With one week remaining in their season, the Saint Anselm football team has put themselves in a solid position. With a 5-4 record through eight weeks and a 5-2 in-conference record, they are firmly seated at 4th place in the NE10 behind Assumption, Bentley, and New Haven. However, despite their excellent run of form in the back half of the season, the first half was filled with uncertainty and adversity. 

Going into week 3, Saint A’s was 0-2 heading into a NE10 Conference matchup with AIC. Throughout the first two matchups, their defense was looking stout, with only 10 points allowed vs. Sacred Heart and 3 against Bentley. The issue? The offense. In those same games, Saint Anselm scored a combined 3 points- a field goal against Sacred Heart before getting shut out by Bentley. Against Sacred Heart, the offense managed 87 yards of total offense.  

Week 3 was not to be more of the same. The offense came alive, spurred by a two-headed rushing attack from Jake Croce and Anthony Almeida, who combined for 153 rushing yard while each logging two touchdowns. Sophomore QB Drew Forkner was efficient and effective, completing 66% of his passes for 190 yard and a touchdown of his own.  

This game would mark a new trend for Saint Anselm’s football season, as the offense continued to hum throughout the season. Forkner’s 276 yard, Five-TD effort against Franklin Pierce, which earned him NE10 Player of the Week honors, is a notable moment- it was his second highest passing yard total as Saint A’s routed Franklin Pierce 42-28. Another highlight was Saint Anselm’s matchup with Post- a game they won by a whopping margin of 56-28- a far cry from their meager output in weeks one and two. It was a well-rounded attack that produced this effort- three touchdowns came through the air and five more came on the ground as running backs Jake Croce and Jaidin Haynes logged a combined 173 yards of rushing.  

This is not to say that every game was won solely on the strength of their offense- the defensive unit proved to be a stout group that shows up when it counts. In their overtime victory against Assumption on October 19th, the defense allowed only 14 points while recording an interception, sack, forced fumble, and five tackles for a loss- enough to force the game to overtime and set up a game-winning TD run. 

Heading into the final game of the season, the Hawks will look to close out their season on a high note with a matchup against NE10 rival Bentley- as they look to avenge their week 2 loss. With a win, the Hawks can secure their third straight season with a winning record. In their last matchup with Bentley, the Hawks defense held Bentley to only 3 points, as Bentley Quarterback Brett Pullman was picked off twice. The Falcons offense was forced to punt on six drives and lost two fumbles, but still managed to come away with the win. This rematch is unlikely to play out the same way- since that game, the Hawks have averaged 31 points per game with a rejuvenated offense. Bentley currently holds second place in the NE10 with a 7-2 record and is riding the strength of a three-game winning streak against American International College, Post, and Franklin Pierce.  

Sometimes, the record doesn’t tell the whole story, which is the case for the Hawks- despite early struggles, the team managed to regroup and refocus after an 0-2 start to battle back and put themselves in the top half of the NE10 standings. They have a chance to end the season on a high note and get a tough loss back in week 10.