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LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football is set to in-state rival Duquesne on Saturday, Oct. 12 at noon airing exclusively on ESPN+.
 
Offense
Jeff Hoenstine improved to 2-1 as a starter on his way to a second Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week honor. He leads the Red Flash with 423 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and adds a 58.9 completion percentage. Markell Holman took the team lead with 337 rushing yards (fifth in the NEC) after his 183-yard performance at Delaware State. It was the most rushing yards by a Red Flash player since a 220-yard performance by Marcus Bagley on Sept. 17, 2016. DeMarcus McElroy ranks sixth in the NEC with 319 rushing yards. Gavin Thomson ranks 38th in the FCS with 69 receiving yards per game and has led Saint Francis in receiving in three of his four games played.
 
Defense
Saint Francis remains eight in the FCS with 280.8 total yards of offense against and ranks 11th with 97 rushing yards against per game. Trey McLeer leads the group with 36 total tackles and remains the only Red Flash player with an interception this season. Pierre Royster ranks second with 32 total tackles. Paul Tangelo is second in the NEC with 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks while Royster and Eyan Thomas rank top 10 in the NEC with 4.0 tackles for loss. Eight different Red Flash players have one sack this season.
 
Special Teams
Mac Plummer had a successful onside kick attempt that was recovered by Mason Frye with 5:38 remaining in the game against Delaware State. Plummer kicked the ball towards the sideline at the Delaware State 35-yard line with a bounce that stayed in. Aidan Cirulli is tied for third in the NEC with eight punts inside the 20-yard line.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis used a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Delaware State 28-17. The Red Flash started the scoring on a seven-yard touchdown pass to McElroy before the extra point was blocked. Delaware State responded with the next 17 points scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown, 34-yard field goal and 23-yard rushing touchdown. With under six minutes remaining in the game, trailing 17-6, Thomson scored a one-yard touchdown and converted the two-point attempt and cut the deficit to 17-14 with 5:38 remaining. Plummer had a successful onside kick attempt after, and Holman scored two plays later on a 30-yard rush after hurdling a defender to open a 21-17 lead with 4:51 remaining. After a defensive stop, the Red Flash offense drained the clock before Holman had a 55-yard rushing touchdown with 1:08 remaining to seal the victory.
 
Scouting Duquesne
The Dukes enter Saturday's game with a 3-2 record and are coming off a 47-21 victory over LIU in its conference opener. Duquesne is receiving votes in national top 25 polls heading into the weekend. Darius Perrantes leads the program with 574 passing yards and eight touchdowns with a 59.1 completion percentage. He is coming off a five-touchdown game against LIU. JaMario Clements leads the NEC with 493 rushing yards and his 98.6 rushing yards per game ranks 17th in the FCS. Tedy Afful sits atop the program with 217 receiving yards and four touchdowns, followed by John Erby's 215 receiving yards. Luke Miller paces the defense with 27 total tackles and is one of four players with an interception. Jack Dunkley is top 10 in the NEC with a team-high 3.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss.
 
All-Time vs. Duquesne
Duquesne owns a 39-10 record over Saint Francis since the first meeting in 1914. The Dukes hold an 18-5 record during the matchup's Division I era that began in 1993. Saint Francis has won two of the last three meetings, which included its largest win in matchup history 51-14 in 2022. Duquesne narrowly held on to win last season's game 38-35 after Saint Francis trailed 38-14 with 11:48 remaining in the game and stormed back within three.
 
Around the NEC
Duquesne and Wagner both earned their first conference victory of the season with a 47-21 defeat of LIU and 28-7 defeat of Stonehill, respectively. Saint Francis completed a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Delaware State 28-17. Mercyhurst took a 55-0 win over Division III member Buffalo State and CCSU rounded out week six action with a 23-22 loss at Yale.
 
Week Seven in the NEC
Saint Francis is set to host Duquesne exclusively on ESPN+ and Stonehill visits LIU for the only two conference games in week seven. Mercyhurst takes a trip to CCSU, Wagner hosts Columbia and Robert Morris hosts Delaware State.
 
Next
Saint Francis has its first conference game on the road Saturday, Oct. 19 at noon against Wagner.