LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football took a 28-21 victory over Merrimack on homecoming weekend after the Red Flash completed a 15-point comeback.
 
What You Need to Know
» In his first collegiate start, Nick Whitfield, Jr. went 10-of-18 for 164 yards, two touchdowns and added a two-yard receiving touchdown.
» Jayden Ivory scored the game-winning touchdown on a 71-yard reception.
» Deondre Scott led the rushing attach with 71 yards and one touchdown.
» Carter Glassmyer recorded a game-high 11 total tackles.
» Kesean Dyson had a sack fumble, recovered by Buju Aumua-Tuisavura.
» Saint Francis blocked a punt for the second-straight game.
 
Turning Points of the Game
Saint Francis opened the scoring with a Mason Imbt 15-yard receiving touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. The extra point was no good and gave Saint Francis a 6-0 lead. Merrimack responded with a 58-yard touchdown reception for Seth Sweitzer one minute later and took a 7-6 lead.
 
Tyvon Edmonds, Jr. added to the Warriors' lead with an eight-yard touchdown run and opened the margin to 14-6 before halftime. Merrimack opened a 15-point, 21-6 lead after a one-yard touchdown run at the 2:31 mark of the third quarter.
 
Scott responded with a 29-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 21-13. James Tharpe blocked a punt on the ensuing drive that set Saint Francis up inside the red zone. A trick play that saw Adrian Mejia complete a two-yard pass to Whitfield on fourth down and a two-point conversion by Scott tied the game at 21 with 9:56 remaining.
 
On the next Saint Francis drive, Ivory scored a 71-yard touchdown after the pass was tipped by a Merrimack defender and opened a 28-21 lead with 5:49 remaining. Merrimack moved the ball inside the Saint Francis five-yard line on their final drive, but the Red Flash defense forced a turnover on downs to seal the victory.
 
Flash Nuggets
The 15-point comeback marks Saint Francis' largest comeback since erasing a 17-point deficit against Morehead State on Sept. 15, 2012. It's the first double-digit comeback since Aug. 31, 2019 at Lehigh.
 
Ivory's 71-yard catch was Saint Francis' second of the season of at least 70 yards after Dawson Snyder had a 77-yard reception at Western Michigan.
 
Imbt has three touchdowns in the last three games, with three of his four offensive touches this season resulting in a touchdown.
 
Glassmyer has led Saint Francis in total tackles in all-five conference games this season and has 60 during that span.
 
Saint Francis has scored 22 points in the fourth quarter during each of the last two games.
 
Next
Saint Francis hosts its final home game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 12 p.m. for Senior Day against LIU.