LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football has its final home game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 12 p.m. against in-state rival Duquesne. The Senior Day ceremony will honor 13 seniors after the conclusion of the game.  
 
Offense
Makai Jackson was named Northeast Conference Co-Rookie of the Week, his fourth of the season, after he recorded nine catches for 116 yards against Georgetown. He has four 100-yard receiving games this season and has at least nine catches in three games. Jackson ranks fifth in the FCS with 7.6 receptions per game and leads freshmen with 80.3 receiving yards per game. Elijah Sarratt scored two touchdowns against Georgetown and has scored in six straight games. His nine receiving touchdowns this season rank tied for ninth in the FCS and is tied for the fifth-most in program history. QuaSean Holmes led Saint Francis for the second straight week with 87 rushing yards and sits eighth in the NEC with 46.7 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Justin Sliwoski was named a Prime Performer after he went 19-of-27 for 257 yards and three touchdowns in his first start since Oct. 1 against Central Connecticut. The Red Flash offensive line is tied for eighth in the FCS with one sack allowed per game and has paved the way for a 16th-ranked rushing attack with 205.7 yards per game.
 
Defense
Travell Cook earned his first NEC Defensive Player of the Week selection after he recorded one interception and one forced fumble against Georgetown. Both plays were on back-to-back defensive drives and led to 10 Saint Francis points. He has five takeaways this season (three interceptions and two forced fumbles), the most in a single season by a Saint Francis player since 2018. Willie O'Hara finished with 11 tackles, his second-highest total as a member of the Red Flash, and ranks third in the NEC with 65 total tackles. The defensive unit ranks 10th in the FCS with 180 passing yards per game against and 24th with 331.2 total yards of offense allowed per game.
 
Special Teams
Alex Schmoke converted a 47-yard field goal against Georgetown, which is tied for the sixth-longest field goal in program history. His 15 converted field goals this season tie his career-high from 2021 and is tied for third in single-season program history. He is three field goals shy of tying Lance Geesey's record of 18 set in 2014. Punter Aidan Cirulli filled in at the position at Georgetown and had four punts for an average of 36.8 and a long of 46 yards. Casey McKinney had a 30-yard punt return at Georgetown, which was his longest of the season. He also had a 20-yard return, which tied his previous season-high set against Stonehill.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis achieved a seven-game winning streak, its longest in Division I program history, with a 38-24 defeat of Georgetown. The Hoyas took a 14-0 first-quarter lead with a 51-yard touchdown pass and a 31-yard interception for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Saint Francis responded with a 40-yard Hunter Brown reception and 12-yard Sarratt touchdown and tied the game 14-14. On the first play after the Sarratt touchdown, the Hoyas scored a 75-yard touchdown and took a 21-14 lead into the half. In the third quarter, Jordan Jackson pushed across a one-yard touchdown and tied the game at 21. On the ensuing drive, Cook forced and interception and Saint Francis scored seven plays later and took a 28-21 lead. Cook then forced a fumble two plays later, recovered by Gavin Thomas, on the next Hoyas' drive which led to a Schmoke field goal. The Red Flash concluded the third quarter with Sarratt's second touchdown of the game and took a 38-21 lead. In the fourth quarter, a Georgetown field goal was the only score before Saint Francis clinched its 38-24 win.
 
Scouting Duquesne
The Dukes enter Saturday's game with a 2-3 conference and 3-6 overall record. Duquesne is off a 35-28 overtime victory over Sacred Heart after a 50-48 loss to LIU in overtime. The Sharks' defeat of the Dukes was their first win of the season. Duquesne also suffered conference losses to Stonehill and Merrimack and had its other victory against Central Connecticut. Dwayne Menders leads the Duquesne offensive with 83.2 receiving yards per game, which ranks 26th in the FCS, and has five touchdowns. Abdul Janneh has nine receiving touchdowns, which ranks tied for eighth in the FCS. Running back Billy Lucas is fifth in the NEC with 70.8 rushing yards per game and five touchdowns. Quarterback Joe Mischler leads the NEC with 14 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions thrown. He is third in the conference with 180.1 passing yards per game and fourth with a 60.4 completion percentage. Todd Hill ranks tied for second in the FCS with one sack per game and his nine total sacks are 2.5 more than any other NEC player. CJ Barnes leads the Dukes in tackles with 5.4 per game, which is 19th in the NEC. Four different Duquesne players have two interceptions this season and Ryan Webb leads the group with five pass breakups. On special teams, kicker Brian Bruzdewicz was converted just 9-of-14 field goal attempts and is only 1-of-4 from at least 40 yards. Janneh is a one-time NEC Offensive Player of the Week, backup quarterback Darius Perrantes was a one-time NEC Offensive Player of the Week and Bruzdewicz is a one-time NEC Special Teams Player of the Week.

All-Time vs. Duquesne
Duquesne holds a 38-9 all-time record over Saint Francis since the first meeting between the programs in 1914. The Dukes are 13-5 playing in away games, while they hold a 19-2 record at home. Both teams joined Division I FCS football in 1993 and Duquesne holds an 18-4 record during that period. Saint Francis defeated Duquesne 17-10 in Pittsburgh, Pa. last season, which marked Saint Francis first win on the road against Duquesne since 1992. The Dukes hold a slight 4-3 advantage over the Red Flash since 2014.

Around the NEC
Duquesne defeated Sacred Heart 35-28 and moved both teams to 2-3 in conference play this season. LIU defeated Central Connecticut for his second straight victory, while the Blue Devils fell to 1-4. Stonehill crushed Wagner 50-10 and improved to 2-3 while the Seahawks fell to 1-4. All-eight teams are back in conference action for the final two weeks of the regular season. Regardless of any outcomes on Nov. 12, Saint Francis will still visit Merrimack on Nov. 19 in a battle for the NEC title.
 
Cook, Jackson Earn Major NEC Weekly Awards, Three Prime Performers
Cook was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week, Jackson was Co-Rookie of the Week and Sliwoski joined the two as a Prime Performer selection. The honor is Cook's first of his Saint Francis career and he is the third Red Flash player to earn the honor this season. He was also named an honorable mention for FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week. Jackson earned his fourth Rookie of the Week selection and seventh major weekly honor of the season. Sliwoski's Prime Performer was the second of his career after he earned his first on Nov. 22, 2021.
 
Next
Saint Francis will battle Merrimack on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 12 p.m. for the NEC title in North Andover, Mass.