Saint Francis was up 11 going into the final 6 minutes against Long Island University last Saturday before losing by 1 point (29-28) following a ferocious LIU comeback.
With SFU quarterback Cole Doyle missing his second straight game in concussion protocol, Nick Whitfield got the start under center. The redshirt freshman was efficient on the day, going 18 of 26 for 209 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers.
The first scoring drive of the game came when Whitfield threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jake Bruno. It capped a 99-yard, 7-minute scoring drive, the longest of the season for SFU.
Long Island quarterback Chris Howell also had himself a good game. Accounting for 242 total yards – 172 through the air and 70 on the ground – Howell averaged 10 yards per pass and 10 yards per rush while also throwing for 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Howell’s arm helped set up the Sharks at the SFU 2-yard line after a 25-yard pass to Aviyon Smith-Mack. The Sharks’ Owen Glascoe would punch it in with a touchdown run to make the score 10-7 in favor of LIU.
Deondre Scott was Saint Francis’ offensive MVP for the day. Scott had 17 carries for 106 yards, averaging 6.2 yards-per-carry. He also added a touchdown on the day on a 1-yard run that was set up by an LIU fumble recovered by SFU’s Eddie Bierals.
On LIU’s next drive, Howell gave Saint Francis its second straight takeaway, throwing an interception to Red Flash cornerback Blye Hill. Saint Francis led 14-10 at the half.
The offenses trade three straight touchdowns after the intermission – 2 rushing TDs for SFU by Jordan Jackson and Mason Imbt and 1 to LIU on a Howell 30-yard pass to Glascoe.
Then midway through the fourth quarter, Howell found Davon Wells on a 16-yard touchdown pass. Saint Francis would punt the ball back to LIU with 3 minutes left with LIU trailing by 5.
On the very first play of the ensuing drive, LIU completed a 72-yard pass, getting down to the SFU 6-yard line. Three plays later, Glascoe punched in a 3-yard touchdown, his second of the day.
Saint Francis got the ball back with a minute left before a turnover on downs set the final score.
Each of Saint Francis’ last six NEC losses have been by 3 points or less dating back to 2021. The last time the team lost an NEC game by more than 3 points was in 2019.
SFU closes the 2023 season at Central Connecticut on Nov. 18. The game kicks off at noon and will be streamed on NEC FrontRow.
