) finished the day with 29 of his 47 passes completed, connecting for three touchdown receptions. Despite throwing two picks, he tallied 330 yards through the air on the day – his primary target was Brown, who collected two touchdowns on nine catches for 154 yards. In two career games against the Owls, he has racked up 304 receiving yards on just 16 catches.
  • Senior Bobby Long (Bridgewater, Mass.) finished with a career-high 73 receiving yards, adding one touchdown. Sophomore Blaine Burkhalter (Burnet, Texas) had four catches for 39 yards with freshman Carson Goda (Bradenton, Fla.) logging 28 yards on three receptions.
  • Defensively, Saint Anselm totaled 12 tackles for a combined loss of 34 yards on the day. Junior Brandon Hudgins (Boynton Beach, Fla.) had two sacks for a combined loss of four yards and senior Liam Flynn (Hanover, Mass.) not only led the team with nine tackles, but he also had a hand in 2.5 tackles for a loss of yardage. Sophomore Jake Nadeau (Rutland, Mass.) recovered a fumble and brought it back 16 yards in the defeat.
DANCING IN DIVISION I
  • Saint Anselm opened the game at Merrimack in week one with nine straight points, using a field goal by freshman Patrick Carroll (Stafford, Va.) and a pick-six by fifth-year senior Ryan Sullivan (Stoughton, Mass.). Saint Anselm forced a punt, two turnovers on downs, a fumble and an interception on Merrimack's first five offensive drives as it hung around early in the contest.
  • The interception return for a touchdown by Sullivan was his team's first since Isaiah Douglas '18 brought home a 30-yard pick at American International on Nov. 12, 2016.
  • Thanks to the Hawks defense, Merrimack led by just five points at halftime, 14-9. However, in total, Merrimack scored touchdowns on its final seven drives before the game's conclusion. In total, the Warriors racked up 577 yards of offense, generating an average of 7.6 yards per play, and threw for five touchdowns.
  • Saint Anselm found its way to 20 first downs in the team's 55-23 loss, but Merrimack was able to control the game with nearly double the time of possession (37:44-to-22:16) and wear down the Hawks defensive unit.
LAST TIME OUT vs. FRANKLIN PIERCE (OCT. 19, 2019)
  • Saint Anselm jumped out to a 43-0 lead through the game's first 21-plus minutes on the way to a 50-10 victory over Franklin Pierce.
  • Saint Anselm created a halftime score of 43-3 with only 184 yards of offense, averaging 5.6 yards per play. Defensively, the Hawks posted 13 tackles for a combined loss of 21 yards and also recorded the squad's first interception of the 2019 season.
  • Quarterback Eric Fairweather '21 threw for four touchdowns, completing 16-of-27 passes, while logging a rushing touchdown on the day. Fairweather hooked up with Nicholas Fiorillo '21 for two touchdowns and also connected with classmate Franklin Holgate '21 and then-sophomore Bobby Long for aerial scores.
  • Joey Cody '21 had three punts in the contest, setting the single-game record for average yards per punt (min. three punts) with 47 in the contest. He booted a game-high 56 yarder in the winning effort and also set his single-season high mark with 1,377 yards to his credit.
  • Then-freshman Devin Williams (Cliffwood, N.J.) blocked two punts in the win, covering up one loose ball for a defensive touchdown. No other Hawks student-athlete in team history had blocked multiple punts in one game.
CHECKING OUT THE SCHEDULE
  • The Hawks are currently slated to play 10 opponents in 2021.
  • Stonehill and Saint Anselm will renew their annual Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk on Saturday, Oct. 16. The rivalry reached its peak with a thrilling triple overtime contest to open the 2018 season – the Hawks booted a record five field goals, including three in overtime to extend the game, and Saint Anselm's defense posted 128 total tackles, the far-and-away team record.
  • Saint Anselm rounds out its NE10 schedule on Saturday, Nov. 6 against Assumption, a team that was overwhelmed by the Hawks to cap the 2019 season. The Hawks racked up 61 points to knock off the team picked to finished second in the NE10 Preseason Coaches' Poll in 2019. The Hawks finished the season firing on all cylinders, racking up 721 yards of total offense, the second-most in any game in program history.
  • The Hawks will end the regular season with a non-league fixture against Bluefield State out of Bluefield, W. Va., a program that will make its debut in 2021. The College will become a residential campus for the first time in 52 years and has centered the dramatic transformation of its institution with the addition of 12 total sports, including football.
WELCOMING TO THE HILLTOP
  • Earlier this year, Head Coach Joe Adam, entering his sixth season with the program, introduced the 41 members of its incoming recruiting class this past spring. The class is one of the largest in recent memory for the Hawks football team.
LOOKING BACK AT THE SEASON-THAT-WAS
  • Saint Anselm concluded 2019 with a single-season record 12 student-athletes earning Northeast-10 All-Conference honors. The offense threw for over 3,200 yards in 2019, averaging just shy of 300 passing yards per game. Saint Anselm also scored over 300 points for just the third time in team history.
  • The Hawks racked up these statistics against an ambitious 11-game schedule in 2019 that included three non-conference games - all Hawks opponents combined to win 52 games at season's end, the strongest win total of any NE10 program's opponents.
  • The Hawks scored 304 points in 2019, the third-most ever scored in a campaign. The all-time record of 326 points was set in 2013 and just one season later, Saint Anselm logged 309 points.
  • Saint Anselm threw for 3,230 yards in 2019, just the fourth time since the modern-day Hawks program began in 1999 that the Hawks eclipsed 3,000+ aerial yards. The Hawks' 282 pass completions are the fourth-most in that same time frame.
  • The Hawks averaged 38.23 yards per punt in 2019, the all-time single-season record for Saint Anselm. The team's 21.9 yards on kickoff returns was also the top single-season performance in team annals.
THE LEADERSHIP GROUP
  • The foursome of Michael Boucher (Milford, N.H.), Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas), Ryan Sullivan (Stoughton, Mass.) and Damien Williams (Oxon Hill, Md.) were selected as team captains prior to the season, leading the Hawks into their 23rd season of modern-day intercollegiate football on the Hilltop.
  • An offensive lineman, Boucher has competed in 20 games across a three-season career at Saint Anselm.
  • Brown earned Third Team All-Conference honors twice in 2019, both as punt returner and as a wide receiver. He also earned placement on the league's All-Rookie Team after averaging 27.6 yards per kick return to rank in the top-20 in NCAA Division II - this figure is the top single-season performance in team history. His 641 receiving yards ranked second on the team and seventh in the NE10. 
  • Sullivan is a returning team captain from the 2019 season where he earned First Team All-NE10 merits, recording 95 tackles that included 54 unassisted takedowns. Logging six games with at least 10 tackles, he posted a season-high 17 tackles against New Haven and averaged 11.6 tackles during the 2018 season, the sixth-best figure in NCAA Division II that year.
  • Williams enters the 2021 season after posting a career-high 51 tackles in 2019, logging five of those for a combined loss of 13 yards. Across his final four games on the season, Williams posted 29 tackles and has played in 15 career games at Saint Anselm.
WHAT CAN "BROWN" DO FOR YOU?
  • Brown as a jack-of-all-trades option for the Hawks as he led Saint Anselm in both kick and punt return yardage as a freshman in 2019. Additionally, he was the team's second-leading receiver with 641 yards (seventh in the NE10).
  • He earned Third Team All-Conference honors twice in 2019, both as punt returner and as a wide receiver. He also earned placement on the league's All-Rookie Team after averaging 27.6 yards per kick return to rank in the top-20 in NCAA Division II - this figure is the top single-season performance in team history.
  • Brown's 1,254 all-purpose yards in 2019 was the eighth-most in modern-day history at Saint Anselm.
THE EXPERIENCED DEFENSE
  • Saint Anselm is set to have juniors and seniors start at 10 of the team's 11 defensive positions. Senior defensive end Aidan Gillis (Marblehead, Mass.), who has made 18 appearances in uniform for the Hawks since joining the team, ranked fifth on the team with 40 tackles in 10 games and classmate Ryan Sullivan, a safety, was second on the team with 95 tackles (including 54 unassisted). Damien Williams, a team captain alongside Sullivan on the defensive side of the ball, had 51 tackles and posted five of those tackles for a combined loss of 13 yards.
  • Defensive end Max Tempchin (Silver Spring, Md.) projects to be a key part of the defensive line, posting six tackles for a loss in 2019 for a combined deficit of 20 yards. Junior Brandon Hudgins (Boynton Beach, Fla.) also contributed as a first-year in 2019, posting 21 tackles including 4.5 for a loss of 12 yards.
  • Cornerback Chance Clency (High Point, N.C.), who has played in 21 career games for the Hawks, logged one interception in 2019 and broke up three passes as well, ranking just shy of the team lead with five break-ups. He also chipped in with 35 tackles on the year.
  • Linebacker Jamal Peterson (Pasadena, Md.) recorded 27 tackles in 11 games in 2019, providing additional experience at the linebacker position. He is joined by classmate Liam Flynn (Hanover, Mass.) and junior Taylor Pawelkoski (Bradenton, Fla.) atop the linebacker depth chart for the Hawks.
WHO'S UNDER CENTER?
  • The Hawks have graduated Eric Fairweather '20, one of the top all-around athletes in team history. In 2019, Fairweather concluded a stellar Saint Anselm career ranked first all-time with 34 career rushing touchdowns. Listed second all-time in rushing yards (2,225), his 6,110 passing yards are the third-most in a Saint Anselm career. He had a hand in 79 touchdowns across his career, the all-time team record. 
  • Saint Anselm will turn to a talented group of signal-callers, led by the tandem of Drew Willoughby (Austin, Texas) and Perrin Conant (Kennebunk, Maine). Willoughby, a sophomore, is expected to start for Saint Anselm and is joined on the roster by four other quarterbacks for the Hawks. Entering the 2021 season, Conant was the only member of Saint Anselm to compete for the Hawks as a quarterback, completing seven-of-10 passes for 77 yards against Franklin Pierce on Oct. 19, 2019.
TAKING A "WIDE" LOOK
  • Other than Brown, the Hawks will look to a new group of wide receivers in its pass-focused offense. Senior Bobby Long (Bridgewater, Mass.) is set to start for the Hawks alongside Brown and sophomores Cade Horton (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Blaine Burkhalter (Burnet, Texas).
  • The Hawks also feature depth in the form of junior Quinton Quirrenbach (McKinney, Texas), a transfer from NCAA Division I Wagner, and sophomores TJ Morgera (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Carter Uhlman (Southington, Conn.).
  • Nicholas Fiorillo '20, a team captain in 2019, led the charge that season with 717 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Shawn Donovan '20 had nine of his team's 23 receiving touchdowns on the year.
WHAT'S THE RUSH?
  • Fairweather, his team's leading rusher in 2019, will not return, but the Hawks return a plethora of experience at the running back position. Christian Matthews-Byrd (Saddle Brook, N.J.), expected to be a top rusher for the Hawks this season, ranks eighth all-time in team history with 4.08 yards per carry since joining the team in 2018. 
  • Logging 232 yards, Matthews-Byrd is followed by Vincent Wagner (Staten Island, N.Y.) and his 169 total yards on the year (Wagner also caught 10 passes for 96 yards, averaging just shy of 10 yards per reception for the Hawks in 10 games.). 
  • In the final game of the 2019 season against Assumption, JC King (Fall River, Mass.) matched the team's all-time single game record with three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving. In only his third career game at the time, King broke out with 94 receiving and 65 rushing yards for 159 total yards.
ANCHORING THE OFFENSIVE LINE
  • The starting offensive line features three seniors and two talented sophomores that include James Daly (Braintree, Mass.) and Thomas Walton (Marshfield, Mass.). The seniors include left tackle Brian Kosicki (Franklin, Mass.), left guard Zion Hughes (Newark, N.J.) and right tackle (and team captain) Boucher. Senior Tom Cavanagh (New Providence, N.J.) is expected to return to the field in 2021 after missing time due to injury in 2019.
THE SPECIALISTS
  • The Hawks relied exclusively on Joey Cody '20 from a punting and place-kicking perspective in 2019 as he kicked each of his team's six field goals and made 23 of his team's 24 extra-points. He also logged 52 out of a possible 56 punts for Saint Anselm, eclipsing 2,000 yards. He took all 57 of his team's kick-offs as well.
  • Freshman James Cassidy (Spring, Texas) is set to handle punting duties while classmate Patrick Carroll (Stafford, Va.) is projected to handle the place-kicking responsibilities for the Hawks. Six-foot-five inch first-year Chase Hickey (Vineland, N.J.) is also available for special teams duties in Friday evening's contest at Southern Connecticut State.
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