IMANCHESTER, N.H. - Saint Anselm's 28-10 victory over Millersville in Thursday's season opener came down to capitalizing on a few, precious opportunities. The homestanding Hawks stuffed the Marauders twice in the red zone, while two explosive plays and one Marauder special team miscue provided the Hawks with all the points they needed.
The game was far closer than the final score would indicate as the Hawks tacked on two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter as Millersville pressed for a rally. Saint Anselm's pass-heavy offense was largely held in check, but twice Drew Willoughby, the reigning NE10 Rookie of the Year, connected with receivers for big gainers that set up touchdowns. The Hawks' first score came one play after Willoughby found Blaine Burkholder for 61 yards, and the fourth-quarter score that put the win away was a 13-yard TD pass that followed a 36-yard connection. The back-breaker for Millersville, however, was a muffed punt return in the third quarter that set up Saint Anselm at the Millersville 17. Millersville trailed just 7-3 at the time, and it took only one offensive snap for Saint Anselm to cash in on the turnover as Willoughby to give the his team a two-score lead with a touchdown pass.
The Marauders had their chances. A 53-yard, second quarter run from quarterback
Jack Stagaard put the Marauders at the Saint Anselm 2, but Najei Snyder's tackle proved to be a game-changer. After two incomplete passes and a loss on a run, Millersville settled for a field goal. Trailing 14-3 late in the third, Millersville pushed deep into Saint Anselm territory, reaching the 7-yard line. Three-straight incomplete passes, however, forced a field goal attempt that clanked off the right upright. Millersville's last gasp came early the fourth while still trailing by just 11 points. A drive to the Hawks' 32 stalled, and a fourth-and-10 attempt resulted in an incomplete pass when Stagaard was pressured.
Anthony Butler came on at quarterback for the final drive and led Millersville on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard strike to
Mekhi Alexander.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Saint Anselm out-gained Millersville 390 to 272 with Willoughby completing 27-of-40 passes for 349 yards. In his nine starts in 2021, Willoughy threw 20 interceptions, but he played mistake-free football against the Marauders Thursday. A Millersville interception on a Willoughby first-quarter pass was negated by a roughing the passer penalty. Stagaard was effective with his feet, rushing for 78 yards on 14 carries, but the Marauders struggled to find a rhythm with the passing game. Stagaard completed 12-of-31 passes for 108 yards. Butler hit 4-of-8 for 50 yards on his one drive.
• Millersville linebacker
Garrett Cox recorded a career-high 14 tackles and two sacks.
Chase Alisauckas also registered a sack.
Rafael Lozada made 10 stops for the Marauders. Saint Anselm's defense registered six sacks with Austin Spille accounting for 1 1/2.
POSTGAME REACTION FROM J.C. MORGAN
•
Overall thoughts on the game: "The kids played hard. They battled. Unfortunately, we didn't make enough plays, and we didn't stop enough plays from happening. We talked all week long about limiting big plays and they got some. Defensively, I thought we put a lot of good together but just had a couple break downs. We didn't secure the football on the punt, and they got a short field. In the red zone, we couldn't close out drives. Being in the red zone twice and only ended up with three points, that was disaapointing."
•
On how the team bounces back: "You get to back to work; accept what happened. I wish we could change the outcome, but that's not life. You have to get off the ground and get back to work. I love these guys. I want for them to be successful very badly. It's all about how we come back and get back to work that defines how we come back from this. A lot of teams lose game one and come back and have a successful season."
•
On not converting in the red zone: "We just didn't make the play at the right time. We'll go back to the film and see some opportunities that we didn't capitalize on. I think we are going to find out that we are closer than we think, and that's across the board."
NOTES
• The match-up was the first-ever meeting between Millersville and Saint Anselm.
• Butler's touchdown pass was the first of his career. Alexander's TD catch was his third.
• Cox matched a career-high with two sacks, having previously hit that mark against Shippensburg in 2021.
UP NEXT
• Millersville plays its home opener Saturday, Sept. 10 against Gannon. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
