WALTHAM, Mass. – The two stingiest teams in Northeast-10 Conference football during the month of October were the Bentley University  Falcons and the Assumption College Greyhounds, two clubs that also happen to top the conference in sacks this season.

The two will square off Saturday afternoon at Assumption's Multi-Sport Stadium when Bentley takes its two-game winning streak to Worcester to take on the Greyhounds, winner of four in a row.

Both teams limited their opponents to about 320 yards in total offense during the month with Bentley allowing a total of 54 points and the Hounds just 32. Assumption has a conference-high 26 sacks this season while the Falcons have 19 in their last three games, elevating the team total to 23.

Bentley achieved the first winning streak of the Bill Kavanaugh era on Saturday when it posted a pair of red-zone denials en route to a 31-0 shutout of Pace. That boosted the Falcons to 3-5 overall and 2-5 in the conference, keeping the team's hopes for a winning record alive.

Assumption, 5-3 overall, is 5-2 in the NE-10 following a 31-7 victory over sliding Saint Anselm. The Greyhounds are one of three teams tied for second in the conference, a game back of first-place American International.

Both clubs very well could have been higher in the standings with a break here or there. Assumption's two conference losses were by two points (AIC in the season-opener) and one (LIU Post) while Bentley dropped five in a row by a total of 20 points with all five going right down to the wire.

Bentley's offense in Saturday's win over Pace, as it has all year, featured a strong passing game led by graduate student Danny Guadagnoli (Framingham/Framingham HS), the NE-10 leader in touchdown passes (22). He's thrown multiple TD passes in nine straight games, dating back to last season, and will go into Saturday's contest within reach of 9,000 yards in career total offense, needing 260. He's also only nine away from 2,500 passing yards this fall.

Guadagnoli, who moved into second in program history in passing yards (8,233) on Saturday, completed 26 of 37 passes against Pace for 357 yards while throwing the 58th, 59th and 60th TD passes of his career.  As usual, he distributed the ball to a number of players with sophomore Sean Myers (Foxboro/ Roxbury Latin School), junior Chris Walsh (Attleboro/Attleboro HS) and All-Conference senior Jeff Hill (Mansfield/Mansfield HS) all catching at least five balls.

Hill, whose career totals include 200 points and 3,148 receiving yards, leads the conference in receiving yards (772) and TD catches (8) with a per-catch average of 16.4. Myers and Walsh both have over 20 receptions as does tight end Alex Farkes (Boston/BB&N), a former Penn State baseball player and now a Bentley grad student.

Helping to protect Guadagnoli are two players from the Worcester area, senior center Jack Donovan (Shrewsbury/Worcester Academy) and junior tackle Ryan Anger (Worcester/St. John's Shrewsbury).

Two reasons why Bentley has been racking up the sacks in recent games has been the play of a couple juniors, Paul Norris (North Attleboro/North Attleboro HS) and Jeff Amell (Buxton, Maine/ Bonny Eagle HS). Norris, number two in the NE-10 in sacks, has six in the last three games, and Amell has had one in four straight contests.

A trio of linebackers, including reigning NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week Blaine Hopwood (New Bedford/New Bedford HS), lead the team in tackles. Senior Kyle Young (Ellicott City, Md./ Centennial HS) has 71, including a team-best 10 for losses, and Hopwood is next with 64, eight of which have come behind the line of scrimmage. Sophomore Bryan Hardy (Barnstable/Barnstable HS), who had two takeaways in Saturday's game to preserve the shutout, follows with 63 stops.

Bentley has 13 interceptions this season, with defensive backs Nick McCarthy (Winthrop/ Winthrop HS), Brad Keirstead (Waltham/Waltham HS) and Sam McDonald (Norfolk/King Phillip Reg. HS) each having picked off three balls.

Senior defensive end Derrick Mann has been having a standout season for Assumption as he spends a lot of time in the opponent's backfield. His 14 tackles for losses include 11 sacks, and he's forced four fumbles while recovering two.

Assumption leads the NE-10 in rushing, averaging 166 yards a game, with half of the team's 30 touchdowns coming via the ground. De'Ontray Johnson leads the team with 414 yards and four TDs, and Matt Heriveaux follows with 389 and three scores. Combined, the two get the ball over 20 times a game.

The Hounds start six-foot-six, 245-pound junior Trevor Vasey at quarterback and he adds to the team's rushing attack (229 net yards and three TDs). Vasey completes 48 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,578 yards and 12 TDs. Assumption averages 15.1 yards per completion, best in the NE-10.

Saturday will be a homecoming for two members of the Bentley coaching staff as Peter Leonard and Matt Sidebottom are both former Hound standouts. Each is in his first year with the Falcons.

Bentley is 25-2 against Assumption since the two programs gained varsity status in 1988, but one of those Greyhound victories came last September in Waltham, 20-14. That was the third straight game between the two decided by seven or less.

In last year's contest, the Hounds scored the game's final 13 points, beginning with a field goal as the first-half clock expired and continuing with ten in the third quarter, both coming off turnovers. All told, the Falcons lost the ball four times.

Bentley will also be on the road next week, making the trek to Long Island for a Saturday matinee at LIU Post.  The season will close two weeks from Saturday with the NE-10 Championship Weekend.

BENTLEY BRIEFS: Both teams have a dependable placekicker with Bentley junior Michael Baron (Medfield/Roxbury Latin School) and Assumption's Tad Beuchert a combined 53-of-54 on extra points and their team's leading scorer. Baron (51 points) is perfect on 27 PATs and 8 of 12 on field goals while Beuchart (48 points) has made 26 of 27 extra points and 7 of 13 FG … Bentley sophomore Tyler Ford (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan HS) has a 41.4 punting average, nearly two yards better than the school record … Hopwood was named one of the Dream Bowl's Small College Players  of the Week … Baron appeared on the Mitchell Award watch list for October, the second straight month he has been recognized … Bentley is number two in the conference in both red-zone scoring (31 of 37, 84 percent) and third-down conversions (47 percent, including an amazing 23 of 35 in the third quarter) … Assumption has dominated the third quarter this season, outscoring their opponents 81-20 … The Falcons' most productive quarter (82 points) has been the second … Links to live stats and free live video will be posted at www.bentleyfalcons.com.