LORETTO, Pa.  – Saint Francis University football took a 44-14 victory over two-time reigning Northeast Conference Champion Sacred Heart. With the victory over Sacred Heart and Duquesne's 50-48 loss to LIU in overtime, Saint Francis clinched the NEC's automatic qualifier to the FCS playoffs.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Cole Doyle went 22-for-28 with 264 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and four rushes for 56 yards and one touchdown.
» Elijah Sarratt recorded seven catches for 121 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
» QuaSean Holmes ran 13 times with 168 yards with a season-long 75-yard rush.
» Eddie Bierals had a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss and added one sack.
» Marcel Mami, Willie O'Hara and Gregory Reddick all led the Saint Francis defense with 10 tackles.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Saint Francis scored in the first minute of the game on a 34-yard Doyle touchdown run and opened an early 6-0 lead. Sarratt scored his first touchdown on the next drive and Saint Francis led 13-0 after the first quarter.
 
In the second, Saint Francis scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives, two by Jackson and one by Sarratt, to open a commanding 34-0 lead. Sacred Heart's Malik Grant scored a touchdown late in the first and cut the lead to 34-7 at halftime.
 
Grant scored his second touchdown of the game on the first drive of the third quarter to cut the Red Flash lead to 34-14. After no more scoring in the third, Sarratt scores his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. Alex Schmoke kicked a 25-yard field goal before Saint Francis earned its 44-14 victory over Sacred Heart.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
Saint Francis clinched the FCS playoffs for the second time in program history. With Saint Francis and Merrimack at 5-0 in conference games, both teams still have a chance to earn the NEC title.
 
The 6-2 start expands Saint Francis' already best record in its Division I era, which started in 1993. The 5-0 start in conference play ties the program-best mark set in 2016.
 
Doyle tied a single-game program record with five passing touchdowns, set by Jason Brown on Nov. 23, 2019.

Sarratt became the first Saint Francis player since 2019 to score three receiving touchdowns, which also ties a single-game program record. He was also the first player, outside of Jackson, with over 100 receiving yards.
 
Holmes became the first Saint Francis player above 150 rushing yards since Jymere Jordan-Toney's 156 on Oct. 1, 2016.
 
Bierals set a new career-high with 2.5 tackles for loss and now ranks second on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss this season.
 
NEXT
Saint Francis has its final non-conference game of the season against Georgetown on Nov. 5 at 12:30 p.m.