Flash Points:

• Saint Francis hosts Bryant on Saturday at DeGol Field in a key NEC matchup.
• Kickoff is scheduled for Noon on NEC Front Row.
• Both teams are 1-0 in conference play.
• Bryant leads the NEC, averaging 33.6 points per game.
• QB Dalton Easton leads the NEC with 1,456 passing yards and 14 touchdowns.
• The Bryant defense allows 28.4 points per game.

Bryant | DeGol Field | Noon | NEC Front Row | Youth Day
 
Bryant Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team returns to DeGol Field this Saturday for a matchup with NEC foe Bryant.  The Red Flash and the Bulldogs are set for a Noon kick on Youth Day at DeGol Field.  The game will be webcast on NEC Front Row, with Pat Farabaugh on Play-by-Play and Jay Roberts on color.
 
The Red Flash and Bulldogs are both 1-0 in NEC play, with a win giving a boost to each team's conference championship hopes.  On Youth Day, all kids sixth grade and under can get in free with the voucher included in the flier above.  Youth Day also includes a free team photo poster for all kids and an autograph session after the game.
 
Head Coach Marty Fine holds a 77-58 record in his 13th year leading the Bryant program.  The Bulldogs have finished .500 or above in conference play every season he has been at Bryant.
 
The Bulldogs had a bye week last Saturday.  Their last game was on October 1 vs. Maine, which Bryant lost 35-31, but led 21-7 at halftime.  The Bulldogs is 2-3 on the year, owning a 41-20 win over Merrimack and a 45-25 victory over Central Connecticut State. 
 
The Bryant offense averages 33.6 points per game, ranking 24th in the FCS and leading the Northeast Conference.  The Bulldogs also average 409.2 total yards, ranking third in the conference.  Bryant averages 291.2 passing yards, ranking 16th in the FCS, and 118 rushing yards, ranking fifth in the NEC.
 
Senior quarterback Dalton Easton is in his third year as the Bulldogs' starting signal caller.  He leads the NEC and ranks 11th in the FCS, averaging 291.2 passing yards per game.  He has completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 1,456 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.  The six-foot, 207-pound Easton has one rushing touchdown.
 
At running back, senior Ryan Black leads the group with 201 yards on 56 carries, averaging 3.6 yards per carry.  The six-foot, 223-pound Black also has 10 catches for 66 yards.  Sophomore Brenden Femiano has 21 carries for 141 yards and two scores.  Junior fullback Hunter Taute, six-foot-two, 268 pounds, has 95 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.  He also has 10 catches for 82 yards.
 
Senior wideout Taylor Barthelette ranks 25th in the FCS with 481 receiving yards.  The six-foot-one Barthelette has 27 catches on the year, with five going for touchdowns.  Junior Matt Sewall, 5-foot-10, has 19 receptions for 243 yards and four scores as well as seven rushes for 57 yards and a touchdown.  Junior Aaron Aryee has 13 catches for 139 yards, while senior Keenan Thompson has 10 receptions for 172 yards and three touchdowns. 
 
The Bryant offensive line features four seniors and a junior, combining for
95 career starts.  Senior right tackle Tyler Cardoze leads the unit with 29 starts, while senior left tackle George Smith follows with 27 starts.  Senior right tackle Connor O'Neill owns 23 career starts, while junior left guard Shawn Gholson and senior center Kieran Elmore each have eight career starts.
 
The Bulldogs run a 4-3 system on defense, allowing 28.4 points per game, ranking fifth in the NEC.  Bryant gives up 359.4 total yards, ranking fifth in the conference, including 225.4 passing yards and 134 rushing yards.  Bryant has forced seven turnovers, including five interceptions, and has collected eight sacks on the year.
 
Senior nose tackle Marquise Watson anchors the defensive line.  He leads the group with 21 tackles, including nine solo and 2.5 for loss.  Sophomore end Dillon Guthro has recorded 20 tackles, with 11 solo, 6.5 for loss and two sacks.  At defensive tackle, sophomore Kevin Lazo has 17 tackles on the year, with eight solo, half a tackle for loss and two blocked kicks.  Senior defensive end Andrew Barton has eight stops, with two for loss. 
 
The Bryant linebacker unit is young but has still made a big impact in the middle of the defense.  Freshman Jesse Nemerowicz, a middle linebacker, leads the team with 37 tackles, including 18 solo.  He has half a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.  On the outside, sophomore Thomas Costigan has recorded 19 tackles, with eight solo, two sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.  Redshirt freshman Josh Jefferson is set to start at the opposite outside spot.  He has two tackles on the year.  Bryant is waiting for the return of Patrick Kenney, a senior who has missed the last two games.  Kenney has 18 tackles on the year.
 
The Bulldogs feature all senior starters in their secondary.  Free safety Charles Keenan is second on the team with 23 tackles on the season, including 14 solo, an interception and a fumble recovery.  At the strong safety position is Brandon Owens, who has 15 tackles, with six solo, half a sack and three pass breakups.  At corner, Aaron Gilmer and Raamah Vaughn each have 21 stops on the year.  Gilmer has four pass breakups, while Vaughn has two deflections and an interception.  Charles Wingate, also a corner, has 15 tackles, with a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, five breakups and an interception.  Sophomore safety Danny Hughes is also part of the rotation with two interceptions on the year.
 
Kicker Ricky Perez, a senior, has hit three-of-four field goal attempts, with a long of 51.  He has hit 16-of17 extra point attempts.  Senior punter Drew Chretien averages 34.2 yards per punt, placing three inside the 20.  Torrey Dixon and Sewall handle the return duties.  Dixon is averaging 18.9 yards per kick return, while Sewall is averaging 27.2 yards.  Sewall is averaging 4.9 yards per punt return.
 
The Red Flash trails the all-time series, 6-2.  Saint Francis fell 26-24 at Bryant in 2015.  SFU scored 21 unanswered points in the second half, but missed on a two-point conversion attempt to tie the game with 1:31 left.  Khairi Dickson (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) ran for two touchdowns in that game.  Saint Francis' last win in the series came in 2013, when it won 23-20 at Bryant.