Game Notes | NEC Front Row | 1400WWGE | Live Stats | Scouting Report
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team visits Bryant on Saturday for an NEC clash.  The Red Flash and the Bulldogs kick off at 1 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium, with a live stream on NEC Front Row.  The Red Flash enters this week with a 4-2 record, including 1-0 in the NEC, while the Bulldogs are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in league play.
 
Saint Francis is coming off of a 43-14 win over Wagner to start conference play.  The Red Flash totaled a school-record 628 yards, including a season-high 336 on the ground.  Khairi Dickson (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) and Marcus Bagley (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) each topped 100 yards on the day, the second time this year both have hit the century mark in a game.  Dickson gained 161 yards on 23 carries, including a five-yard touchdown run and a 65-yard gain at the end of the third quarter.  Bagley added 126 yards and a score on 12 carries. 
 
Junior Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) completed 16-of-28 passes for a career-best 292 yards and connected with Frank Failace (Wayne, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) for three touchdowns.  Failace had three scores on the day, to tie an SFU record for receiving touchdowns in a game, after having no previous touchdowns in his career.  Terell Smith (West Haverstraw, N.Y./North Rockland) had another big day at receiver, with six catches for 130 yards, while Daniel Adams (Washington, D.C./Northwestern) contributed four receptions for 97 yards.
 
Junior Lance Geesey (Harrisburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) connected on all three of his field goal attempts, hitting 23, 26 and 33-yard attempts.  Geesey extended his SFU career record to 36 career makes.
 
Sophomore safety Delondo Boyd (Indian Head, Md./Henry E. Lackey) led the defense with eight tackles.  Senior linebacker Max Ma'afala-Maiava (Pearl City, Hawaii/Aiea ) earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his five-tackle, two-sack performance that included a forced fumble and a pass breakup.  Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) added seven tackles, with two for loss and a sack.  Defensive lineman Louie Gartner (Paramus, N.J./Paramus Catholic) had two tackles, including a key sack at the end of the second quarter to force Wagner to take a field goal, which they missed, to earn NEC Rookie of the Week accolades.
 
On the year, Saint Francis leads the NEC and ranks 22nd in the nation, averaging 34.4 points per game.  The Red Flash is second in the league with 166.2 yards rushing per game.
 
Drayer has completed 60 percent of his passes for 884 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions.  Dickson is second in the league with 403 yards and five touchdowns, while Bagley is fourth with 393 yards and two scores.  Both rank in the Top 50 of the FCS, one of only three backfields with two members in the Top 50 in rushing, joining James Madison and Delaware.  Terell Smith (West Haverstraw, N.Y./North Rockland) is second in the conference and 10th in the FCS in receiving yards per game, averaging 106.  He has a total of 530 yards on 30 catches, including four touchdowns.  All are career high totals for a season.
 
Defensively, the Red Flash are first in the league and sixth in the nation in passing defense, giving up 152 yards per game.  SFU also leads the NEC in total defense and ranks 18th in the FCS, allowing 307.6 yards per game. 
 
Linebacker Semo Sila (Honolulu, Hawaii /Farrington) leads the team with 40 tackles, including 13 solo and three for loss.  Jerome has 35 stops, with 22 solo, four for loss and two sacks, as well as two interceptions.  Gartner leads the defensive line with 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
 
Jerome, an all-purpose player, leads a kick return unit that places second in the FCS, with 30.6 yards per return.  Individually, Jerome leads the nation, averaging 35.6 yards per return.
 
Bryant is coming off of a 38-17 win at Duquesne.  Quarterback Dalton Easton was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 25-of-37 passes for 330 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.  Running back Ricardo McCray, the NEC leader in rushing yards, had 118 yards and a score on 21 carries.  Receiver Taylor Barthelette caught five passes for 75 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown.  The Bulldog defense allowed 284 yards and did not force a turnover.  Linebacker Marquise Watson led the unit with 10 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, while defensive end Abri Tate added five tackles, with 2.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. 
 
The game is also available on live stats as well as on the radio on 1400 WWGE, with Pat Farabaugh on the play-by-play and Curt Lowe as analyst.