Saint Anselm Hawks (0-4) vs. Stonehill Skyhawks (3-1)
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Chris Palmer has adjusted well to his new role, collecting 18 tackles, an interception and two blocked kicks. |
Saturday, October 6, 2007, 1 p.m.
W.B. Mason Stadium (2,400)
Streakin' No Longer
Stonehill suffered its first loss of the 2007 season with a 30-10 loss at the hands of the visiting Iona Gaels last Saturday.
Well, Not Exactly
The Skyhawks Northeast-10 winning streak of three is still intact as they return to Conference action against St. Anselm.
Hawk Vs. Hawk
Today's game marks the second annual "Hawk Classic."
Series History
St. Anselm holds a 5-3 edge in the all-time series. Stonehill, however, has won the last two meetings, including last year's 24-9 triump in Manchester.
Get Familiar
Junior quarterback Cruz Parsons (Signal Hill, Calif.) knows St. Anselm very well. In 2005 as a freshman, Parsons threw a school-record tying six touchdown passes against the Hawks in a 41-7 win in Easton.
Record Setter
The 41 points the Skyhawks scored in that 2005 win is the most points they have scored in W.B. Mason Stadium.
Up By Nine
Stonehill leads the Northeast-10 and is third in the country in turnover margin at +9.
Still One Of The Best
Despite yielding 30 points to Iona, the Skyhawks lead the Conference and rank 12th in the country in scoring defense, allowing only 12.8 points per game.
No Fly Zone
Stonehill is yielding scores only 30 percent of the time when backed up against its own goal line, good for second in the Conference.
Showing Discipline
Under head coach Robert Talley, the Skyhawks are the second least penalized team in the Conference. In last week's loss to Iona, Stonehill committed only one penalty.
Still On Target
Parsons has now gone 72 passes without throwing an interception. His only miscue occurred on his ninth pass of the season.
Ball Security
The Skyhawks have only turned the ball over three times this season.
DeBye Is Da Man, Again
After posting a season-high 15 tackles versus Pace, senior linebacker Mike DeBye (Burlington, Mass.) followed that performance up with a 14 stops in the Iona game.
First Half Adjustment
The Skyhawks finally allowed first half points in the loss to Iona. They are still outscoring opponents by a wide margin (39-9) in the first 30 minutes.
All-Around Threat
Sean Donahue (Plymouth, N.H.) has been a huge asset for the Skyhawks this season in the defensive secondary and with his special teams capabilities. He is 4-for-5 in field goal attempts and is fifth on the team in tackles with 19 stops.
Laces Out
Sean Donahue also leads the Conference in punting with a 39.6 average. He had a career-best 63 yard boot in the loss to Iona. He has also put five kicks inside the 20 yardline.
Block Party
Chris Palmer (Santa Barbara, Calif.) has blocked kicks in back-to-back games. In the win over C.W. Post, he denied a 39-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and then in the loss to Iona he rejected an extra point in the second quarter.
Primary Targets
Cruz Parsons has tossed six touchdowns this season and all of them have gone to either J.J. Niamkey (Quincy, Mass.) (3) or David Pringle (West Haven, Conn.) (3).
Well On Their Way
In 2006, the Skyhawks leading receiver had 26 catches and the leader in yards had 276. Through four games, David Pringle has 11 grabs for 227 yards while J.J. Niamkey has eight catches for 163.
Perfect Timing
A perfect storm could be brewing for the Stonehill rushing attack. Currently ranked eighth in the Conference in rushing offense (101.8), St. Anselm is the league's worst at stopping the run, giving up 262.5 yards per game.
DeBye Does It All
Mike DeBye ranks third in the Conference in tackles with 42 total. Amazingly, of the top 15 tacklers in the NE-10, he is the only one who has registered a sack.
This Is Your Chance
One area the Skyhawks have failed to exploit is their big-play capabilities in the return game. Senior J.J. Niamkey (Quincy, Mass.) has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his career. As a sophomore, he returned one 83 yards for a score against American International, then scored the lone touchdown in last year's loss at Iona. St. Anselm, meanwhile ranks last in the Northeast-10 in kick return coverage.
Run Right Past You
Junior Torrey Price (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) made his first catch of the season in the loss to Iona. Also a member of the Stonehill's track and field team, he received All-America accolades after finishing sixth at last year's NCAA Championships in the 60 meter dash.
Remember My Name
St. Anselm's defense is anchored by All-America candidate Casey Larson. Larson ranks 20th in the Conference with 30 tackles and is third in the NE-10 in Sacks with 4.0.
Chain Mover
David Pringle leads the Conference in yards per catch at 20.6 per grab. Chris Bone of C.W. Post sits in second with an average of 16.2.