SHU Football to Take on Holy Cross in FCS Playoffs
11/21/2021 2:12:00 PM | Football
Pioneers have won three of the last four NEC titles.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – One day after capturing its second-straight Northeast Conference championship, the Sacred Heart University football team learned its first round opponent in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The Pioneers will travel to Worcester, Mass. to face Holy Cross on Saturday, November 27 at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
"It's exciting to be one of the 24 teams left playing," Sacred Heart head coach Mark Nofri said. "We're excited to be in the FCS Playoffs. Holy Cross is a great draw, they're one of the best schools in the Northeast and the entire country."
Sacred Heart earned its spot in the postseason by winning the NEC regular season championship with an 6-1 mark, 8-3 overall. The Pioneers come into the playoffs on a six-game winning streak.
Sacred Heart is 0-3 in its previous three trips to the FCS Playoffs. During the spring season, the Pioneers lost a narrow 19-10 decision at No. 5 Delaware.
This will be the third meeting between the Pioneers and Crusaders with Holy Cross taking both contests. The last meeting came on September 12, 2009, at Holy Cross with HC prevailing 52-21.
"I know our guys will be fired up and ready to play," Nofri added. "We have quite a few guys from Massachusetts on our team and we look forward to the challenge of playing up there."
Defense has been the name of the game for Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are first in the country, only allowing 113.1 passing yards per game. SHU has the number five scoring defense and ranks seventh in total defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Pioneers are led by the two-heading running attack of Walter Payton Award candidates Malik Grant and Julius Chestnut. Grant is third in the country at 117.1 yards per game while the consensus All-American Chestnut is averaging 121.8 ypg.
Nofri is in his 10th season at the helm of the SHU football team. He's led the Pioneers to five conference titles in the last nine years, including three of the last four, and has a 62-46 career record.
"It's exciting to be one of the 24 teams left playing," Sacred Heart head coach Mark Nofri said. "We're excited to be in the FCS Playoffs. Holy Cross is a great draw, they're one of the best schools in the Northeast and the entire country."
Sacred Heart earned its spot in the postseason by winning the NEC regular season championship with an 6-1 mark, 8-3 overall. The Pioneers come into the playoffs on a six-game winning streak.
Sacred Heart is 0-3 in its previous three trips to the FCS Playoffs. During the spring season, the Pioneers lost a narrow 19-10 decision at No. 5 Delaware.
This will be the third meeting between the Pioneers and Crusaders with Holy Cross taking both contests. The last meeting came on September 12, 2009, at Holy Cross with HC prevailing 52-21.
"I know our guys will be fired up and ready to play," Nofri added. "We have quite a few guys from Massachusetts on our team and we look forward to the challenge of playing up there."
Defense has been the name of the game for Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are first in the country, only allowing 113.1 passing yards per game. SHU has the number five scoring defense and ranks seventh in total defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Pioneers are led by the two-heading running attack of Walter Payton Award candidates Malik Grant and Julius Chestnut. Grant is third in the country at 117.1 yards per game while the consensus All-American Chestnut is averaging 121.8 ypg.
Nofri is in his 10th season at the helm of the SHU football team. He's led the Pioneers to five conference titles in the last nine years, including three of the last four, and has a 62-46 career record.
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