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Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis football team looks to open conference play 2-0 when it welcomes Robert Morris to Loretto on Oct. 12 at noon.

Scouting Robert Morris

The Colonials come into the weekend with a 1-4 record and will open conference play vs. the Red Flash. Both teams are coming off of their bye weeks. Robert Morris features a dangerous tailback in Alijah Jackson who is second in the NEC in rushing at 100.2 yards per game. He had a monster game last time out, rushing for 140 yards on 20 carries vs. No. 20 Youngstown State. The Colonials are third in the NEC in rushing offense, averaging over 150 yards per game on the ground.

Defensively, Aniel Buzzacco leads the team with 8.6 tackles per game. Robert Morris has allowed 30 or more points in three of five games.

Series History

Saint Francis takes a seven-game win streak vs. the Colonials into Saturday despite RMU holding a 15-9-1 edge in the series history. Saint Francis defeated RMU 20-7 last season, holding the Colonials to just 217 total yards of offense.

Getting off the Field

The Saint Francis defense was excellent in its 16-6 win at Bryant last time out, forcing Bryant into a season-high 11 punts. The Saint Francis defense was particularly stout on third downs, holding Bryant to just 3-of-18 on third down. SFU's defense currently ranks 7^th nationally in third down defense, allowing its opposition to move the chains on just 26.1% of its attempts.

Defense Dominates The Day Yet Again

The Red Flash defense has allowed one touchdown or less in three of its five games with season. Despite a first quarter touchdown, Bryant could only muster 210 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed by the Saint Francis defense since a win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 29, 2018, and the fewest against a Division I opponent since holding Robert Morris to 158 yards of offensive on Oct. 28, 2017. Saint Francis ranks 21^st in the country in total defense, holding three of its five opponents under 300 yards and four of five under 330. The Red Flash also lead the NEC in scoring defense at 21.6 ppg.

Pass Defense Excels

SFU's pass defense ranks third in the country in pass defense efficiency, allowing opposing quarterbacks to connect on just 48.9% of their throws with four touchdowns. Bryant quarterback Kory Curtis went just 15-of-37 for 142 yards in SFU's conference-opening win.

Getting in the Backfield

Much of SFU's success defending the pass can be attributed to the defensive front's ability to get pressure on the quarterback. Saint Francis is second in the country with 12 sacks after notching five at Bryant. Redshirt sophomore James Watkins (Oxon Hill, Md./Oxon Hill) ranks third in the NEC in sacks with three total (two totals and two assists) and third in tackles for a loss with 6.0. True freshman Dwayne Majors (Fairless Hills, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic) has also emerged as a pass rushing threat with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss over his last two games. He earned NEC Rookie of the Week last time out with four tackles and 1.5 for a loss at Bryant. SFU's defense has 36 tackles for a loss in just five games.

Denley Digs In

Behind the legs of junior running back Joel Denley (Beaumont, Texas/West Brook), Saint Francis rushed for a season-high 162 yards in the win at Bryant. Denley toted the rock 15 times for 100 yards to become the first SFU player to run for 100 yards in a game since Jymere Jordan-Toney (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin) ran for 105 in SFU's second game of the 2017 season. Denley ripped off four runs of 10 or more yards, two of which came in the fourth quarter to set-up a game-clinching field goal.