WEST HAVEN, Conn. - Fifth year captain
Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas) rushed for two touchdowns out of the Wildcat formation and the Hawks defense forced three turnovers as the Saint Anselm College football team picked up a huge road win over the University of New Haven on Saturday, 13-9. The win snaps New Haven's 18-game conference home winning streak. It also marks just the fourth win for the Hawks over the Chargers in program history, the first since 2019.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back on the road next weekend, heading to Worcester, Massachusetts to take on Assumption University on Saturday, October 21st at 12:00 p.m.
- The Hawks are back home on Saturday, October 28th versus Pace University for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff from Grappone Stadium.
Score: Saint Anselm 13, New Haven 9
Records: Saint Anselm (4-3, 3-1 Northeast-10); New Haven (5-2, 3-1 Northeast-10)
Location: West Haven, Connecticut (Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium)
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Attendance: 1472
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Saint Anselm received the opening kickoff, but went three-and-out and punted it away to New Haven. The Chargers fumbled on their first offensive drive after senior Alejandro Santiago (Woodbridge, N.J.) laid a big hit on Kevin Foelsch following a short reception. The Hawks recovered the football and took over at the Chargers 31 yard line.
- After Hawks freshman quarterback Drew Forkner (Plano, Texas) completed a 10-yard pass to junior Colin Kniffen (South Windsor, Conn.), junior Bowen Lewis (Austin, Texas) rushed up the middle for a gain of 11 yards to set up first-and-goal. On the very next play, Brown took a direct snap and scrambled for 10 yards into the endzone for a touchdown to put the Hawks ahead, 7-0.
- New Haven looked to gain some momentum back on their next offensive series, driving all the way down to the Saint Anselm 11-yard line. On fourth down and two yards to go, the Chargers elected to go for it, but were stopped short of the line to gain courtesy of a big tackle by senior Devin Wood (Merrimack, N.H.).
- The Hawks fumbled the ball back on their ensuing drive, but the defense came through again and forced another Chargers turnover on downs inside their own red zone.
- At the start of the second quarter, Saint Anselm punted it back to New Haven, but two plays later, fifth year Ryan Raybuck (Flower Mound, Texas) picked off Chargers quarterback Daelen Menard at the Hawks 17-yard line for his second interception of the season.
- Both teams exchanged punts throughout the remainder of the first half and the Hawks headed into the locker room with a seven-point lead at halftime.
- New Haven wasted no time in the second half, scoring a touchdown less than three minutes in. Menard completed a 44-yard pass to Dev Holmes to tie the game, 7-7.
- With less than a minute left in the third quarter, the Hawks set up in punt formation to send it back to the Chargers. However, Wood's punt was blocked by New Haven. The ball rolled out of the back of the endzone for a safety and New Haven gained their first lead of the day, 9-7.
- In the fourth quarter, the Hawks received the ball with 10 minutes to go on their own 10 yard line. On the second play of the drive, junior quarterback Anthony Santino (Woodbridge, N.J.) linked up with Brown for a 63-yard completion down the right sideline to set Saint Anselm up just outside the redzone. On third down and eight, Santino scrambled for a gain of 14 yards and a first down at the New Haven five yard line. The next play, Brown lined up in Wildcat formation once again and rushed into the endzone for his second direct-snap score of the game as the Hawks retook the lead, 13-9, with 7:02 remaining. Saint Anselm's two-point attempt was stopped.
- Junior Patrick Carroll (Stafford, Va.) laced the ball back to the Chargers on the kickoff, but it was fumbled on the return by Kha'lil Eason and recovered by junior Brandon Potts (Bowie, Md.). Two plays later, New Haven got the ball back after Santino was strip sacked by Joseph Vitale. Jack Quander recovered the loose ball for the Chargers.
- New Haven got a drive going across midfield and into Saint Anselm territory, but on fourth down and 11 yards to go with 2:40 remaining, Menard's pass to Kasi Hazzard was incomplete and the Hawks took over on downs at their own 40 yard line.
- Brown came up clutch one final time for Saint Anselm on fourth down and inches on the Hawks 49-yard line. The fifth year wide receiver took another direct snap out and picked up the first down, sealing the victory for Saint Anselm.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- New Haven held a 282-203 advantage in total yards of offense.
- The Chargers also had an edge in rushing with 153 yards on 37 attempts in comparison to the Hawks rushing 70 yards on 32 attempts.
- Saint Anselm held a slight edge through the air, totaling 133 passing yards compared to 129 passing yards for New Haven.
- Brown led the way for Saint Anselm with one catch for 63 yards as well as five carries for 20 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
- Graduate student Devin Williams (Cliffwood, N.J.) led the Hawks defense with 10 total tackles, while Raybuck hauled in the lone interception of the game.
- Holmes caught five passes for 69 yards and a score, while Christian Ais rushed 25 times for 127 yards for New Haven.
- This marked the fourth-ever win for Saint Anselm over New Haven in 15 all-time meetings.
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