WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
>> Saint Francis falls to CCSU in the NEC football opener for both teams on Saturday.
>> Jahmil Perryman finished off a three-play 98-yard drive with two runs totaling 27 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown run.
>> Colin Douglas had a career-high nine tackles.
TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
The Red Flash had five turnovers in the game, and the Blue Devils turned three of those turnovers into touchdowns. The third turnover was off an interception, and CCSU used a six-play 35-yard drive to take the lead it would not relinquish in the third quarter. The Loretto program drops a 31-7 decision.
FLASH MOMENTS
Saint Francis got the ball on its own two-yard line and went the length of the field on three plays to tie the game at 7-all in the second quarter. The drive started with a 71-yard pass from Nick Whitfield Jr.. to Lukas Gilland for his first collegiate catch. Perryman then took the final 27 yards for the touchdown, thanks to a 19-yard rush and then an eight-yard touchdown run to even the score.
On the next offensive drive after the touchdown, the Red Flash had a nine-play, 59-yard drive. Raphael Ekechi started the drive with a 12-yard run and then had an 11-yard reception on the next play. Brenden Hodge had a 14-yard catch, but the drive ended with a missed 32-yard field goal.
FLASH NUGGETS
Perryman registered his second career touchdown, his first rushing touchdown. The redshirt sophomore notched his first touchdown on a 46-yard touchdown reception against Stonehill on November 2, 2024. Perryman had five rushes for 30 yards and one catch for 13 yards on the afternoon.
Douglas notched a career-high nine tackles, surpassing his five tackles in last year's meeting against the Blue Devils. Geno Calgaro also had nine tackles in the game, marking the seventh time in his previous nine games that he has finished with nine tackles.
Saint Francis' 98-yard drive marked the first time the Loretto program had a drive over 90 yards since the last meeting against CCSU on September 14, 2023. The drive was a one-play, 97-yard TD run by DeMarcus McElroy.
Gilland's catch marked the first 70-yard reception for the Red Flash since Dawson Snyder hauled in a 77-yard reception against Eastern Michigan on August 31, 2023. He is the first freshman with a reception of more than 50 yards since Elijah Sarratt had a 65-yard catch against Stonehill on October 22, 2022. Cyrus Holder is the last freshman to make a 70-yard reception with a 92-yard catch against Wagner on November 19, 2016. It was Holder's second career reception after posting a 23-yard touchdown earlier in the game and the 92-yard TD is the second longest in team history.
Whitfield was 13-for-26 for 159 yards passing. Gilland led the team with reception yards (71), while Emmanuel Dyson had a team-high three catches for 21 yards. Ekechi had a team-high 35 yards rushing. Mike Darcy and Payton Wehner each notched their first collegiate catch on the afternoon.
It was the second consecutive season that Saint Francis and CCSU played in the third week of the season for the inaugural league game of the year.
After starting the first three weeks of the season on the road, the Red Flash will spend the next 70 days in its home state for five home games and two road games (at Bucknell [September 27], at Duquesne [October 11]). The next time the Loretto program leaves the state of Pennsylvania, it will be for the regular season finale at Stonehill on November 22.
NEXT ON TAP
Saint Francis will make its 2025 DeGol Field debut against Delaware State on Saturday, September 20. Game time is 1 p.m. Saint Francis will honor its 69 NEC Championship teams during the game, while the 2024-25 Red Flash men's basketball team and the 2025 Red Flash softball team, who both won the NEC Tournament last season, will receive their championship rings during a pregame ceremony.
