AKRON, Ohio – Saint Francis University football fell in an overtime thriller 30-23 against FBS opponent Akron. The Red Flash tied the game at 23 with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Sebastian Benjamin recorded a game-high three sacks and Donnell Brown added one.
» Quarterbacks Cole Doyle and Justin Sliwoski both worked every-other series in the game. Sliwoski went 11-of-17 with 162 passing yards and added 60 rushing yards. Doyle went 12-of-18 with 85 passing yards and 26 rushing yards.
» Damon Horton had 19 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown.
» Dawson Snyder led Saint Francis with 113 receiving yards and Makai Jackson led with seven catches.  
» Alex Schmoke went 3-of-4 on field goal attempts with a game-long 38-yard conversion.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
Saint Francis took the lead early in the second quarter with a one-yard Horton touchdown before Akron responded back with a nine-yard run. Schmoke converted his second field goal of the half with 1:08 remaining and Saint Francis took a 13-10 lead into halftime.
 
Schmoke extended the lead to 16-10 with 6:27 remaining in the third before Akron took the lead with a 41-yard touchdown pass three minutes later.
 
The Zips rushed for a seven-yard touchdown with 5:42 remaining in the game and took a 23-16 lead after the extra point was blocked by Al-Ma'Hi Ali. Saint Francis responded with a seven-yard Deondre Scott touchdown with 3:30 remaining that tied the game at 23.
 
In overtime, Akron scored a touchdown on the first possession and forced an interception in the endzone to seal a 30-23 victory.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
Benjamin recorded three sacks in the game after he recorded four all of last season. His three in one game were one shy of tying the single-game program record.
 
Jackson and Elijah Sarratt both made their collegiate debut. Jackson recorded seven catches for 82 yards and Sarratt had four catches for 44 yards.
 
Brown recorded three tackles for loss after he recorded 8.5 in the entire 2021 season.
 
Snyder's 113 receiving yards are the most since Kahtero Summers had 115 in the 2021 season-opener against Eastern Michigan.
 
NEXT
Saint Francis returns to the field on Saturday, Sept. 10 for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff at Richmond.