Flash Points:

• SFU kicks off at 1 p.m. at Columbia on Saturday at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.
• First ever meeting between Saint Francis and Columbia.
• The Red Flash looks for its first win after tough losses at No. 7 Montana and Towson.

SFU Game Notes | Columbia Game Notes | SFU Two-Deep | Columbia Two-Deep | Live Stats | Ivy League Digital Network($) | Scouting Report
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team takes on Columbia on Saturday for its third non-conference game of the season.  The Red Flash and the Lions will kick off at 1 p.m. at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium.  The game will be available on a live stream on the Ivy League Digital Network.  It is the SFU program's first ever contest against an Ivy League school.
 
Saint Francis is coming off of its second straight impressive showing against one of the top teams in the FCS.  The Red Flash fell 35-28 in a hard-fought battle at Towson last Saturday.  The Tigers are ranked 24th in the HERO Sports Top 25 Poll and are the highest ranked team outside of the STATS FCS Top 25.  The Red Flash held a 28-13 lead in the second quarter, but the Tigers scored 22 unanswered points to take the lead with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter.  The Red Flash is 0-2, including a 41-31 loss at No. 7 Montana in week one. 
 
Senior quarterback Zack Drayer (Hershey, Pa./Hershey ) threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another against Towson, while passing for 160 yards.  Drayer connected with sophomore wideout Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) on touchdowns of 13 and 60 yards, the first touchdowns of Lewis' career.  Junior Ajayi (Delran, N.J./Holy Cross) added a career-high six catches for 68 yards.  Junior running back Marcus Bagley (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) gained 96 yards on 21 carries. 
 
On the defensive side, the Red Flash forced two turnovers to bring the season total up to six.  Senior linebacker Solomon Leaeno (Kapolei, Hawaii/James Campbell) forced a fumble on the Tigers' first offensive play, which was returned 89 yards for a touchdown by senior safety Lorenzo Jerome (Sunrise, Fla./J.P. Taravella).  In the second quarter, junior defensive end Shawn McCord (Aberdeen, N.J. /Red Bank Catholic) hit Towson quarterback Ellis Knudson as he was throwing and as the ball popped out of Knudson's hand, sophomore linebacker Ben Bruni (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) made a sliding catch for an interception.  Jerome led the defense with nine tackles, including five solo.
 
The fumble return was Jerome's seventh touchdown of his career.  He has the most non-offensive touchdowns among current FCS players, three touchdowns ahead of North Carolina A&T's Khris Gardin and Mercer's Chandler Curtis.
 
Through two games, Drayer has completed 56 percentage of his passes for 344 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.  He has also rushed for two scores.  Drayer has 3,781 career yards, ranking fifth all-time at SFU and putting him just seven yards behind Jeremy Swords (1997-99) for fourth all-time.
 
Bagley has rushed for 191 yards on 49 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per rush.  Lewis has eight receptions for 157 yards, while Ajayi has 10 catches for 151 yards and a score.
 
Jerome leads the defense with 19 tackles, 10 solo, one for loss and two interceptions.  The Sunrise, Fla. native is the FCS career active leader with 14 picks.  Leaeno has 15 tackles, with nine solo, three for loss and a sack, while McCord has 13 stops with 2.5 for loss and a sack.  Junior cornerback Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) has 11 tackles and four pass breakups.
 
On special teams, Jerome ranks second in the FCS with 237 kick return yards and a kick return average of 39.2 yards.  He is one of four FCS players that has returned a kick for a touchdown this season.  Jerome is second among active FCS players with a career kick return average of 28.2 yards.  Senior kicker Lance Geesey (Harrisburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) has 46 career makes, competing Duquesne's Austin Crimmins (48) for the NEC Career Record. 
 
Columbia plays its season opener this weekend.  The Lions were 2-8 last season, including 1-6 in the Ivy League.  Head Coach Al Bagnoli is in his second year leading the Lions.  Bagnoli is in his second stint as a head coach in the Ivy League after 23 years at Penn.
 
The Lions offense averaged 14.3 points per game last season, ranking 111th in the FCS.  Columbia also ranked 103rd in the nation in total offense, averaging 296.7 yards per game.
 
Quarterback Skyler Mornhinwg, son of Baltimore Ravens Quarterbacks Coach Marty Mornhinweg, started nine games last season.  The former University of Florida transfer completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,338 yards, six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.  The six-foot-three, 220-pound senior also rushed for 249 yards and three scores.
 
In the backfield, senior Chris Schroer, freshman Tanner Thomas and senior Alan Watson make up the running backs group.  Seniors Scooter Hollis and Cameron Dunn lead the receivers.  Hollis, 5-foot-11, led the Lions with 51 catches in 2015, totaling 515 yards and a touchdown.  Dunn, six-foot-three, added 206 yards and two scores on 21 catches.
 
The Lions defense, a 4-3 system, was one of the top units in the FCS last year, allowing just 19.8 points per game to rank 17th in the nation.  They also ranked eighth in the nation in total defense, giving up just 291.1 yards per contest. 
 
Columbia will feature three new starters on the defensive line after graduating three All-Ivy League performers.  Senior defensive tackle Dominic Perkovic leads the returning group with 30 tackles last season, including 21 solo, 4.5 for loss and three sacks. 
 
The Lions return all three starting linebackers, all seniors, who accounted for three of the team's top four tacklers in 2015.  Keith Brady and Christian Conway, both outside linebackers, tied for the team-lead with 57 tackles last year.  Brady added 10 tackles for loss and a sack, while Conway recorded 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.  Gianmarco Rea added 48 stops, with five for loss and a sack. 
 
In the secondary, Brock Kenyon, a senior free safety, leads the returners.  Kenyon made 44 stops last year, with two for loss, four pass breakups and a recovered fumble.  Honorable Mention All-Ivy League cornerback Jared Katz had 39 tackles, with one for loss, seven pass breakups and an interception last year.