Flash Points:

• SFU Football kicks off the 2017 season against Lock Haven on Saturday.
• The Red Flash and the Bald Eagles meet for a Noon kickoff at DeGol Field.
• Lock Haven went 4-7 last year, including 4-3 in the PSAC, and won four of its final six games of the season.
• LHU returns 38 lettermen and 12 starters from last year's squad.
• The Bald Eagles feature a high-powered offense that averaged 29.4 points per game last year.

Lock Haven | DeGol Field | Noon | NEC Front Row
 
Lock Haven Two-Deep
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Football team begins its NEC Title defense this week as it opens the 2017 season against Lock Haven.  The Red Flash will host the Bald Eagles for a Noon kickoff at DeGol Field, with a livestream on NEC Front Row.  Meet the Bald Eagles in our first scouting report of the year.
 
Despite being in-state rivals, the teams will meet for the first time since 1950, when the Bald Eagles won 26-13 in Loretto.  SFU is 5-1 all-time in the series, with its last win coming in 1949, a 20-13 road victory.
 
Dave Taynor enters his third season leading Lock Haven, with a 6-16 record through his first two seasons.  In 10 years of coaching, Taynor is 44-55. 
 
The Bald Eagles were 4-7 overall last year, including 4-3 against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponents.  Lock Haven returns 38 lettermen, including 12 starters, from a year ago.  LHU was picked sixth in the preseason PSAC Coaches Poll.
 
Lock Haven will feature multiple looks to its offense.  Last season, LHU averaged 29.4 points and 450.4 total yards per game.  They averaged 287.1 passing yards and 163.3 rushing yards per contest.  LHU brings back six starters on offense.
 
Redshirt junior Cameron Tobias is expected to start for Lock Haven, replacing graduated signal caller Caleb Walton, who threw for 3,115 yards and 21 touchdowns last year on his way to All-PSAC honors.  Tobias, six-foot-two, completed 5-of-10 throws last year for 43 yards and a touchdown. 
 
Tobias will have help in the backfield with four of Lock Haven's top five rushers returning from last year.  That group is led by six-foot, 195-pound junior John Ford, who ran for 841 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016, averaging 5.4 yards per rush.  He also caught 15 passes for 119 yards and a score.  Senior Malyk Harris, five-foot-nine, 185 pounds, gained 268 yards and rushed for two touchdowns, while five-foot-nine, 190-pound sophomore Ralph Hyland had 202 yards and four scores.  Senior Corey Blakely, 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, added 135 yards and a touchdown last year.
 
The Bald Eagles will use three or more receivers on the field in a lot of formations.  Their leading returning receiver is six-foot-four, 255-pound senior tight end Del'Vaughn Dennis, who caught 36 passes for 523 yards and three touchdowns last year.  Dennis was a First Team All-PSAC selection and a Division II Honorable Mention All-American.  Five-foot-nine sophomore Kyeef Williams hauled in 15 receptions for 281 yards and a score, while 5-foot-11 Kahsim Buey made 16 grabs for 241 yards and two touchdowns in 2016.  Sophomore Bryan Greene, six-foot, and junior Raekwon Purdy, six-foot-two, are also expected to get major playing time at receiver.
 
The Lock Haven offensive line includes four seniors and a redshirt sophomore.  The line is led by Preseason All-America senior center Trent Fielding.   LHU has a very experienced line with Fielding and sophomore tackle David Staton each making 11 starts last year and senior guards Chris Bonk and Austin Heinbaugh started 10 contests a piece.  Senior tackle Devante Oliver started four games last year.
 
The Bald Eagles use a 3-3-5 defensive system.  Last year, they allowed 35.6 points and 347.6 total yards per game, including 285.6 passing yards and 152 rushing yards per contest.  LHU forced 15 turnovers, 11 interceptions, and recorded 16 sacks.
 
Junior tackle Brandon Clements leads returning LHU defensive players with eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last year to anchor the line.  Clements had 31 tackles, with 17 solo, and forced a fumble.  Senior defensive guard David Lazo had 15 tackles, three solo, and two sacks in 2016.  Junior Andres Medina-Munoz is expected to start at nose guard after recording six tackles, two solo, last year.  Junior EJ Umoh (eight tackles), junior Terrell Mitchell (six tackles) and sophomore Rashawn Williams are also in the defensive line rotation.
 
The linebacking core will need to replace All-PSAC honoree Kevin Chapple, who graduated after leading the team with 96 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.  Sophomore outside linebacker Fernando Flores tops returning linebackers with 37 stops a year ago.  Flores had 12 solo tackles and half a tackle for loss.  Junior Neil Satterwhite will lineup on the opposite side of Flores after making 16 stops, eight solo, in 2016.  Sophomore Alex Welch is expected to start at middle linebacker.  Sophomore Elijah McBride (13 tackles) and freshmen Obadiah Asare and Jakob Paul will provide depth at linebacker.
 
All-PSAC junior safety Isaiah Flamer leads the secondary after placing third on the team with 79 tackles last year.  He led the squad with four interceptions and broke up two passes.  At the opposite safety spot will be senior Daniel Strawbridge, a 2015 All-PSAC selection who missed time with an injury last season.  Senior cornerback Carlos Balkcom had 43 tackles, a team-high 12 pass breakups and three interceptions in 2016, while sophomore corner Shyheim Brown made 26 stops and broke up six passes.  Sophomore Javon Whitfield had 17 tackles and two picks in 2016.
 
Penn State transfer and redshirt junior Nick Boumerhi will take over the kicking and punting duties for Lock Haven.  Purdy and sophomore Tavian Dorsey will share the kick return duties, while Purdy will return punts.