Flash Points:

• Saint Francis travels to Sacred Heart this Saturday for another key NEC matchup.
• Kickoff is scheduled for Noon at Campus Field, with a live webcast on NEC Front Row.
• The Pioneers are 1-1 in conference play after a 16-10 win against Robert Morris last week.
• Sacred Heart's offense, led by senior and fourth-year starting quarterback RJ Noel, averages 28 points and 427 total yards per game.
• The Pioneers defense, led by senior defensive end James Rentz, ranks in the Top Two of the conference in multiple categories and gives up just 17.6 points and 296.3 yards per game.

Sacred Heart | Campus Field | Noon | NEC Front Row
 
Sacred Heart Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team travels to Fairfield, Conn. this Saturday for another key Northeast Conference matchup, this week against Sacred Heart.  The Red Flash and Pioneers are set for a Noon kickoff at Campus Field.  The game will be webcast on NEC Front Row.
 
The Red Flash is 3-0 in conference play after a 14-10 win over Duquesne last Friday, while the Pioneers are 1-1 after a 16-10 win against Robert Morris last Saturday.
 
Head Coach Mark Nofri is in his fifth season leading the Pioneers, with a 33-21 career record.  The Pioneers went 5-0 in non-conference play, with wins over Stetson (18-14), Valparaiso (42-14), Marist (31-6), No. 20 Stony Brook (38-10) and Cornell (31-24).
 
Sacred Heart improved to 6-1 overall with last week's win against Robert Morris.  The Pioneers tallied 373 total yards, with 213 on the ground and 160 through the air.  Quarterback RJ Noel completed 8-of-16 passes for 160 yards and added 41 rushing yards on 12 carries.  Running back Ose Imeokparia gained 77 yards on 21 carries, while Nate Chavious had 66 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.  Moses Webb led the receivers with four catches for 94 yards.
 
The SHU defense held Robert Morris to 172 total yards, including 98 passing and 74 rushing.  The Pioneers forced and recovered three fumbles, but did not record a sack.  Defensive end James Rentz led the team with nine tackles, including four solo and one for loss, and blocked a field goal in the third quarter.  Linebacker CJ Parvelus added eight tackles and a pass breakup, while defensive end Dylan Ackerson had five stops, with 1.5 for loss. 
 
Sacred Heart is averaging 28 points per game this season to rank third in the NEC and 427 total yards per game, which is good for 25th in the FCS.  The Pioneers average 229 rushing yards to lead the conference and rank 13th in the FCS.  SHU also averages 198 passing yards per game to rank fifth in the league.
 
Noel, a senior and a fourth-year starter at quarterback, has completed 52.5 percent of his passes for 1,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.  He has added 286 yards and three scores on the ground.
 
In the backfield, senior Ose Imeokparia, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound, leads the run attack with 535 yards, good for fourth in the NEC in yards per game (76.4).  Imeokparia has two touchdowns on the ground and 10 catches for 135 yards and a score in the air.  Not far behind is fellow senior Nate Chavious, five-foot-nine, 185 pounds.  Chavious has 532 yards on the year, including six touchdowns and four catches for 31 yards.  Chavious is fifth in the NEC in yards per game (76.0). 
 
Noel's top target at receiver is Moses Webb, a five-foot-nine, 170-pound senior.  Webb is fourth in the NEC in receiving yards (395) and second in catches per game (5.71), with totals of 40 catches for 495 yards and three touchdowns.  Junior Andrew O'Neill, 5-foot-11, is second on the team with 24 catches for 331 yards and two scores, while junior Byron Barney, six-foot-one, has 13 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns.  At the tight end position, junior Jaylin Deveau has three catches for 34 yards and a score.
 
The Sacred Heart offensive line includes two seniors, a junior and two sophomores.  The line has combined for 76 career appearances.  Senior left guard Sean Merrill leads the line with 23 career appearances, while senior left tackle Sean Peters is second on the line with 18 appearances.  Junior center Brad Tiernan has 15 career appearances and sophomore right guard Knikeem Lewis has 11, while sophomore right tackle Andrew Starr has seven appearances. 
 
The Pioneers defense, a 4-3 system, has been very strong this season, claiming the No. 1 or No. 2 spots in the NEC in multiple categories.  Sacred Heart is eighth in the FCS and second in the conference, allowing just 17.6 points per game.  They are also 12th in the nation in total defense, giving up just 296.3 yards per game.  SHU leads the conference in pass defense, allowing just 176.1 yards, good for 15th in the FCS, and ranks second in rushing defense, giving up 120.1 yards per game to rank 21st in the FCS.  Sacred Heart is sixth in the FCS, averaging 3.29 sacks per game and has 23 total sacks, while also forcing 12 turnovers, including seven fumble recoveries.
 
Senior defensive end James Rentz, a STATS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List member, leads the defensive line.  He has appeared in only four games this year, but has 15 tackles, including eight solo and two for loss.  Fellow senior end Ryan Cottrell is first among the defensive linemen with 21 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries.  Defensive tackle Robert Steffe, a senior, has 18 tackles, with seven solo, 5.5 for loss and a sack, while senior nose tackle Ben Castellano has five stops, with one for loss and half a sack.  Junior end Dylan Ackerson is also a key part of the rotation, with 20 tackles, including five for loss and 1.5 sacks. 
 
The Pioneers have a solid linebacker unit, with all three starters among the top five tacklers on the team.  Junior middle linebacker CJ Parvelus leads the team with 62 tackles and ranks third in the NEC in tackles per game (8.9).  Parvelus is 17th in the FCS with 11.5 tackles for loss and has 3.5 sacks and three pass breakups.  Senior outside linebacker Kevin Barry is second on the team with 44 tackles, including 21 solo, 9.5 for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble, and returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown at Stony Brook.  Sophomore outside linebacker Kevin Sears has accounted for 25 tackles, with 15 solo, 3.5 for loss, two sacks and an interception. 
 
In the SHU secondary, junior free safety Alec Finelli leads the unit with 36 tackles, including 19 solo, and three pass breakups.  Fellow safety TaMaric Wilson, a fifth-year senior, has 22 tackles, with 15 solo, one for loss and two pass breakups. Senior corner Khaamal Whitaker has recorded 27 stops, with 17 solo and one for loss.  He also has seven pass breakups, a forced fumble and a team-best two interceptions.  At the opposite corner, senior Tim Johnson has 17 tackles, an interception and five pass breakups.  Junior safety Mustapha Noibi, 20 tackles, and junior corner Brendon Slade, 16 tackles and four pass breakups, also see time in the secondary.
 
Senior kicker Alec Finney is four-of-six this season, with a long of 36 yards.  He is also 22-of-25 on extra point attempts.  Finney also handles the punting duties, averaging 36.8 yards per kick on 45 punts, with a long of 51.  Chavious averages 24.1 yards per kick return, including a 99-yard touchdown return at Wagner.  Sophomore Jordan Meachum is also dangerous in the kick return, averaging 38.2 yards per return, with a long of 76.  O'Neill has averaged nine yards on 22 punt returns.
 
The all-time series is tied 10-10 between the programs.  However, Saint Francis has won the last four meetings, including a 23-14 victory at DeGol Field in 2015.  Quarterback Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) connected with Terell Smith (West Haverstraw, N.Y./North Rockland) for touchdown passes of 64 and 98 yards, while Lance Geesey (Harrisburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) hit three field goals.  Linebacker Solomon Leaeno (Kapolei, Hawaii/James Campbell) led the defense with 11 tackles, including a sack.