SELECT GAME NOTES VS. LIU (FULL GAME NOTES PDF) | GAME FLIP CARD | FLASH 10 WITH MASON IMBT

FRANKIES TIDBITS IN A FLASH

• Saturday’s game between Saint Francis and LIU marks the sixth meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2019 season.

• The Red Flash have won four of the five meetings in the series. The one blemish was a 29-28 loss in Loretto on November 4, 2023. LIU scored with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter to earn its first win of the season.

• The Sharks’ win in 2023 has been what several of the games in 2025 have been like, going down to the wire. The Red Flash had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds against Bucknell on September 27 and could not convert. Two weeks ago, Wagner scored the game-winning field goal as time expired, and last week, Mercyhurst  registered the decisive touchdown in the final 30 seconds.

• Saint Francis would like to thank seniors Nahjee Adams, Ashtin Ancheta, Aidan Cirulli, Mike Darcy, Brenden Hodge, Mason Imbt, Gavin Irons, James Lilley, Adrian Mejia, Mac Plummer, Scott Raymond, Connor Van Tassell, and Nick Whitfield Jr., for their hard work and dedication to Saint Francis and the football program during their time in Loretto. They will be honored in a pregame ceremony at 11:35 a.m. Members of the spirit groups will have a senior day recognition at 11:20 a.m. on the track.

• This is the final 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 squad is looking to avoid a repeat of 2002 with a win on Saturday.

• 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 12, 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.

• Saint Francis wraps up the regular 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 three more road games between now and the football trip to Massachusetts — the defending NEC Champions did not open the season until November 4. 


AN SFU WIN WOULD

• Be the team’s first win of the season

• Be the squad’s fifth win against LIU

• Improve to 2-1 against LIU at DeGol Field

• Be the latest in the season the team picked up its first win of the year since winning 35-30 on October 27, 2007

• Head into the final game of the season

• Give the seniors a Senior Day to remember



ON THIS DATE

• This will be the sixth game on this date and the first since 2014

• Saint Francis wrapped up the 1997 season with a 30-7 win against La Salle on this date in the first game of the series that ran from 1997 to 2007

• The Red Flash also defeated Robert Morris 40-7 on this date in 2014. It is one of 10 times the Red Flash has scored 40 points in an NEC game under Villarrial.


DID YOU KNOW

• Three touchdown receptions in a game is a program record. While it has not happened on the date of this week’s game, it has happened twice within a couple of days of November 15. Saint Francis Hall of Famer Michael Caputo had three touchdowns against Monmouth on November 13, 2004, and E.J. Jenkins hauled in three TD passes against Wagner on November 16. FUN FACT: Caputo is the only player in team history with two games with three TDs.


LAST TIME OUT

• It was another heart breaker at DeGol on November 8. 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.

• 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.


THE WORD ON THE SHARKS

• LIU comes into the contest 4-6 overall and 2-3 in NEC play after defeating Duquesne 29-11 on November 8. This will mark the second time this season a team comes to Loretto on the heels of a home win against the Dukes after Wagner turned that trick on October 25.

• Quarterback Ethan Greenwood was 9-for-15 for 122 yards and two touchdown passes, while Greenwood also had 91 yards on the ground and a TD. O’Shawn Ross had 92 yards rushing and three catches for 51 yards and a TD catch. Avery Morris and Jack Dunkley each had six tackles to pace the defense. 

• Luca Stanzani is the top quarterback with 567 yards on 66-for-112 attempts and three touchdowns, but was just 0-for-2 against the Dukes. Ross leads the rushing attack with 769 yards on 136 carries. Deion Richardson paces the receiving corps with 25 catches for 291 yards. 

• Jalen Bell powers the defense with 55 tackles (32 solo, 23 assist), and Rafael Fasolino is second on the team with 47 tackles (33 solo, 14 assist).


LAST TIME WE MET

• Nick Whitfield Jr. threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns to lead Saint Francis past LIU 34-27 on November 16, 2024.  DeMarcus McElroy scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:33 left in the game. The Sharks had a first-and-goal from the one with 11 seconds left, but could not punch it in, and Mercury Swaim made the decisive tackle.

• It was a big day for the receivers with Gavin Thomson notching six catches for 103 yards and a TD and Jayden Ivory adding three receptions for 82 yards. Markell Holman had 73 yards rushing and a TD. Swaim registered eight tackles, and Geno Calgaro had seven.

• Ethan Greenwood was 6-for-14 for 141 yards, and also had 66 yards rushing. Quaiil Lumpkins paced the Shark defense with 11 tackles, while Omari Lewis had nine stops. 

• It was the first game for Saint Francis since the passing of freshman Kevon Walker, who passed away on November 4, 2024.


TWO-DEEP QUICK HITS

• #4 Jack Courtney tied his career high with five tackles against Mercyhurst. Courtney has appeared in 29 tilts in his career, recording 46 tackles (18 solo, 28 assisted), nine tackles for a loss, and an interception. He first had five tackles and a half sack at LIU on November 16, 2024.

• #5 Corey Williams has tallied at least five tackles in a game four times this season, including a career-high seven tackles against Mercyhurst. Williams had six tackles and his first collegiate interception against Buffalo. The redshirt freshman has appeared in 10 games in his career (nine this season) with 19 solo and 15 assisted for 34 tackles in his career. 

• #6 Nick Whitfield Jr. was 21-for-35 for 187 yards against Mercyhurst. It was the second time this season he did not commit a turnover. The redshirt junior surpassed his season career total with 1,536 yards, after posting 1,033 yards last season. He has eclipsed 3,000 yards for his career with 3,007 yards. 

• #7 Zachary Betts has posted consecutive five-tackle games (against Robert Morris and Mercyhurst) after posting at least seven tackles in his first three games this season. He had nine tackles combined in the four games in between. He posted a career-high nine tackles against Buffalo. He leads the team with four sacks this season. In 17 career games, Betts has registered 33 solo tackles, 24 assisted tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, and six sacks.

•  #12 Malikai Nichols posted a career-high five tackles against Mercyhurst. In his second season in Loretto, Nichols has nine career tackles in nine games.

• #16 Denzel Lambert had three receptions for 31 yards against the Lakers. He has recorded all 15 of his catches for 160 yards in his last six games. Lambert played two games in 2024 without recording a catch and posted a career-high 48 yards receiving at Bucknell.

• #18 Mac Plummer is 22-for-33 on field goal attempts, including a career-long 50-yard field goal at Kent State. He became the third kicker in team history to hit five field goals in one game against Mercyhurst. Plummer has 98 kickoffs in his career for 5,518 yards and 12 touchbacks. He averages 56.4 yards per kickoff.

• #19 Colin Douglas backed up his career-high 11 tackles, an INT, and a forced fumble against Wagner with eight tackles and a 45-yard fumble recovery against Mercyhurst. He ranks second on the team with 63 tackles in 2025 (42 solo, 21 assisted), including 55 tackles in his last six games. He has at least seven tackles in six of the nine games this year.

• #83 Peyton Nelson is the only receiver to notch a catch in all nine games this season and has tallied multiple receptions in seven of the nine games. Nelson hauled in four catches for 44 yards against Mercyhurst. He posted a career-high 11 catches for 131 yards against Bucknell. He leads the team with 33 receptions and is tied with Maultsby with 269 yards.