Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sept. 19, 2009) – Despite putting forth a first-half where they went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country, the Saint Francis Red Flash were unable to muster enough offense against the #3 Northern Iowa Panthers, dropping a 30-0 decision in their final tune-up before the Northeast Conference schedule begins.

“I think we saw again a group of young men that had a lot of fight in them,” said head coach Dave Opfar, whose team fell to 1-2 overall.  “They took the challenge head on.  Overall, I'm very proud of them.”

The challenge was the Panthers, a team ranked by three different polls as #4, #3, and #1 in Football Championship Subdivision.

“They showed that they were one of the best teams in the country today,” said Opfar.  “When the rubber met the road, they were able to control both lines and make more plays.”

It was an inauspicious opening quarter for the Red Flash; Panther kick returner Jarred Herring took the opening kick 88 yards for a score, with nary a hand laid on him.  After a Saint Francis three-and-out, Panther quarterback Pat Grace orchestrated a 67-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to receiver D.J. Hord.

In less than five minutes, the score was 14-0 in favor of UNI.

“That was a tough way to start the game,” said Opfar.  “But I was very pleased by the defense's reponse.”

The rest of the game proceeded in an eerily similar fashion to the season-opening loss to New Hampshire; after giving up two quick scores, the Red Flash defense would shut out the Panthers until allowing a field goal midway through the third quarter.
The Panthers, however, showed more ability to finish than the Wildcats, and in particular were less prone to turnovers; the Red Flash finished with just one takeaway after averaging three per game in the first two weeks.

Freshman quarterback John Kelly (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) finished 15-of-25 for 107 yards and was sacked three times.  Four of those passes went Antoine Rivera (Willingboro, NJ/Willingboro -BCIT) (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) for a total of 47 yards.  Rivera needs just 54 yards to pass Luke Palko for second all-time in receiving yards in Saint Francis history.

Junior linebacker Scott Lewis (South Fork, PA/Bishop McCourt) (South Fork, Pa./Bishop McCort) led the team with 11 tackles, while fellow 'backer Ryan Shepard (Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning) (Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning) had ten total stops and a sack.  Sophomore defensive back Jorden Harper (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) intercepted a pass in the second quarter, making it the third straight game the Red Flash have finished in the positive in turnovers.

Next week marks the beginning of Northeast Conference play for the Red Flash when they travel to Staten Island to take on the Wagner Seahawks.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.