ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights football team earned its first win with a 13-8 victory over St. Francis (Ill.) on Saturday afternoon. The Saints (1-2) defense recorded two interceptions and a fourth-down stop to maintain their five-point lead in the second half.
Ryan Minor made his first start at quarterback for SHU and finished 14-22 for 128 yards and a touchdown through the air. Jared Jordan and Kaleb Jefferson split time in the backfield. Jordan had 11 carries for 49 yards while Jefferson rushed 13 times for 41 yards. Eric Williams II led out wide with five catches for 83 yards including a 56-yard touchdown grab that put the Saints in the lead. Pianki Abdul-Hakiym made four catches for 26 yards. Kole Murlin led defensively with 14 tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Nick Stalworth had 10 stops. Andrew McGaughy completed five tackles and had one of the two SHU interceptions. Gabe Callery finished with four tackles and an interception.
Siena Heights took a 3-0 lead on its second drive of the game. The Saints moved the ball quickly into USF territory with a 15-yard pass from Minor to Williams II followed by a 13-yard run by Jefferson. SHU pushed the ball to the Fighting Saints 12-yard line, but stalled and had to settle for the 29-yard field goal on a 15-play, 52-yard drive.
St. Francis took the lead to start the second quarter after a 24-yard pass from Sam Tumilty to Ravon Johnson scored at the 11:41 mark of the second quarter. The Fighting Saints opted to go for two and were successful to take their only lead of the game, 8-3. The lead was short-lived as Minor hit Wiliams II five plays later for a 56-yard touchdown pass and the hometown Saints retook the lead, 10-3 with 10:09 remaining in the second half. After forcing a three-and-out by St. Francis, the Saints scored again before the half. Again with a field goal, this one was a 30-yard attempt to give SHU the 13-8 lead.
Siena Heights committed penalties that extended the first two drives of the second half for St. Francis. The first was roughing the kicker penalty on a punt that gave USF an automatic first down. That drive was ended three plays later when Gabe Callery picked off a tipped pass at the Saints' 37. The next St. Francis drive saw SHU commit a roughing the passer penalty on 2nd-and-7 then a personal foul on the next play that gave USF the ball on the SHU six. Daneille Lowe Jr. stopped the drive with a forced fumble on Perre' Barbarin that was recovered by Joseph Wharton and again the defense preserved the lead.
Two drives later, McGaughy picked off a pass from Tumilty that gave the Siena Heights the ball in plus territory. Minor then threw a pick three plays later and USF got the ball back near the 50-yard line, but couldn't do anything with it. The final drive for the visitors ended at the SHU 44 when a pass to Jalen Williams fell incomplete on a 4th-and-15 and the Saints were able to kill the clock to earn their first win of the season.
Up Next
Siena Heights begins the toughest stretch of its schedule next week with a road game against 13th-ranked St. Francis (Ind.) on Saturday, October 2. The game is slated for a noon kickoff.
