Robert Morris (1-6, 0-2 NEC) at Saint Francis (0-6, 0-2 NEC)
Date | Time	Saturday, October 25, 2025 | 3 p.m.
Location	Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field
Television	NEC Front Row (Pat Farabaugh, play-by-play; Jay Roberts, color analyst)
Live Stats	SideArm
Printable Notes	Saint Francis | Robert Morris
Stats	Saint Francis | Robert Morris | NEC
Social Media	X: @RedFlashFB  | IG: @RedFlashFB | #RaiseTheStandard #HoldTheRope

SELECT GAME NOTES VS. ROBERT MORRIS (FULL GAME NOTES PDF) | GAME FLIP CARD | FLASH 10 WITH AIDAN CIRULLI |
 GAME PREVIEW (VIDEO)

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saturday's game between Saint Francis and Robert Morris marks the 29th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1994 campaign.
• The Colonials lead the series 18-9-1, but the Red Flash had won seven-straight games before the Robert Morris current three-game winning streak. The Colonials hold an 8-5 mark at DeGol Field in the series despite Saint Francis taking four of the last five tilts in Loretto.
• Saint Francis has finished in a tie 14 times in program history, including six times since the football team returned in 1969. The last time the Red Flash ended in a standstill was a 14-all result against Robert Morris on October 29, 1994.
• Under head coach Chris Villarrial, the Loretto program is 10-5 after a bye week.  The Red Flash is 4-2 at home after a bye. The last time Saint Francis played a game at home after a bye was a 31-7 win against Wagner on a nationally televised game on a Thursday night (October 12, 2023). One of the team's biggest wins in program history came after a bye when the team defeated No. 22 Liberty 13-7 on September 30, 2017.
• It may be hard to believe that Saint Francis has had at least five home games in the last 35 years, since in the last three years the team had three games at DeGol Arena twice (2022, 2024) and four contests once (2023). The Red Flash will have a four-game homestand for the fourth time in that stretch and the first time since the 2004 season. The team also hosted four consecutive games in 2002, 1999, and 1997, while it had three consecutive home contests eight times in the last 35 years. The most consecutive league games the team hosted were three in 1999.
• Saint Francis is looking for its first win of the season in its seventh week of competition, for the first time since the 2008 campaign, and could pick up its first win in the seventh game since 2007. That season, the Red Flash won three of its last four games, all in NEC play.
• After spending the first three weeks of the season traveling 3,403 miles round-trip, starting on September 14, the Red Flash will spend the next 70 days in the state of Pennsylvania. The team will play five games at DeGol Field, two road games, and have two byes in this stretch before its regular season finale at Stonehill on November 22. Saint Francis traveled to Lousiana-Monroe (2,209 miles), Buffalo (421 miles) and CCSU (773 miles in the first 16 days of the season, but will only travel 1,524 miles in the final 71 days of the season round trip: at Bucknell, September 27 (260 miles); at Duquesne, October 11 (157 miles) and Stonehill (1,107 miles).
• To put these 71 days in perspective, the first day of fall is September 22, two days after the Red Flash home opener, while the team will not be on the road again until five days before Thanksgiving. The Saint Francis men's basketball team will play more road games between now and the football trip to Massachusetts, with three, and the defending NEC Champions do not open the season until November 4. 

AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Be the team's first win of the season
• End a three-game losing streak to the Colonials
• Be the team's fifth win in the last six meetings in Loretto against Robert Morris
• Be the latest in the season the team picked up its first win of the year since winning 35-30 on October 27, 2007, which prompted the team to win three of its last four games

ON THIS DATE
• This will be the ninth game on this date and the first since 2014
• It will be the eighth time in nine games Saint Francis will play a game at home on this date
• Saint Francis is 4-4 on this date

DID YOU KNOW
•  Bob McHale recorded a program record 33 tackles in a 27-0 win against Geneva 39 years ago on October 25, 1986, in Loretto. McHale broke Gerry Zahorchak's eight-year record of 27 that he achieved on September 9, 1978, against Duquesne in the Steel City. The last two times a Red Flash player had 20 tackles in a game were also in the second half of October. Matthew Parker is the last player to reach 20 tackles when he had 24  tackles against Wagner on October 16, 2010. Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Famer Scott Lewis had 23 against Wagner nearly two years early on October 18, 2010. McHale, Parker, and Lewis all registered their 20-tackle games in Loretto.

LAST TIME OUT
• Duquesne defeated Saint Francis 52-7 on October 11.
• Saint Francis scored in the fourth quarter after a six-play 52-yard drive. Jeff Hoenstine rushed for 24 yards on the drive before he hit Payton Wehner from nine yards out for Wehner's first collegiate score with 10:52 left in the fourth quarter. It was Wehner's second collegiate catch after a 10-yard reception at CCSU on September 13.
• Cameron Kiersch paced the defense with a career-high eight tackles, while Darian Nelson added a career-high six tackles.
• Peyton Nelson registered a team-high six catches for 26 yards, while Scott Raymond caught three passes for a team-best 39 yards; both were career highs. Raymond came into the game with seven career catches for 51 yards and had the longest play of the day for Saint Francis with a 21-yard reception. Hoenstine was 9-for-12 for 62 yards and a touchdown throw.

THE WORD ON THE COLONIALS
• Robert Morris comes into the contest 1-6 overall and 0-2 in NEC play after falling 17-7 in Brookville, N.Y., on October 18. The Colonials' lone win on the season was a 28-14 win against West Liberty on September 13.
• Quarterback Zach Tanner was 14-for-26 for 177 yards and a touchdown pass. Ethan Shine posted 143 yards on the day with eight catches for 119 yards and a touchdown catch, along with 24 yards rushing. Camdon Wilborn paced the Colonials' defense with 10 tackles and a sack, and Patrick McDonnell added eight tackles against the Sharks. 
• Tanner, who is one of four quarterbacks to take a snap for Robert Morris, has 611 yards passing and five TDs, thanks to hitting on 52 of 100 pass attempts. Shine is the team's top rusher with 275 yards on 84 attempts and three touchdowns, while Shine has 15 catches  for 179 yards and a touchdown catch against LIU. Chaz Middleton leads the Colonial receivers with 279 yards on 16 catches with two touchdowns. 
• McDonnell powers the defense with 56 tackles (34 solo, 22 assist), while Jakari Patterson is second on the squad with 39 tackles (24 solo, 15 assist).

LAST TIME WE MET
• Robert Morris defeated Saint Francis 17-0 on October 26, 2024, in Moon Township.
• Gavin Thompson registered five catches for 39 yards for the Red Flash, while Mercury Swaim had 10 tackles and Geno Calgaro added nine tackles for the Saint Francis defense.
• Anthony Chiccitt was 15-for-29, throwing for 197 yards. Tyvon Edmonds, Jr. rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown, and Ethan Shine also found the endzone. Jamar Shegog fueled the Colonial defense with 10 tackles. 

IN THE NATION AND THE NEC
• Geno Calgaro ranks 10th in the FCS in tackles per game (10.0) and 16th in the FCS with 60 tackles. The sophomore also leads the NEC in that category.
• Aidan Cirulli leads the NEC in punting yards (1,731), ranks third in punting average (41.4), and his 61-yard punt at Louisiana-Monroe currently is the fifth longest in the league. He also ranks third in FCS in punting yards and is 19th in punting average. 
• Zachary Betts is second in the NEC in sacks per game (.57) and third in sacks (4.0), while Colin Douglas is third in interceptions (2/0.29 pg.), and 10th in the NEC in passes defended (5/.86 per game).
• Nick Whitfield Jr. has moved into fifth in the NEC in yards with 1,277 yards. He is also second in the league in completion percentage (64.7). 
• Brenden Hodge is fourth in the circuit in receiving yards with 290 yards. Peyton Nelson is fifth in receptions (27). DJ Maultsby (219 yards) and Nelson (receptions) led those categories for freshmen. 

TWO-DEEP QUICK HITS
• #2 Jeff Hoenstine had his best game of the season at Duquesne, going 9-for-13 for 62 yards and a touchdown pass. For the year, Hoenstine is 13-for-21 with 80 yards passing, and is 50-for-85 in his career with 535 passing yards and four TDs. 
• #6 Nick Whitfield Jr. went over 1,000 passing yards for the season against Duquesne and needs 21 yards to surpass the 1,038 yards passing from last season. 
• #10 Kahmari Cook has reached at least five tackles in each of his last three tilts. He has been cookin' with five tackles against Delaware State and Duquesne, with a career-high seven tackles against Bucknell sandwiched in between. He has 24 tackles (14 solo, 10 assisted) in 10 career games.
• #14 Aidan Cirulli currently ranks third in FCS on punting yards (1731) and 19th in punting average (43.28). He has attempted 150 punts in four years and 28 games. He has posted 6,168 yards with 13 touchbacks and a 41.1 punting average. He boomed a career-high 69-yard punt at Eastern Michigan on September 21, 2024, and had a 61-yard punt against Louisiana-Monroe. His career punting average is currently tied with Andrew Zecca (41.1, 2015-18) and needs 220 yards to move ahead of Chris Kissel for fourth place (6,387 yards, 1978-81) on the career punt yard list. Cirulli has had four games this season with eight punts. He will also be the holder on field goal attempts.
• #29 Cameron Kiersch registered a career-high eight tackles against Duquesne after not posting a tackle in his first two collegiate contests. 
• #36 Darian Slaughter notched his first two career solo tackles against Duquesne after posting an assisted tackle against Louisiana-Monroe in his collegiate debut.
• #45 Darian Nelson has played in the last two Red Flash contests and has registered 10 tackles in those two games. The freshman had a career-high six tackles at Duquesne. 
• #83 Peyton Nelson backed up his career-high 11 catches and 131 yards against Bucknell with six catches for 26 yards against Duquesne. Nelson, who leads the team with 26 catches for 201 yards, powers NEC freshmen in both categories.
• #87 Scott Raymond returned from a two-game absence with a career-high three catches for 59 yards against Duquesne, including a 21-yard reception. Raymond has five catches for 45 yards this season and 10 receptions for 90 yards in his career.