Posted: Sep 22, 2022
This Week for the Saints
Siena Heights (1-1-) at St. Francis (Ill.) (0-2)
Sept. 24 | 2:00 PM | Joliet, Ill. | Joliet Memorial Field
THE GAME
The Saints (1-1) take their second trip to the Chicago area in as many weeks as they face St. Francis (Ill.) in the third game of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
Siena Heights fell 24-21 to St. Xavier last week after the SHU comeback fell just short. The Cougars had a 24-7 lead before the Saints stormed back to cut the deficit to a field goal before time ran out.
The Fighting Saints fell 31-7 to fifth-ranked Marian on the road a week ago. The Knights took a three-score lead in the third quarter and never looked back.
SERIES HISTORY
The Saints hold a 4-1 lead in the all-time series against St. Francis (Ill.). The latter won the first-ever meeting in 2013 with a 17-13 decision before S, including the last four meetings that include a close, 13-8, win last season. SHU has never lost when traveling to Joliet, winning both games (2014 & 2018).
The average margin, However, the victory between the teams is 8.6 points. The largest margin was 18 points. This occurred in 2017 when the Siena defeated St. Francis (Ill.) 34-16 inside O'Laughlin Stadium.
LEADING THE SAINTS
The Saints' sophomore quarterback, Ryan Minor, threw for a career-high 223 yards on 22-39 passing against the Cougars last Saturday. So far this season, Minor has completed 53.4% of his pass attempts while throwing three touchdowns and running for another. Eric Williams II is Minor's favorite target, with six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Chris Coleman and Sam Cousino have also made a reception for a touchdown this season. Kaleb Jefferson is the Saints leading rusher with 86 yards on. Jefferson is rushing for 4.8 yards a carry and had his most productive outing this past weekend when he accumulated 78 yards on 16 carries.
The Saint defense played well against the run as they have held opponents to just 63 rushing yards through the first two games of the season. Kole Murlin leads the team in tackles with 25. He has also gathered 1.5 tackles for loss. Zach Keyser has 22 stops to fall second on the team in that category. Cosey Goff has the only interception this season, and Vincent Walker scored a touchdown in the opening game with a scoop and scored off a blocked punt.
Anthony Secchi leads the team in scoring with seven points as he is a perfect 7-7 on extra point tries. Williams II is the team's leading return threat with 153 kick-return yards. His longest this year was 29 yards, and he averages 21.9 yards per return.
LEADING THE FIGHTING SAINTS
The St. Francis offense goes through Sam Tumilty as he is the leading passer and rusher for the Fighting Saints. He has completed 63.4% of his pass attempts for 302 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 138 yards on 55 carries and two touchdowns. Daniel Goetsch is the only receiver for USF to catch a touchdown pass through the first games of the season.
Scott Tumilty leads the defense with 25 tackles. TJ Neal has a team-high two sacks and three tackles for loss. Nick Mabutas recorded the lone interception for St. Francis.
Brian Maday is three-for-three on extra point attempts and has also done the punting with ten boots for an average of 30.9 yards per punt. He has a season-long of 59 yards and has pinned opponents inside the 20 three times. Scott Tumilty leads in all-purpose yards with his 164 kick return numbers, including a 59-yard return.
WATCH & LISTEN
Fans can follow the action via live stats and video. The game will also be broadcasted on 96.5 FM The Cave live or online Saturday afternoon.
