Flash Points:

• Saint Francis football welcomes Bryant to DeGol Field on Saturday.
• Both teams are 1-0 in NEC play, setting up a key matchup for both teams.
• SFU is celebrating Youth Day, with kids in sixth grade and under receiving free admission with a voucher.
• Kids in sixth grade and under will receive a free team photo poster.
• An autograph session on the field will follow the game.
• Prior to the game, the Arthur and Carmella Martynuska scholarship will be presented.

SFU Game Notes | Bryant Game Notes | SFU Two-Deep | Bryant Two-Deep | Live Stats | NEC Front Row | Scouting Report | Youth Day
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team welcomes Bryant to DeGol Field this week for a key Northeast Conference matchup.  The Red Flash and the Bulldogs are set for a Noon kickoff.  The game will be webcast on NEC Front Row, with Pat Farabaugh on Play-by-Play and Jay Roberts on Color. 
 
Saint Francis owns a 3-3 overall record this year, while Bryant is 2-3 coming off of a bye week.  Both teams are 1-0 in conference play, setting up a key game for both squads. 
 
Red Flash football is celebrating Youth Day on Saturday.  All kids sixth grade and under receive free admission with the voucher in the flier in the links above.  Kids will receive a free team photo poster, with an autograph session on the field following the game.
 
Prior to the game will be the presentation of the Arthur and Carmella Martynuska Scholarship.  The scholarship was founded in honor of SFU's winningest coach.
 
LAST WEEK
The Red Flash is coming off of a 24-10 win at Robert Morris last Saturday to open conference play.
 
Saint Francis jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 41-yard field goal by Lance Geesey (Harrisburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and a 14-yard touchdown catch by Marcus Bagley (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights). 
 
The Red Flash added to its lead with touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter.  Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) caught a 48-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) added a one-yard sneak in the fourth quarter.
 
Drayer totaled 150 passing yards on 10 completions, while Bagley ran for 102 yards on 25 carries and added three catches for 35 yards.  Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) led the receivers with three catches for 47 yards.
 
However, the story of the day was the Red Flash defense, which held Robert Morris to no offensive touchdowns and just 108 total yards, including only seven rushing yards.  The Saint Francis defense record eight sacks, with 16 tackles for loss, and four interceptions.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis trails the all-time series, 6-2, against Bryant.  The Red Flash 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) scored two touchdowns on the ground. 
 
Saint Francis' last win in the series was in 2013, when it won 23-20 at Bryant.
 
LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD
One of the keys to the success of the Red Flash defense this season has been its constant pressure in the backfield. 
 
Saint Francis leads the FCS with 26 sacks this season, including four games of four or more sacks.  SFU has 55 tackles for loss on the year.
 
This past Saturday, the Red Flash recorded eight sacks, tied with Prairie View A&M for the most in an FCS game this season.  SFU also had 16 tackles for loss, which is tied for the second-most in an FCS game this year, tied with Stetson's 16 vs. Jacksonville behind Davidson's 18 vs. Livingstone.
 
In the game against Robert Morris, freshman Da'Jon Lee (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) led the team with four tackles for loss and three sacks, as well as a blocked punt, leading to NEC Rookie of the Week honors.
 
Senior Solomon Leaeno (Kapolei, Hawaii/James Campbell) contributed three tackles for loss and two sacks, while Jerome had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 
 
Junior Austin Gray (Egg Harbor Township, N.J. /Egg Harbor Township) accounted for two tackles for loss and a sack, while fellow junior Luke Weiss (Verona, N.J. /Verona) had 1.5 tackles for loss and half a sack.  Junior Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic), senior Wesley Nagaseu (Waipahu, Hawaii/Waipahu) and junior Zane Stewart (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) each had one tackle for loss.
 
On the season, Leaeno leads SFU with 51 tackles, including nine for loss and a team-best six sacks.  Lee has recorded 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks, while forcing two fumbles.
 
Stewart has five tackles for loss, with two sacks, while Jerome has 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.  Gray and sophomore Louie Gartner (Bloomfield, N.J./Paramus Catholic) each have 3.5 tackles for loss, with one sack for Gray and two for Gartner.
 
DON'T THROW THERE
Saint Francis not only applied great pressure against Robert Morris' offense, but that pressure helped to create turnovers.
 
The Red Flash picked off four passes last Saturday.  Jerome had two of those interceptions, with one in the first quarter and another in the third quarter.  Jerome also broke up two passes.
 
Junior cornerback Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) matched Jerome with two picks of his own, with interceptions in the second and fourth quarters. 
 
Duncan and Jerome are currently the only FCS teammates with two interceptions in the same game this season.  The duo is also one of only two in Division I football to accomplish that feat this year, joining Virginia's Bryce Hall and Juan Thornhill.
 
Jerome now has an FCS-best six interceptions on the year.  He is only one interception away from the tying the NEC season record, which is currently an eight-player tie.  Jerome also has 18 career interceptions, one behind the SFU (Jason Wilson, 1991-94) and NEC (Chris Blackshear, CCSU, 2001-03) Career Records.
 
The Florida native is the only FCS player with two picks in two different games this year.  He also had two at Montana.
 
Duncan has four career interceptions, with all four coming against Robert Morris.  He had one his freshman year, one his sophomore year and now two in his junior year.
 
MR. EVERYTHING
Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week, but his impact went beyond just the defensive side of the ball. 
 
Of course Jerome made a huge impact on defense with 10 tackles, eight solo, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and two pass breakups. 
 
He also made a big impact in the return game again, totaling 108 kick return yards, including a 74-yard return on the game's opening kickoff. 
 
However, last week, Jerome also saw three snaps on offense.  A former quarterback in high school, Jerome lined up behind quarterback Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) in the pistol formation early in the third quarter.  After the snap, Jerome ran a wheel route along the right sideline.  Drayer hit Jerome in stride, and after making a defender miss, Jerome took it into the end zone.  The Florida native added a four-yard run and a hand off to freshman Raleigh Sirb (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) in his other two plays.
 
Jerome now has eight career touchdowns, with this being his first offensive touchdown.  In his SFU career, Jerome has scored a touchdown in five different ways: Kick Return, Punt Return, Interception return, fumble return and now a touchdown catch. 
 
In addition to his hunt for the career interceptions record at SFU, Jerome has now moved into second place in kick return yards, with 1,218, now 364 away from breaking the SFU record held by Kyle Harbridge (2009-13).  Jerome is also tied for fourth at SFU with 29 career pass breakups.
 
FLASH ON TV
All six SFU games this season have been livestreamed, with one appearance on ESPN3, two appearances on CAASports.TV, one on NEC Front Row, one on the Ivy League Digital Network and one on Cowles Media TV in Montana.
 
SFU is scheduled for one more appearance on ESPN3, for its homecoming game on October 21 vs. Duquesne, and four appearances on NEC Front Row.
 
Dating back to the 2011 season, 61 straight SFU games have been broadcasted.
 
TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Saint Francis played a very difficult non-conference schedule to start the season.  The Red Flash began the season with four straight road games, competing well in all four.
 
SFU started the season at No. 13 Montana and led 10-6 at halftime and 17-13 in the third quarter, before the Grizzlies rallied for a 41-31 win.
 
The next week, at Towson, who was the top team receiving votes outside of the STATS FCS Top 25, the Red Flash jumped out to a 28-13 lead at halftime, but the Tigers came out on top with 22 unanswered points in the second half.
 
SFU got in the win column with a 13-9 win at Columbia in week three. 
 
The following week, SFU led 9-0 at halftime at No. 22 Albany, but the Great Danes won with a 20-point performance in the second half.
 
However, SFU was able to finish out the non-conference slate with a win over Malone on October 1 to get to 2-3 going into conference play.
 
STAYING IN-STATE
The Saint Francis roster includes 103 players, with 36 players hailing from Pennsylvania. 
 
The roster features 16 players from New Jersey, 13 from Maryland, 9 from Ohio and 7 from Florida as well as five each from New York and Virginia, four from California and Hawaii, two from Texas and one each from Massachusetts and North Carolina.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Bryant is 2-3 this season, including wins over Merrimack and NEC foe Central Connecticut State.  However, Bryant has also played a tough non-conference schedule, with closes losses to Big Sky member Montana State, Ivy League member Brown and CAA member Maine.
 
Head Coach Marty Fine holds a 77-58 record in his 13th year leading the Bryant program.  Since joining the NEC in 2009, Bryant has finished .500 or above in conference play every season.
 
The Bryant offense leads the NEC and ranks 24th in the FCS, averaging 33.6 points per game.  The Bulldogs average 409.2 total yards to rank third in the conference.  Bryant averages 291.2 passing yards, good for 16th in the FCS, and 118 rushing yards.
 
Quarterback Dalton Easton, a six-foot, 207-pound senior, is in his third year as the starter.  He leads the NEC and ranks 11th in the FCS, averaging 291.2 yards per game.  He has completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 1,456 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.  Easton has one rushing touchdown.
 
Senior Ryan Black leads the running backs group with 201 yards on 56 carries to go with 10 catches for 66 yards.  Junior fullback Hunter Taute, six-foot-two, 268 pounds, has 95 yards and three scores on 20 carries, along with 10 catches for 82 yards.
 
Wideout Taylor Barthelette is Bryant's top target, ranking 25th in the FCS with 481 receiving yards.  The six-foot-one senior has 27 catches on the year, including five touchdowns.  Junior Matt Sewall has 19 catches for 243 yards and four touchdowns.
 
The Bryant offensive line includes four senior and a junior, with the group accounting for 95 career starts
 
The Bulldogs use a 4-3 system on defense.  They are allowing 28.4 points per game and 359.4 total yards per game.  Bryant gives up 225.4 passing yards and 134 rushing yards per contest.  They have forced seven turnovers, including five interceptions, and has recorded eight sacks on the year.
 
Senior Marquise Watson, a nose tackle, anchors the defensive line.  He leads the group with 21 tackles, including nine solo and 2.5 for loss, while sophomore end Dillon Guthro has 20 tackles, with 11 solo, 6.5 for loss and two sacks.
 
The Bryant linebackers are young, but talented.  Freshman Jesse Nemerowicz holds down the middle linebacker spot with a team-leading 37 tackles, including 18 solo, half a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.  Thomas Costigan, an outside linebacker, has 19 tackles and two sacks.  Bryant is waiting for the return of Patrick Kenney, a senior who missed the last two games, but has 18 tackles on the year.
 
The Bulldogs have four senior starters in their secondary.  Free safety Charles Keenan is second on the squad with 23 tackles, including 14 solo, an interception and fumble recovery.  Brandon Owens, the strong safety, has 15 tackles and three pass breakups.  At the corner, Aaron Gilmer and Raamah Vaughn have 21 tackles each.  Gilmer has four pass breakups, while Vaught has two breakups and an interception.