WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> It was another heart breaker at DeGol on Saturday. For the second-straight week, Saint Francis had the lead in the final two minutes of a game only to see the opponent go down for the game-winning score. Mercyhurst scored a touchdown with 20 seconds left to rally past the Red Flash 16-15 in NEC football action.
>> Mac Plummer made five field goals, including two in the fourth quarter, to give the Loretto program the lead. The five field goals tied a program record for most field goals in a game.
>> Colin Douglas led the Saint Francis defense with eight tackles and a 45-yard fumble recovery that almost sealed the game.
>> Nick Whitfield Jr. was 21-for-36 for 193 yards.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Trailing 10-9, Plummer gave the Red Flash a 12-10 lead on a 20-yard field goal with 7:48 left in the game.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, the Lakers completed a pass, but Craig Joyner forced the ball out, and Douglas recovered the ball and took it down to the Mercyhurst seven after a 45-yard return. Plummer was good from 25 yards to extend the lead to 15-10 with 97 seconds left.
The Lakers marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown on a six-play, 65-yard drive in 40 seconds. Mercyhurst missed the two-point try to hold a 16-15 edge with little time left for Saint Francis to answer.
Nahjee Adams had a nice 24-yard return to give the Red Flash the ball at the Mercyhurst 39, but an incomplete pass, a short completion, and an attempted lateral play were unsuccessful as time expired.
FLASH MOMENTSÂ
Plummer was good from 28 yards (10:51, first quarter), 34 yards (5:11, first quarter), 26 yards (0:00, second quarter), and his two field goals in the fourth quarter.Â
Zachary Betts' forced fumble that Ike Okoye recovered to set up the first Red Flash field goal. Jordan Theodore had two carries for 13 yards, including an 11-yard run, and Whitfield also had a nine-yard run.
A 13-play, 64-yard drive resulted in Plummer's second field goal of the afternoon. Peyton Nelson (two catches for 27 yards) and Denzel Lambert (one catch for 16 yards) helped set up Plummer's longest field goal of the game.
The Red Flash closed the half with a nine-play, 45-yard drive to go into the locker room with a 9-0 advantage. Theodore had 21 yards on the drive thanks to two runs for nine yards and a 12-yard reception before Plummer booted a 26-yard field goal as time expired on the first half.
Saint Francis regained the lead at 12-10 thanks to a 16-play, 73-yard drive. DJ Maultsby and Brenden Hodge each hauled in 14-yard receptions in the drive.
An eight-play, 55-yard drive had a nice catch and run by Jahmil Perryman for 25 yards before Plummer missed a field goal toward the end of the third quarter.
FLASH NUGGETS
Coming off his career-high 11-tackle performance against Wagner on November 1, Douglas backed that stat line up with eight tackles and his first fumble recovery. The sophomore had had at least seven tackles in six of his last seven games and is second on the team with 63 tackles.
Plummer came into the game with four made field goals in the first eight games of the season before his program-record-tying performance. The redshirt senior is now 22-for-33 in his career on field goal attempts. Alex Schmoke was the last player to have five field goals in a game against Merrimack on November 13, 2021, while Lance Geesey is also in the five-field-goal club with five against CCSU on November 7, 2015.
Corey Williams added a career-best seven tackles against Mercyhurst, surpassing the six tackles he had at Buffalo on September 6. It is the fourth time this season he has recorded at least five tackles.
Nelson paced the team with four catches for 34 yards. The freshman leads the team with 33 catches and ranks second on the team with 259 yards. Maultsby powers the team with 269 yards.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis returns to action on Saturday, November 15, for its final home game of the year against LIU. Game time is 12 p.m. The Red Flash will honor 12 seniors before the game.
