NEC Front Row | Live Stats | SFU Game Notes

LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football will face LIU on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. off the bye week. Saint Francis enters the game 2-0 in Northeast Conference play and is on a three-game winning streak.
 
Offense
Freshman Makai Jackson was named the midseason favorite for the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the most outstanding freshman in the FCS, by NCAA FCS writer Stan Becton. He ranks fifth in the FCS with 7.8 receptions per game and 17th with 90.4 receiving yards per game, which leads freshmen in both categories. His counterpart, freshman Elijah Sarratt, led the Red Flash with four catches for 50 yards and scored a touchdown for the second game in a row and currently sits 15th in the NEC with 34 receiving yards per game. Saint Francis quarterbacks Coyle Doyle and Justin Sliwoski continue to split time and the duo currently has the Red Flash first in the NEC with 225.6 passing yards per game. Sliwoski leads the duo with 125 passing yards per game, while Doyle leads with five passing touchdowns and a 66.2 completion percentage. The offensive line remains top-20 in the FCS with 1.2 sacks against per game. 
 
Defense
Defensive back Travell Cook intercepted a pass for the second game in a row against Central Connecticut and has accounted for half of the Red Flash interceptions this season. Al-Ma'Hi Ali and Kendal Marks each recorded their first-career interception this season for the other two. Gregory Reddick ranks fourth in the NEC with 7.2 tackles per game, while Willie O'Hara is 10th with 6.6 and Marcel Mami is 11th with 6.4. All-three players are on pace to shatter their tackling output from the 2021 season. Donnell Brown is third in the NEC with 1.3 tackles for loss per game and his 6.5 total are two shy of his 8.5 from the 2021 season. Ali, Cook, Kerry Galloway and Reddick are all top-15 in the NEC with at least two pass breakups.
 
Special Teams
Ali blocked his second extra point of the season against Central Connecticut in his fourth game. His two blocked kicks match the 2021 team-lead set by Raymond Crittenden and O'Hara – which combined blocked kicks and punts. Punter Jordan Slaiby has recorded three punts of at least 50 yards this season and he leads the NEC with 40.6 punting average. Alex Schmoke converted his only field goal attempt against Central Connecticut and is tied for first in the NEC with nine made field goals. His 1.8 field goals per game ranks tied for third in the FCS. Long Snapper Lucas Winters has emerged as the team's starter after taking every punt and kick snap over the past four games.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash took a dominant 39-13 win over Central Connecticut to produce their first three-game winning streak since 2016. The game also marked a 2-0 start to conference play and the third straight game Saint Francis won by at least 19 points. Saint Francis opened a 19-0 lead in the second quarter and took a 19-6 margin into halftime. Out of the half, both teams traded touchdowns before Saint Francis opened a 32-13 lead with under 12 minutes remaining. Sarratt led the offense in receiving yards for the first time this season with 50 and tied Jackson for the team-lead with four catches. Jackson scored a touchdown for the fourth game in a row and has scored against every FCS opponent this season. Marks recorded his first-career interception, while Cook had an interception at the end of the first half – his second takeaway in as many games. Tight end Hunter Brown and running back Jordan Jackson each recorded their first collegiate touchdown in the victory.
 
Scouting LIU
The Sharks enter Saturday's game with an 0-1 conference and 0-5 overall record. LIU suffered a one-point loss to Merrimack in its last game after a two-point loss to Bryant the week prior on a field goal when time expired. LIU also played then-No. 5 Villanova to a 38-21 finish, between a 37-0 loss at Toledo and 63-10 loss at Kent State. The Sharks offense is led by tight end Owen Glascoe, who ranks second in the NEC with 6.8 receptions per game and fourth with 64.6 receiving yards per game. Wide receiver Michael Love is also top-10 in the conference with 4.4 receptions and 55.8 receiving yards per game. Running back Pat Bowen ranks fourth in the NEC with 63.8 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Derek Green, son of former 15-year NFL quarterback Trent Green, has 939 passing yards on 63.6-percent passing with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Defensive back Victor Nelson Jr. is tied for second in the FCS with four interceptions this season – he recorded three against No. 5 Villanova. Larry Elder leads the defense with 34 total tackles, his 6.8 per game is seventh in the conference, while Eric O'Neill has four sacks, ranked fourth in the conference. Kicker Michael Coney leads the FCS with 2.25 field goals per game and has an NEC season-long of 47 yards. Coney was named FCS Special Teams Player of the Week after he converted five field goals against Bryant and is a two-time NEC Special Teams Player of the Week selection this season.

All-Time vs. LIU
Saint Francis has defeated LIU in both matchups since the Sharks became a Division I FCS program in 2019. The Red Flash have outscored the Sharks by a combined 85-10 in the two meetings and won 55-10 last season. In the game, since graduated Josh McGrigg scored one receiving touchdown, one kick return touchdown and one punt return touchdown in the game and earned FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week. Quarterback Justin Sliwoski had one of his best games of the season against LIU, when he went 15-for-22 with 202 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Aroung the NEC
Four NEC teams were in action on Oct. 8 with one conference matchup, a 28-21 victory for Merrimack over Duquesne. The loss dropped Duquesne, who was selected second in the preseason poll, to 0-2 and moved Merrimack to 2-0 in conference play. Central Connecticut lost 27-20 to Brown, while Columbia defeated Wagner 28-7 in non-conference matchups. Stonehill visits Sacred Heart for its second Division I opponent in program history, while Saint Francis visits LIU for the third meeting between the programs. A Wagner trip to Merrimack rounds out NEC action this upcoming weekend on Oct. 15.
 
Next
Saint Francis will host its homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. against Stonehill.