THE FIRST LOOK
New Haven (1-1, 1-0 NE-10) travels to Saint Anselm (0-2, 0-1 NE-10) for its first of three Friday night games during the 2013 schedule. The Chargers look to extend their winning streak to 19 straight games against NE-10 competition, while the Hawks are in search of their first win of the season and first NE-10 win since Oct. 13, 2012. Last week, New Haven shutout Pace 65-0, while the Hawks suffered a 52-24 loss to Stonehill in the Battle for the Ol' Bronze Hawk. The Chargers jumped out early on Pace and never looked back as a majority of the starters played just the first half. Saint Anselm trailed 21-7 at halftime last week, but scored in the opening minutes of the third quarter to cut the lead to one score. Stonehill then went on a 31-10 run to close the game and seal the victory.

LAST MEETING
The then ranked No. 8/9 New Haven shutout Saint Anselm 45-0 on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium in week four of the season. With the win, UNH improved to 4-0 on the season and dropped the Hawks to 0-4. New Haven jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first and a 24-0 lead at halftime. Three second-half touchdowns sealed the Chargers third shutout victory since 2009. In his second-straight start, quarterback Ronnie Nelson led New Haven with 250 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-21 passing. He connected with six different receivers, including tight end Kameel Lashley for a 75-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. Highlighted by an 87-yard touchdown run in the third, Victor Jones led the Chargers rushing attack with 128 yards. Mike DeCaro added 48 rushing, 49 receiving and 20 return yards for UNH. Defensively, the top returner from last year's game is Carlos Lozada who recorded two interceptions last week as well. He tallied eight total tackles and one pass breakup last year. Herbens Antenor added six total tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup in the Chargers' stout defensive performance.

ALL-TIME SERIES
New Haven and Saint Anselm have played just four times, ever since the Chargers joined the Northeast-10 Conference in 2009. New Haven has controlled the series, winning three-of-four meetings, including both previous meetings in the Granite State. Last season, UNH shutout Saint Anselm 45-0 at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium in late September. Starting quarterback Ronnie Nelson led the Chargers with four touchdowns and 250 yards on 14-of-21 passing in the win, while the defense held the Hawks to 189 total yards, including just 22 rushing yards. The Hawks only victory in the all-time series came in 2010 when they pulled off a 35-26 upset victory over the Chargers in West Haven. Saint Anselm stunned the No. 23 Chargers and spoiled their hopes of a bid to the NCAA playoffs. Saint Anselm took a 28-20 lead off an interception return for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter and never looked back. In the win, then-freshman running back Keith Charles helped lead the Hawks with 168 all-purpose yards and one receiving touchdown.
    2009: New Haven - 47 | Saint Anselm - 43 (Manchester, N.H.)
    2010: Saint Anselm - 35 | New Haven - 26 (West Haven, Conn.)
    2011: New Haven - 59 | Saint Anselm - 17 (Manchester, N.H.)
    2012: New Haven - 45 | Saint Anselm - 0 (West Haven, Conn.)

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
New Haven is looking to make it two-straight wins to open the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference schedule at Saint Anselm Friday night. The Chargers put up impressive offensive and defensive numbers in last week's win with 425 total yards and shutting out the Setters. Despite playing for just the first half, running back Mike DeCaro totaled 154 all-purpose yards with three total touchdowns. Senior quarterback Ronnie Nelson, who also played in just the first half, threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns on 10-of-17 through the air. Sophomore tight end Michael Flacco added four catches for 68 yards and two scores. Courtney Moshood, Rishawn Harris and Nick Music also grabbed touchdown receptions in the win. Defensively, eight Chargers finished with five-or-more total tackles, including defensive lineman Sean Berglund and outside linebacker DJ Brown who both tallied seven. The defense forced four turnovers and held the Setters scoreless on three trips inside the redzone. The turnover margin against Pace has helped put the Chargers into a tie for 20th with a +1.5 margin this season. New Haven also ranks in the top 25 in passing efficiency (178.41 | 17th), red zone defense (0.556 | 20th), and fewest penalty yards per game (25.50 | 9th).

New Haven Special Teams Key to the Game: Special teams will set the early tone Friday night in Manchester. The Chargers must concentrate on containing Keith Charles on their kickoff coverage team as the senior averages over 20 yards per return, including a 60-yard long against Bowie State in week one.

New Haven Offensive Key to the Game: With their best offensive output of the season, the Chargers must continue to grow on the offensive side of the ball this week. UNH made strides in all aspects of the offensive game last week: running, blocking, passing and receiving, and will need to continue to improve against the Hawks this weekend.

New Haven Defensive Key to the Game: With many improvements made last week against Pace, New Haven's defense will need to work to slow down the Saint Anselm offense Friday night. The fast pace no-huddle offense of the Hawks will challenge New Haven's defense every play of the game.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
In the first two weeks of the 2013 season, Saint Anselm has struggled against Bowie State and Stonehill, dropping both contests. The Hawks were picked 9-of-10 in the NE-10 preseason poll just under one month ago. Last week, Stonehill made it eight in a row against Saint Anselm with a 28-point victory in Easton, Mass. The Skyhawks jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead and cruised with 31 second-half points as well. Stonehill forced three turnovers and capitalized with on third down, going 8-of-16 compared to 2-of-14 by the Hawks. In week one, Saint Anselm went point-for-point with Bowie State through three quarters as the game went into the fourth tied 28-28. The Bulldogs then went on to score 14 unanswered in the fourth and take a 42-28 victory in Manchester.

The Saint Anselm Offense: In its first two games of the 2013 season, Saint Anselm is averaging 26 points and 312.6 total yards per game. Quarterback Andrew Murphy leads the team with 222.5 passing yards per game and four passing touchdowns, while running back Keith Charles has added 72.5 yards per game and two rushing touchdowns. Justin Bernard and Ahkeen Williams lead the receiving corps with a combined 120 receiving yards per contest.

The Saint Anselm Defense: The Hawks' 4-3 defense is led by linebacker Isaac Jorgensen in the early portion of the season. The junior adds 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one interception this season. Defensive back Carroll Bailey has 18 total tackles, including a season-best 12 solo tackles. The defender with the third-most tackles, Mike Tatro, boasts and interception, fumble recovery and one tackle-for-loss.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The Beyond Sports Network (BSN) recognized three UNH student-athletes as Week Three National Players of the Week in all of Division II: Sean Berglund, Carlos Lozada and Anthony Greenfield. BSN recognizes national award winners for the top performances in the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA. The Beyond Sports Network staff hands out awards for Offensive Line of the Week, Defense of the Week, Offensive Players of the Week, Defensive Players of the Week, and Special Teams Players of the Week.

DEFENSIVE STANDS
Since the return of Charger football in 2009, the New Haven defense has held its opponents scoreless on four different occasions. Last week's 65-0 shutout was one point shy of the largest margin of victory in program history and the largest since 2009. Last season's 45-0 shutout of Saint Anselm was the third since 2009 and the first at home since week two of 2010. That season, the Chargers managed two shutouts, blanking Lincoln (Pa.) and American International.

RUNNING UP THE RECORD BOOK
Mike DeCaro's career at New Haven could be put together in a highlight reel, only problem being it may never end. A freshman in 2009, DeCaro has been a fixture in his signature #2 ever since. A red-shirt season in '09 due to injury has been followed with All-Rookie, All-Conference, All-Region and, in 2013, Preseason All-America honors. In week one, he crossed the 4,000 all-purpose yards plateau and will soon become just the fifth Charger to rush for 2,000 career yards. Coming in to this week's game at Saint Anselm, his career numbers include 1,974 rushing yards and 4,216 all-purpose yards. He ranks fifth in career rushing yards and tied for third with 22 career-rushing touchdowns.

ICE-BERG ANCHORS D-LINE
Senior defensive tackle Sean Berglund posted a career-high seven total tackles in each of the first two games this season. He registered a career-best four tackles-for-loss and three sacks against Pace last week, while also forcing a fumble and recovering another loose ball.

THREE-TIMES AS GREAT
Last week Ronnie Nelson, Anthony Greenfield and Joey Bradley all threw touchdown passes in the Chargers' 65-0 victory - the first time three different players threw scoring strikes since Nov. 5, 2011. Ryan Osiecki, Ronnie Nelson and Brice DeRosa helped lead UNH to another 60-plus point performance and win over Pace.

LONG SCORES
In each of the previous two meetings with Saint Anselm, the Chargers have recorded touchdown strikes of 75-yards or greater. Last season, Ronnie Nelson connected with Kameel Lashley on a 75-yard touchdown pass and run in the third quarter at DellaCamera Stadium. In 2011, Ryan Osiecki and Jason Thompson hooked up on a 80-yard touchdown pass and catch to open the third quarter in Manchester, N.H.

GREENFIELD'S KICKING
Last week, Anthony Greenfield booted a 64-yard punt late in the fourth quarter to seal the late-game shutout for UNH. The punt was the longest of his career and the first punt over 60 yards since the Chargers returned to the gridiron in 2009. The last punt longer than 64 yards came in 2002 when Lars Anderson kicked a 65-yard punt on Sept. 21 at Indiana (Pa.). The Chargers' longest punt ever belongs to John Cerra, who booted a 75-yard punt against Southern Connecticut State in 1996.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT ROOKIES
Najae Brown and Andre Lawrence led the Chargers defense in week one with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively. A freshman starting cornerback, Brown recorded five solo tackles and six assists in the loss. In his first start at inside linebacker, Lawrence was second on the team with three solo stops and seven assists. The graduate student transfer from Boston College also recorded 0.5 tackles-for-loss.

THE COACHES
The 2012 Liberty Mutual Division II Coach of the Year and three-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year, Peter Rossomando is in his fifth season as head coach for the Chargers, although he was hired in January of 2008 to start rebuilding the program. In four short years, Rossomando has brought the Charger football program back into the national spotlight as one of the premier programs in Division II. He previously spent seven seasons at the University at Albany and five seasons at UNH, as an assistant under current Oakland Raiders offensive line coach Tony Sparano. Patrick Murphy returns for his sixth season as the head coach of the Hawks after being named to the position on February 29, 2008. The Hawks went 2-9 last season, but Murphy's offense maintained its explosiveness despite the fact that it had graduated one of the top players to ever come through the program and was being run by a new quarterback. The offense set nearly every major passing program recording, including passing yards, touchdowns, passing efficiency and completion percentage, as well as total offense. The Hawks also set school records for points (52), total offense (774) and passing offense (612) in a 52-45 victory at Seton Hill on Nov. 3.

FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The University of New Haven football coaches will be selecting Players of the Week every week throughout the 2013 season. Head Coach Peter Rossomando and his assistants chose six student-athletes for the week two awards:
Off ensive Player of the Week: Michael Flacco
Defensive Player of the Week: Sean Berglund
Special Teams Player of the Week: Anthony Greenfield
Off ensive Scout Player of the Week: John Badyna
Defensive Scout Player of the Week: Greg Pease

GAMEDAY FORECAST
Friday evening in Manchester, N.H. looks to be a perfect fall evening in New England for a football game. With the daytime high nearing 80 degrees, temperatures in the evening will start in the 70's and drop into the lower 60's by the fourth quarter. Very few clouds and no chance of rain throughout the game.

GAMEDAY COVERAGE
Friday's game will be broadcast live on 88.7 FM WNHU and with live audio also available on NewHavenChargers.com with UNH alumni Craig Mortali and Pat Ryan calling the action live from Manchester, N.H. Saint Anselm will also offer live video for $6.95 on SaintAnselmHawks.tv. Fans can also follow live statistics on their computers or smart phones. Find all the links for Saturday's game on NewHavenChargers.com throughout the week and on gameday.

UP NEXT
Next week, New Haven faces LIU Post (formerly C.W. Post) for the first time since 2003 and just the fifth time in program history. The series with the Pioneers dates back to 1983 with meetings that season, in 1984, 2002 and 2003. For complete coverage throughout the next week, stay posted to www.NewHavenChargers.com.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
Mike DeCaro was named Second Team Preseason All-America by D2Football.com. Categorized as "All-Purpose" by D2Football.com, DeCaro was a First Team All-Northeast-10 performer as both a running back and a return specialist in 2012. As a tailback, he accounted for a team-high 616 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on the ground in addition to hauling in 22 passes for 224 yards and three scores. He also averaged 27.3 yards per kick return last fall, punctuated by a program-record 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Northeast-10 Championship Game against American International.

NE-10 PRESEASON RESULTS
The No. 12 University of New Haven football team has been selected to finish second in the Northeast-10 Football Coaches' Preseason Poll, which was released today by the conference office. The nationally-ranked Chargers received three of 10 first-place votes. The three-time defending Northeast-10 Champion, New Haven garnered 73 total points on the preseason ledger. American International was tabbed as the favorite by the conference's 10 head coaches, collecting five first-place tallies to edge the Chargers with 75 total points. Bentley nabbed 61 points, LIU Post had 60 – including the two remaining first-place votes – and Merrimack rounds out the top half of the poll with 44 points. Southern Connecticut, Stonehill, Assumption, Saint Anselm and Pace round out the preseason poll.
2013 Northeast-10 Football Coaches Preseason Poll
1. American International – 75 (5)
2. New Haven – 73 (3)
3. Bentley – 61
4. LIU Post – 60 (2)
5. Merrimack – 44
6. Southern Connecticut – 42
7. Stonehill – 41
8. Assumption – 24
9. Saint Anselm – 21
10. Pace – 9
* - first-place votes in parentheses

CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2013
Seniors Mike DeCaro, Ronnie Nelson, Herbens Antenor and Brent MacLeod were named captains for the 2013 season. The four will anchor the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, along with 24 other seniors on the roster.

THE REMAINING SCHEDULE
In week three, the Chargers travel to Saint Anselm for a Saturday night game in Manchester, N.H. at Grappone Stadium. The Chargers are 3-1 against the Hawks since joining the conference in 2009. New Haven then returns home to take on LIU Post (formerly C.W. Post) in the teams' first-ever conference battle. The 2013 season will mark the first year for the Pioneers as a member of the NE-10, bringing the total number of regular season conference games to nine. LIU Post holds a 3-0 record against UNH dating back to 1983. As the season takes full swing, New Haven will travel to Assumption College in the first weekend of October. One of three night games on New Haven's 2013 schedule, the Chargers and Greyhounds will play Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in Worcester, Mass. New Haven plays back-to-back road games as it travels to North Andover, Mass. for a meeting with Merrimack College in week six. The Chargers hold a 3-1 record against the Warriors since first meeting in 2009. The Chargers will then host homecoming at DellaCamera Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19 against Stonehill College. New Haven has held the upper hand in the four year series with the Skyhawks, but last year's game in Easton, Mass. went down to the final seconds as UNH scored the go-ahead touchdown with six second on the clock. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The Elm City Trophy will be awarded in week eight with the Chargers traveling to crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University on Friday, Oct. 25. The third night game on the schedule will kickoff at 7 p.m. at Jess Dow Field. UNH and SCSU have a storied history dating back to 1981. New Haven holds a 16-6-1 record against the Owls, including three straight wins. The November schedule includes two NE-10 home games for the Chargers. American International travels to West Haven on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. The Chargers and Yellow Jackets have met 18 times since 1983 with UNH holding a 12-6 advantage in the series. Bentley University will round out the regular season for the Chargers on Saturday, Nov. 9 at DellaCamera Stadium. UNH and Bentley have also met every year since 2009 and the Chargers hold a 3-1 record against the Falcons. For the second straight season, the NE-10 Conference will host a championship weekend on Saturday, Nov. 16. The top seeded team will host the second seed in a true championship game format. The remaining teams will also play games in the final weekend of the regular season. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth seeded teams will host the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th seeded teams, respectively. The NCAA Division II Football Championship tournament begins on Saturday, Nov. 23 with the first round, while the Division II Champion will be crowded on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Ala.

Read more in the week three game notes (PDF)