MANCHESTER, N.H. - Fifth year captain Vincent Wagner (Staten Island, N.Y.) and junior Bowen Lewis (Austin, Texas) each rushed for 100 yards or more and the defense came up with five turnovers to give the Saint Anselm College football team their first win of the season in the Northeast-10 Conference opener against American International College on Saturday by a final score of 24-14.


UP NEXT:

• The Hawks wrap up their three-game home stand on Saturday, September 23rd when Post University comes to Grappone Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Family Weekend.
• Saint Anselm will hit the road on Saturday, September 30th to face Southern Connecticut State at 12:00 p.m. in New Haven.

Score: Saint Anselm 24, American International 14
Records: Saint Anselm (1-2); American International (1-2)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Grappone Stadium)
Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Attendance: 518

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Saint Anselm received the opening kickoff and started the scoring on their first drive of the game. After Wagner converted a 4th-and-1 on the Hawks 34 yard-line with an 18 yard carry, junior Rio Ferguson (Northborough, Mass.) rushed for his first touchdown of the season from a yard out to give Saint Anselm an early 7-0 lead.
• Both teams traded punts for the remainder of the quarter. At the start of the second period, Hawks fifth year linebacker Justin Villanueva (Lowell, Mass.) caused the first turnover of the game when he knocked the football out of the hands of Yellow Jackets running back Sidiki Kone. Saint Anselm senior Terrance Cherry, Jr. (Roxbury, Mass.) dove on the loose ball to give the Hawks possession.
• Making his collegiate debut, freshman quarterback Drew Forkner (Plano, Texas) showed his versatility on the next series. The signal caller scrambled twice for 17 yards and linked up with junior tight end Carson Goda (Bradenton, Fla.) on two passes for 42 yards, but the Hawks fumbled the ball and could not come up with points on the drive.
• One play after losing possession, Saint Anselm's defense came up with another forced fumble. Junior Austin Spille (Austin, Texas) came through a seam in the offensive line and laid a crushing hit on AIC's Seba Nekhet, who lost the ball in the back field. Graduate student Devin Williams (Cliffwood, N.J.) collected the loose ball, setting the Hawks up with outstanding field position inside the red zone.
• Saint Anselm would capitalize on the turnover when Wagner scampered in from 11 yards away to put the Hawks ahead, 14-0.
• On the kickoff following the score, Saint Anselm freshman Jon Hosney (Killingworth, Conn.) made a diving tackle and forced a fumble on Kone, the return man for AIC. Sophomore Aidan Noke (Burlington, Mass.) recovered the third fumble of the day for the Hawks, who were set up once again with good field position at the Yellow Jacket 27 yard-line.
• Depite the costly turnover, AIC's defense was able to stop the Saint Anselm offense on 4th-and-goal at the three yard-line to get the football back. However, the Yellow Jackets went three-and-out on their offensive drive and were forced to punt from inside their own end zone. Sophomore Jaidin Haynes (Sayreville, N.J.) blocked AIC's punt, and junior Najei Snyder (Deltona, Fla.) recovered the ball in the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown to give the Hawks a 21-0 lead before halftime.
• The Yellow Jackets got on the board quickly in the third quarter when quarterback Cephas Williams launched a 54-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jaheim McGuire to cut the Hawks lead to 14 points.
• After the teams traded possessions, junior kicker Patrick Carroll (Stafford, Va.) split the uprights from 35 yards away for his first field goal of the season to make it 24-7, Hawks.
• Williams started the fourth quarter with his second touchdown pass of the day, this time finding Deven Arthur for a nine-yard score to cut the Saint Anselm lead to just 10.
• After forcing a Saint Anselm turnover on downs, AIC got the football back and looked to have a good drive going across midfield. The Hawks defense stood tall on their own 21 yard-line, sacking Williams on three straight plays. Fifth year captain Max Tempchin (Silver Spring, Md.) got to the Yellow Jacket quarterback first, followed by Villanueva, and then finally Snyder, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Spille to give the Hawks the ball once again with seven minutes remaining in the game.
• Saint Anselm was eventually able to run out the clock for their first victory of the season, 24-14.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Saint Anselm held a 265-198 advantage in total yards of offense.
• The Hawks also had a huge edge on the ground, rushing for 216 yards on 48 attempts, while the Yellow Jackets rushed for just 23 yards on 29 attempts.
• The Yellow Jackets won the battle trough the air, totaling 175 passing yards compared to 49 passing yards for the Hawks.
• Wagner led the way for Saint Anselm with 20 carries for 115 rushing yards and a score, while his backfield partner Lewis totaled 100 rushing yards on 15 carries.
• Saint Anselm also led the game with five turnovers after recovering four fumbles and blocking a punt for a touchdown.
• For the Hawks, Tempchin led the way with seven total tackles, five quarterback hits, and a sack, while Snyder recorded two pass breakups, a sack, a forced fumble, and a touchdown.
• This marked the 24th all-time meeting between these programs on the gridiron, with the Hawks winning five of the last six.

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