Game Notes | Live Stats | NEC Front Row
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart football team hosts Saint Francis U Saturday at Noon at Campus Field in a key Northeast Conference football matchup.
Fans in Halloween costumes are eligible for $5 adult and $2 youth tickets at the gate Saturday. There will a Trick or Treat pregame in the SHU Family Zone and youth will have a Costume Parade on the field at halftime.
Sacred Heart (6-1, 1-1 NEC) got back in the NEC championship race last week with a 16-10 win over Robert Morris at Campus Field. Nate Chavious' two one-yard touchdown runs and an Alec Finney field goal staked the Pioneers to a 16-7 lead with 6:23 to play in the third quarter. The SHU defense held the Colonials to 172 yards of total offense and just 2-for-14 on third down. James Rentz led the Pioneers with nine tackles, including a tackle for loss and a blocked field goal early in the third quarter.
Quarterback RJ Noel is quickly approaching the SHU career passing yards record. With 8,495 career passing yards, Noel is 309 yards away from passing Dale Fink as the Pioneers' all-time leading passer. The fifth-year signal caller became the first quarterback in NEC history to pass 10,000 yards of career total offense at Cornell on Oct. 15. He enters this week second among active FCS quarterbacks with 75 career passing touchdowns, third in career total offense, and fifth in career passing yards.
Saturday's game is the 21st meeting all-time between the Pioneers and the Red Flash. It'll feature the top two defenses in the NEC this season. SHU and Saint Francis U are either first or second in almost every defensive statistical category. The Red Flash have won each of the last four meetings, including last season's 23-14 game at Saint Francis U.
Saint Francis U (5-3, 3-0 NEC) enters Saturday as the lone undefeated team in NEC play. The Red Flash is riding a four-game winning streak after last week's 14-10 win over Duquesne. Quarterback Zack Drayer scored a one-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the game for the win. Saint Francis U held Duquesne, the top offense in the NEC, to just 150 passing yards and had two interceptions. The Red Flash lead the NEC in sacks, scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, and turnover margin.
