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LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football is set for a trip to No. 22 Delaware on Saturday, Sept. 16 for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The game marks a rematch of the 2022 FCS Playoffs opening round between the programs.
 
Offense
Casey McKinney earned the first Northeast Conference Prime Performer honor of his career after he recorded eight catches for 111 yards and one touchdown at Robert Morris. McKinney leads the NEC with 183 receiving yards and his 91.5 receiving yards per game rank 16th in the FCS. Cole Doyle is 33-of-50 (66 percent) with 417 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Mekhi Workman is tied for seventh in the NEC with nine receptions, while Dawson Snyder is seventh with 121 receiving yards. QuaSean Holmes is tied for second in the conference with two touchdowns (both rushing).
 
Defense
Joe Toepfer tied William Middleton for the team-lead in tackles at Robert Morris and has led Saint Francis in its first two games. Toepfer leads the conference with 19 solo tackles and is second with 22 total tackles, while Middleton is second with 16 solo tackles and fourth with 18 total. Middleton also leads the NEC with four tackles for loss after he recorded just two last season. Aakeem Snell remains one of nine players in the NEC to record an interception and is one of 11 players with at least two pass breakups.
 
Special Teams
Aidan Cirulli is 27th in the FCS with 42.9 yards per punt this season. His 62-yard punt against Robert Morris was the longest for Saint Francis since Andrew Zecca's 72-yard punt against Bryant on Nov. 3, 2018 (39-game span). Cirulli also had one punt muffed against the Colonials that was recovered by Kesean Dyson. McKinney had one 15-yard punt return against Robert Morris and raised his career average to 8.9 yards per punt return, which is third in program history. Holmes has the longest punt return in the NEC through the first two weeks, which was a 49-yard return against Robert Morris.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis fell to former NEC member Robert Morris 31-21. The Colonials scored the only points of the first quarter with a 33-yard field goal. Saint Francis scored the first touchdown of the game at 12:23 in the second quarter on a Holmes two-yard run. The Colonials scored on a 25-yard pass and took a 10-7 lead with 7:46 remaining in the first half before Doyle hit McKinney for a 55-yard touchdown less than one minute later and regain a 14-10 lead. Robert Morris ended the first half with a touchdown in the final minute and opened a 17-14 lead. In the second half, Robert Morris had the only score of the third quarter, a six-yard touchdown pass, and opened a 24-14 lead. The touchdown followed a muffed punt by Robert Morris, recovered by Saint Francis, and a Saint Francis fumble, recovered by Robert Morris, in a three-play span. Robert Morris and Saint Francis each scored one touchdown in the fourth quarter before the Colonials clinched their 31-21 victory.
 
Scouting Delaware
The Blue Hens hold a 1-1 record after a 37-13 victory over conference opponent Stony Brook and a 63-7 loss to Penn State. Delaware holds a No. 19 ranking in the FCS Coaches Poll and a No. 22 ranking in the Stats Perform Poll. Quarterback Ryan O'Connor leads the team with 367 yards and one touchdown on 27-of-48 (56.3 percent) passing. Chandler Harvin is the only receiver with 100 yards and Marcus Yarns leads the ground attack with 193 yards and three touchdowns. His 96.5 rushing yards per game rank 22nd in the FCS. Defensively, Jackson Taylor leads the Blue Hens with 17 total tackles and Dillon Trainer leads the team with 1.5 tackles for loss. Tyron Herring, Christian Pierce and Ty Davis have all recorded an interception for the Blue Hens this season.  
 
All-Time vs. Delaware
Delaware holds a 2-0 all-time advantage over Saint Francis, with both games played in the last two seasons. The Blue Hens most recently handed the Red Flash a 56-17 loss in the opening round of the 2022 FCS Playoffs. In the inaugural meeting between the program, Delaware defeated Saint Francis 27-10 in 2021.
 
Around the NEC
Stonehill defeated Central Connecticut in the first NEC matchup of the season on a walk-off 52-yard field goal as time expired. In FBS action, Navy defeated Wagner 24-0 and West Virginia defeated Duquesne 56-17. In FCS action, Georgetown defeated Sacred Heart 27-10, Lehigh defeated Merrimack 14-12, Bryant defeated LIU 21-10 and Robert Morris defeated Saint Francis 31-21.  
 
Week Three in the NEC
Sacred Heart is set to host Wagner for the second NEC game of the season at 1 p.m. Central Connecticut visits Kent State, LIU visits Baylor and Duquesne visits Coastal Carolina in FBS action. Stonehill visits Georgetown and Saint Francis visits Delaware in FBS action. Merrimack is set to host Division II member Virginia Lynchburg.
 
Next
Saint Francis prepares to host Sacred Heart on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 12 p.m. for both its home and conference opener of the 2023 season.