MANCHESTER, N.H. – Fresh off a non-conference victory over Post last Saturday, the Saint Anselm College football team returns to Northeast-10 Conference play on Saturday, heading to Pace University for a 12 p.m. showdown with the Setters.
SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (5-2, 2-2 NE10)
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2022 Statistics | News | Game Notes
PACE UNIVERSITY SETTERS (5-2, 3-2 NE10)
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2022 Statistics | News
With a 24-20 victory on the road at Post last Saturday, the Hawks improved to 5-2 on the season, reaching five wins in a campaign for the first time since 2014. Against Pace on Saturday, the Hawks will look to reach six wins for just the second time in modern-day program history (6-5 in 2014).
No Saint Anselm football team since its inception in the late 1800's has logged seven wins in a campaign - there are three games left in the regular season.
Pace has won two games in a row, scoring at least 45 points in each of those contests. Against American International on Oct. 15, the Setters sprinted to a 45-34 victory before posting 50 points against Franklin Pierce on the road, conceding just seven points to the hosts.
SAINT ANSELM NOTABLES
SETTING THE STAGE: The Hawks will play their eighth game of the season on Saturday and still remain nationally-ranked in several major statistical categories. Saint Anselm ranks ninth in NCAA Division II in turnovers gained (20) while the Setters rank last in the NE10 with just 12 turnovers gained. The Hawks also check in with the nation's seventh-best opposing third down conversion percentage (26.3%) but will go up against Pace's league-leading third down conversion rate of 41.1% on Saturday.
NOT "OUT OF OUR LEAGUE": Saturday's win over Post gave Saint Anselm a perfect 3-0 record in non-conference play for the first time in the team's modern-day history. With the departure of Stonehill to the NCAA Division I ranks, the Hawks had the opportunity for three non-league games in one season for the first time.
PICKS GALORE: The Hawks have logged 11 interceptions on defense this season, the eighth-most in a single season with three games to play in the season. The single-season Hawks record was set in 2004 and 2013 with 19 defensive interceptions. Among NE10 institutions, the Hawks rank in a tie for second with 11 picks.
HOME IS WHERE IT HAPPENS: The Hawks have won nine of their last 11 games played at Grappone Stadium. The two defeats have come against nationally-ranked opponents - the first loss was to No. 24 Bentley on Oct. 2, 2021 where Hawks rallied from a 27-0 deficit but could not complete the comeback, falling 34-21. On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Hawks posted a narrow 21-10 defeat to No. 24 New Haven.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?: Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas) has caught a pass in each of his 27 career games at Saint Anselm, the fourth-longest streak in Hawks history. Justin Bernard '15, the all-time NCAA Division II leader for career passes caught (386), had a program-record streak of 41 games with at least one reception from Sept. 9, 2010 through Nov. 15, 2014. Brown has hauled in 16 career touchdowns, needing two on Saturday against Pace to pass Marc Wilson '12 for third place on the all-time list.
THE SPILLE SITUATION: Sophomore Austin Spille (Austin, Texas) has recorded 41 yards off sacks this season for Saint Anselm, the ninth-most yardage from quarterback takedowns in a single campaign. The only student-athlete to record 40 or more yards from sacks in the last decade was CJ Miller '20 in his All-America season in 2019.
LAST TIME OUT: In Saturday's 24-20 road victory at Post, senior JC King (Fall River, Mass.) racked up a career-high 114 yards on the ground with his first rushing touchdown of the season. Brown added a season-best 112 yards receiving on five catches with sophomore Carson Goda (Bradenton, Fla.) tallying as many receptions for 53 yards.
Saint Anselm scored on its first offensive possession and added two more touchdowns in the first half, building a 21-7 advantage at the break. Junior Blaine Burkhalter (Burnet, Texas) and Goda hauled in touchdown passes and King plunged across the goal line with a rushing score to build the 14-point lead.
Post made things interesting with two second-half touchdowns, one in the third quarter and one to start the fourth. Despite the Saint Anselm offense committing two fourth-quarter turnovers, the Hawks held on for the victory as the defense forced two punts and a game-ending turnover on downs with 1:41 to go in regulation time.
The complete GAME NOTES for Saturday's game can be found here.
