GAME INFORMATION
Hilbert College Hawks (0-4, 0-2) at St. Lawrence Saints (1-3, 0-1)
Saturday, October 4th | 1 PM | Weeks Field at Leckonby Stadium | Canton, NY
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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LAST GAME
Hilbert fell to 0-4 (0-2 in Liberty League) last time out after a late interception sealed a 15-8 defeat to Buffalo State.

The Hawks got on the board first against the Bengals thanks to a 13-play, 92-yard touchdown drive capped off by Joeseph Edick's first career score. Clifford Zeigler added the two-point conversion to open up the 8-0 lead.

However, the Bengals responded with the next two touchdowns, tying the game in the dying seconds of the first half, before taking a seven-point advantage midway through the third quarter. Hilbert had a pair of extended drives late, but a missed field goal followed by a redzone interception with two seconds left in the contest kept the Hawks off the board and out of the win column.

The Hawks' rushing attack controlled much of the game, piling up 246 yards on the ground. Mike Hanlon led the way with 137 yards on 27 carries, while Christian Hamilton Jr. added 52 yards and Edick finished with 45 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Hilbert recovered two fumbles and recorded four tackles for loss and a sack. Scotty Winchell paced the unit with eight tackles, while Kaden Beckerink added seven stops and a pass breakup. Xavier Johnson notched the Hawks' lone sack along with a fumble recovery.
 
STATS
Mike Hanlon and Christian Hamilton Jr lead a run-heavy Hilbert offense that produces 84% of its total offense on the ground. Hanlon, an Empire 8 Second-Team All-Conference honoree a year ago, leads the way with 310 total rushing yards, which is good for 77.5 a game. Hamilton Jr leads the Hawks in yards per carry with 6.8 and trails just Hanlon with 149 rushing yards so far in his rookie campaign.

Brody Hopkins, Xzavier Patrick, and Joesph Edick have each found the end zone once on the ground, while Hopkins has also tacked on 140 yards through the air.

Defensively, Da'von Cockrell has been a playmaker all year for Hilbert. The junior safety leads the team with 32 tackles and two forced fumbles, while also producing the squad's lone defensive score, an 86-yard pick six against Alfed State.

Kaden Beckerink and Scotty Winchell have each recorded at least 20 total tackles and combine for three pass breakups and a pair of QB hurries. Clifford Zeigler, Damon Hollister, Neven Dermady, Sherrad Patterson II, and Xavier Johnson have all tallied a sack this season for the Hawks.

Jareese Gaines, Bryce Robinson, and Amari Wilbon handle the return duties for a Hawks special teams' unit that averages 15.7 yards per attempt.

Noah Workman and Angelo Schwarzott have split the kicking responsibilities with Workman connecting on his lone field goal, while Schwarzott has tacked on a pair of extra points.
 
COACHING STAFF
Ted Egger returns for his third year leading the football program at Hilbert after stops at Hocking College, Pearl River Community College, Concordia University, Adams State University, Lock Haven University, Ferris State University, and Northwood University.

Egger is joined by John Noel, Aron Aydelott, Henry Baxter, Justin Mott, and William Goldsworthy on the sidelines.
 
THE OPPONENT
St. Lawrence comes into this weekend's contest on a three-game slide after a week one victory over Norwich University. The Saints dropped their Liberty League opener a week ago against Union College, 44-12.

The three-time Liberty League Champions are led on offense by quarterback Will Lederman, who does it all for the Saints. Lederman, a senior from Natick, Mass has accounted for 749 of the team's 969 total yards on the season.  The 5-11 quarterback has completed 39 of 67 passes for 562 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 187 yards and three scores on the ground. Lederman has connected with 14 different receivers in the team's four games, with senior Shea Goodwin pacing the receiving corps with ten catches for 209 yards.

Defensively, linebackers Savino Morelli and Ryan Surhoff lead a unit that has recorded six turnovers in four games. Morelli leads the Saints in both solo tackles (20) and total tackles (34), while Surhoff's three forced fumbles, two sacks, one fumble recovery, and one interception top the St. Lawrence defense.

The Saints are coached by Dan Puckhaber who is in his tenth season as head coach of the program.

Puckhaber has led the Saints to six of the most prolific offensive seasons in school history including a back-to-back Liberty Leagues titles in 2015 and 2016 and trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015. The Saints were 32-9 from 2013-16 including a 23-5 mark in Liberty League games. In 2016, the Saints ranked second in the Liberty League in first downs and third down conversions and were nationally ranked in several defensive categories.