SELECT GAME NOTES VS. MERCYHURSTÂ (FULLÂ GAME NOTES PDF) | GAME FLIP CARD | FLASH 10 WITH JORAN THEODORE
FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH
• Saturday's game between Saint Francis and Mercyhurst marks the 12th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1981 season.
• The Lakers lead the series 9-1-1, but before last season, the two teams had not battled on the gridiron since 1997. Mercyhurst will come to town for the first time since 1996. The Red Flash defeated the Lakers 27-7 in 1994, and the two teams ended in a 6-all standstill in the first meeting in 1981.
• This is the third game of a four-game homestand with the Red Flash looking for its first win during its home stretch. This is the fifth time the Pine Bowl has hosted a four-game homestand. The 2004 team went 3-1 for its best four-game homestand in team history. During the 1997 season, Saint Francis went 1-3, with the win coming in the third game of this stretch, while in the 1999 season, the victory in the four-game homestand came in the fourth game. The 2002 team went 0-4 in the four-game homestand that started the season.
• The team had three consecutive home contests eight times in the last 35 years. The most consecutive league games the team hosted were three in 1999. The team lost all three conference games during the four-game homestand, with the lone win coming against Saint Peter's on October 30, 1999.
• Going into Week 11, Saint Francis is searching for its first win of the season. The 2003 and 2010 Flash teams each registered a victory during the season, while the 2025 team is looking to avoid becoming the fifth team since joining the NEC to finish the season winless (1998, 2000, 2004, 2008). The 2003 team defeated La Salle on October 4 in non-conference play, while the 2010 team defeated Sacred Heart 41-0, marking head coach
Chris Villarrial's first win.
• During the Veteran's Day weekend, Saint Francis will hold Salute To Service games against Mercyhurst and for the men's basketball home opener against Mount St. Mary's three days later. Veterans will be admitted to the game for free, and fans who contribute to the SAAC Canned Food Drive by bringing non-perishable food items, paper goods, or hygiene products will receive a $5.00 discount on tickets to those games. All items collected will be donated to the Laurel Highlands Historical Village. This non-profit organization holds food drives and other events to support veterans and the elderly in our area. If you or a loved one is a veteran and in need of help, please call the organization's office at 814-241-6123.
• Saint Francis will conclude its four-game homestand against LIU on November 15. The Red Flash will honor its seniors before the game. After the game against the Sharks, Saint Francis will wrap up the season at Stonehill on November 22.
• The game at Stonehill will be the first game out of the state of Pennsylvania in 71 days. 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 — three — and the defending NEC Champions do not open the season until November 4.Â
AN SFU WIN WOULD
• Be the team's first win of the season
• Be the squad's second victory against Mercyhurst
• Be the first win against the Lakers in Loretto since 1994
• 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
• Head into the final home game of the season on a high
ON THIS DATE
• This will be the sixth game on this date and the first since 2009
• Saint Francis defeated Gallaudet 12-0 on this date in 1987
• It will be fourth home game on this date and the first since the 2004 season
DID YOU KNOW
• The only win for the Red Flash against the Lakers was a 27-7 win on October 1, 1994 at the Pine Bowl. Quarterback Scott Black threw for two touchdowns (19 yards to Elliot Miller; 20 yards to Brian Bell) and also scored the first touchdown of the game on a four-yard run. Kevin Keenan sealed the win with a 69-yard run in the fourth quarter. Black finished 7-for-10 for 171 yards, while Keenan had 153 yards on 27 carries. Kris Kuzminsky paced the defense with 12 tackles, while James Cowan added nine tackles. FUN FACT: Along with serving as the quarterback, Black was also the team's punter and registered four punts for 184 yards including a 62-yard boot.
LAST TIME OUT
• Wagner hit a 28-yard field goal as time expired to upend Saint Francis 23-20 in NEC football action on November 1.
• Jordan Theodore rushed for a career-high 121 yards and added two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.Â
• Colin Douglas paced the defense with a career-high 11 tackles, along with an interception and a forced fumble. Kendric Council added seven tackles and a half sack, while Zachary Betts posted five tackles.
• Jahmil Perryman accounted for 81 yards on offense with seven rushes for 48 yards and a team-high four catches for 33 yards. Nick Whitfield, Jr. finished the game 14-for-20 for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Jeff Hoenstine was 5-for-7 for 65 yards and a touchdown.Â
• With his three punts and 118 yards, Aidan Cirulli moved into fourth place in program history for punting yards with 6,315 yards.
THE WORD ON THE LAKERS
• Mercyhurst comes into the contest 3-6 overall and 2-2 in NEC play after falling 22-15 to Stonehill on October 25. The Lakers had a bye last week.
• Quarterback Adam Urena was 29-for-41 for 255 yards and two touchdown passes. Evan Van Dyke had six catches for 73 yards, while Ayron Rodriguez and Joe Kerbacher hauled in a TD catch. Jake Miller led the Lakers' defense with 10 tackles, while Anthony Mackey was second with nine tackles.Â
• Urena is 178-for-273 for 1,778 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brian Trobel leads the rushing attack with 597 yards on 109 attempts and seven touchdowns, while Rylan Davison has 433 yards receiving on 37 catches and two touchdowns.
• Jeff Leavell powers the defense with 57 tackles (31 solo, 26 assist), and Mackey is second on the team with 47 tackles (25 solo, 22 assist).
LAST TIME WE MET
• Mercyhurst scored with 42 seconds left and converted a two-point play to rally for a 21-20 win against Saint Francis in the 2024 regular season finale on November 23, 2024.
• Nick Whitfield, Jr. was 18-for-26 for 245 yards and touchdown passes to Gavin Thomson of 46 yards (first quarter) and 45 yards (fourth quarter). Thomson finished with nine catches for 157 yards along with his two scores. Geno Calgaro paced the Red Flash defense with 13 tackles.
• Adam Urena was 21-for-33 for 240 yards and two touchdowns. Cameron Barmore had eight catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyler Buterbaugh (15 tackles) and Zach Hill (12 tackles) each had 10+ tackles on the day.Â
TWO-DEEP QUICK HITS
• #7 Zach Betts recorded his first five+ tackle game against Wagner after reaching the mark in his first three games in 2025. He posted a career-high nine tackles against Buffalo. He leads the team with four sacks this season. In 16 career games, Betts has registered 29 solo tackles, 23 assisted tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, and five sacks.
• #8 Kendric Council recorded at least seven tackles for the fourth time this season after a seven- tackle game against Wagner. He ranks third on the team with 24 solo and 21 assisted tackles in 2025 and has 75 career tackles in 17 games in his two years in Loretto.
• #19 Colin Douglas tallied one of the best games of his career with a career-high 11 tackles, an INT, and a forced fumble against Wagner. He ranks second on the team with 55 tackles in 2025 (37 solo, 18 assisted), including 47 tackles in his last five games. He has at least seven tackles in five of the eight games this year.
• #21 Jordan Theodore rushed for a career-high 121 yards and added two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown against Wagner. Prior to the game, Theodore had 11 carries for 15 yards with a touchdown run at Buffalo and four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown reception last week against Robert Morris. He became the first player this season to rush for over 100 yards and the first Saint Francis player since Markell Holman had 183 yards against Delaware State on October 5, 2024.
• #44 Ike Okoye recorded two tackles and his first full sack of his career against Wagner. He had 15 tackles in six games in a Red Flash uniform, including a season-best four against CCSU on September 13. He was on the roster at Liberty for four seasons. He appeared in 10 games for the Flames in 2020.
• #95 Balaam Miller notched his first career sack against the Seahawks, along with two tackles. He registered four tackles against the Colonials after posting a career-high six tackles at Buffalo on September 6 and against Delaware State. The redshirt junior has all 25 of his career tackles this season after playing in two games last season without registering a stat.Â
