Saint Anselm opens at Wagner

By rbrown
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Updated: August 30, 2017

SAINT ANSELM (0-0, 0-0 NE-10) AT WAGNER (0-0, 0-0 NEC)
THURSDAY | 6 P.M.

INSIDE THE SERIES
The Hawks and Seahawks are meeting in the season opener for the second time in as many years. Wagner won the first meeting between the programs in last season’s opener, 38-16, at Hameline Field. Saint Anselm jumped out to a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter before Wagner scored two touchdowns in the final 1:57 of the half to take the lead. The two late scores were part of 35 unanswered points for Wagner until the Hawks scored on the game’s final play.

YEAR TWO OF THE ADAM ERA
Saint Anselm enters year two under head coach Joe Adam in 2017 after going 2-9 in his first season. Adam has coaching experience at all levels of NCAA football. He spent time at Division I programs Western Michigan and Syracuse, was part of two national championships at Division II Grand Valley State under current Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and spent eight seasons on the staff at Division III Elmhurst College (Ill.).

BACK IN THE HUDDLE
For the second season in a row, the Hawks will start a quarterback who missed almost the entirety of the previous season due to injury. Junior Eric Fairweather started the final seven games of his freshman season in 2015-16 and emerged as a dual-threat, throwing for 1,058 yards and seven touchdowns and running for 716 yards and eight scores on his way to NE-10 All-Rookie Team honors. Fairweather was sidelined for all but one game last season and replaces Yianni Gavalas, who finished his Saint Anselm career as the program’s all-time leader in total offense (8,820), completions (776), passing yards (8,307), passing yards per game (259.6), efficiency rating (128.2), completion percentage (64%) and passing touchdowns (52).

WHO WILL CARRY THE LOAD?
The Hawks enter 2017 needing to replace over three-quarters of their rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns from last season. Senior Correy King enters 2017 atop the depth chart at running back and had a career-high 58 yards and a touchdown on nine carries last year against Wagner.

MAIN MAN
Wide receiver Kyle Hill enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, earning Second Team All-NE-10 honors as a sophomore after hauling in 81 passes for 1,091 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 1,091 yards led the NE-10 and ranked third in program history, while his 11 touchdowns ranked second in the conference and third all-time at Saint Anselm. Hill caught a touchdown pass in nine of 11 games and went over 100 yards six times, including five straight games from Oct. 8 to Nov. 5.

OPENING ON THE ROAD
Saint Anselm is opening its season on the road for the fourth straight season and is doing so against an FCS opponent for the third year in a row. The Hawks have lost their last two season openers on the road against FCS opponents, falling 38-16 to Wagner last year and 43-19 at Sacred Heart in 2015. Saint Anselm’s last win in a season opener came in 2014, when the Hawks rallied from 22-7 down late in the third quarter to beat Bowie State 23-22.

EXPERIENCED DEFENSE
Saint Anselm is poised to start 10 upperclassmen on the defensive side of the ball in 2017. Sophomore linebacker C.J. Miller is the lone underclassman poised to start on defense.

A LOOK AT THE ROSTER
Saint Anselm’s 2017 roster includes players from 15 states and one Canadian province. Fifty-two of Saint Anselm’s 106 players hail from Massachusetts, 19 are from New Hampshire and 11 from Maryland. The Hawks also have players from New Jersey (7), New York (4), Connecticut (3), Virginia (1), Georgia (1), California (1), Pennsylvania (1), Tennessee (1), Maine (1), Arizona (1), Michigan (1), Rhode Island (1) and Saskatchewan (1).