No. 22 Saint Francis Defeats Saint Xavier for Share of MSFA Midwest Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Xavier (IL) (4-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
|
Saint Francis (IN) (8-2) | 14 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) football team clinched a share of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest Championship and an automatic berth to the NAIA Football Championship Series after beating Saint Xavier University during Senior Day at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium on Saturday, November 9.
A 38-yard pass from Joshua Kulka to Crosley MacEachen put the Cougars on the scoreboard in their opening drive of Saturday's game. The Cougars scored again at the 5:25 mark of the first quarter thanks to a 14-yard receiving touchdown from O'Vauntay Vickers. The Cougars would keep Saint Xavier scoreless to take the 14-0 lead at halftime.
An interception by Nate Newcomer that was returned 20 yards gave USF the ball back on their own 45-yard line with 10:20 to play in the third quarter. The Cougars would score again at the 6:52 mark, this time Kulka would connect with McCall Ray for a 6-yard touchdown pass to extend the Cougars' lead to 20-0. Saint Francis would tack on another seven points with an 8-yard rushing touchdown from Lenny Bennett for the 27-0 advantage with 14:48 left to play in Saturday's game. After being held scoreless through the first three quarters, Saint Xavier would score two touchdowns in the last six minutes of the game to make the final score 27-14 in favor of Saint Francis.
USF finished the afternoon with 362 total yards of offense. Kulka completed 29 of 43 passing attempts for 312 total yards and four touchdowns. David Smith led Saint Francis on the ground with 53 rushing yards on nine carries. Drew Wheat caught four passes for 58 yards, while Ray, MacEachen, Bennett, and Vickers all had touchdowns on the afternoon.
Defensively, the Cougars had six sacks, forced three fumbles and came away with three interceptions. Jaydin Evans finished the afternoon with eight total tackles and a pass breakup. Tamarris Springfield and Emmanuel Davis had seven tackles each. Springfield also had 1.5 tackles for a loss of five yards, an interception, a pass breakup and a QB hurry on Saturday. Marquise Cross and Newcomer had six tackles each. Cross also had a sack for a loss of seven yards and two tackles for a loss, while Newcomer had two interceptions returned for 39 total yards, a pass breakup and a tackle for a loss against SXU.
Following Saturday's win, the Cougars remain undefeated at home in the regular season and claim their record-extending 14th MSFA title and their first-ever Midwest League title. Saint Francis also holds tiebreakers over Marian and St. Francis (Ill.), earning the Cougars the MSFA Midwest automatic bid to the NAIA playoffs.
Up next, USF football (8-2, 4-0) will have the opportunity to win the MSFA Midwest league outright as the Cougars travel to Olivet Nazarene on November 16 for the regular season finale.
Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.
