Flash Points:

• Saint Francis football begins conference play on Saturday at Robert Morris.
• Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium.
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and can be seen on WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
• SFU enters NEC play with a 2-3 record after a tough non-conference schedule.
• The Red Flash has won the last four games in the series, including last year's 21-0 win at DeGol Field.

SFU Game Notes | RMU Game Notes | SFU Two-Deep | RMU Two-Deepz | Live Stats | ESPN3/WatchESPN | Scouting Report
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team visits NEC rival Robert Morris on Saturday to open up conference play.  The Red Flash and the Colonials are set for a 3 p.m. kick at Joe Walton Stadium.  Saint Francis will make its first appearance on ESPN3 this season.  The game can be seen on WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
 
Both teams will play their conference opener on Saturday.  Saint Francis enters with a 2-3 record after a 52-10 win over Malone last week, while Robert Morris is 1-4 after falling 41-7 at Liberty.
 
Saint Francis trails the all-time series, 15-6-1, but has won four straight matchups, including last year's 21-0 win at DeGol Field.  The Red Flash won its last road contest in the series, 40-7, in 2014.
 
LAST WEEK
Saint Francis concluded non-conference play with the victory over Malone in SFU's home opener.  The win wrapped up a tough non-conference schedule that featured four straight road games to start the season. 
 
The Red Flash offense totaled 491 yards, including 259 passing and 232 rushing.  Junior running back Jymere Jordan-Toney (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin) tied a school-record with four touchdowns, including runs of 4, 9, 12 and 57 yards, while freshman Raleigh Sirb (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) added a 62-yard touchdown run and finished with 75 yards on five carries.
 
Quarterback Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) completed 18-of-24 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns.  He connected with Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) for a two-yard touchdown pass and sophomore Andre Dowdell (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) for an 11-yard touchdown catch.  Lewis set career-bests with 10 catches and 188 yards.
 
The Saint Francis defense held Malone to 183 total yards, with 119 through the air and 64 on the ground.
 
Senior Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors with a team-high nine tackles, including a sack, two pass breakups, a QB hurry and an interception.  Junior Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) added seven tackles and a sack, while senior Solomon Leaeno (Kapolei, Hawaii/James Campbell) contributed six tackles and a fumble recovery. 
 
Junior Luke Weiss (Verona, N.J. /Verona) recorded four tackles, with 1.5 for loss, and a forced fumble, while junior Zane Stewart (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) added three tackles, with a sack and a pass breakup and junior Austin Gray (Egg Harbor Township, N.J. /Egg Harbor Township) had three tackles, with 1.5 for loss and a forced fumble. 
 
FLASH ON ESPN3
The Red Flash will make its seventh appearance on ESPN3 in the last four years.  SFU will also appear on the network on Friday, October 21 when it hosts Duquesne for a 7 p.m. kick on homecoming weekend.
 
Paul Dottino will be on Play-by-Play on Saturday, with Kevin Gilbride on color and John Schmeelk on the sideline.
 
SFU was on ESPN3 three times last season, with games against Duquesne, Wagner and Youngstown State. 
 
All five SFU games this season have been live streamed, with 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.
 
Dating back to the 2011 season, 60 straight SFU games have been broadcasted.
 
VILLARRIAL NOW NO. 2 ON SFU WINS LIST
With a win against Malone on Saturday, Head Coach Chris Villarrial now has 26 career wins. 
 
Villarrial passed Frank Pergolizzi (1989-94) for second all-time at SFU.  Villarrial is now 19 wins behind Art Martynuska (1969-79, 1981).
 
JEROME ADDED TO WATCH LIST
Senior safety Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) was added to the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List on Tuesday and is one of 26 players on the list.
 
He is tied for the FCS lead with four interceptions this season after recording his fourth of the year against Malone.  He has 16 career interceptions, most of any active FCS player.  Jerome is just three picks shy of the SFU (Jason Wilson, 1991-94) and NEC (Chris Blackshear, CCSU, 2001-03) records.
 
The Florida native is second on the team with 36 tackles this season, including 17 solo, two tackles for loss and a sack.  He also has three pass breakups and an 89-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
 
The three-time First Team All-NEC selection is third among active FCS players with 43 career passes defended, including 16 interceptions and 27 pass breakups. 
 
He has also made a big impact on kick return, averaging 26.4 yards per return, including a 73-yard touchdown return at Montana, and is tied for the career-lead among FCS players with three career kick return touchdowns.  Jerome has seven career non-offensive touchdowns.
 
SOLID FIRST START
Junior running back Jymere Jordan-Toney (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin) earned his first career start on Saturday against Malone, in place of Marcus Bagley (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights), who sat out the game with an injury. 
 
Jordan-Toney did not disappoint in his debut, scoring four rushing touchdowns.  He joined Kyle Harbridge (2011 vs. Morehead State and 2013 vs. Lincoln) as the only SFU players to accomplish that feat. 
 
With four rushing touchdowns, Jordan-Toney is one of six players in the nation and the only player in the NEC to do that in a game this season.
 
The junior ran for 156 yards on 23 carries.  He had four runs of 10 or more yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
 
He has 231 yards on 40 carries this season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and 46.2 yards per game.
 
LEWIS CATCHING EVERYTHING
Sophomore Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) has emerged as SFU's top weapon at receiver.  Lewis has set career records each of the last two weeks. 
 
After catching nine passes for 121 yards at No. 22 Albany, Lewis hauled in 10 receptions for 188 yards and a score vs. Malone.  Lewis had three catches over 30 yards and four over 25 yards against the Pioneers.
 
On the year, Lewis had 30 catches for 543 yards and four touchdowns.  He averages 18.1 yards per catch and 108.6 yards per game. 
 
Lewis currently ranks sixth in the FCS in receiving yards, 12th in yards per game and is tied for 23rd in receiving touchdowns.
 
CONSISTENT UP FRONT
Offensive line was expected to be a strength of the Saint Francis offense going into the season, with five starters and the top eight players in the rotation all returning. 
 
The SFU line has featured the same five starters for each game: redshirt sophomore left tackle Mederick Flavius, senior left guard Samuel Freireich (Austin, Texas/Westlake), senior center Jimmy Marks (Middletown, Pa./Lower Dauphin), sophomore right guard Mike Ames (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) and sophomore right tackle Christian Eubanks (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg).
 
The line has helped SFU to average 169.2 rushing yards per game and has allowed only eight sacks through five games.  SFU has two games with over 200 yards rushing and did not allow a sack against No. 22 Albany.
 
GEESEY IS GOOD
Senior kicker Lance Geesey (Harrisburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) hit a 47-yard field goal attempt on Saturday, his third straight game hitting a field goal of 47 or more yards. 
 
Geesey has 52 career field goals, placing him one behind Duquesne's Austin Crimmins for the NEC career record and the most field goals among current FCS players.  The senior has made 10 career field goals from 40 or more yards.
 
With a field goal and seven extra points vs. Malone, Geesey became the all-time scoring leader at SFU with 254 career points.
 
STRONG DEFENSE
The Saint Francis defense has held three straight opponents to 20 or less points and 120 or less passing yards.
 
The Red Flash is tied for 10th in the nation with 11 turnovers forced, including six interceptions and five fumble recoveries. 
 
SFU is also tied for fourth in the nation in sacks, averaging 3.6 per game, with 18 total. 
 
Senior linebacker Solomon Leaeno (Kapolei, Hawaii/James Campbell) leads the team with 40 tackles,, while senior safety Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella) has 36 and junior cornerback Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) has 28 stops. 
 
Freshman linebacker Da'Jon Lee (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) leads the squad with 7.5 tackles for loss, including two sacks, while Leaeno has six tackles for loss and a team-best four sacks. 
 
Junior linebacker Zane Stewart (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) has four tackles for loss, while sophomore defensive end Louie Gartner (Bloomfield, N.J./Paramus Catholic) has 3.5 and junior end Shawn McCord (Aberdeen, N.J. /Red Bank Catholic) has three.  Stewart, Gartner, McCord and junior safety Delondo Boyd (Indian Head, Md./Henry E. Lackey) all have two sacks/
 
Jerome leads the team with four interceptions, while McCord and sophomore linebacker Ben Bruni (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) each have one.  Duncan leads with seven pass breakups, while junior corner Jalen Wells (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) has four and Jerome has three. 
 
Lee has forced two fumbles, while Boyd, Leaeno, Weiss and junior end Austin Gray (Egg Harbor Township, N.J. /Egg Harbor Township) all have forced one.  Leaeno has three fumble recoveries, while Jerome and Weiss each have one.
 
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 last Saturday's win over Malone 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 COLONIALS
Robert Morris is 1-4 entering its conference opener.  The Colonials fell 41-7 at CAA member Liberty last week.  Head Coach John Banaszak is in his third year leading RMU, with a 6-21 record.
 
The RMU offense averages 8.2 points per game and 150 total yards, ranking seventh in the NEC in both categories.  RMU is also seventh in passing yards (92.4) and rushing yards (57.6) per game.
 
RMU quarterback Andrew Romanchak, a redshirt freshman, is completing 46.6 percent of his passes for 376 yards, a touchdown and five interceptions.  Sophomore running back Dante Satcher has 225 yards on 59 carries for an average of 3.8 yards per carry and 56.2 yards per game.  The top receiver target is 5-foot-10 freshman Tim Vecchio, who has 16 catches for 136 yards.  The RMU offense also includes receiver Kyle Buss, the 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year.
 
The Colonials use a 3-4 defensive scheme and are allowing 25 points per game, ranking fourth in the NEC.  They allow 366.4 total yards per game, ranking sixth in the conference, including 227.6 passing yards and 138.8 rushing yards per game.  RMU has forced six turnovers, including five interceptions, and has 14 sacks, ranking 20th in the FCS in that category.
 
Senior defensive tackle Zack Zamiska leads the line with 18 tackles, with two for loss and a sack, while junior end Ryan Lewis has 16 tackles and two sacks.
 
Inside linebacker Adam Wollet has a team-best 41 tackles this year, with 18 solo, while fellow inside linebacker Joseph Uhatafe has 37 tackles.  Freshman linebacker Gee Stanley ranks third in the nation with 5.5 sacks this year to go with 28 tackles and forced fumble.
 
Cornerback Marcelis Branch, a Preseason All-NEC selection, leads the secondary with 24 tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.  Safety Andy Smigiera also was a Preseason All-NEC honoree and returned to action last week with five tackles and a pass breakup.
 
RMU features one of the top return units in the nation, averaging 29.9 yards per kick return to rank second in the FCS.  Satcher leads the FCS with a 43 yard kick return average, with 215 yards on five returns, including a 99-yard touchdown vs. Alderson Broaddus.  Warren Robinson handles the punt return duties and averages 15.4 yards per return, including an 81-yard touchdown return against Malone.