Football Announces 2020 Schedule
3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Sacred Heart University football team announced its 2020 campaign on Tuesday. The Pioneers, who have won three Northeast Conference championships in the past seven years, will host five home games in the 11-game slate.
"We are looking forward to an exciting and competitive 2020 campaign," said Pioneers head coach Mark Nofri. "We have built a program that is able to compete at the highest-levels, and contend for a conference title, every season. I know we are all facing some uncertainty right now, but I look forward to the comfort of taking the field on Saturday's come fall."
The Pioneers have posted six winning seasons in the last seven years; and have four conference titles, capturing NEC trophies in 2001, 2013, 2014 and 2018. SHU has won seven games in back-to-back seasons and in the past two years is 9-4 against NEC opposition.
Information regarding SHU Game Day; including promotional calendar, Tailgate Village, and season tickets will be announced next month.
Game 1 – Lafayette – September 5 – Campus Field, Fairfield, Conn.
- The Pioneers open the campaign at home on September 5 versus Patriot League member Lafayette
- SHU has won five consecutive games in the series with Lafayette, and lead the all-time series, 5-1
- Logan Marchi tied a school record with six touchdowns in a 56-40 win in Easton, Pa. on September 14, 2019
Game 2 – at Long Island U – September 12 – Bethpage Stadium, Brookville, N.Y.
- The NEC schedule begins, for the second consecutive season, in Brookville, when Pioneers meet the Sharks
- The Pioneers scored 21 unanswered points, after trailing 7-6 after the first quarter, to pull away for a 34-10 win in the NEC Opener, September 21, 2019, in Brookville, N.Y.
- The Pioneers have won back-to-back NEC openers and are 4-4 in league openers under Nofri's direction
- The 2019 meeting was the second all-time, first at the Division I level, and the Pioneers victory drew the series even, 1-1
Game 3 – Saint Francis U – September 19 – Campus Field, Fairfield, Conn.
- The Pioneers host NEC foe after playing their first-overtime game since 2012, in a 36-33 win over the Red Flash in Loretto, Pa. October 26. 2019
- SHU rallied from a 10-point third quarter deficit to force overtime, and after holding SFU to a field goal, scored a touchdown for the win on its overtime possession
- SHU has won three straight meetings over the Red Flash and now lead the all-time series, 13-11
Game 4 – at Stony Brook – September 26 – LaValle Stadium, Stony Brook, N.Y.
- SHU and Stony Brook meet for the third time in five years and for the 17th time in program history
- SHU upset the 20th ranked Seawolves in 2016, the first meeting since 2006, with a 38-10 victory
- The Seawolves hold an 11-5 lead in the series, including a win in 2017, 45-7
Game 5 – at Penn – October 10 – Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pa.
- The Pioneers face Penn for the third time in program history, with the Quakers leading the series 2-0
- The two meetings have been decided by a total of 10 points, 31-27 at Campus Field in 2018, and 38-24 in Philadelphia last season
Game 6 – Merrimack – October 17 – Campus Field, Fairfield, Conn.
- The Pioneers face Merrimack for the third—time in program history, and welcome the Warriors to Campus Field as Division I opponents for the first-time
- The two teams are 1-1 all-time, with SHU winning at home in 1996 (20-3) and falling 17-7 on the road a season ago.
Game 7 – at Duquesne – October 24 – Rooney Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- The Pioneers and Dukes are meeting for the 16th time, with the Pioneers winning four times in the series
- Duquesne earned a 20-6 win on Campus Field in 2019, a game that saw Julius Chestnut scamper for 128 yards for the Pioneers
- The Pioneers last win in the series came in Pittsburgh, in 2014, in a thrilling 23-20 win that propelled the Pioneers to a second consecutive NEC Championship
- SHU and Duquesne shared the NEC crown in 2018
Game 8 – Bryant – October 31 – Campus Field, Fairfield, Conn.
- The meeting on Campus Field will be the 14th between the two programs, with SHU leading the series 8-5
- The Pioneers have won consecutive games in the series, and five of the last seven, including a 24-17 victory at Bryant last fall and a 49-26 triumph at home in 2018
- The Bulldogs were the Pioneers opponent November 15, 2014, on Campus Field, that saw SHU defeated 21st ranked Bryant to secure the league championship
Game 9 – at CCSU – November 7 – Arute Field; New Britain, Conn.
- CCSU hosts the Pioneers as the defending NEC Champions and having won four of the last five meetings
- SHU has nine wins in the series, last winning in New Britain, 28-25, October 20, 2018
Game 10 – at Wagner – November 14 – Hamline Field, Staten Island, N.Y.
- The regulars season road finale takes the Pioneers to Staten Island for the 23rd meeting in the series history, with both teams winning 11 times
- The Pioneers have won consecutive games over the Seahawks, with a 41-7 win on Campus Field last season – scoring 41 unanswered second-half points
- SHU matched a Division I program record with eight takeaways in the victory
Game 11 – Robert Morris, November 21 – Campus Field, Fairfield, Conn.
- The Pioneers host the Colonials in the regular-season finale; a game which will be preceded by a ceremony honoring the SHU Football senior class
- The Colonials defeated SHU 16-14 in the 2019 season finale, holding off a furious Pioneers rally
- SHU had won the six previous meetings between the two squads and is 13-9 all-time against RMU
