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Carson Goda
17
Bentley BEN 2-3 , 1-2
24
Winner Saint Anselm STA 3-3 , 2-1
Bentley BEN
2-3 , 1-2
17
Final
24
Saint Anselm STA
3-3 , 2-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
BEN Bentley 7 7 3 0 17
STA Saint Anselm 0 10 0 14 24

Game Recap: Football |

Football Comes Back to Defeat Bentley for First Time Since 2014

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Fifth year captain Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas) caught his first two touchdowns of the season as the Saint Anselm College football team defeated Bentley University by a final score of 24-17 on Saturday afternoon from Grappone Stadium. For the Hawks, the win marks just their second in program history over the Falcons, with the first coming back in 2014.
 

UP NEXT:
  • Saint Anselm is back on the road for the next two games. First, the Hawks travel to the University of New Haven on Saturday, October 14th to take on the Chargers before heading to Assumption University on Saturday, October 21st.

Score: Saint Anselm 24, Bentley 17
Records: Saint Anselm (3-3, 2-1 Northeast-10); Bentley (2-3, 1-2 Northeast-10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Attendance: 722
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Bentley started out strong by lighting up the scoreboard less than two minutes into the game. On the Falcons' fourth play from scrimmage, quarterback Mark Waid connected through the air with teammate Abe Lopes, Jr. for a 62-yard touchdown.
  • After both sides exchanged punts twice, the Hawks got the ball back and got a drive going across midfield. Saint Anselm elected to go for it on fourth down and four to go from the Bentley 39-yard line, but freshman quarterback Drew Forkner (Plano, Texas) could not complete his pass to junior Colin Kniffen (South Windsor, Conn.) and the Hawks turned the ball over on downs.
  • The Falcons began a positive drive of their own and got into Saint Anselm territory, but with less than two minutes remaining in the opening quarter, fifth year Ryan Raybuck (Flower Mound, Texas) forced a fumble on Bentley's Lopes, Jr. following an 11-yard reception. Hawks senior Devin Wood (Merrimack, N.H.) jumped on the loose ball to give the Hawks possession once again.
  • After forcing another Saint Anselm punt, Bentley doubled their lead early in the second quarter. Vinnie Holmes rushed in a score from 30 yards out to put the Falcons ahead, 14-0.
  • With 3:53 remaining in the half, the Hawks cut into the Bentley deficit when Forkner tossed a fade to the back corner of the end zone, which was reeled in by Brown for his first touchdown catch of the season. Forkner threw five completions for 63 yards on the drive, including a 33-yard link up with Kniffen.
  • Saint Anselm would immediately get the ball back with 2:25 left in the half. Junior Brandon Potts (Bowie, Md.) snagged his first interception of the season on a pass by Bentley's Waid at the Hawks 26 yard-line. His 44 yard return set up the Hawks in great field position at the Falcons 30 yard-line. Junior Patrick Carroll (Stafford, Va.) connected on a 46-yard field goal to make it 14-10 Bentley heading into halfitme.
  • Both teams exchanged punts at the start of the second half. The Saint Anselm defense stepped up once more after a big Bentley drive set them up inside the Hawks 10 yard-line. The Falcons were not able to get across the Hawks goal-line and settled for a 22-yard field goal by Mason Campbell to go up 17-10.
  • Saint Anselm looked to be punting it back to Bentley from near midfield to open the fourth quarter, but Wood, who was in the game to punt, took the snap and scrambled 12 yards to pick up the first down. On the very next play, Forkner threw a 34-yard strike across the middle to Brown for his second score of the day. Carroll came on for the extra point and tied the game at 17-17.
  • Bentley went three-and-out on their next offensive series and punted it back to Saint Anselm. Potts returned the kick across midfield, but a Falcon personal foul penalty gave the Hawks even better starting field position at Bentley's 14-yard line. With 11 minutes to play, Forkner connected with junior Carson Goda (Bradenton, Fla.) for a 23-yard score to put Saint Anselm on top for the first time of the day, 24-17.
  • The Hawks were able to stop Bentley's offense for the remainder of the game to hold on for their third win of the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Bentley held a 313-219 advantage in total yards of offense.
  • The Falcons also had an edge in rushing with 106 yards on 31 attempts in comparison to the Hawks rushing 32 yards on 30 attempts.
  • Bentley also held a slight edge through the air, totaling 207 passing yards compared to 187 passing yards for Saint Anselm.
  • Forkner led the way for Saint Anselm with three passing touchdowns, while Kniffen led the Hawks with five catches for 65 yards.
  • Holmes rushed for 88 yards and a score, while Lopes, Jr. caught three passes for 88 yards and a touchdown for Bentley.
  • Raybuck was one of many clutch performers on defense for the Hawks with a forced fumble, three pass breakups and five total tackles. Graduate student Devin Williams and fifth years Max Tempchin (Silver Spring, Md.) and Justin Villanueva (Lowell, Mass.) all recorded a sack for the Hawks.
  • This marked the second-ever win for Saint Anselm over Bentley in 23 all-time meetings.

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