Flash Points:

• Saint Francis hosts Malone on Saturday in its home opener, with kickoff scheduled at 1 p.m. at DeGol Field.
• The Pioneers are 1-3 this season, with a win over Taylor University.
• Malone fell 21-19 at Robert Morris last Saturday, missing a two-point conversion to tie the game with 27 seconds left.

Malone | DeGol Field | 1 p.m. | NEC Front Row | First Responders Day | Family Weekend
 
Malone Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team is finally home after four straight road games to open the season.  The Red Flash hosts Malone for a 1 p.m. kickoff at DeGol Field to close out non-conference play.  The game will be broadcasted on NEC Front Row, with Pat Farabaugh and Jay Roberts on the call.
 
Head Coach Fred Thomas is in his first year leading the Pioneers after serving as defensive coordinator in 2015.  The Pioneers, a Division II program, are 1-3 this season, including a win over Taylor in the season opener.  Malone competes in the Great West Athletic Conference.
 
Malone fell 21-19 at Robert Morris last Saturday, missing on a two-point conversion attempt to tie the game with 27 seconds left.  The Pioneers offense totaled 314 yards, including 256 through the air.  Quarterback John Iacucci completed 19-of-32 passes for 256 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.  He added 22 yards rushing.  Running back Matt Blasiole gained 32 yards on 13 carries and added five catches for 63 yards and a 25-yard touchdown catch.  Receiver Ashton Dulin caught seven passes for 123 yards and a two-yard score. 
 
Defensively, Malone held Robert Morris to 232 total yards, including only 92 passing yards.  The Pioneers forced a fumble and recorded three sacks.  Linebacker Ryan Weber led the team with eight tackles, including six solo and a sack, and a pass breakup.  Defensive end Austin Cary added seven stops, with three for loss and two sacks. Nose guard Tyler Bowman had five tackles, with a half a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, while cornerback Lamon Mathison recovered a fumble and broke up a pass to go with five tackles.
 
The Malone offense features a strong passing attack to go with an option-influenced run game.  The Pioneers average 20.5 points and 386.2 total yards per game.  They also average 219.8 passing yards and 166.5 rushing yards per contest.
 
Iaccucci, six-foot-two redshirt sophomore, is the starting signal caller for the Pioneers after starting three contests last season.  Through four games, Iaccucci is completing 55.1 percent of his passes(65-of-118) for 879 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.  He also has 105 rushing yards and two scores.
 
In the backfield, Blasiole, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior, leads the unit with 429 rushing yards and two scores, while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.  Blasiole also has 10 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns.  Six-foot, 200-pound freshman Damon Williams has contributed 83 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
 
The Pioneers have a few key targets in the passing game.  The receiver group is led by six-foot-two sophomore Ashton Dulin, who has 24 catches for 391 yards and two touchdowns on the year.  Six-foot-two freshman slot receiver Alex Stotts has 154 yards on 12 receptions, while six-foot-one rookie Isaiah Wilson has nine catches for 102 yards. 
 
The Malone offensive line includes a senior, a junior, two sophomores and a freshman.  The group has combined for 42 starts.  Junior right tackle Joe Turner leads the group with 15 career starts, while senior center Chris Henke has 14 career starts.  Sophomore right guard Blake Cary has five starts in his career, while freshman left tackle Zak Hill and sophomore left guard JD Stamper are both in their first years as starters.
 
On defense, Malone uses a 4-3 system.  The Pioneers have forced four turnovers this year, including two interceptions, and recorded nine sacks.  The defense allows 34.5 points and 380.8 total yards per game.  The Pioneers give up 200.2 passing yards and 180.5 rushing yards per contest.
 
The defensive line features four seniors, led by nose tackle Tyler Bowman.  He tops the unit with 25 tackles, including nine solo, two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.  Defensive end Austin Cary leads the team with 20 stops, including 11 solo, seven for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.  Defensive tackle Colton Hale has nine tackles and a pass deflection.  At the "R" position, Jesse Correll has 10 stops, with one for loss and a fumble recovery.
 
Keith Williams and Ryan Weber lead the linebacker group.  The duo is tied for the team-lead with 35 tackles.  Williams, a freshman, has 14 solo tackles, including half a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups.  Weber, a junior, has 19 solo stops, with 1.5 for loss, a sack and two pass deflections.  Sophomore Kameron Richardson has 14 tackles and half a sack.
 
In the secondary, senior strong safety JC Pawlyk anchors the unit.  He has 29 tackles, with 14 solo, two for loss, half a sack and a forced fumble.  At the free safety position, junior Daniel Tepe has 16 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups.  At cornerback, sophomore Lamon Mathison has made 22 stops, with 16 solo, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.  Junior corner Jordan Johnson has recorded 14 tackles and two pass breakups.
 
Sophomore Marcus Moeller handles the kicking and punting duties.  He has hit five-of-seven attempts, including a long of 30 yards, this season.  He also averages 39.9 yards per punt.  Dulin serves as the primary kick returner, with 129 yards on seven returns.  Dulin and Johnson split the punt return duties. 
 
This marks the first ever meeting between the Saint Francis and Malone programs.