WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven football team opened its four-game home schedule with an impressive 52-21 win over the Saint Anselm Hawks on Football Alumni Day at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. Overall, the Chargers finished with seven touchdowns and a field goal, collecting 538 total yards on offense.

Senior quarterback Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) was the Charger Nation Player of the Game, leading the offense with 326 yards on 18 completions with three touchdowns. All three of his passing TD's went to different players with Rishawn Harris (Springfield, Mass./Putnam Vocational Technical Academy), Ty Headen (Newark, N.J./American History) and Lemar Thomas (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) all capping off passes with catches of 25 yards or more for the score.

Thomas would score two touchdowns, adding a TD on the ground as well. Senior running back Andre Anderson (New Haven, Conn./James Hillhouse) joined him with two touchdowns, both coming on two yard runs. Anderson would finished the game with a team-high 129 yards on 16 attempts. As a team, the Chargers finished with 212 yards on the ground.

Defensively, a pair of Chargers finished with double figure tackles led by senior linebacker Tyler Condit (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) who collected 17 tackles for his 21st career game in double figures. Stefano Bicknese (Somers, N.Y./Somers / USMAPS) joined him with 12 tackles. Nigel Davis (Williamsville, N.Y./Saint Joseph's Collegiate Institute) had arguably the biggest defensive play of the day when he picked of a Saint Anselm pass and return it 30 yards, setting up a one-play scoring drive for the Chargers. Davis would also finish with five total tackles.

SCORING

·         12:29 1st – UNH Stock 32-yd field goal – Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 2:31 – Score: 3-0

·         3:23 1st – UNH Anderson 2-yd run (Stock kick) – Drive 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:37 – Score: 10-0

·         12:21 2nd – STA Hill 9-yd pass from Gavalas (Parisi kick) – Drive 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:14 – Score: 10-7

·         3:00 2nd – UNH – Anderson 2-yd run (Stock kick) – Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:07 – Score: 17-7

·         00:32 2nd – UNH – Thomas 47-yd pass from Patterson (Stock kick) – Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 1:04 – Score: 24-7

·         0:16 2nd – STA – Monette 70-yd pass from Gavalas (Parisi kick) – Drive: 1 plays, 70 yards, 0:11 – Score: 24-14

·         8:32 3rd – UNH – Harris 49-yd pass from Patterson (Stock kick) – Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:41 – Score: 31-14

·         3:20 3rd – UNH Thomas 19-yd run (Stock kick) – Drive: 7 plays 58 yards, 3:36 – Score: 38-14

·         0:40 3rd – UNH Headen 25-yd pass from Patterson (Stock kick) – Drive: 1 play, 25 yards, 0:06 – Score: 45-14

·         10:11 4th – STA Hayman 1-yd run (Parisi kick) – Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:29 – Score: 45-21

·         2:10 4th – UNH Phan 2-yd run (Stock kick) – Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:41 – Score: 52-21

STATISTICAL LEADERS

·         Senior quarterback Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune), the Charger Nation Player of the Game, led the Chargers offense completing 18-of-24 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, tying his season high for TD's in a single game.

·         Senior running back Andre Anderson (New Haven, Conn./James Hillhouse) also finished with a pair of touchdowns, collecting 100 total rushing yards for the first time this season. He finished with 129 net yards, with his longest of the day a 39 yard dash. Both of his touchdown runs went for two yards.

·         Senior wide receiver Rishawn Harris (Springfield, Mass./Putnam Vocational Technical Academy) led the Chargers receiving corps with 91 total yards, including a 49 yard run that capped off the Chargers fifth scoring drive of the game. The 91 yards for Harris

·         Senior captain Ty Headen (Newark, N.J./American History) also pulled in a TD catch, part of three total catches for Headen who closed out the fay with 55 yards.  

·         Senior running back Lemar Thomas (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) also completed the day with a pair of touchdowns, one on the ground and one in the air. Thomas first TD came in the second quarter when he completed a 64 second drive with a 47 yard pass taking advantage of a hole down the left side for the Army ROTC Play of the Game. He then ran in for a 19 yard score in the third quarter Thomas closed out the game with 41 yards total.

·         Danny Stock (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge / Buffalo State) finished a perfect game going 7-of-7 in point after attempts, while also hitting a season-best 32-yard field goal that opened up the scoring. Stock also averaged 47 yards over three punts with his longest of the day 57 yards.

·         Defensively, the Chargers were led by senior captain Tyler Condit (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) who collected a season-high 17 tackles. Stefano Bicknese (Somers, N.Y./Somers / USMAPS) also added double digit stops with 12 total.

·         Nigel Davis (Williamsville, N.Y./Saint Joseph's Collegiate Institute) also had a big day defensively as he collected five total tackles and an interception, which he ran back for 30 yards and set up a one play 25-yard touchdown pass from Patterson to Headen.

HIGHLIGHTS

·         New Haven opened up the game with a field goal on its first possession of the game for the second straight week. Danny Stock (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge / Buffalo State) capped off the drive with a 32-yard field goal, his longest of the season to date.

·         UNH would score again on its second drive of the game as Andre Anderson (New Haven, Conn./James Hillhouse) would run four times in the drive for 27 total yards, including a two-yard drive up the middle that resulted in the first touchdown of the day.

·         The Chargers would then score on back-to-back drives in the second quarter to extend their lead to as much as 24-7 before the break. The first touchdown again came on a 2-yard run from Anderson, with that run following a 39 yard pick up as he broke free for the extended run. The second touchdown in that stretch came as Lemar Thomas (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) connected with Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) for a 47-yard score with Thomas breaking loose down the left sideline for the Army ROTC Play of the Game.

·         New Haven scored three more times in the third quarter, pulling ahead by a 45-14 margin before allowing the Hawks to score. The first TD in that stretch came on a two yard drive that took just 64 seconds with the second play a 49-yard completion from Patterson to Rishawn Harris (Springfield, Mass./Putnam Vocational Technical Academy), the longest scoring play of the day for UNH.

·         Lemar Thomas (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) would score his second TD of the game on the Chargers next drive as he closed out the seven play drive with back-to-back runs that resulted in a 19-yard TD.

·         The final Charger TD of the quarter came thanks in large part to Nigel Davis (Williamsville, N.Y./Saint Joseph's Collegiate Institute) who provided the biggest defensive play of the day when he picked off a St. A's pass and returned it 30 yards, setting up a one play UNH drive. That single play was a 25-yard pass from Patterson to Ty Headen (Newark, N.J./American History) that game the Blue and Gold a 31-point advantage.

·         UNH's final drive of the day came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with transfer running back Thuc Phan (Greensboro, N.C./Deerfield / Elon) scoring his first TD as a Charger when he ran in from two yards out. Overall, Phan ran for 39 yards on that drive alone.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·         With his 55 yards on three catches against the Hawks senior receiver Ty Headen (Newark, N.J./American History) took over 11th place on the all-time receiving yards list.

·         Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune)'s 326 yards in the air set a career-high for the senior quarterback. His three touchdowns also tied a season-best and is one shy of his career high.

·         Kicker Danny Stock (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge / Buffalo State) also moved up on a pair of career categories with his seven made PAT's moving him into ninth place overall, passing Brian Roberts (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst Central) who has 46 for his career. His field goal on the opening drive also moved him into a tie for ninth all-time with Lars Anderson.

·         Senior linebacker Tyler Condit (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell)'s 17 tackles is the 21st time in his career, second this season, he has finished with double figure tackles.

NEXT ON TAP
The Chargers will play their next game away from the West Haven campus when they travel to Pleasantville, N.Y. to meet the Pace Setters. Kick off at Pace Stadium is slated for 12:00 p.m. Action returns to Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium the following Saturday, Oct. 1, for a rivalry match-up against Southern Connecticut State University. That game will also serve as Family Day at DellaCamera.