LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football fell in its home and conference opener to CCSU 27-20.
 
What You Need to Know
» Jeff Hoenstine went 12-of-16 for 112 yards.
» DeMarcus McElroy had nine rushes for 124 yards and a touchdown. He added three catches for 16 yards.
» Fran Brown Jr. had a game-high nine tackles (five solo) and fumble recovery for a touchdown.
» DaMario Crawford had a 94-yard kick return touchdown.
 
Turning Points of the Game
CCSU kicker Jack Barnum started the scoring with back-to-back field goals in the first five minutes to open a 6-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Crawford returned it 94 yards for a touchdown to open a 7-6 lead.
 
The Blue Devils scored the next points with a seven-yard rushing touchdown and opened a 13-7 lead with 12:39 remaining in the half. Three drives later Saint Francis was backed up on its own three-yard line before McElroy rushed for a 97-yard touchdown. CCSU finished the first-half scoring with an 11-yard passing touchdown with 25 seconds remaining and opened a 20-14 lead.
 
Saint Francis scored the only third-quarter points when Brown Jr. recovered a fumble in the end zone to tie the game at 20. The ensuing extra point was no good. CCSU scored the game's final points on a Saint Francis fumble that Kimal Clark recovered and returned for a 10-yard touchdown.
 
Flash Nuggets
McElroy's 97-yard rush was the second-longest in program history. Only Marques DeShields on Oct. 16, 2021 at Bryant had a longer rush with a 98-yard touchdown. Saint Francis now has five rushes of at least 90 yards in program history.

Brown Jr. recovered Saint Francis' first fumble for a touchdown since Donnell Brown on Sept. 24, 2022 at Norfolk State. He has also led the Red Flash in tackles in back-to-back games. 
 
Crawford had the first kick return touchdown for Saint Francis since Makai Jackson on Sept. 17, 2022 at Wagner.
 
Shawn Phillips blocked the first field goal for Saint Francis since Ray Crittenden on Oct. 2, 2021 at Morgan State.
 
Next
Saint Francis has its second FBS opponent of the season, Eastern Michigan, on the road on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m.