MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team returns to Grappone Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 22, for a 6 p.m. nationally televised Northeast 10 Conference matchup against Assumption University.
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Originally slated for Saturday, Oct. 24, the NE10 matchup was moved up two days to accommodate a national broadcast on the FloSports Channel on Prime Video. The contest marks Saint Anselm's only scheduled night game of 2026.
The Hawks and Greyhounds will take the field ahead of the New England Patriots' Thursday Night Football game at Chicago, which kicks off at 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video. The college matchup will be available nationally through the FloSports Channel, providing a lead-in to the NFL broadcast.
For the first time since the program's 1999 return, Saint Anselm will play a game just five calendar days after its previous contest. Last time out, the Hawks lost 35-9 at Bentley on Saturday, Oct. 17, leaving four full days between games. Assumption also played Saturday, winning 25-14 at Southern Connecticut State.
The Hawks will play their fourth home game of 2026 on Thursday and their final contest at Grappone Stadium in October. Saint Anselm travels to American International on Oct. 31 before returning home Nov. 7 for Homecoming and Senior Day against Post. The regular season concludes Nov. 14 at Franklin Pierce.
Notables
SERIES HISTORY: Thursday's meeting is the 28th between Saint Anselm and Assumption in a series dating to Oct. 2, 1999. The Greyhounds lead 19-8 overall, although the Hawks have won two of the last three meetings, including consecutive victories in 2023 and 2024. Saint Anselm's 14-0 victory at No. 21 Assumption on Oct. 21, 2023, snapped a four-game losing streak in the series. The Hawks followed with a 20-14 overtime win at Grappone Stadium on Oct. 19, 2024, before Assumption took last year's meeting, 30-8, in Worcester.
NEAR THE TOP: Only one student-athlete in NCAA Division II has accumulated more combined kick-return yards than Tyler Villalta this season. The Saint Anselm sophomore ranks second nationally with 553, trailing Neal May of Augustana (S.D.) by 36 yards. Villalta leads the NE10 in the category and stands 41st nationally in all-purpose yards per game (115.5). His 23.0- yard kickoff-return average ranks 51st in Division II and third in the conference.
CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOK: Villalta's 553 kickoff-return yards have already surpassed Anthony Brown '23 and his 524-yard total from 2019, which ranked 10th on Saint Anselm's single-season list entering this fall. Villalta has added 123 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards, giving him a team-high 693 all-purpose yards through six games. He is averaging 115.5 all-purpose yards per appearance
HAWKS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Freshman Jayden Orhin and sophomore Kaeden Reyes have emerged among Division II's top defensive backs in passes defended. Orhin ranks eighth nationally and shares the NE10 lead with Bentley's David Brown Jr. at 1.50 per game. Reyes is 19th nationally and third in the conference at 1.33. Orhin has broken up nine passes, while Reyes has seven breakups and an interception. Together, they account for 17 of Saint Anselm's 29 passes defended.
Senior Michael Guarnieri has not missed an extra point in 2026, converting all eight attempts after finishing 11-for-15 last season. His 19 career PATs rank 11th in Saint Anselm history, four behind Joey Cody '21. One more successful attempt would give Guarnieri 20 for his career. He has made 19 of 23 extra points overall, an 82.6% success rate.
THE X FACTOR: Senior Aris Xerras has nine quarterback hurries in five appearances, tied for seventh on Saint Anselm's single-season list. His 13 career hurries are also tied for seventh in program history. Another three would give him 12 this season, matching the fifth-highest single-season total. Xerras has added 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
KEEPING THE FLAGS DOWN: Saint Anselm's 32 penalties are the ninth-fewest in NCAA Division II and the fewest in the NE10 through six games. At 5.33 penalties per contest, the Hawks rank 28th nationally. Their 294 penalty yards are the 14th-fewest in the country, while their average of 49.0 yards per game is second-lowest in the conference.
PRESSURE PACKAGE: Opposing quarterbacks have been hurried 60 times by the Saint Anselm defense this season. The Hawks recorded 10 quarterback hurries at Bentley on Saturday, marking their fifth consecutive game with double-digit hurries.
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