JOLIET, Ill. – University of St. Francis wide receiver Brandon Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Peoria) broke the Saints' career record for receiving touchdowns in a 49-19 loss to top-ranked University of Saint Francis (Ind.).
Ruffin caught touchdown passes from Aaron Ellis (Valparaiso, Ind./Boone Grove) and Don Butkus (Dyer, Ind./Mount Carmel Ill.), moving his career total to 23. He passes his former teammate, Lexus Jackson, who set the mark last season.
On the first play from scrimmage, USF's Dwayne Milton (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) broke free into the secondary, gaining 35 yards. The Saints (0-2) were forced to punt later in the drive and pinned the Cougars (2-0) inside the 5-yard line.
Saint Francis (Ind.), the two-time defending NAIA national champions, methodically drove down the field on the ensuing possession, going 98 yards on 19 plays and scoring on a 1-yard Justin Green run. Despite the score, Green had trouble finding room against the Saints' defense. St. Francis held Green, a 2017 NAIA All-American, to just 51 yards on 20 carries (2.6 yards per carry), nearly 100 yards below his average yards per game from last season.
The visitors extended their lead to 21-0 in the second quarter, but the Saints chipped into the deficit with a big defensive play. Malik Thurman (Bellwood, Ill./Proviso West) stripped the ball away from the Cougars' quarterback Matt Crable, scooped it up and ran 31 yards for a touchdown. With the two-point attempt unsuccessful, the Saints trailed 21-6 heading into halftime.
After the break, St. Francis (Ill.) forced a three-and-out and then pulled within one score with a 12-play, 65-yard march that culminated with Ellis hitting Ruffin from 10 yards out. Ellis was 5-for-6 on the drive for 43 yards.
The Saints got the ball back with the score still 21-13. On the third play of their drive, Saint Francis' Wilmer Cole intercepted Ellis and took it back for a score, sending the Cougars ahead 28-13.
From there, the visitors scored 21 more unanswered points to pull away. The Saints' final touchdown of the afternoon came when Butkus found Ruffin in the end zone from 21 yards out.
Ellis and Butkus combined to throw for 155 yards. Milton led the Saints on the ground, totaling 74 yards on 16 carries. Ruffin finished with three catches for 73 yards and a pair of scores. On the defensive side, Rio Strama (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet Catholic) led the team in tackles with 12, while Thurman, Kody Randa (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich) and Mason DeLong (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) added 11 each.
Saint Francis (Ind.) accumulated over 500 yards of total offense, including nearly 400 through the air. Crable completed 26 of his 36 pass attempts for 396 yards and three scores, leading the Cougars to their 25th consecutive victory.
The Saints travel to Quincy University next Saturday, September 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
