Flash Points:

• SFU Football hosts Sacred Heart on Saturday for Senior Day.
• Kickoff is scheduled for Noon at DeGol Field on NEC Front Row.
• The Red Flash will honor 14 seniors as part of Senior Day.
• Saint Francis is 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the NEC, with a chance to clinch its third straight winning season.
• SFU's defense ranks 10th in the FCS in total yards (289.4), while SHU's offense is second in the FCS with 419.9 total yards per game.

SFU Notes | SHU Notes | SFU Two-Deep | SHU Two-Deep | NEC Front Row | Live Stats | Scouting Report | Senior Day | Veteran's Day | Canned Food Drive
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Football team welcomes Sacred Heart for Senior Day on Saturday at DeGol Field.  Kickoff is set for Noon, with a broadcast on NEC Front Row, with Pat Farabaugh, play-by-play, Jay Roberts, color analyst, and Missy McCreary, sideline reporter, on the call.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Chris Villarrial, is 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the NEC after falling 28-10 at Central Connecticut State last week.  SFU committed four turnovers, which all turned into CCSU points.  Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) and Jalen Wells (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) each had an interception.
 
Sacred Heart, coached by Mark Nofri, has a 3-6 record, with a 1-3 mark in the conference.  The Pioneers fell 48-45 in a tough loss at Bryant last week.  Kevin Duke threw for three touchdowns in the setback.
 
VETERAN'S DAY/CANNED FOOD DRIVE
The Red Flash would like to invite military veterans to Saturday's game in honor of Veteran's Day.  Military veterans will receive a discount on tickets as they enter the stadium.
 
The Saint Francis Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be collecting Canned and Non-Perishable food items on Saturday.  The SFU SAAC members are battling against other NEC schools to see who can collect the most items.  The food drive will benefit the Dorothy Day Center.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis trails 11-10 in the all-time series, but has won five straight matchups.  SFU earned a 38-17 victory last year at Campus Field.  Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) caught three touchdown passes, including a 73-yarder, as part of a 10-catch, 184-yard day.  Avery Miliner (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) rushed for 96 yards in what was his college debut.
 
LAST WEEK
Saint Francis dropped a 28-10 result at Central Connecticut State last Saturday.  Three fumbles and an interception led to four scores by the Blue Devils.
 
The Red Flash totaled 123 yards of offense.  Bear Fenimore completed nine passes for 32 yards and an interception and Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) caught four passes for 26 yards.  Joel Denley led the rushing attack with 59 yards and Avery Miliner (Clayton, Ohio/Northmont) added 31 yards and a touchdown.
 
On the defensive side, Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) and Jalen Wells (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) each recorded their third interception of the year.  Linebackers Sean Orsini (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) and Zane Stewart (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) shared the team lead with nine tackles, with 1.5 and one tackle for loss, respectively.  Safety Delondo Boyd (Indian Head, Md./Henry E. Lackey) has seven tackles and blocked a field goal.
 
Nick Rinella (Collegeville, Pa./La Salle College) had a big impact on special teams again with three kick returns for 99 yards, including a 46-yard return, and three punt returns for 37 yards, including a 30-yard return.
 
SENIOR DAY
The Red Flash will honor 14 seniors on Saturday as part of its Senior Day ceremony.  This senior class has combined for 24 wins over the last four years, tying the 1971-74 teams for the program-record for wins in a four-year span.  The seniors were a major part of Saint Francis' first ever Northeast Conference Title and FCS Playoffs berth in 2016 and has combined for over 200 starts. 
 
DUNCAN ADDED TO WATCH LIST
Senior cornerback Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic) was added to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List on Wednesday.  The award is presented by STATS FCS to the top defensive player in the FCS.  Duncan is tied for the team lead with three interceptions and has four pass breakups.  Duncan has seven career interceptions and ranks fourth all-time at SFU with 29 breakups.  Dating back to his sophomore year, Duncan has not allowed a touchdown in 26 straight games.  Earlier this season, he was invited to the FCS Bowl and placed on the NFLPA Bowl Watch List.
 
KAM BEING KAM
With four catches last week, Kamron Lewis (Fresno, Calif./Edison) moved into fifth all-time at Saint Francis with 147 catches.  He is only two receptions behind Omar Winston (2007-10) for fourth place and nine behind Antoine Rivera (2005-09) for third all-time at SFU.
 
The All-American now has 2,431 career yards, 10 yards behind Antoine Rivera (2005-09) for second all-time at Saint Francis.  Lewis' 17 career touchdowns are good for fourth all-time at SFU, three behind Rivera. 
 
Lewis ranks 13th in the FCS in receptions per game (6.8), 16th in receiving yards (846) and receiving yards per game (94.0) and 37th in receiving touchdowns (6).  Lewis has three 100-yard games, two games with 10 or more receptions and five games with at least one touchdown reception this season.
 
He caught five passes for 143 yards against Robert Morris, his 11th career 100-yard game.  Earlier this year, he set career highs against Bryant with 15 catches for 202 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown.  Lewis became just the second SFU player to have over 200 yards receiving in a game and the third player to have 15 or more receptions in a game.  Lewis has touchdown catches in nine of his last 13 games. 
 
THE DARKSIDE
The Saint Francis defense, known as "The Darkside", has been lights out this year.  The Red Flash currently ranks fourth in the FCS, allowing just 14.6 points per game. 
 
The Red Flash also ranks sixth in the nation in turnovers forced, with 13 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.  SFU also has 55 tackles for loss and 15 sacks.
 
With four defensive touchdowns, SFU has set a new program season record, topping three touchdowns each in 2015 and 2016. 
 
Saint Francis is one of seven teams in the FCS who has three players with three or more interceptions this season.  Malik Duncan (Cleveland, Ohio/Cleveland Central Catholic), Nick Rinella (Collegeville, Pa./La Salle College) and Jalen Wells (Westerville, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) each have three picks. 
 
Saint Francis is 10th in the FCS in total defense (289.4 yards per game), 38th in rushing defense (129.0), ninth in passing defense (160.4), second in pass efficiency defense (95.9) and is second in the FCS in Red Zone defense, allowing conversions on just 59 percent of opponents' trips into the Red Zone. 
 
SFU's defense is a balanced effort with seven players recording 40 or more tackles through the first 10 games.  Six players have at least four tackles for loss, four players have at least two interceptions and seven players have forced a fumble.  Linebacker Sean Orsini (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) leads the team with 64 tackles, while safety Hakeem Kinard (York, Pa./York Catholic) and linebacker Ben Bruni (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) have 57 and 52 stops, respectively.  Linebackers Zane Stewart (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and Da'Jon Lee (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) lead the team in tackles for loss, with nine and eight, and sacks, with three each. 
 
MEET THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is led by Head Coach Mark Nofri, who is 36-31 in his sixth season leading the program.  The Pioneers are 3-6 overall and 1-3 in the NEC this season.
 
Sacred Heart ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring, with 27.3 points per game, and second in total offense, with 419.9 yards per game.  The Pioneers are averaging 236.2 passing yards, ranking third in the conference, and 183.7 rushing yards, good for second in the league.
 
Kevin Duke is the starting signal caller for the Pioneers.  A dual-threat, Duke has completed just under 62 percent of his passes this year for 2,126 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and rushed for 324 yards and five touchdowns. 
 
Senior Nate Chavious leads a talented group of running backs with 375 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 4.9 yards per carry.  Junior Jordan Meachum has rushed for 332 yards and three touchdowns, while fifth-year senior Ose Imeokparia has 259 yards and five scores. 
 
Senior Byron Barney, who has caught 55 passes for 709 yards and four touchdowns, leads the receivers.  He ranks 18th in the FCS in receptions per game.  Senior Andrew O'Neil has 585 yards and four scores on 50 receptions, while freshman Ezekiel Ennis has 21 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns. 
 
The Pioneers use a 4-3 defensive scheme.  They rank sixth in the NEC, allowing 28.9 points per game.  SHU is giving up 347.1 total yards per game, ranking fourth in the conference.  They rank second in the league in rushing defense, 139 yards per game, and fifth in pass defense, 208.1 yards per game.  Sacred Heart has forced nine turnovers, including seven interceptions, and recorded 16 sacks. 
 
Fifth-year tackle Delvon Artis leads the defensive line with 35 tackles, 16 solo, seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.  Preseason All-NEC senior defensive end Dylan Ackerson has collected 19 tackles, five solo, five tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.   
 
Senior middle linebacker CJ Parvelus has 83 tackles, including 44 solo, four for loss, half a sack and an interception.  Fifth-year outside linebacker Kevin Barry leads the Pioneers with 10.5 tackles for loss to go with 73 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pick.
 
The secondary is led by fifth-year cornerback Khaamal Whitaker who has 51 tackles, with three for loss, a forced fumble, two pass breakups and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.  Fifth-year safety Tim Johnson has 26 tackles and three pass breakups.