Saint Anselm Frustration Continues
UMass Lowell Storms hawks In First Half, Hold On
-Courtesy UML Office of Sports Information

Keith Comeau threw for 281 yards and three TDs

LOWELL, MA (Sept. 14, 2002) - Senior RB Toby Roy-Oden (Framingham, MA/Natick) ran for a career-high 128 yards on 22 carries to lead the UMass Lowell football team to a 41-27 victory over Saint Anselm Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 clash at Cushing Field.

The River Hawks improve to 1-1 while Saint Anselm slips to 0-2. UMass Lowell visits C.W. Post Saturday at 1 p.m.

The River Hawks erupted for 502 yards, including 405 in the first half, and scored on five of their first six possessions en route to a 34-7 lead at the half.

Junior QB Geoff Gardner (Stratford, CT/Bunnell) completed 14 of 26 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns - one shy of tying the school record of five set in 1981. Roy-Oden led UML's ground attack along with sophomore RB Rich Demers (East Boston, MA/East Boston) who had 73 yards on 10 carries.

Mike Smith stretches for a pass in the first half.

Junior WR Glenn Opie (North Port, FL/Venice) caught four passes for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns while junior WR Johnson Owumi (Dorchester, MA/John O'Bryant) had four receptions for 76 yards and one TD. Freshman K Dan Morais (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) converted all four point after attempts for UML.

Senior QB Keith Comeau (Marblehead, Mass./ Marblehead) led the Hawk offense, completing 25 of 48 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Comeau's main target was senior WR Jason Case (Attleboro, Mass./ Salisbury School) who caught seven passes for 98 yards and one TD.

Defensively, junior LB David Ouellette (Maynard, MA. Maynard) led UML with 12 tackles, including seven solo while sophomore S Karl Pfistner (Frederick,
MD/Brunswick) had nine (seven solo).

Sophomore LB Matt Horgan (Salem, Mass./ Salem) led the Hawks with 16 tackles, including seven solo while sophomore DB Mike DeMasi (New Canaan, Conn./ New Canaan) had two interceptions along with five tackles. UML struck on the first set play of the game when Gardner completed an 80-yard pass to senior WR Chris DeGree (Lowell, MA/Lowell), coupled with a Morais PAT, for a 7-0 lead. Gardner connected with Opie with a six-yard pass for a 14-0 edge with eight minutes, 32 seconds left in the quarter and again with 47 seconds into the second stanza with a 59-yard pass for a 20-0 lead.

On the kickoff, the River Hawks capitalized on a fumble which was recovered by senior LB Ned Heslin (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) on the Saint Anselm five-yard line. Gardner then hit Owumi with a short pass for a 27-0 cushion. Demers rushed for 57 of his 73 yards on UML's next drive and scored on a 12-yard run to give the River Hawks a 34-0 lead.

Junior RB Kevin Ridgley (Amesbury, Mass./ Amesbury) put the Hawks on the board with a four-yard rush with 1:39 left in the half to cut the lead to 34-7. Roy-Oden gave UML a 41-7 lead on UML's first drive on the second half on a 47-yard run with 13:40 left in the third quarter.

The Hawks answered with three straight touchdowns - including two TD passes from Comeau to senior RB Robert Pike (Haverhill, Mass./ Haverhill) - to cut the UML lead to 41-27, but could get no closer.