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SAINT FRANCIS (0-1)
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CLARION (0-0)
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LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team has used the past week to reflect on what it can improve from its opening night loss at No. 11 Fordham, but the Flash knows that it can't dwell too much on the past with the Clarion Golden Eagles coming to town Saturday afternoon for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
 
Head coach Chris Villarrial has never lost a home opener, going 4-0 so far in his tenure. Last season, SFU defeated Lincoln in a torrential downpour, 38-7. To keep that streak alive, the Flash will have to improve upon its performance in last week's 52-23 defeat to the Rams.
 
"We need to control the ball better and be smarter," Villarrial said. "You can't give a team like that 21 points in the first half and expect to come back."
 
Villarrial was happy with the performance of running back Khairi Dickson (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic). The junior rushed for 244 yards, setting a career high and coming just four yards shy of breaking into the school's top five single game rushing performances. Dickson is currently the leading rusher in the FCS. The passing game left something to be desired, but the group knows that one game doesn't make a season.
 
"We just have to make sure we're on the same page," senior wide receiver Franklyn Williamson (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) said. "We just have to connect. I'm sure one game we'll have a big day passing, and the time will come."
 
For the Red Flash defense, an opening night matchup with perhaps the best quarterback in the FCS in Fordham's Michael Nebrich isn't exactly on everybody's wish list. Even so, the Flash performed admirably, holding Nebrich to a 42.3 percent completion percentage. Last season, he completed 73.5 percent of his passes while throwing for well over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns.
 
The matchup with Clarion will be a bit different, as the Golden Eagles threw for just over 1,500 yards while rushing for nearly 2,000. Clarion didn't play last week, so its first test of the new season comes Saturday at DeGol Field.
 
"We expect them to be physical," Villarrial said of the Golden Eagles option-based offense. "We expect them try to cram it down our throats and set the tone of the game."
 
Darelle Carson returns as Clarion's starting quarterback, after starting the final nine games of the 2013 season. Carson completed 85-of-195 passes for 1,170 yards and five scores in 2013 while also rushing for 564 yards and six touchdowns. He had game highs of 130 rushing yards and a touchdown against Edinboro and threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns against Gannon.
 
Kickoff at DeGol Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.