WALTHAM, Mass. – Following back-to-back four-point losses that knocked the team out of the Northeast-10 Conference title race, the Bentley University Falcons bounced back in style this past Saturday, excelling on both sides of the ball en route to a 38-21 Homecoming Day win over Merrimack College.

Coach Thom Boerman will be looking for his 6-2 team to continue that momentum this Saturday when his Falcons make the trip to New Haven, Conn. to take on Southern Connecticut State in the final road game of 2012. Kickoff at Jess Dow Field is scheduled for 1 pm.

Regardless of the outcome of this week's game, Bentley will be back home on Nov. 10 as the number three seed during the Northeast-10 Championship Weekend and will host the loser of Saturday's Merrimack-Assumption game. Southern Connecticut (2-7) is locked into the seventh seed and will close out its season at number four Stonehill on the 10th.

The Merrimack game saw the Falcon offense score on six of its first nine possessions while amassing 488 yards of total offense, controlling the ball for nearly 37 minutes (the fifth time this season Bentley has been over 35 minutes) and convert nine of 16 third downs.

Meanwhile, the defense recorded four sacks and came up with three interceptions, yielded only two net rushing yards and limited the explosive Merrimack offense to just two touchdowns over the first 59 minutes.

The Bentley offense featured the passing duo of junior Danny Guadagnoli (Framingham/ Framingham HS) and sophomore Jeff Hill (Mansfield/Mansfield HS). Hill was cited as the Northeast-10 Offensive Player of the Week, but that award could very well have gone to Guadagnoli, who finished with 417 yards of total offense while accounting for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). Hill tied his career-highs in both receptions (8) and receiving yards (196) while scoring two touchdowns and coming up just shy on a third. Every one of his catches resulted in a touchdown or a first down.

Overshadowed by Hill's performance was another strong effort by senior slot receiver Sean Cross (Duxbury/Duxbury HS). He had his second 100-yard receiving game of the season (6 for 107) and now has averaged 6.5 catches and 91 receiving yards over the last four games.

The Falcons were without junior linebacker Blaine Hopwood (New Bedford/New Bedford HS), the team's top tackler the last two seasons, but classmate AC Carter (Marlborough/Marlborough HS) filled that void as he had a game-high and career-best 11 tackles, as well as an interception, in his first start of the season.

Success on defense is nothing new for the Falcons. Bentley is currently seventh in Division II against the rush and ninth in fewest points allowed, and in the top 13 in several other defensive categories. The opponents average only 2.7 yards per rushing attempt and complete only 51 percent of their passes.

Saturday marked the fifth straight game Bentley has come up with at least three takeaways, with Steve and Don Hopkins (Waltham/Waltham HS) a major reason. Both have three interceptions this season and Steve has also recovered two fumbles.

Hill leads the Falcons in scoring with 54 points, nine points more than senior kicker Will Lockwood (Menlo Park, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep). He's on pace for Bentley's first 1,000-yard receiving season since 2008, and will enter Saturday's game with 42 catches for 864 yards. Cross follows with 37 for 515.

Guadagnoli has thrown for 1,848 yards and 13 TDs during his first year as the Falcon starter, and has been picked off only five times in 212 throws. Bobby Tarr (Byfield/Bishop Fenwick HS) and Lorenzo Warren (Boston/Catholic Memorial HS) have combined to rush for 619 yards and seven TDs, with Tarr 79 away from 2,000 for his career.

It's been an uncharacteristic difficult year for Southern Connecticut, which has been outscored 126-16 over the last three weeks and is in the midst of its first losing season in 18 years. The Owls have seen their opponents throw for 22 touchdowns and average nearly five yards per carry on the ground.

One of the few Southern players who has been having an outstanding season is running back Vaughn Magee, currently the sixth-leading rusher in Division II. He'll enter this week's game only 21 yards shy of 1,000 for the season, with a per-game average of nearly 140.

Quarterback Jacob Jablonski (.580 completion percentage, 1,476 yards) has been plagued by injuries, and his back-ups have combined to complete only 27 of 84 with five interceptions and no touchdowns.

Bentley leads the all-time series with Southern 8-6, but it was the Owls who prevailed a year ago, spoiling the Falcons' Homecoming with a 31-29 win.  The Falcons scored 12 points in the final 30 seconds and came within a two-point conversion with five seconds left of tying the game.

BENTLEY BRIEFS: Bentley came up with two fourth-down stops in the first quarter against Merrimack, and for the season, has denied the opposition on 19 of 28 fourth-down attempts … Defensive ends Andrew Sklar (Ivyland, Pa./Perkiomen Prep) and Matt Campo (Dedham/Catholic Memorial HS) combined for five QB hurries and two sacks against Merrimack. For the season, Sklar has four sacks, Campo has three and both have been credited with six hurries … The Falcons have scored on 15 of their last 17 red-zone trips (10 TD, 5 FG) … For those who can't attend, links for live stats and a video webcast will be available at www.bentleyfalcons.com.